Nov. 6, 1999

Game Stats

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Neil Rackers kicked four field goals and caught a touchdown pass on a fake field goal as Illinois held off Iowa 40-24 Saturday.

The Illini (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) were able to move the ball early but couldn't put it in the end zone against an Iowa defense ranked last in the conference. The Hawkeyes (1-8, 0-6), who had beaten Illinois three straight times, have lost 11 straight conference games.

Illinois built a 26-10 lead early in the third quarter, with Rackers accounting for 20 points.

Scott Mullen, who had thrown for 709 yards in two games as Iowa's starting quarterback, hit Kevin Kasper with a 21-yard scoring toss with 8:19 left in the third to cut the Illini's lead to 26-17. Mullen's 4-yard option run with 14:30 remaining brought Iowa to 26-24.

Illinois pulled away when quarterback Kurt Kittner directed a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that ended with a 5-yard pass to Jameel Cook. That extended the lead to 33-24 with 10:56 to play.

Iowa drove to the Illinois 33 on its next possession but failed to convert on fourth-and-12 at the 7:08 mark.

The Hawkeyes had another chance when Illinois failed to move the ball, but Iowa was flagged for roughing punter Steve Fitts. That gave the Illini a first down, and they iced the game when Steve Havard scored on a 7-yard TD run with 5:17 to play.

Iowa trailed 16-10 at halftime, but a 35-yard pass from Kittner to Brandon Lloyd on the Illini's first play of the second half moved the ball to the Iowa 45.

Illinois, aided by consecutive penalties against Iowa, moved to the Hawkeyes 20, where Rackers booted a 37-yard field goal to extend the lead to 19-10.

Tim Dodge fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Carlos Lattimore recovered at the Iowa 15. Three plays later, Kittner found fullback Elmer Hickman for a 9-yard touchdown strike with 11:55 left in the quarter.

Rackers, a senior who had kicked 9-of-13 field goals, showed his versatility in the second quarter when an Illinois drive bogged down at the Iowa 18.

Lining up for a field goal, Fitts took the snap, rolled right and found Rackers open down the left sideline for a TD pass that gave the Illini a 13-3 lead with 10:36 to go before halftime.

The Hawkeyes took a 3-0 lead on their opening drive on Tim Douglas' 33-yard field goal, but Rackers' career-best 50-yarder tied it on Illinois' ensuing possession. Rackers' 49-yarder made it 6-3 with 1:24 left in the first quarter.

Ladell Betts got the Hawkeyes back in the game with a 47-yard touchdown run before Rackers' 38-yard field goal with 32 seconds before halftime extended the lead to 16-10.