One week after a frustrating loss to Wisconsin, the Illini’s rollercoaster season got right back on the upswing.

A 46-yard field goal by Matt Eller with 24 seconds left erased a 15-point Iowa comeback, as Illinois held off the Hawkeyes, 27-24, at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

The victory was Ron Zook’s first in five meetings with Iowa and the program’s first in eight years. It also kept Illinois (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) well within reach of a bowl berth.

“It was a gutsy win,” defensive lineman Will Davis said. “Everyone knew our backs were against the wall. It was a must-win.”

Few players were happier about the victory than wide receiver Arrelious Benn, whose only previous meeting with the Hawkeyes (5-4, 3-2 Big Ten) was a 10-6 upset loss at Kinnick Stadium last season.

Benn finished with seven receptions for 96 yards.

“It’s just something about Iowa. Last year, how they rushed the field … I just don’t like Iowa,” Benn said.

Shonn Greene, the Hawkeyes’ prolific running back, became the only rusher in the nation to run for at least 100 yards in all nine games this year, but struggled early and allowed the Illini (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) to pull away.

“They couldn’t run when they wanted to, never could establish the run, and that was the key to victory,” co-defensive coordinator Dan Disch said.

In the first half, the Iowa offense struggled to sustain drives in scoring range and frequently settled for field goals, while the Illini used big passing plays to find the end zone.

“Anytime you’re getting field goals instead of touchdowns, or no field goals … missed opportunities and turnovers usually factor in,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said.

With a 10-9 lead halfway into the third quarter, Williams connected on a deep pass to Fred Sykes for a 50-yard touchdown to give the Illini an 8-point lead.

Illinois then established what appeared to be a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.

With Iowa at their own 15, a blitzing Dere Hicks forced a fumble on quarterback Ricky Stanzi and returned the recovery seven yards for a touchdown to put the Illini in front 24-9.

The Hawkeyes would not go away, however, and Iowa mounted a stunning comeback.

With under 12 minutes remaining, Ricky Stanzi completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to wideout Andy Brodell to make the score 24-16.

With 4:10 on the clock, Iowa defensive lineman Mitch King then forced a fumble on running back Jason Ford to give the Hawkeyes a golden opportunity to tie the game. Five plays later, Greene got his first touchdown on a 5-yard rush, and Stanzi found Allen Reisner in the end zone for a two-point conversion, tying the game with 2:46 remaining.

“Things were looking pretty bleak there, big-picture wise,” Ferentz said. “If there’s a positive today, it’s how our guys responded.”

But Juice Williams, who threw two interceptions earlier in the game, found a rhythm and led a 51-yard drive to get the Illini in field goal range with 29 seconds remaining.

Eller, a redshirt freshman, then drilled the kick right between the uprights to regain the lead.

A questionable Illinois timeout preceding Eller’s field goal gave the Hawkeyes the ball and one final chance with 24 seconds on the clock, but cornerback Vontae Davis intercepted a Stanzi pass on the first play of the drive.

“I called (the timeout), and probably should have milked a few more seconds off of it, but I wanted to give Vontae a chance to get an interception,” Zook joked.

With three regular season games remaining – Western Michigan, Ohio State and Northwestern – the year can finish on a very high note despite the inconsistencies that have resulted in four Illini losses.

“We’re not bowl-eligible yet,” Zook said. “These next three games are going to be critical.”