Indiana fells to Illinois in overtime, 48-45.
The Hoosiers got some comforting news before the game when Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer was ruled out for the contest. However, backup John Paddock stepped right into the role and didn't miss a beat.
Early on Indiana looked like they had taken a firm grip on this game. Up 27-12 at one point, it seemed like the Hoosiers were going to roll to an easy victory. That said, Illinois would not be put down easy, as they scored consecutive late touchdowns in the first half.
At the break, Indiana held a slight 27-26 lead.
The second half was all Illinois. Paddock's offense was humming and the Indiana defense was helpless to stop it. At the start of the fourth quarter, Indiana trailed 39-27.
Brendan Sorsby has emerged as a pretty solid signal-caller for the Hoosiers lately, and he put the team on his back in the fourth quarter. After marching his team down the field in just two minutes, Sorsby took it in himself for his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon. Indiana cut into the lead, and trailed 39-34.
After a goal-line stand from the Hoosiers on the other end resulted in an Illinois field goal, and consecutive punts by both teams, the Hoosiers had around 90 seconds to mount a touchdown drive. Oh, and they needed a two point conversion on top of that.
Once again, Sorsby dug deep into his bag of tricks, running and passing the ball at an elite level, before throwing a strike on a deep cross to DeQuece Carter for the touchdown. Following the successful conversion catch by EJ Williams, Indiana tied the game and headed to overtime.
As has been the case most of the season, the Hoosiers would come up just short. They settled for a field goal on their first possession, and allowed a deep touchdown from Illinois on third and long.
Oddly enough, it was the defense who let Indiana down in this one. The offense put up more points than they did in any other game this season, but the defense was nonexistent against the Illini. Paddock finished with 507 yards through the air, and running back Reggie Love III 141 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
This ends Indiana's chance at a bowl game this season, but there is still more football to be played. Tom Allen's squad takes on Michigan State next week before their rivalry tie-up with Purdue the following Saturday.
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