Illinois football head coach Tim Beckman didn’t find any surprises Sunday when he watched the tape of his team’s 31-17 loss to Indiana. Penalties and turnovers hampered any chance the Illini had of breaking a Big Ten losing streak more than a year in length.

“We were our own worst enemy,” Beckman said in his news conference Monday. “Costly penalties kept drives alive, turnovers that led to points. It was not an effort thing.”

Two personal foul penalties cost the Illini a combined 30 yards. Cornerback Terry Hawthorne was penalized for a late hit out of bounds in the first quarter, and defensive end Justin Staples was flagged for the same penalty after a play in which the Illini sacked Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld. 

Beckman said penalized players were forced to run in practice Sunday night. He also said his team had penalty problems in his first two years as Toledo’s head coach, and the best way to get the message across is to make his players run. 

Braxton Miller looms 

Riding a five-game losing streak, the Illini now head to Columbus, Ohio, to face a team that hasn’t lost all season. Ohio State comes into the game ranked No. 6 in the AP Top 25 after starting this year 9-0 (5-0 Big Ten). The Buckeyes offense is headlined by dual-threat quarterback Braxton Miller, who has run and passed for more than 1,000 yards. 

Beckman had a chance to watch Miller when he was at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. He said he knew Miller was special from the beginning.

“You knew he was going to be an outstanding football player,” he said. “We’re going to need to know what Braxton is doing at all times, he’s very important to their offense.”

Last year, Miller recorded one completion against Illinois on four passing attempts, although that pass did go for a touchdown. He ran for only 34 yards in a 17-7 win at Memorial Stadium.

“When you look at him as a quarterback, he’s gotten a lot better throwing the ball downfield,” Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase said. “Obviously running the ball, he’s one of the most dangerous guys in the country.”

Illinois defensive tackle Akeem Spence thinks Miller is better than his predecessor, Terelle Pryor. Spence said Miller’s ability to make guys miss in the open field is what separates him from the bigger Pryor. Knowing what Miller is going to do when he has the ball in his hands will be key for Illinois.

“Sometimes he’s supposed to give it, and he pulls it,” Spence said. “At times, you think he’s going to run it, and he ends up throwing it out of the backfield. The guys who are assigned to him are going to have to do a great job of getting him on the ground.”

Familiar feel

Beckman is used to the sidelines at Ohio Stadium. He was the cornerbacks coach at Ohio State for two seasons in 2005 and 2006. His Toledo Rockets also played there last year, a game which they narrowly lost 27-22.

Beckman, who is from Ohio, also coached under Buckeyes first-year head coach Urban Meyer for two years when Meyer was the head coach at Bowling Green.

“Urban is considered one of my close friends,” Beckman said. “We’re very competitive, and it’s one of those things of the uniqueness of college football, you can have two friends competing against one another.”

When Meyer left Bowling Green to take the head coaching job at Utah following the 2002 season, Beckman stayed behind as the defensive coordinator for two more seasons. Beckman said he talked to Meyer often last year when Meyer spent a year away from coaching but the two haven’t talked much since becoming Big Ten head coaches.

Sean can be reached at [email protected] and @sean_hammond.