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Nov. 17, 2003
GAME 12
ILLINOIS (1-10, 0-7) vs.
NORTHWESTERN (5-6, 3-4)
November 22, 2003 @ 11 a.m. CT (ESPN-Plus)
Memorial Stadium (69,249)
Champaign, Ill.
FOR OPENERS
Saturday's game will be the 97th meeting between the Fighting Illini and
the Northwestern Wildcats, the longest running series for the Illini, which
dates back to 1892. Illinois leads the series with a 51-40-5 record and a
24-17-2 mark in Champaign. Illinois head coach Ron Turner- is 4-2 vs.
Northwestern, while Wildcat head coach Randy Walker is 1-3 in his four games
against the Illini. Illinois won the last two meetings between the two
teams, including a 31-24 victory last season.
This weekend, the Illini and Wildcats will play for the right to possess
the "Tomahawk" in the 57th game of the traditional trophy series. The story
of the Illinois-Northwestern trophy dates back to 1945 when the staff
members of the two student newspapers conceived the idea of a wooden Indian
trophy. In September 1946 "Sweet Sioux" was stolen from a showcase at
Northwestern. A Tomahawk Trophy was inaugurated in 1947 to replace the
wooden Indian and has been used ever since. Illinois leads the trophy series
with a 31-23-2 record. The trophy has resided in Champaign for the past two
seasons.
Twenty-one Illinois seniors will be making their final run out on to the
Memorial Stadium turf on Saturday. They are: QB Jon Beutjer (Wheaton, Ill.),
LB Joe Bevis (Edwardsville, Ill.), TE Brett Boyter (Joliet, Ill.), OT Sean Bubin (Rantoul, Ill.), FB Carey
Davis (Florrisant, Mo.), DT Charles Gilstrap (Columbus, Ohio), PK John
Gockman (Coal City, Ill.), LS Mike Gomez (Miami, Fla.), FB Brad Haywood (Mt.
Carmel, Ill.), DT Aaron Hodges (Country Club Hills, Ill.), DB Mike
Imeokparia (Springfield, Ill.), S Marc Jackson (Corvallis, Ore.), S/WR Eric
McGoey (Wheaton, Ill.), CB Christian Morton (St. Louis, Mo.), LB Ty Myers
(Springfield, Ohio), DE Mike O'Brien (Oak Lawn, Ill.), DT Jeff Ruffin (Aurora, Ill.), DE Derrick Strong
(Chicago, Ill.), LB Winston Taylor (Decatur, Ill.), PK JJ Tubbs (Rock
Island, Ill.) and QB Dustin Ward (Champaign, Ill.).
The Illini have the ninth-toughest schedule nationally according to the
latest Sagarin ratings.
Five of Illinois' losses this season have come to ranked teams and seven
of Illinois' scheduled opponents have been ranked in the Top-25 at some
point during the season. Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, Minnesota and
Iowa have a combined 41 wins. Eight of Illinois' 11 Division-IA opponents
are currently bowl eligible.
Of junior wide receiver Mark Kornfeld's 42 catches this season, 28 have
converted first downs (66.7 percent).
Sophomore punter Steve Weatherford currently has a 44.5 punting average,
which ranks second in the Big Ten and 10th nationally. He is on pace to
break the 56-year-old single-season punting yardage average record of 43.0,
which is held by Dike Eddleman from the 1948 season.
This weekend's contest against Northwestern will be the 12th televised
game for the Illini this season and the 16th in a row, dating back to ESPN's
telecast of the Illinois/Penn State game on Nov. 2, 2002. This is the first
time in school history Illinois has had the entire season broadcast to
either national or regional audiences. Only five conference teams have had
every game televised (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio
State).
THE COACHES' CORNER
RON TURNER, ILLINOIS - (32-48 in his seventh year at Illinois, 39-52
overall, 19-36 in the Big Ten). Turner is 4-2 vs. the Wildcats over the last
six seasons, including a 2-1 record in Champaign. He was an assistant at
Northwestern in 1981-82 under head coach Dennis Green.
Turner earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 2001 after leading
Illinois to the Big Ten championship and a trip to the Nokia Sugar Bowl and
its first 10-win season since 1989. The league title was the Illini's first
since 1990.
Turner has served as quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator or head
coach since 1981. During that time he coached quarterbacks such as Jeff
Garcia, Erik Kramer, Jim Harbaugh, Sean Salisbury, Rodney Peete and Kurt
Kittner.
Turner led the Illini to an 8-4 record and a 63-21 thumping of Virginia in
the Micronpc.com Bowl in 1999. For his efforts, Turner finished fourth in
the Associated Press Coach of the Year voting.
Turner came to Illinois after a four-year stint as the offensive
coordinator for the Chicago Bears (1993-96). In 1992, he was the head coach
for San Jose State where he turned in a 7-4 record and a second-place finish
in the Big West Conference. Turner served as an assistant at Stanford, Texas
A&M, Southern California, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Arizona working
mainly with quarterbacks and receivers during his 20+ years in college
coaching.
