It was another nightmarish Homecoming game against a Big Ten opponent, and there was no sugarcoating it: Illinois came up short – literally.

A goal-line debacle, in which Juice Williams’ fourth-and-goal run was stopped inches short of the end zone, and three second-half turnovers proved decisive in a heartbreaking 27-20 loss to Minnesota on Saturday.

The Illini (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) had the advantage in total yards, first downs and time of possession, but the Gophers never lost the lead they took on the game’s opening drive.

“We didn’t deserve to win that game,” Illini head coach Ron Zook said. “That was a game that the offense, defense, (and) special teams had their part in it. We had chances to make things happen to win and we didn’t capitalize.”

The miscues overshadowed another outstanding passing day for Williams, who completed 26-of-41 passes for 426 yards. Arrelious Benn had 12 receptions for 181 yards, and freshman A.J. Jenkins had the first two touchdown catches of his career.

“I’d trade everything for the win, I’d trade all the touchdowns and stats for a win,” Jenkins said.

Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber wasn’t flashy, but steadily managed the offense with 184 yards passing and a touchdown, and DeLeon Eskridge gained 124 yards rushing. The Gopher defense sacked Williams five times and scored 14 points off turnovers as the Gophers (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) earned bowl eligibility for the first time under Brewster.

“The Minnesota Golden Gophers had a program-changing victory (Saturday) on the road against a very good football team in an extremely hostile environment,” Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster said.

Brewster, a former tight end and team captain at Illinois, returned to Memorial Stadium as a head coach for the first time, and beat his alma mater on Homecoming.

“Sure, there’s significance. It’s kind of like competing against your brother, you don’t want to lose,” Brewster said.

The game could not have started any better for Minnesota.

After winning the toss and electing to receive, Michael Cklamovski’s opening kickoff bounced out of bounds, putting the Gophers at their 40-yard line.

Weber took advantage of the good field position to lead a six-play scoring drive that culminated in a 25-yard touchdown pass to receiver Eric Decker.

Meanwhile, the Illinois offense could not find its spark. The Illini seemed to establish a rhythm during several clock-eating drives, only to stall in scoring range.

In the first half, Matt Eller missed his first opportunity from 45 yards out before finding the uprights on a 33-yard attempt.

Things only got worse in the second half. On the first play of the third quarter, running back Daniel Dufrene fumbled at his own 8-yard line and Minnesota recovered. Three plays later, the Gophers had a 14-3 lead.

Another Eller field goal cut the lead to 14-6, and after the Minnesota offense appeared to lose its rhythm, Illinois had a golden opportunity late in the third quarter.

Completions of 27 and 28 yards on consecutive plays gave the Illini a first down at the Minnesota 5-yard line.

However, Williams failed to break into the end zone with rushes on the next three plays, so the Illini gambled on fourth down, inches from the goal line.

Williams again kept the ball on a play action bootleg, and was initially ruled to have scored. A video review, however, showed that Williams’ knee was down before the ball had crossed the goal line, and the Illini turned the ball over.

“How could we not get it in from the one-inch line, or the one-foot line? That’s what was going through my mind. But we didn’t,” Zook said.

Minnesota capitalized on the change in momentum, scoring at the beginning of the fourth quarter to make the score 20-6 after kicker Joel Monroe missed the extra point.

Illinois eventually found its stride on offense, and A.J. Jenkins’ 54-yard touchdown reception reduced the deficit to seven. With a chance to tie the game, however, Williams was sacked and fumbled the ball on his own 9-yard line, which Simoni Lawrence returned for the game’s decisive score.

After another Jenkins touchdown catch, Illinois had two final chances to tie the game in the waning minutes, but it was not meant to be.

With 2:31 on the clock, Williams threw an interception, and as time expired, a go-for-broke pass to the end zone was knocked down in a crowd of players, dashing the Illini’s hopes.

“There was no doubt in my mind (at the time) that we would be able to go out there and punch the ball in,” Williams said. “Obviously, I threw that interception, I’m not doing my job.”

The Illini’s third loss equaled their total from the regular season in 2007 and put their Big Ten championship hopes in serious jeopardy.

“We’re going to find out what kind of team we are now,” Zook said. “Just because you go to Michigan and you win a game there, that doesn’t mean anything. Everybody in this league is out to get you.”