Hoosiers snap 11-game Big Ten losing streak

It's been an interesting week for junior Matt LoVecchio.\nSeven days removed from being forced to sit because of lingering effects of a concussion, LoVecchio scrambled for eight yards and dove head first across the goal line with 24 seconds remaining to score the winning touchdown in IU's 17-14 win over Illinois.\nLoVecchio said he took what the Illini defense gave him.\n"My first look was to throw the ball, and they kind of set back, and I was able to run the ball on them," LoVecchio said. "I was looking at (junior) Aaron Halterman and (sophomore) John Pannozzo. They dropped back on them and covered them pretty well. That enabled me to run it into the end zone. It feels great to get this win."\nLoVecchio's run capped a 12-play, 66-yard drive that began with 2:52 on the clock, trailing 14-10, with the Hoosiers facing do or die implications. LoVecchio and the offense responded. He was five of seven on the drive for 46 yards and ran four times for 19 yards. \nHis favorite target on the drive was junior Courtney Roby. Roby caught two balls for 25 yards and had eight catches for 81 yards on the day. LoVecchio might've been looking Roby's way more frequently on Saturday because of the absence of IU's second leading receiver, senior Glenn Johnson, who was suspended for missing a team meeting.\nLoVecchio finished 17 of 24 for 161 yards and showed a willingness to pull the ball down and run as he rushed 14 times for 59 yards, but only 36 net after sacks against. IU snapped an 11-game Big Ten losing streak.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said the Hoosiers had a very good week of practice, especially LoVecchio after missing last Saturday's game against Minnesota.\n"I think the Minnesota thing built his confidence," DiNardo said. "And he seemed more comfortable all week than he has been."\nThe Hoosiers looked very comfortable on their first drive as they promptly marched 76 yards in 12 plays. Freshmen BenJarvus Green-Ellis started at tailback and enjoyed gaping holes as he ran eight times for 52 yards on the drive and plunged in from one yard out to put IU on top 7-0.\nIllinois, after stopping Green-Ellis on fourth and one with 57 seconds left in the first half, used an effective two-minute drill when senior Dustin Ward found senior Eric McGoey from 6-yards out to tie the game at half.\nDiNardo said the team expected a dogfight between the two bottom dwellers in the Big Ten.\n"What I told the team (at halftime) and what my attitude was did anybody expect anything different," DiNardo said. "Did they think we were going to be winning by a lot at halftime? We certainly didn't think we were going to be losing by a lot."\nThe Hoosiers did fall behind 14-7 in the third quarter on Ward's 34-yard strike to junior Ade Adeyemo. IU countered with a 40-yard field goal by junior Bryan Robertson before LoVecchio's game-winning run.\nSpecial teams miscues and the offenses' inability to move the ball in the fourth quarter cost Illinois. The Illini missed two field goals and had a punt return for a touchdown called back.\nThe IU defense got the ball back to the offense when they needed it, and junior Herana-Daze Jones secured the win by intercepting Ward on the game's last play.\nSenior defensive lineman Jodie Clemons said the team's morale got a big boost with Saturday's win. \n"It's big," Clemons said. "We work so hard and to not get a win, it really hurts you. To actually come in here tomorrow (Sunday) on the winning side is going to feel real good tomorrow. It's going to feel great tonight."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.