CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Down by a touchdown in the fourth quarter and 69 yards from the Illinois end zone, Purdue decided its best bet was to hand the ball to a freshman backup tailback.And why not?The Illini had shown no sign that they could stop Brian Lankford-Johnson, and they didnt on the game-tying drive. He had three carries for 41 yards before an 8-yard touchdown run by another backup, Richie Worship.Like Illinois three other losses this season, defense was a problem in the 34-31 overtime loss to the Boilermakers. And run defense in particular.Illinois (1-4, 0-2 Big Ten) is giving up 181.6 yards a game on the ground, 85th in the country and 11th in the 14-team Big Ten.Illinois started the season with talk about how its defense, and in particular its line, was its strength. All four of the starting linemen are seniors and at least one, defensive end Dawuane Smoot, is considered a likely NFL prospect.Coach Lovie Smith said this week that he still views the line as the teams strongest piece, but he noted that Purdue hit the interior of the Illini defense hard.They havent played well enough. That was our worst game that weve had, Smith said.Illinois is preparing for Rutgers (2-4, 0-3), which relies on the run to move the ball. The Scarlet Knights are last in the Big Ten in offense at 284 yards a game, but most of that, 166.3 yards, comes on the ground.Struggling against the run has become a habit for the Illini.Lankford-Johnson, who started only because Markell Jones was hurt, carried 18 times for 127 yards, 7.1 yards a carry. Two games earlier, an admittedly potent Western Michigan offense -- which is averaging 246.8 yards a game on the ground, 15th in the country -- rolled up 287 rushing yards on the Illini.Those big numbers might look better if the Illini defense was finding a way to get off the field when it matters most, but opponents are converting on 43.5 percent of their third-down conversions . Thats 12th in the conference.Smith was asked this week if, given his defensive background in the NFL and his teams struggles on that side of the ball, he should be more involved in coaching defense. The first-year Illinois coach said he is already doing enough.I am involved in the defense, all right? Smith said. As far as what I need to do, Im OK with figuring that out by myself, but I am involved in all phases of our team. So the things we dont like, its on me, and well continue to work to fix it.---Follow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAP Roger Clemens Jersey . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Roberto Osuna Astros Jersey . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. https://www.cheapastros.com/1733o-garrett-stubbs-jersey-astros.html . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Francis Martes Astros Jersey . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Bryan Abreu Astros Jersey . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Rafael Nadal added a second Olympic tennis gold medal to all of those Grand Slam trophies, teaming with Marc Lopez to win the mens doubles championship for Spain at the Rio de Janeiro Games.Nadal and Lopez came back from a break down in the third set and claimed the last three games to beat Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau of Romania 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the final Friday.Amazing experience, Nadal said, especially doing that with one of my best friends.Theyve known each other since they were kids, first meeting in Barcelona when Nadal, who is four years younger, asked Lopez to play a set for fun. They joked about it at their news conference, agreeing that Lopez won 6-0, but trading good-natured barbs and chuckles because Lopez insisted Nadal was 14 at the time, while Nadal said he was only 12 and, therefore, couldnt possibly have had a fair chance.He was a phenom, Lopez recalled.Nadal has gone on to collect 14 major championships, as well as an Olympic title in singles at the 2008 Beijing Games. This gold he got to share with Lopez, a first-time medalist.The silver for Mergea and Tecau is the first tennis medal for Romania in Olympic history.The bronze went to Steve Johnson and Jack Sock of the United States. They beat the Canadian team of Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil 6-2, 6-4.It is going to be an incredible feeling for the rest of the summer, the rest of the year, for life, Sock said. We are going to have this forever. Its something that we can share.Sock and Pospisil won the 2014 Wimbledon doubles championship.It was another busy day for Nadal, who won his singles quarterfinal in three sets earlier Friday and had been sidelined sincee withdrawing from the French Open with an injured left wrist.ddddddddddddTo win a gold medal today, after 2+ months with no practice, with no preparation at all, just working in the gym, is something not easy, he said.Nadal does not play doubles often, focusing on a singles career that has included stints at No. 1 in the rankings and a record nine French Open titles. Of his nine previous tour doubles titles, four came with Lopez, although they hadnt played a match together this year until arriving in Brazil.Lopez won his first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June, pairing with Feliciano Lopez -- theyre not related -- to beat American twins Bob and Mike Bryan in that final.On Friday, the Romanians appeared to get the upper hand when they broke Marc Lopez to lead 4-3 in the final set. Lopez double-faulted to love-40, then hit a mediocre lob. Tecaus overhead was netted by Nadal.But in the very next game, with Tecau serving, the Spanish duo broke right back. Mergea sailed a forehand long to set up a break point, then put a volley into the net, making it 4-all.After Nadal held for a 5-4 edge, the Spaniards broke again, converting their third match point when Mergea sent an overhead long.Nadal and Lopez, both near the baseline, dropped their rackets and fell to the court, staying down for a few moments to enjoy the victory.After the winners got up and shook hands with their opponents and the chair umpire, Nadal pulled Lopez in for a big hug.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '