1. Youngstown State coach Eric Wolford has made this point a few times, but it's worth repeating: Five years ago, people were just hoping the Penguins could score a touchdown in these money games. Now, YSU's coaches and players believe they can win these games.

Heck, you could make a strong argument YSU should have won Saturday's game.

"A couple of years ago, it was a different environment with different people around us," linebacker Dubem Nwadiogbu said. "This year, we expected to play well. Our team basically can play in the BCS [conferences]. That's how we feel."

This was Wolford's fifth money game and only one was a complete blowout: last year's loss to a Michigan State team that finished No. 3 in the country. Compared to 2005-09, when the Penguins lost by a combined score of 235-12 to Pitt (twice), Ohio State (twice) and Penn State, that's real growth.

2. Junior QB Dante Nania had a solid debut, but you couldn't help thinking YSU would have beaten Illinois if Kurt Hess had another year. YSU's coaches wanted Nania to be a game manager and it showed on Saturday as they stayed very conservative with the play calling.

"A lot of those third-and-longs, we had a pass play on and we checked out of it," said Nania. "The coaches upstairs saw something they liked and [switched to a run]."

More likely, they saw something they didn't like and opted not to risk a sack or an interception. Nania rarely had a chance to throw a deep or intermediate route and, for most of the pass plays, he went to the primary read. That'll change over time, obviously, but with Nania's first start, the Penguins kept things really close to the vest. It might have cost them a win.

3. Obviously, Illinois is going to be a Big Ten bottom feeder (and I thought it was interesting that YSU defensive lineman Emmanuel Kromah said it wasn't the best offensive line he'd face this year), but there was a lot to like on Saturday.

Particularly on defense, where the Penguins looked significantly better.

There were a lot fewer missed assignments, the front four did a better job getting pressure (I liked seeing some of the stunts they used with disruptive DE Derek Rivers, who had a strip-sack), the linebackers looked athletic (especially weakside backer Dubem Nwadiogbu) and while the secondary got beat a few times, it was a clear improvement over last year.

The last few years, YSU would force a third-and-long and you'd just wait for the opponent to run some basic inside slant for 15 yards. Now, you feel like if one person misses a tackle (or an assignment), he'll have some help.

4. I didn't make a prediction in The Vindicator but I told one Illinois blog I thought YSU would lose 31-17. Honestly, I was ready for anything. It's hard to get a good read on a team during practices and intrasquad scrimmages and I was still scarred by the defense's awful spring game.

My knee-jerk reaction after Saturday? YSU is better than I thought. There's no reason the Penguins shouldn't go 8-4 or 9-3.

5. Not to absolve him of the "butt punt," but I think Joey Cejudo will do a nice job replacing Nick Liste as YSU's punter. Not all-conference good, but above average good. Plus, he deserves credit for going 3 for 3 on field goals.

Am I mentioning this because I also like Cejudo? Probably.

6. Like last year, the Penguins are playing a 12-game regular season, which gives them an extra non-conference game.

And, like last year, they chose to use that game on an FCS cupcake.

YSU plays host to Duquesne, Butler and St. Francis over the next three weeks, which means the Penguins won't play a full-scholarship FCS team until Oct. 4 at Missouri State.

This is a budget-driven decision — home games make a lot of money, even crummy ones — and YSU athletic director Ron Strollo isn't convinced beating a middle-of-the-pack FCS team will make much difference with the playoff committee. (As a former member, he should know.)

But after only getting two postseason berths last year, the Missouri Valley has been vocal this offseason about the need to schedule more full-scholarship FCS teams. While the MVFC has done well against FBS teams, conference officials believe they needs more FCS wins to bolster its claim as the nation's best conference.

7. Speaking of Missouri Valley teams, if I'm the Iowa State athletic director and North Dakota State tries to schedule another game, I laugh into the phone and hang up.

I also do this if I'm the athletic director at any other FBS school.

8. This seems obvious, but there is a striking difference between a struggling Big Ten program like Illinois and a powerhouse like Ohio State. (Or Penn State or Michigan State.) The Illini's facilities are closer to YSU than OSU, as is the atmosphere.

I know it was an 11 a.m. (Central) start against a FCS team, but you've got to be able to draw more than 37,000 fans for your season opener.

Walking in, I got the feeling that trying to out-recruit the Buckeyes with Illinois' facilities was a little like trying to win a gunfight with a pocket knife. Head coach Tim Beckman may be on the hot seat, but if you fire him, then what? The Illini have already tried a former big-time coach (Ron Zook) and a rising MAC head coach (Beckman). What's left?

9. On the way out of Champaign, I saw a silver-haired man in a crosswalk wearing a black beret and a Mickey Mouse jean jacket.

So, you know, come and get it, ladies.

10. Soon after I left Champaign, I passed a massive cornfield with four successive signs. They read:

I have a gun

It's pretty and pink

It made the bad guys

Stop and think

I have no idea what would possess someone to go to the trouble of buying and hanging these signs, but I thought it was funny.