Illinois is already down some key defenders against Michigan State and another was ejected early in the first quarter. But the reason for his ejection is what is really interesting.

Already without star defenders Jake Hansen and Oluwole Betiku, the Illini are facing a tough road test against a hungry Michigan State team. Though the Spartans have struggled offensively, they came out hot as they are eager to put a losing streak behind them.

Unfortunately, Illinois lost linebacker Milo Eifler after Michigan State’s first touchdown. Why? For punching a player.

Obviously, there is no place for throwing punches on a football field. However, this particular “punch” didn’t really seem that egregious. Eifler’s “punch” was delivered to the butt of an MSU player, and it really appeared to be more of a way to get the player to move out of the way.

If you don’t believe it, here’s a gif of the incident, courtesy of Trevor Vallese:

Eifler even responded to the gif on Twitter. He quickly deleted his tweet, but here is a screenshot of his comment:

That’s definitely a new “punch” to us.