Hoosiers fall to Illini 27-14

Turnovers and Illinois' running game proved fatal to the Hoosiers' hopes of winning their Big Ten opener.\nThey lost 27-14 today at the Rock.\nThe Hoosiers had four turnovers - three fumbles and one interception. The interception came in the Illinois end zone when IU quarterback Kellen Lewis was attempting to throw a touchdown pass to James Hardy. Illinois intercepted, preventing the Hoosiers from attempting a comeback at about a minute and a half left in play.\nIU had only 134 yards rushing, a stark contrast to the 258 the team averaged during its first three games. The Hoosiers had 263 yards passing,397 total offense and completed three more first downs than the Illini, but they just couldn't maintain consistent drives to put the ball in the end zone.\nIn fact, the Hoosiers didn't even score until the Illini were up 13-0 with about three minutes left in the first half. The 7-yard drive was a Lewis-to-Hardy pass and Austin Starr kicked for the extra point, bringing the score to 13-7. But their comeback lasted for about a minute's worth of game time as the Illini, aided by the arm of quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams, turned around and scored on their next possession.\nIllinois led 20-7 at the end of the first half and each team scored one touchdown in the second half.\nLewis was 26 of 51 in pass completion and threw for two touchdowns. \nThe Hoosiers struggled to defend Illinois' running game, led by Illini running back Rashard Mendenhall, who ran the ball 27 times and gained 214 yards.\nThe Hoosiers will have to improve on today's performance to challenge the Hawkeyes at Iowa next Saturday. But Illinois' solid play will be positive for the team, which will host Penn State.\nCheck idsnews.com for more stats, interviews and a complete wrap-up of today's contest.