Oct. 11--Illinois offensive lineman Teddy Karras can see how Saturday's 29-20 loss at Iowa could be interpreted as a frustrating defeat or a sign of encouragement.
"A little of both," the senior guard said. "Everyone expected us to lay an egg here today but we fought, and this team will always fight. In the past four years in Big Ten road games, it wouldn't even have mattered in the fourth quarter. But we were in it and going to win."
Illinois' chances slipped away when freshman running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn fumbled on the first play of a drive with 3 minutes, 20 seconds remaining at Kinnick Stadium.
The Illini (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten) closed to within 23-20 in the fourth quarter after Geronimo Allison's 53-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Wes Lunt with 10:13 left. Iowa extended its lead to 26-20 with a 34-yard field goal at the 3:20 mark before before Vaughn turned the ball over.
No. 22 Iowa (6-0, 2-0), which became bowl eligible with the victory, nailed a 40-yard field goal after the turnover with 2:11 to play to secure the victory.
"It came down to the last drive again and it just didn't go our way this time," Karras said. "It would be a whole new conversation. We'd be the comeback kids."
Instead, it was close game, kids.
Illinois was without starting running back Josh Ferguson (shoulder), which made the offense more one dimensional.
The defensive line played strong, holding Iowa without a touchdown on two goal-line stands. But the unit allowed Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri to pick up a career-high 256 yards on a school-record 43 carries.
Canzeri ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run right after an Illini field goal near the end of the third quarter for a 23-13 lead.
"We didn't fit it right," defensive coordinator Tim Banks said of the score. "We overran the ball and (he's) out the gate."
Illinois also gave up some big pass plays to freshman Jerminic Smith, who didn't have a catch before Saturday but finished with four for 118 yards.
After a slow start, Illinois' offense picked up the pace in the second half with Lunt finishing 25 of 42 for 317 yards and a touchdown. Allison, who took a hard hit and did not return near the end of the game, caught eight passes for 148 yards.
It wasn't all pretty, of course. Lunt was sacked three times and the run game averaged only 1.9 yards per carry (46 yards).
"The frustration is we're so close," Lunt said. "We're breaking through as a team. We'll get back to work."
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2-minute drill
Freshman fumble: After Illinois freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn's fourth quarter fumble, teammates expressed confidence in him. "He did a good job," offensive lineman Teddy Karras said. "I told him we're always going to ride with you." He finished with 67 yards on 19 carries. He scored the first rushing touchdown against Iowa's defense all season with a 4-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Infirmary: Running back Josh Ferguson sat out with a shoulder injury. Vaughn lay on the sideline after a hard hit in the fourth quarter. Interim coach Bill Cubit said he did not have concussion symptoms, but he took a hard hit to the upper body and returned to the game. Cubit was unsure on details about receiver Geronimo Allison's fourth-quarter injury. Receiver Marchie Murdock sat out with a thigh bruise.
Welcome back: Illinois made its first trip to Iowa since 2007 and has not beaten the Hawkeyes in Kinnick Stadium since 1999.
Bad call: Illinois started the fourth quarter trailing 23-13 and facing third-and-1. Backup quarterback Chayce Crouch came in for Wes Lunt and on a reverse receiver Geronimo Allison threw an interception. "If I knew now what happened, (I) wouldn't have called it," Cubit said. "Unfortunately it didn't work out. It was my fault."
Up next: Wisconsin visits the Illini on Oct. 24.
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