It was homecoming and the hosts took the field with conviction. They had the Hoosiers reeling 14-7 early in the second quarter with a series of grinding assaults. But UI seniors, counted on by coach Tim Beckman to lead the team out of the darkness, lost the grip on their discipline and committed a series of grievous mental errors.

"We shot ourselves in the foot," Beckman said. "We beat ourselves."

The statistics bear him out. Illinois outdowned the Hoosiers 23-14, outgained them 372-292 and stopped them on third down 12 times out of 13.

But, oh, those penalties and turnovers. One right after another.

Tate