Illinois Football: 4 reasons why the Illini are losing games

3. Discipline is not where it should be

There are some mistakes that are just a part of the game. Sometimes players illegally chop block and end up getting a clipping call. There are times you can’t avoid a helmet to helmet in the secondary and the player gets ejected. Those are penalties that are understandable.

But, then there are penalties that are just about discipline or lack thereof. Illinois is a very frustrating team when it comes to discipline penalties. There were multiple times just in the game against Rutgers that the Illini got a penalty called on them that really hurt momentum.

The first drive of the game is one example. Illinois forced a big turnover in Rutgers territory. The Illini started on the Rutgers 29-yard line and on the second play, Louis Dorsey has a false start that moves the team back. This hurts the field position game and it also hurts momentum and positive vibes. This didn’t need to happen. The result of the drive was a missed 54-yard field goal that hit the upright. If he was five yards closer it is a made field goal.

On Rutgers next drive, Illinois gets a defensive holding and that gave the Scarlet Knights 10 free yards. They ended up scoring a touchdown. A few drives later there is a roughing the passer and pass interference penalty. These both give Rutgers first downs and yardage. They scored a touchdown on that drive.

In the second half, Illinois had a drive when they were down 21-10 that got into Rutgers territory. But, a false start penalty made a 2^nd and 9 into a 2^nd and 14. The Illini ended up with 4^th and 7 and punted.

These discipline penalties kill the team throughout the game. They cost the Illini points and will eventually cost them games. These need to be corrected.