Coach Bret Bielema's Illinois Fighting Illini secured a huge win over Big Ten and national powerhouse Oregon on Saturday, overcoming a 10-7 halftime deficit in the process.

The Fighting Illini's 21-10 win came without starting quarterback Katin Houser, who left the Michigan State game with a broken right throwing hand, giving way to true freshman Michael Clayton.

The Orlando, Fla. native Clayton is now undefeated in games he's played with Bielema's team, and it starts with a mentality crafted through years of hard work and overcoming adversity. 

It was a case of deja vu for Clayton and the Fighting Illini as they secured a huge win in the second half, their second in a row after beating the Spartans in East Lansing. 

Clayton flipped a switch after the Illini fell behind, a mentality change that gave him the strength to toss two second-half touchdowns in the Fighting Illini's win. 

"Just a mentality switch. Just knowing it was going to be a dog fight, and knowing there's nobody coming to save you. You had to step up in that moment and that's what I did," Clayton said to Glenn Kinley of WCIA-3 Champaign. 

The freshman's final stat line didn't jump out except for the two touchdown passes, but was good enough to secure the win on a day when Illinois rushed for 225 yards against an overmatched Oregon defense. 

Clayton finished 11-of-18 passing for 84 yards and two scores, one to wide receiver Collin Dixon and one to tight end Christian Abney, as the Illini put an insurmountable difference between themselves and the Ducks on the country's largest scoreboard at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. 

Things looked grim after Houser's injury in East Lansing, Mich. against the Spartans, but Clayton and his teammates have breathed new life into it heading into Week 9's clash in College Park, Md. against interim coach Azaar Abdul-Rahim's 2-5 Maryland Terrapins. 

Dixon caught six passes for 65 yards and a touchdown while tight end Christian Abney had his biggest catch of the year, a nine-yard touchdown pass that gave Illinois a 14-10 lead in the third quarter of their huge win over the Ducks. 

Star transfer Jayshon Platt was expected to play, but didn't, surprising fans and Bielema among other observers. Illinois hasn't piled up gaudy statistics through the air as they did with Houser leading the offense, but Clayton appears wise beyond his years and has the pedigree of a winning player dating back to his high school days.

Week 9 will bring another deceptively difficult challenge against a talented Maryland roster, one that could provide stiff resistance to Clayton and his teammates as they continue their march to bowl eligibility.