CHAMAPAIGN, IL (AP) - Richard Lagow threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns, leading Indiana to a 24-14 victory over Illinois on Saturday.
The Hoosiers (4-6, 1-6) racked up 428 yards offense and used a balanced attack to earn their first Big Ten win of the season.
MORE: Box score | Lovie Smith post-game | Highlights
Coming into the matchup, Indiana was ranked last in the conference in rushing yards per game at 114.6. But on Saturday, Indiana had 139 rushing yards led by Cole Gest who ran for 82 on 17 carries.
Both teams got off to slow starts, but with 1:28 left in the first quarter Jalen Dunlap recorded his first career interception which set the Illini (2-8, 0-7) up at their own 44-yard line but they went three-and-out.
Morgan Ellison broke the scoreless tie on a 2-yard plunge with just under three minutes left in the first half. His fourth score of the season capped a 10-play, 45-yard drive.
Illinois didn't give up another rushing touchdown, but Lagow got the job done threw the air. He completed 32 of 48 attempts to 10 receivers with Ian Thomas and Simmie Cobbs Jr. both scoring.
The Illini struggled to find much offensive rhythm early. In the first half, Illinois recorded just 72 yards of total offense.
However, the Illini eclipsed that total on one play in the second half. On the first play of Illinois' eighth drive, Jeff George Jr. threw a 77-yard touchdown pass to Louis Dorsey.
Dorsey finished with three catches for 107 yards. Caleb Reams also caught a touchdown pass from George — the first of Reams' career — early in the fourth quarter. It brought the Illini within three. But that was as close as they would get.
George threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns, but lost a fumble and threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
The Hoosiers recorded seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries in earning their first conference victory since Nov. 26 of last year.
Illinois has now lost 10 consecutive Big Ten games.
IT WAS OVER WHEN
At the 5:17 mark in the 4th quarter and the Illini trailing 24-14, IU linebacker Tegray Scales recovered a Jeff George Jr. fumble to halt an Illini drive and essentially put the game away. George would account for two more turnovers late in the fourth quarter, throwing interceptions on the next two Illinois possessions. George has now thrown 10 interceptions on the season.
HOOSIERS TEE OFF
Using a variety of blitzes off the edge and up the middle, Indiana sacked Jeff George Jr., eight times for 58 yards. Defensive tackle Jacob Robinson had 2 sacks for the Hoosiers. Sacks derailed several Illinois drives and put them in third and long situations. Break downs in pass protection were part of the problem, but George often held the ball too long or made the wrong check at the line of scrimmage. Indiana entered the game ranked fifth in the Big Ten in sacks during conference play with 2.5 sacks per game.
PLAYING FOUR QUARTERS
Lovie Smith has preached to his team about being consistent and putting together four quarters of solid football. The Illinois offense was MIA in the first half against Hoosiers. The Illini went scoreless in the first half, had just 72 yards of total offense, and went 0-7 on third down conversions. George went 4-8 for 52 yards in half, 31 yards coming on a completion to Trenard Davis. Illinois ranks No. 124 nationally in total offense out of 130 DI teams.
SELF INFLICTED WOUNDS
The youth of this Illinois team explains some things, but at this point in the season they shouldn't be getting nearly as many costly penalties. Illinois was penalized 8 times for 73 yards. Jeff George Jr. said in the post game that one mistake tends to lead to more mishaps. The Illini can't seem to recover from penalties and negative plays.
INJURIES TAKE A TOLL
The injuries keep mounting for Illinois each week. The Illini were playing with out wide receivers Malik Turner and Mike Dudek, running backs Mike Epstein and Ra'Von Bonner, safety Bennett Williams, and quarterback Cam Thomas.
A GAME OF FIRSTS
Senior cornerback Jaylen Dunlap had the first interception of his career. Junior Caleb Reams scored the first touchdown of his career. Due to injuries, Reams was moved to from tight end to wide receiver against the Hoosiers.
