Illinois Makes Buckeyes Pay for Mistakes, 31-20 : Ohio State: Four interceptions, two fumbles and a blocked field-goal attempt help Illini win.

In a college football Saturday of upsets, near-upsets and controversial plays, Illinois and Ohio State wouldn’t be left out of the party.

So, after the Illini, ranked No. 13 with Houston, defeated their 20th-ranked Big Ten foe, 31-20, the question was whether a key lateral was illegal.

The lateral was a disputed pitch by Illinois’ Mike Poloskey after a blocked field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter. The play resulted in Quintin Parker’s 45-yard touchdown return.

Illinois, leading 24-20, blocked a 51-yard field-goal attempt by Tim Williams. Poloskey picked it up and lateraled to Parker.

“Once I picked it up,” Poloskey said, “I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the end zone. I heard people calling for the ball and I just pitched it. I wasn’t really looking for anyone.”

Television replays appeared to show Poloskey flipped the ball forward three yards and Parker caught it in stride to score the touchdown.

“When Poloskey pitched the ball, momentum made it look like it was pitched forward,” Parker said. “I thought I was even with him.”

When he was told some replays showed the ball as being lateraled forward, Illinois Coach John Mackovic said, “Was it really? I think it was a backward lateral. He was definitely behind him when he lateraled.”

Also, Ohio State had only 10 men on the field for the kick.

“I could not see the play,” Buckeye Coach John Cooper said. “Someone told me it was a forward lateral. I didn’t see it from where I was.”

Illinois (3-1) has beaten Ohio State (2-2) three consecutive times. That hasn’t happened since 1927-29.

Turnovers were the key to Saturday’s victory as Ohio State quarterback Greg Frey threw four interceptions and, besides the blocked field goal, the Buckeyes lost two fumbles and had the field goal blocked. It was the third straight game in which the Buckeyes had a kick blocked.

Ohio State led 20-17 after Tim Williams’s 37-yard field goal in the third quarter, but the Illini came back on a one-yard scoring pass from Jason Verduzco to David Olson.

A fumble on Ohio State’s first play from scrimmage resulted in a two-yard touchdown pass from Verduzco to Jeff Finke. The Buckeyes countered with scoring runs of five yards by Robert Smith and one yard by Harris to go ahead, 14-7.

Howard Griffith, who scored an NCAA-record eight touchdowns in the Illini’s last game, a 56-21 victory over Southern Illinois, scored on a 12-yard run early in the second half to tie the score, 17-17. He finished with 86 yards in 26 carries.