RANDY WALKER, NORTHWESTERN - (23-34 in his fifth year at Northwestern;
82-69-5 in his 14-year collegiate coaching career) Walker is in his fifth
season at Northwestern and led the Wildcats to a share of the Big Ten title
in 2000. He is 1-3 against the Illini in his four contests. He came to NU
after a nine-year stint as head coach at Miami University. He served as an
assistant at North Carolina, Miami Univ. and Northwestern during the years
of 1976-1989.
ILLINOIS/NORTHWESTERN SERIES HISTORY
The series with the Northwestern Wildcats is the longest-running in
Illinois' 112-year history, with 97 meetings between the two teams.
Illinois has won four out of the last five games against Northwestern. In
1998, Illinois snapped an 15-game Big Ten losing streak with a 13-10 win in
Evanston. A win over NU in 1999, 29-7, ensured the team's first bowl bid in
five years and in 2001 the Illini clinched a Big Ten title with its 34-28
win on Thanksgiving Day.
Northwestern defensive coordinator Greg Colby, in his first season with
the Wildcats, is very familiar with the University of Illinois. He was on
staff as a grad assistant from 1974-75 and 1977-78 as well as linebackers
coach from 1988-95.
Illinois head coach Ron Turner was on the Northwestern staff in 1981-82
under Dennis Green as the quarterbacks and receivers coach.
ADDING INSULT TO INJURY
The Illini have been plagued by injuries at key positions during crucial
times. The following is a timeline of the players that have missed gametime
due to injury. In all, the Illini have had 17 players (12 starters) injured
for a total of 75 missed games. At this point in the season, the squad has
been without an average of 6.3 players per game.
ILLINOIS/NORTHWESTERN - THE LAST TIME OUT
4 11/23/02 -- Illinois finished its season winning four of its last six
games with a 31-24 win over Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. The Illini
wrapped up its 5-7 season with its fourth Big Ten win, for fifth-place in
the conference. Senior running back Antoineo Harris rushed for 178 yards on
44 carries to break the single-season rushing record with 1,330 yards,
topping Robert Holcombe's 1,291 mark in 1996. Receiver Brandon Lloyd also
recorded 67 yards to give him his second straight 1,000-yard year. The game
got off to a rocky start as quarterback Jon Beutjer threw an interception on
the first play of the game, giving NU the ball at the Illinois 24. Two plays
later, Eugene Wilson forced a Kevin Lawrence fumble to get the ball back on
the 20 yardline. Beutjer then put together a 10-play drive which ended in a
five-yard QB run for a touchdown. After NU answered with a touchdown in the
first, the Illini rattled off 17 unanswered points in the second to cushion
a 24-7 lead at the half. Beutjer threw two touchdown passes, a 25-yarder to
tight end Anthony McClellan and a seven-yard pass to Lloyd. The score to
McClellan was set up by fumble, forced by linebacker Jerry Schumacher and
recovered by Marc Jackson. Junior Peter Christofilakos also kicked a 35-yard
field goal. NU forged a strong comeback in the second half, including two
touchdowns in the fourth quarter. With the Illini leading 31-17, following
Lloyd's second touchdown of the day, the Wildcats stormed down the field
looking to strike. With Northwestern on the five-yard line for fourth down,
Michael Hall came up with an interception in the endzone. Northwestern
scored on the next possession to come within seven points of the tie, but
Jackson intercepted Basanez with 14 seconds remaining to ensure the win.
YOUNG BLOOD
The Illini have played 20 first-year players this season, including seven
true-freshmen and eight members of the incoming recruiting class.
True-freshman wide receiver Lonnie Hurst became the first Illinois position
player to start his very first collegiate game since four players
accomplished this feat in 1980. True-freshman E.B. Halsey has made starts in
eight of 10 games this season. The two are among seven first-year freshmen
to play this season. The others include CB Alan Ball, DL Arthur Boyd, RB
Marcus Mason, RB Pierre Thomas and DL Adam Wilk.
HALSEY MAKING A CASE AS ROOKIE
In his eight games played this season (sat out vs. Iowa, Minnesota and
Indiana with a knee sprain), true-freshman running back E.B. Halsey could
easily be called "The Ultraback" with his ability to rack up rushing,
receiving and return yardage. He is averaging 59.3 yards rushing, 32.1 yards
receiving per game and 148.8 all-purpose yards each contest. He has earned
the respect of his teammates and coaches, which was evident by being named a
captain for the Illini contest at UCLA and Michigan.
In the season opener, Halsey scampered for 139 yards, becoming the first
true-freshman in school history to top the 100-yard mark in his first
collegiate game.
Three times this season, Halsey has tallied over 200 all-purpose yards. He
set a season high with 271 vs. Wisconsin after racking up 222 in the season
opener against Missouri and another 239 against Calfornia. He has been
heavily involved in the rushing game (476 yards), passing game (257), punt
returns (79) and kickoff returns (378).
