Oct. 12--A 29-20 loss at Iowa was disappointing, but Illinois (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten) showed improvement. The Illini hung in until the fourth quarter against the Hawkeyes, but they eventually fell short Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. The loss leaves Illinois at 0-2 on the road.
Offense
C. Quarterback Wes Lunt threw for 317 yards and Geronimo Allison caught eight passes for 148 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown. But the Illini averaged only 1.9 yards per run and Lunt was sacked three times. They were clearly missing running back Josh Ferguson, who sat out with a shoulder injury. Ke'Shawn Vaughn fumbled late to seal the loss.
Defense
C. The defensive line performed well, forcing Iowa to turn the ball over on downs from the 1-yard line once and holding the Hawkeyes to a field goal after they marched to the 1-yard line again. But running back Jordan Canzeri was too much for Illinois, picking up 256 yards on 43 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run. The secondary struggled, giving up big plays.
Special teams
B+. Kicker Taylor Zalewski made both of his field-goal attempts from 37 and 40 yards in the third quarter. V'Angelo Bentley had an 18-yard punt return. Ryan Frain averaged 42.2 yards on six punts to round out a solid day.
Coaching
C. Illinois interim coach Bill Cubit should not have started the fourth quarter by running a trick play that resulted in an interception on a throw by Allison. But the Illini hung in against a favored opponent on the road. That's progress.
