Tate: Illini learn a painful lesson
By: Loren Tate
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
PASADENA, Calif. – Every turnaround isn't straight up. It can be two steps forward and an awkward step back.
For Illinois, Tuesday's bump in the road was a reminder that full football acceptance is still a ways off, that wading in the shallow Big Ten isn't the same as the deep end of the BCS pool.
Southern Cal, making its fourth Rose Bowl appearance in five years, had too many offensive weapons and a game plan to match. The Trojans avoided the strength of the UI defense with early passes and, with the help of four grievous Illini turnovers, they broke the Illini spirit with a 49-17 romp in the 94th Rose Bowl.
"We have to use this as a learning experience," said Illini coach Ron Zook, mindful that the UI's last collapse here in 1984 and the Sugar Bowl failure in 2002 led directly into a downturn of UI fortunes.
Face it, these Illini, with all those problems in recent years, weren't quite ready for this stage. The Trojans seemed much more comfortable on the "home field," and their talent was augmented by the aforementioned turnovers and a permanent smile from Lady Luck on a series of freaky plays.
Even so, opportunity knocked for the Illini but they sputtered in the red zone and produced just three points out of five thrusts to USC's 10, 11, 5, 18 and 3, with Jason Reda blowing an easy field goal and two of those sorties ending on wide receiver fumbles.
Short-lived enthusiasm
So, yes, there was a brief moment in which all those deep-throated, orange-decked Illini, making up fully one-third of the 93,923 sellout, energized the place.
Down 21-3 after a seemingly timid first half, UI blockers shot Rashard Mendenhall through a hole at left tackle and he turned it into a 79-yard TD. Minutes later, Mendenhall took a short Williams pass and made an electrifying 55-yard scamper down the right sideline.
Illini followers across the land were visualizing a 21-17 scoreboard when Jacob Willis snared a pass over the middle, but the hit by Kaluka Maiava dislodged the ball at the 5-yard line and USC recovered in the end zone.
End of dream. End of hope. A two-touchdown underdog isn't likely to pull an upset without winning the turnover battle.
USC extended the lead to 35-10 with two quick strikes, aided first by a fluke play in which freshman Joe McKnight scooped a bounding lateral off the turf and raced 65 yards to the UI 12.
That's the kind of day it was. USC didn't need any help but kept getting it. In a third quarter that began with such hope, the next setback came when Jeff Cumberland had first-down yardage but fumbled at the Trojan 18.
"Those two strips of the receivers are something we work on all the time," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "They were the direct result of discipline and technique. They were my favorite two plays in the game."
And the two plays that shattered whatever conviction the Illini had left.
Tripping out of the gate
In the beginning, it almost appeared the Illini were playing with one hand tied behind their back. USC came out firing, and Illinois appeared cautious, avoiding anything resembling a downfield passing game.
Ron Guenther, Illini athletic director, feared opening quarter jitters and he was right to do so. Carroll had a plan to avoid the Illini front four by throwing over it, and the Trojans had 14 points before the Midwesterners knew what hit them.
And, as noted earlier, they were recipient of early breaks that greased the skids for Illinois. On USC's fourth play, freshman fullback Stan Havili caught John David Booty's short pass and fumbled on Vontae Davis' tackle, Illini Justin Harrison scooping up the ball and racing more than 50 yards to the end zone. It didn't count, however, because the officials ruled Havili down on a marginal call.
Two plays later, the fired-up Harriter ended 14-0 with USC outpassing Illinois in yardage, 108 to 6. And Mendenhall, who rattled off 29 yards on his first four rushes, finished the half with 27 yards in 13 carries. Yep, he gained 2 yards on his next nine trips as the half ended 21-3.
That's what happens when a team becomes predictable (or one-dimensional) against an elite rival, when an opponent loads up and holds the hard-running Williams to minus yardage on the ground. And it is a reminder, when your next game is in St. Louis against Missouri and your next two Big Ten games are at Penn State and Michigan – all impressive bowl winners – that coordinator Mike Locksley must not only improve the overhead game but have confidence enough to try it.
Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached via e-mail at The News-Gazette at ltate@news-gazette.com.