Adam Weber was sacked seven times in the Gophers' 35-25 loss to Illinois on Saturday, but in the postgame news conference the junior quarterback was willing to take the blame for the loss -- which is not characteristic of many athletes.
No doubt the Gophers dug a hole for themselves in the first half, when they trailed 28-7 before rallying after halftime to outscore the Illini 25-7 with a chance to pull out a victory.
If you want to look for key plays in the loss, point to the Gophers' out-of-bounds kickoff to Illinois with 9:13 to play.
The Gophers trailed 28-25 but had momentum. Instead of Illinois having to return the kick from deep in its own territory, the Illini got it on the 40-yard line and went to score the clinching touchdown with a short march.
Coach Tim Brewster was asked about the kickoff out of bounds.
"That's not on purpose," Brewster said. "That was very disappointing that we kicked two balls out of bounds. It's unfortunate. Our kicker [Eric Ellestad] has kicked the ball very well all year. Unfortunately, today twice he kicked the ball out of bounds, which hurt our football team."
The Gophers came back to block a punt and return it for a score to make it 35-32, but time ran out on them.
Weber had a terrible first half, completing five of 17 passes for 74 yards and throwing an interception for a touchdown. He was asked how frustrating the first half was.