Hawks stumble again: Self-destruct mode kicks in for 1-8 Iowa

IOWA CITY -

They all saw it. They all knew it was bad. One second the defense held and the offense had a chance. The next, they're trying to figure out who did it.

Who ran into the punter? Just one of the questions the Iowa

Hawkeyes are asking themselves after Saturday's numbing 40-24 loss to Illinois at Kinnick Stadium.

Who fumbled? Where's the kicker going? Can the kicker go out for a pass? Is that legal?

The Hawkeyes (1-8, 0-6 Big Ten), at this point in the season, might have to start aiming at their other foot. There can't be much left of the one they've been shooting all season.

"IT WASN'T ME," barked Joe Slattery, who just looked guilty because he was standing closest to the flag that doomed the Hawkeyes.

No, it was Jesse Ghere, a workaholic plugger from Nora Springs.

Bless his heart, he tried to make an aggressive play. Shame on him, he roughed the punter and gave Illinois (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) a first down at its 45-yard line.

The penalty literally stopped the Hawkeyes in their tracks. The offense froze before it ran on the field. The defense just went back to work.

"It took the wind out of our sails," quarterback Scott Mullen said. "We just scored a touchdown, we went down and held them. The offense was in a groove. Inside, we were all pumped up, let's get the ball and go down and win."

Iowa went from a first-and-10 at its 20 and trailing 33-24 with five minutes left to watching Illinois march for the clinching score.

"It looks like we're finally going to get a break and then our break turns into their break," offensive tackle Bruce Nelson said.

Eight plays later, Fighting Illini running back Steve Havard scored on a 7-yard run and Illinois pulled away, 40-24.

On the replay - which was a fast-forward blur on the Kinnick scoreboard, which never seems to want to stir any controversy - it looked as if Ghere were thrown into punter Steve Fitts. Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said he was satisfied with the referee's judgment on a judgment call.

"I thought we were in the game until we had the penalty on the punt," Ferentz said. "That pretty much put it to rest at that stage."

Again, that was just one of the mishaps during Iowa's 11

straight conference defeat and 12th in the last 13 games. The defense is still a colander, springing new leaks every week. The special teams are a two-handed head-clutcher.

In fact, the Hawkeyes' special teams are such an easy mark

that now the opposing kickers are even getting in on the act.

Kicker Neil Rackers scored the Illini's first 19 points, on four field goals and, get this, an 18-yard TD pass from Fitts, a former high school quarterback who was holding for a 35-yard field goal attempt. Or appeared to be holding for a field goal attempt.

Fitts rolled out right and Rackers wandered into the flat. Fitts lofted a perfect pass, and Rackers, who didn't have a black jersey within a time zone, caught it in stride for an 18-yard TD and a 13-3 lead.

"There's no better feeling than a touchdown," said

Rackers, a receiver in high school. "I can't even

describe it."

Iowa's special teams this season have had a way of turning the routine into a adventure.

"They caught us with our pants down on that one," Ferentz

said.

Iowa was fully clothed for the rest of the special teams follies, which included a Tim Dodge fumble that turned into a Kurt Kittner 9-yard TD pass to fullback Elmer Hickman. This came on top of Racker's fourth field goal, a 37-yarder, and pushed the Illini to a 26-10 lead with 11:55 left in the third quarter.

"If I were on Illinois' team today, then Iowa probably

would've won," said Dodge, who also fumbled a punt that

Iowa recovered. "I've just got to get better."

After the Hickman TD, Iowa, as it has every week since the Michigan State debacle, blew the dirt out of its nose. Instead of dead and buried, it came alive with Mullen and running back Ladell Betts holding the defibrillator.

After seemingly being on all the pages cut out of the Iowa

playbook, Betts rushed for 140 yards on 16 carries, an impressive 8.8 yard average. He scored on a 47-yard run to pull the Hawkeyes within 16-10 at halftime and had several big gains in the second half.

"He's been really patient with us," Nelson said. "We haven't made it easy on him this year. He had a good

day. I'm just glad we were finally able to help him out

today."

Mullen, who completed 19 of 37 for 235 yards, a touchdown and an interception, beamed a pass to Kevin Kasper for 21-yard TD, pulling the Hawkeyes within 26-17 with 8:19 left in the third quarter. His 4-yard TD run 10 minutes later capped an 80-yard drive and made it 26-24 with 14:30 left.

"We got ourselves back into position to win, we just didn't come through at the end," Mullen said. "Getting ourselves into position to win obviously isn't good enough."

The Illini matched Iowa's 80-yard TD drive with an 80-yard

drive of their own, with Kittner, who completed 24 of 41 for 289 yards and two TDs, finding Jameel Cook for a 5-yard score and 33-24 lead with 33-24 left.

Iowa moved the ball to Illinois' 33, but on fourth-and-2,

Betts was stopped for a 1-yard loss.

When Havard scored his TD to make it 40-24, the Kinnick scoreboard operator tried his best to help out, giving the Hawkeyes the six points and making the score 33-30.

The Hawkeyes, more than anyone, know nothing comes easy. Not this year.