Losing streak taking its toll on Illini

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Updated: December 14, 2011 8:36AM

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois is bowl-eligible, but it also should be eligible for disaster relief after dropping their fourth straight.

If that sounds like double-dipping, what better symbol for the Land of Lincoln?

Halting the streak won’t get any easier next week. Wisconsin, which looks like the class of the Big Ten, comes to town.

Is the weight of the skid getting heavy? ‘‘Sure it is,’’ coach Ron Zook said. ‘‘But as I told them, they’re going to run into things worse than this in life. We have to bow up and play. We have an opponent coming in that no one’s going to give us an opportunity to beat. It’s the seniors’ last game in Memorial Stadium. Let’s go find out what we’re made of. That’s all we can do.’’

No peeking

Defensive coordinator Vic Koenning knew that the 6-0 start would not necessarily be an indicator of future results. Young players might have found it more difficult to think that way.

‘‘When we were 6-0, I never looked ahead,’’ Koenning said. ‘‘So many times when I’ve looked ahead, I’ve tripped over something. Maybe that’s exactly what’s happened to some of our guys.

‘‘I’m not casting stones on anyone. I’m just saying, we’ve won some games close. Now we’re playing some good teams and we’re not finding a way to win.’’

Notes

Strong safety Steve Hull left the game with numbness in his hands. The severity of the injury was not determined.

‘‘He may be fine. I don’t know,’’ Zook said. ‘‘He got hit in the small of the back and had tingling in his hands. That’s something you don’t mess with.’’

◆ Cornerback Tavon Wilson’s 11 tackles led Illinois, which turned in another strong effort. Akeem Spence added a career-high nine tackles.