CHAMPAIGN — Hank Beatty had 10 yards to go to reach the end zone Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Illinois senior already had caught a Western Illinois punt on the left sideline, raced in a curve across the field to the right sideline and ran 59 yards forward. He wasn’t going to be stopped until he reached the orange end-zone turf.

So he lowered his shoulder into WIU punter Luke Droegemueller and then kept charging with another defender wrapped around his waist until he crossed the goal line, giving the Illini their fifth touchdown in a 52-3 rout.

The 69-yard effort gave No. 12 Illinois its first punt-return touchdown since 2013, when V’Angelo Bentley scored on a 67-yarder against Ohio State. It also capped a big opening night for Beatty, the wide receiver from Rochester, Ill., who

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