Illinois defensive tackle Akeem Spence didn't hold back as he explained what went wrong with the Illini defense in Saturday's 45-14 loss at Arizona State.

He said Monday that defenders panicked. Spence said players were reading the wrong play-call signals in some cases and running the wrong plays.

The result was 410 yards of Arizona State offense and an embarrassing loss for the Illini (1-1).

Playing a game without starting quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase a problem, too. Replacements Reilly O'Toole and Miles Osei combined for three interceptions.

Coach Tim Beckman says he won't know until later in the week if his starting quarterback can play Saturday against Charleston Southern (0-2).