The Illinois football team let another one slip through its hands. The Illini had nobody to blame but themselves for a 42-3 loss to Michigan State on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Trailing the Spartans 7-3 just before halftime, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook scrambled on a 3rd-and-25 and tossed the ball toward the end zone.

Illini defenders Jaylen Dunlap and Eaton Spence both had a chance to pull in an interception, but the ball bounced off both their hands and fell right into the arms of Michigan State wide receiver Bennie Fowler in the end zone.

The Spartans score came with nine seconds remaining in the half and sucked what momentum the Illini had right out of them.

“He threw the ball and I should have made a play on it that I wish I could get back,” freshman cornerback Dunlap said. “I had it, I had it. It was a lucky catch on his part. Luck fell his way.”

The Spartans (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) came into Champaign on Homecoming weekend and handed the Illini (3-4, 0-3) their third straight loss and 17th straight Big Ten loss. Illinois had chances early but couldn’t make the most of them.

Kicker Taylor Zalewski got the Illini on the board first with a 31-yard field goal on the game’s first possession — after an Illinois touchdown was called back on a holding penalty. Michigan State appeared to be on the verge of taking the lead late in the first quarter when Cook fumbled at the goal line and Illinois recovered in the end zone.

But the Illini gave the ball right back, fumbling it on a reverse play. The Spartans took advantage of a short field and were able to punch it in for the go-ahead touchdown. The touchdown was the onset of 42 unanswered points for Michigan State.

Illinois’ best chance at the end zone came in the second quarter with the ball at the Michigan State 1-yard line. The Illini failed to convert on third down and then gambled on fourth, going for the touchdown and failing to convert on a Jon Davis carry.

The Spartans took the ball at their own 1 and drove the length of the field, capping off the drive with the touchdown that went through Dunlap’s fingers.

“The things that are continually hurting us is ourselves,” head coach Tim Beckman said. “We had penalties on third down in that drive, but we end up beating ourselves.”

The score put Michigan State up 14-3. With another touchdown on the first possession of the second half, the Spartans would never look back. Cook finished 15-for-16 passing with 208 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Jeremy Langford rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

The Spartans offense finished 14-for-16 on third-down conversions. One of the two failed conversions was the quarterback kneel to end the game.

“We had chances to get off the field on third down,” said linebacker Mason Monheim, who finished with a team-leading 14 tackles. “We just didn’t make that play. I’m not going to pinpoint it on one thing or another, we just didn’t make that play.”

Lankford ‘probably out for the season’

Illini head coach Tim Beckman said wide receiver Ryan Lankford is likely lost for the season after injuring his shoulder on a failed reverse play in the second quarter against Michigan State at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

“Honestly, I think he’s probably out for the season,” Beckman said in his postgame news conference. “We’re not for sure right now. But to be honest with you, after seeing it, he’s probably gone for the year.”

Official word likely won’t come until Beckman’s weekly news conference on Monday. Lankford is second on the team with 308 receiving yards on 15 catches. He has one receiving touchdown and another one rushing.

Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase hadn’t heard the news about his best deep-ball threat until the media asked him about it.

“Yeah, that’s news to me. I didn’t know that,” Scheelhaase said. “So, um, next man up. I think our receiver group is as deep as it gets. It’s definitely a next-man-up mentality. We’ve got to get guys healthy, got to get Steve Hull back in there.”

Hull did not play against Michigan State after suffering a head injury against Wisconsin a week ago. The Illini will need his presence if Lankford is ruled out for the season.

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