Illini a total loss
Turnovers, leaky ‘D’, poor QB play make easy work for Badgers
MADISON, Wis. — Running back Reggie Corbin sat in his blue Illinois jacket and in a low voice took the blame.
“I have to take care of the ball,” he said dejectedly. “That’s probably why we lost the game anyway.”
Corbin’s two lost fumbles certainly didn’t help Illinois in a 49-20 loss Saturday at Wisconsin. But there were plenty of places to pin blame in the Illini’s third lopsided loss in four Big Ten games.
Illinois, which was plus-8 in turnover margin in its first six games to rank seventh in the FBS, gave away the ball five times in the first half. The 23rd-ranked Badgers scored 21 points off those miscues.
Quarterback AJ Bush Jr., a senior graduate transfer, threw two completions and two interceptions before he was yanked in the second quarter with a minus-14.5 rating. Freshman M.J. Rivers II managed the game better but threw another pick while completing 7 of 13 passes for 80 yards.
Then there was the porous defense.
As glaring as the offensive mistakes were, Illinois’ defense is a greater worry more than halfway through the season.
For the third time in four Big Ten games, an opponent scored at least 46 points. Wisconsin (545 yards, 357 rushing) was the fourth opponent in seven games overall to gain at least 500 yards.
The Badgers (5-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) produced two 100-yard rushers: Jonathan Taylor with 159 yards on 27 carries and Taiwan Deal with 111 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
Last week, Purdue’s passing game tore apart the Illini for 384 yards but they also allowed the Boilermakers’ DJ Knox to rush for 150 yards.
Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook found two tight ends for touchdown passes, tossing three total on 13 of 22 passing. The defense did snag two interceptions off him though.
There haven’t been many answers on defense for coordinator Hardy Nickerson.
“There’s absolutely frustration with the defense,” Illinois coach Lovie Smith said. “There should be. You keep searching for answers. Some of that involves personnel changes. How we played today and how we played the run in particular (is frustrating).”
The Illini (3-4, 1-3) saw a quick boost when Rivers entered the game with less than seven minutes left in the second quarter. Rivers had appeared in three other games, starting two when Bush was out with a leg injury.
On his first play Saturday, Rivers handed the ball to Corbin, threw an excellent block and watched Corbin rush for an 80-yard touchdown.
“We made a change and felt we needed to go another direction,” Smith said. “AJ has played the way our football team has, which is not good enough.”
The Illini have played their toughest opponents, as Wisconsin and Penn State are the only ranked teams they face. Players said they hope the schedule and some self-correction provide a better path the rest of the way.
“We’ve shown ourselves we’re a good football team,” guard Nick Allegretti said. “We know that. … We’re going into every game like we can win. The rest of the schedule are very winnable games for us. We have to come out and play, not turn the ball over. We will be in those games.”