Players, coaches frustrated after another loss

Following what multiple players and coaches called the team’s best week of practice, IU’s 41-20 loss to Illinois on Saturday frustrated Co-Defensive Coordinator Mike Ekeler.

“Coach Ekeler said that today is the worst feeling he’s had because he thought it was our best practice week, and he hadn’t seen us practice like that,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “They actually battled pretty well.”

Junior center Will Matte also expressed his frustration after the Hoosiers jumped out to a 10-0 lead before being outscored 41-10 the rest of the game.

“This one hurts, but at this point, you can’t do anything but go on,” Matte said. “Each loss hurts equally. It’s just a matter of getting kind of frustrated that we’re not turning the corner.”

Against the undefeated Fighting Illini, IU’s offense was outgained by its junior punter, Adam Pines. The offense totaled 302 yards while Pines’s seven punts added up to 303 yards.

Sophomore Dusty Kiel started at quarterback, but after he hurt his ankle while completing a 48-yard pass to sophomore Stephen Houston, true freshman Tre Roberson saw a great deal of time under center.

After freshman Shane Wynn returned the opening kickoff 99 yards to put the Hoosiers up 7-0, IU scored on two field goals from sophomore kicker Mitch Ewald. Roberson scored the only offensive touchdown with 5:29 left in the game when he ran it in from two yards out.

Matte and the rest of the offensive line had a tough time taming the Illini defensive line that leads the Big Ten in sacks with 22, racking up five against IU.

“We weren’t focused in all the way, I’d say,” Matte said. “I had a couple of snap issues, and that’s disgusting as a junior. We’ve got to go back to the film room and fix our issues.”

The IU defensive line improved its pass rush, getting to Illinois’s quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase three times after totaling two sacks in the first five games.

The sacks couldn’t stop Scheelhaase from throwing three touchdowns and running for another. He found his top target — senior wide receiver A.J. Jenkins — six times for 182 of his 210 passing yards. One of those catches resulted in a 77-yard touchdown and another in a 67-yard score.

Senior middle linebacker Jeff Thomas and the defense were on the field for more than half the game while the offense sputtered at times.

Thomas said the loss was “a tough pill to swallow,” but he still has faith in the offense.
“We love being on the field, so we embrace it,” Thomas said. “We’re not going to say anything bad about our offense. We know what they can do.”

“They’ve had a rough couple of weeks. We’re fully behind them, and we know they’re behind us.”