Illinois coach Ron Turner searched for positives in Saturday’s 17-14 loss to Indiana, but his postgame comments kept circling back to the what-might-have-beens. “It was obviously a tough one to lose,” said Turner, who will close the season with the fewest victories since his first Illini team went 0-11 in 1997. “We had so many opportunities we didn’t take advantage of. We hurt ourselves with some dumb penalties.”Illinois could finish 2-10 if it beats Northwestern on Nov. 22. The 1998 Illini were 3-8. . . .
Despite the dismal season, Illini linebacker Matt Sinclair is among four Illinois defenders in the Big Ten’s top-10 tackles list. Sinclair entered Saturday’s game with a league-leading 73 and added 10 against the Hoosiers. Sophomore linebacker Antonio Mason has 66, followed by sophomore free safety Travis Williams (64) and senior linebacker Winston Taylor (57). . . . Freshman E.B. Halsey, the team’s all-purpose offensive leader with 1,190 yards, still is nursing a knee sprain and did not make the trip. He has missed three straight games but is expected to play against Northwestern. . . . Saturday’s game was the Illini’s 11th televised game this season and 15th straight dating to last November. It’s the first time Illinois has appeared in 11 regional or national telecasts in the same season. . . . Illinois holds an overwhelming series lead over Indiana with a 40-18-3 record through 61 meetings. The Hoosiers, however, have played better at home with an 11-12-1 mark.
