Game Report: Illinois Fighting Illini 9, Iowa Hawkeyes 6

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A closer look at Iowa’s 9-6 loss to Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.

Turning point

The turning point was an overturn.

Illinois quarterback Artur Sitkowski fumbled on a third-down play from the Iowa 21 with the game tied at 6 and a little over three minutes left. Iowa cornerback Riley Moss scooped up the ball and ran it all the way to the other end zone for a touchdown.

After a long video review, it was determined Sitkowski’s elbow hit the ground before he fumbled, and Illinois was given the ball back for a fourth down at the 18. Fabrizio Pinton, a walk-on redshirt freshman who transferred from Air Force, made his third field goal of the night for the Illini and they had a 9-6 lead that held up.

By the numbers

8 — Iowa’s 8-game winning streak over Illinois was halted.

33 — This is the first time in 33 years that Illinois defeated Wisconsin and Iowa in the same season.

56 — Game-time temperature was 56 degrees, warmer than the last four Iowa-Illinois games here. Three of them didn’t top 38 at kickoff.

146 — Illinois’ Chase Brown had his seventh-straight game of over 100 rushing yards, with 146.

Notebook

• The first half was either a defensive masterpiece or an offensive turkey. Let’s play it safe and roll with both.

The halftime score was 6-6. Illinois went from its 25 to a first-and-goal at the Iowa 9 on the game’s first offensive drive, then threw three incompletions and kicked a field goal.

Iowa had a near carbon copy on its first possession, going from its 27 to a first-and-goal at the Illini 7. It became fourth-and-goal at the 14, and the Hawkeyes also settled for three points.

The teams traded field goals again in the second quarter. Illinois was stymied on third-and-1 at the Iowa 17 before its kick.

Iowa punted from its 16, recovered a muff at the Illinois 35, went three-and-out and punted, forced an Illinois fumble at the Illini 5, went four plays for minus-4 yards, and Drew Stevens kicked a field goal to retie the game.

The Hawkeyes rushed 11 times for a total of minus-10 yards in the first half. Illinois averaged 2.7 yards per pass attempt in the half, and Sitkowski’s six completions totaled 10 yards.

• Tyler Elsbury made his first career-start for Iowa, at left guard. He’s from Byron, Ill.

Injury report

• Iowa offensive guard Nick DeJong did not play.

• Hawkeye wide receiver Diante Vines, out all season to this point with a broken wrist, was in uniform and went through warmups, but didn’t play. Defensive lineman Yahya Black did likewise. He hasn’t played since early in the season.

• Iowa guard Beau Stephens left the game in the third quarter with what looked like an ankle/lower leg injury. Defensive tackle Logan Lee injured a shoulder or arm midway through the fourth quarter.

Next game

Iowa doesn’t play next week. Its next game is Oct. 22 at No. 3 Ohio State, at a time to be determined. The third-ranked Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) beat Michigan State, 49-20, on Saturday. The Buckeyes don’t play this week.