This one even bothered Nathan Scheelhaase a little bit more.

The Illinois quarterback, who turned 22 on Wednesday, spoke slow with stammered speech, his head hung and his mind jumping from thought to thought as he reflected on everything he wishes he could’ve done differently Saturday.

The smile and positive optimism that has become a regular feature of Scheelhaase was not there immediately after Saturday’s 17-3 loss to Minnesota. He admitted that this one had him feeling low.

“I felt like I let a lot of people down,” Scheelhaase said.

He could’ve been feeling the effects of the pressure he felt in the pocket all game long, forcing him to rush and miss throws like a wide open Jon Davis for what looked like an easy touchdown. Or he could have been thinking about the fumble on a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak where he extended the ball after being stopped on his initial attempt and the Golden Gophers took it away, or the fact that his team can’t seem to get on track as Illinois’ losing streak was extended to seven and its Big Ten losing streak to 12.

“I know that coaches and people always say that it doesn’t come down to one player,” said Scheelhaase, who was 15-for-23 passing for 175 yards and recorded 45 yards rushing. “But for sure, it didn’t feel good about how I let us down there at the end.”

Scheelhaase is known for being one of the most competitive players on the Illini, and he prides himself on being able to stay positive. He’s never too high when the Illini win and consequently never too low when they fail. A born-again Christian and leader in the Illini clubhouse, he’s the one usually that is picking up any hung heads after disappointment.

The roles were reversed this week as Scheelhaase had to have his head picked up and spirits uplifted.

Co-offensive coordinator Chris Beatty was one of the first to offer help. Beatty saw Scheelhaase feeling down and consulted his quarterback. Beatty assured the junior that he’ll do better for him, taking the blame for the offense’s struggles. He says he’ll call better plays and give Scheelhaase a better plan.

“It was needed,” Scheelhaase said. “It means a lot to me, what was said, because he knows as a player how hard it is, and when you’re feeling like this and dealing with the seasons like we’ve had, stuff liked that means a lot.”

Saturday’s abysmal offensive performance keeps the Illini last in scoring offense in the Big Ten with 16.9 points per game, 118th in the nation in scoring offense and 115th in total offense. In the third quarter, Illinois had only eight yards.

As a result, Illinois head coach Tim Beckman says he may get more involved with the offense. He’ll leave the play-calling to Beatty and co-offensive coordinator Billy Gonzales, who calls third downs, but Beckman said he’ll “suggest and strongly urge” some plays.

“Well, we scored three points,” Beatty said. “We need help.”

Beckman said he didn’t have to say anything to Scheelhaase after the fumble in the fourth quarter. Scheelhaase was pressing to try and gain that extra yard that the Illini struggled to convert all day.

In the first quarter, after storming down the field with a flea flicker, it seemed that the offense had some life injected into it. However, the drive stalled after Illinois was unable to convert on two straight downs from the 1-yard line, settling for a field goal.

“We’ve got to come off the football and bloody some mouths and get us a yard when we need a yard,” Beckman said.

Scheelhaase promised that he wouldn’t allow himself to sulk for too long; it’s not in his nature.

The smile crept back onto his face for a second as he assured reporters that by the time Monday arrives, that smile would stay there.

“I’ve got to shake whatever I’ve got going on right now,” Scheelhaase said. “There’s too many guys in that locker room that’s depending on me to be the person I am.”

Jamal can be reached at [email protected] and @JamalCollier.