Football team snaps 3-game losing streak

Junior wide receiver Shane Wynn lunged and extended all of his 5-foot-7 frame to attempt the catch, but his momentum carried him out of bounds. The play was ruled an incompletion.

However, upon further review, Wynn had dragged his calf in bounds for the 27-yard catch. The call on the field was overturned.

“As soon as he caught it, they said no and were trying to call a new play,” sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. “I was like, ‘He caught it, he caught it.’ I knew it was going to be a catch.”

IU (4-5, 2-3) defeated Illinois  (3-6, 0-5) 52-35.

The victory was IU’s first since it beat Penn State Oct. 5.

Wynn’s catch helped the Hoosiers score on the drive, and they would outscore Illinois by 17 points after the play.

“He floated in the air for a second,” junior wide receiver Cody Latimer said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this little guy is flying.’ Great body control.”

Latimer was the main target on the day. He had a career game with 11 catches, 189 yards and three touchdowns.

“He has the best hands I’ve ever seen,” Sudfeld said.

Twice Latimer fought for a first down when he appeared to be stopped at the marker by an Illini defender. But he fought for the extra yard or two to continue the drive for his team.

“We need that first down,” Latimer said. “I had to use my strength to make a play and drag those defenders.”

Latimer wasn’t the only Hoosier to have a career day.

Sophomore running back Tevin Coleman had a career-high 215 rushing yards on just 15 carries, averaging more than 14 yards per carry.

It was the most rushing yards by a Hoosier running back in a decade.

The Illinois native had runs of 75 and 64 yards and was explosive all day.

His backup, senior running back Stephen Houston, also crossed the century mark with 150 yards. Both tailbacks had two rushing touchdowns.

“I just handed it off to them every single time,” Sudfeld said, laughing. “So that was pretty nice … I hand it off to Tevin and he makes one cut, and I put my hand in the air because I know it’s a touchdown.”

IU had 371 rushing yards, which helped set a season-high 650 yards of total offense.
As prolific as the offense was, the defense was porous.

Illinois racked up 612 total yards, spearheaded by senior quarterback Nate Scheelhaase. He was 38-57 for 450 yards and two touchdowns.

“We’re not there yet on defense,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said.

The dual-threat quarterback also had 45 rushing yards. He joins the ranks of opposing quarterbacks to put up big numbers against the IU defense.

“He’s a great athlete,” senior safety Greg Heban said. “We talked all week about how when he’s out of the pocket, stay fundamentally sound.”

The Illini have yet to win a Big Ten game since 2011 when they last came to Bloomington and knocked off the Hoosiers.

They are 0-19 in conference play since.

Conversely, the IU win snapped a three-game losing streak. The Hoosiers are now two wins away from a bowl berth.

“We really feel we’re a really good team when we put everything together,” Sudfeld said.

Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.