Saturday in Iowa City presented the Illini their biggest opportunity of the season.
Win and they’d clinch bowl eligibility. Win and they’d secure their first win at Kinnick Stadium since 1999, a mountain they’ve failed so frequently to climb. Win and they’d remain alive in the Big Ten West race entering the season’s final week, with a chance to reach Indianapolis for the first — and likely only — time.
In an occurrence that has become frustratingly familiar, the Illini let that opportunity slip right through their hands. Possessing the ball with under seven minutes to play, holding a 4-point lead over one of FBS’s worst offenses seemingly should’ve been enough to close out a victory.