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Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Iowa

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 17: Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback AJ Bush (1) hands the ball off to Illinois Fighting Illini running back Ra'Von Bonner (21) in their own end zone during the Big Ten Conference college football game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini on November 17, 2018, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 17: Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback AJ Bush (1) hands the ball off to Illinois Fighting Illini running back Ra'Von Bonner (21) in their own end zone during the Big Ten Conference college football game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini on November 17, 2018, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 17: Toren Young #28 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs the ball as Austin Roberts #36 of the Illinois Fighting Illini makes the tackle from behind at Memorial Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

The Illinois football team played their final home game of the season, and it ended up being the worst loss in program history.

While the game seemed out of hand almost immediately, the Illini weren’t far behind after the first quarter. The first score of the game came at the end of the first quarter when Iowa took the lead 7-0. This was coming off a drive that started at the Illinois 39-yard line.

Iowa then scored a touchdown to start the second quarter. The game wasn’t technically out of reach at this point. But, the following drive, the Illini fumbled the ball on the first play and it was returned for a touchdown. Illinois then had a punt blocked on the next drive and Iowa scored a touchdown from 11 yards out. This brought the score to 28-0 before you could even blink. There is no coming back from that deficit.

The defense gave up an 83-yard touchdown drive after another Illini punt. This brought the score to 35-0 heading into the halftime locker room. Things didn’t improve for the Orange and Blue, though.

Illinois punted on their first possession out of the locker room and it was returned for a touchdown. Iowa then had a 20-yard touchdown drive after an interception by the Illini. This brought the score to 49-0.

The Illini gave up two more touchdowns down the stretch to end the game losing 63-0. This was an embarrassing game for the program and the fan base.

Here are five observations from the Illini loss to Iowa.

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