The sweltering heat of the visiting locker room at Hancock Stadium was overtaken by a suffocating feeling of an opportunity lost on Saturday night.

Members of the Valparaiso football team walked slowly through the halls, stopping to meet with the athletic trainers, grabbing a quick shower and figuring out the easiest path to the bus out of town.

If there was any sense of proud accomplishment after Valparaiso came oh-so-close to knocking off FCS-scholarship Illinois State, only to fall 28-21, it wasn’t evident in the moments after the game.