In the spotlight
By: Bob Asmussen
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
PASADENA, Calif. – Bob Asmussen caught up with four key Illini from Tuesday's game. A look:
RASHARD MENDENHALL
If Rashard Mendenhall is going to the NFL a year early, he certainly gave the scouts something to think about.
Mendenhall scored on a 79-yard touchdown run against Southern Cal in Tuesday's Rose Bowl and finished with 155 yards. He went 55 yards on one of his five pass receptions.
Mendenhall said he doesn't know what his decision will be. Or when.
"I have no idea," he said. "The season's over, so I'm going to have a little bit of time to sit down and access everything and get stuff back from the NFL.
"I know there are deadlines. When I'm sure, you'll be the first person I tell."
Already the school's single-season rushing and all-purpose yardage leader, Mendenhall could move high up the Illinois career rushing list if he returns next season.
He'll allow himself a look back at Tuesday's game and an opportunity that he felt slipped away from the Illini.
"Football is all about momentum," he said. "A play like that (79-yarder) swings the momentum in your direction. You could see our guys were jumping on the sidelines for the kickoff and were hyped. We were right back in the game."
Offensively, Mendenhall said, the Illini were frustrated at times during the first half.
"We tried to run the ball a little bit on the perimeter," Mendenhall said. "We had a little success earlier and then they started to shut it down."
During halftime, coach Ron Zook tried to keep the Illini positive.
"He said, 'You've got to realize you can play with this team. You're not the old Illinois,' " Mendenhall said.
Mendenhall said he won't dwell on what could have been.
"In football, you have to have a short memory," Mendenhall said. "You can't go back and change the past. It didn't happen. You've got to play the play. When the play is over, it's done and you've got to play the next play."
J LEMAN
J Leman went from locker to locker, from player to player, giving one last hug.
The Champaign Central product, who went from a lightly recruited high school senior to a national award contending college senior, played his final game with the Illini on Tuesday.
There were tears for Leman, easy to tell with the streaking of his eyeblack. And there were slaps on the back from his teammates, who hate to see one of the school's all-time top tacklers moving on.
"I told these guys that us seniors had taken them as far as we could take them," Leman said. "Now, it's time for them to carry the torch and win Big Ten championships and national championships. Come to the Rose Bowl and win. Come to the national championship and win it. We're excited about where we brought this program, but we're disappointed about the game."
Leman was quick to praise the Trojans, perennial Rose Bowl participants who finished 11-2.
"They were just better than us," Leman said.
Midway through the third quarter, Leman wasn't so sure. The Illini had cut a 21-point lead to 11 and were driving for another score.
"I felt it really turning there," Leman said. "Then, we had some stuff happen and it didn't work out that way."
Would past bowl experience have helped the Illini?
"I don't think that was really it," Leman said. "We started like that in games before. I don't think we were getting physically dominated. I just think that they made some plays and we didn't really respond."
Leman was thrilled with the fan support Tuesday.
"That was awesome," Leman said. "I really want to thank the fans for coming out. That just shows you the kind of backing this program really does have."
Leman said the seniors in the program have "nothing to be ashamed of."
"We exceeded everybody's expectations," Leman said. "We just didn't get it done today."
JUICE WILLIAMS
Juice Williams helped Illinois beat Ohio State earlier in the season with his legs and his arm. Southern Cal took away half of his game Tuesday.
The Trojans sacked Williams five times, causing the sophomore to finish with minus-19 yards rushing.
"I've been saying all week this is a very fast team that likes to hit, which I experienced throughout the game," Williams said. "That was very intense. It's hard to prepare for a team like that. We just did the best we could out there. Obviously, they wanted it a little bit more."
Williams did damage to the Southern Cal defense with his arm, hitting 21 of 35 passes for for 245 yards. He was intercepted twice.
"Those guys were not letting us run the ball," Williams said. "I went over to the coaches and we started coming up with a plan to get the ball out in the receivers' hands, throw the ball quick and it was very effective."
The lopsided loss doesn't dimish what the Illini accomplished this season, Williams said. Nor does it diminish his own accomplishments.
"It's been a great season," Williams said. "Coming off a 2-10 season last year, having the lowest percentage rate by a starting quarterback in the country, it's been a huge step for this program and for myself. Now, is the time for us to grow up and go out there and be accountable for what we do. It's a sick feeling I've got in my stomach right now. I hate to have this feeling. It's definitely going to drive me to do even better to avoid having this feeling next season."
"I can definitely walk around on campus with my head high, knowing that I was a part of a Rose Bowl team."
JUSTIN HARRISON
For a brief moment, Justin Harrison got to play running back again. And he liked it.
Late in the first quarter with his team trailing 14-0, the Illini senior intercepted a John David Booty pass at his own 35. A star running back at Bloomington High School, Harrison streaked 45 yards to the Southern Cal 20.
"It was a great feeling to get the ball back in my hands," Harrison said. "I was trying to help the team out as much as possible. I was going to play every play like it was my last one."
Harrison's play didn't produce any points. After a first down, the Illini drive stalled at the 12 and Jason Reda's field goal went wide left.
Harrison built a reputation as a heavy hitter during his Illinois career. Nothing that happened Tuesday dispelled that, Harrison recording a string of nasty pops.
"We came out with a bang and we came out and played hard," Harrison said.
It wasn't enough. Harrison leaves Illinois after a 9-4 season. The school qualified for a bowl game for the first time in six years and played in Pasadena for the first time in 24.
"With all change, there's going to be pain," Harrison said. "It's just the next step we need to take. We made so many strides as a team this year. We've got one more stride. We've got to play in the big game. We knew coming in what kind of team USC was and we knew we had to go out and execute. That's not what we did today. We did things that were uncharacteristic of Illinois."
The Illini had six penalties for 66 yards and four turnovers.
"With a team like that with talent like that, they took advantage of those times," Harrison said. "The flip of the coin didn't land on our side tonight."