Illinois (2-1) has trailed at the half of every game so far.
Texas State (1-1) comes to Champaign Saturday and might provide the antidote.
The Bobcats trailed Navy 28-0 midway through the first quarter last weekend. They have a strong quarterback in Tyler Jones and Texas State coach Dennis Franchione says protecting him will be the key to success.
If the Illini do struggle, quarterback Wes Lunt could get a chance for more late-game heroics. He's thrown for more than 300 fourth-quarter yards this season.