Football Season Review
June 24, 1999 | Football
Illinois opened the season against the defending Pac-10 champion Washington State Cougars in Pullman, Wash. Washington State jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter before the Illini rallied behind a Steve Havard 11-yard touchdown run and Neil Rackers' 46-yard field goal to cut the lead to 17-10 at half-time. The Illinois rally would fall short in a 20-13 loss.
The following week, Head Coach Ron Turner posted his first Illinois victory, 48-20 over Middle Tennessee State at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The win snapped the Illini's school-record 18-game losing streak. Freshman Rocky Harvey burst upon the scene, rushing for 215 yards and three touchdowns against the Blue Raiders. Late in the game, Asim Pleas returned an interception 89 yards for a touchdown. The Fighting Illini rushed for 391 yards while the defense stifled MTSU, holding the visitors to just six first downs and 69 yards of total offense.
Illinois concluded the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 35-9 loss to Louisville before 39,414 Memorial Stadium fans and an ESPN2 national audience. Chris Redman threw for 275 yards and LeRoy Collins rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns for the Cardinal victory.
Illinois opened Big Ten play against Iowa in its third straight game at Memorial Stadium. Iowa jumped out to a 37-0 lead behind a pair of big scoring plays by Kahlil Hill, a 57-yard punt return and a 51-yard pass reception. The Illini would rally for two touchdowns late, but it would not be enough. Freshman Kurt Kittner threw for 245 yards in his first start.
Illinois traveled to Evanston, Ill. the first weekend in October to clash with intrastate rival Northwestern. The 13-10 victory marked the first Big Ten win for Head Coach Ron Turner and broke the Illini's 15-game Big Ten losing streak.
Top-ranked Ohio State rolled into Memorial Stadium the next Saturday. Buckeye quarterback Joe Germaine threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-0 triumph before a crowd of 46,390 fans.
On Homecoming the Illini hosted ninth-ranked Wisconsin. The Badgers' bruising running back Ron Dayne rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries in a 37-3 win. Wisconsin dominated the time of possession by chewing up 37:47 of the game clock.
In week eight, the Illini lost at Purdue, 42-9. Drew Brees threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns and J. Crabtree rushed for 105 yards to lead the potent Boilermakers offense.
Illinois hit the road for the second straight week in a Halloween tilt at No. 10 Penn State. The Nittany Lions' 27-0 victory was highlighted by Kevin Thompson's 269 yards passing and 115 yards receiving by Chafie Fields.
The Illini returned home for Senior Day against Indiana. Big plays by junior Steve Havard paced the 31-16 Illinois triumph. Havard rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns including a 45-yard scamper. Havard took the second-half opening kickoff 94-yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 28-13. The defense held from there to preserve the victory. Kirk Johnson completed 21-of-28 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown in the win.
A road trip to Michigan State concluded the 1998 season. The host Spartans piled up 445 yards and took advantage of five Illini turnovers in a 41-9 victory. With the loss, Illinois ended the season in a seventh-place tie in the Big Ten.
Following the season, the Illini were honored at their 80th annual banquet, hosted by the Champaign Rotary Club. Junior linebacker Danny Clark was named Most Valuable Player after an outstanding season with 115 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