ESPN analyst and 1989 Hesiman Trophy winner Andre Ware on Halsey's "He is
a talent. He returns kickoffs, catches the ball and leads this team in
rushing. If he stays healthy, in years to come, we could be mentioning his
name in Heisman talks, because he does so much for this offense."
LONGEST PLAYS OF THE YEAR
Pass: 72, Jon Beutjer to Kelvin Hayden vs. California (9/20/03)
Rush: 35 (twice), Morris Virgil and Pierre Thomas vs. Illinois State
(9/6/03)
TD Pass: 72, Jon Beutjer to Kelvin Hayden vs. California (9/20/03)
TD Rush: 35, Morris Virgil vs. Illinois State (9/6/03)
Kickoff Return: 66, E.B. Halsey vs. Wisconsin (9/27/03)
Punt Return: 41, E.B. Halsey vs. Purdue (10/4/03)
Punt: 66, Steve Weatherford vs. Minnesota (10/25/03)
Field Goal: 48, John Gockman vs. Missouri (8/30/03)
OFFENSIVE TEAM NOTES
Illinois receiver Mark Kornfeld (converted quarterback) is most valuable
to his Illini team as the "go-to" player. Of his 42 catches this season, 28
have converted first downs (66.7 percent). Second on the team, Kornfeld has
502 yards and averages 12.0 yards per catch.
The Illinois receivers are "spreading the wealth." In 11 games, 15
different players have caught passes and eight have receiving touchdowns.
Junior receiver Kelvin Hayden is leading the way with 575 yards (seventh in
Big Ten/63.9) and 50 catches (fourth in the Big Ten/5.6 per game).
4 Heading into the contest vs. Illinois, Michigan State was allowing only
64.8 rushing yards from their opponents. The Illini rushed for 158 yards,
more than any Spartan foe at that point in the season.
DEFENSIVE TEAM NOTES
The Illini held UCLA to zero second-half points after allowing only six in
the first half. The last time Illinois had a shutout half was against Penn
State in 2002. UCLA's six points marked the lowest scoring output by an
opponent since Illinois shutout Iowa 31-0 in 2000.
Senior linebacker Ty Myers posted the second two-turnover performance of
his career when he forced two fumbles vs. Illinois State. Those Redbird
fumbles resulted in seven Illini points. The last time he had two turnovers
was against Ohio State in 2001 when he had two interceptions, one for a
touchdown.
Illinois stopped Mizzou quarterback Brad Smith with only 168 yards (66
rushing, 102 passing), which is an improvement from the 290 yards gained a
year ago, while also keeping him far below his 2002 average of 280 yards per
game.
Twice this season, the Illinois defense held its opponent to fewer than
225 yards of total offense (223 vs. Missouri and 204 vs. UCLA). The last
time an Illini defense kept two teams under the 225-yard mark was the 1994
season when Washington State was held to 157 yards, Missouri to 46 yards and
Northern Illinois to 165 in the first three games of the season.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
Sophomore punter Steve Weatherford continued his stellar season with
another 45-yard punting average game against Indiana. He currently ranks
second in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation with a 44.5 average. He is on
pace to set the Illinois single-season average record, topping Eddleman's
43.0 average in 1948. Weatherford has 46 punts for a total of 2,045 yards so
far this season. Against Minnesota, Weatherford was named the Big Ten
Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance which included two
60-yard punts marking the first time since Dike Eddleman in 1948 that an
Illinois player recorded two 60-yard punts in a game.
The Illinois special teams units has blocked seven kicks in 23 games over
the past year and a half (and 14 kicks in 35 games, dating back to the 2001
season), including three this season. The Illini blocked two against Purdue,
the first two-block day for the team since they got a hand on two vs.
Missouri in the 2002 season opener. The team got its first of the year
against Illinois State with a blocked 49-yard field goal attempt by
defensive end Derrick Strong. In 2001, the Big Ten Championship season, the
Illini set a school record with three blocked punts, two extra points and
two field goals.
Dating back to the 1998 season, Illinois has connected on a school-record
191 straight extra point attempts.
The Illini have scored two special teams touchdowns this season. Their
first came against Illinois State when defensive end Derrick Strong blocked
a 49-yard field goal attempt and sophomore safety Travis Williams recovered
the live ball returning it 66 yards for the score. It was Williams' second
special teams touchdown of his career after taking a kickoff 90-yards into
the endzone in 2002 vs. Purdue. The second was a 41-yard punt return by E.B.
Halsey against the Purdue Boilermakers.
SCORING BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE
True-freshman running back E.B. Halsey caught a six-yard touchdown pass
against Michigan State, giving him four receiving TDs on the season. He has
also scored one rushing touchdown and against Purdue took a punt return back
41-yards for the score. The feat marks the ninth time that an Illinois
player has scored a touchdown three different ways in the same season and
the first time since 1972 when George Uremovich did it with a rushing,
receiving and kick return score.
