Fighting Illini Football 1988-92: Celebrating 20 Years
March 29, 2011 | Football
March 29, 2011
The Varsity "I" Association is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the five-year bowl streak for the University of Illinois football program from 1988-92. All past players, managers, coaches, and support staff are invited back for a reunion held in conjunction with the annual Football BBQ Bash and Orange and Blue Spring Game on April 22-23. In anticipation of the reunion, there will be a five-part series on the era.
Part Two
1989: "Citrus is Sweet"
By Libby Knight, Illinois Sports Information
After a brief hiatus from a postseason bowl game, the 1988 Illinois football team broke through with a trip to the All-American Bowl. While they did not win the game, their accomplishment would serve as a springboard for the future success of Illinois football.
"It was a great experience because a lot of the guys that were instrumental in the success of that year all came in together," wide receiver Mike Bellamy said. "We were really close friends. There was a big team concept from the family atmosphere that was built at the program at the time. The excitement came from the success we were having in games, as well as the camaraderie we built as a team."
The 1989 football campaign was originally scheduled to take place at the Glasnost Bowl in Moscow, Russia, against USC, but the plan was canceled and the game was moved to the Coliseum in Los Angeles. Illinois trailed the Trojans, 13-0, before scoring the final 14 points of the contest to begin the 1989 season with a 14-13 victory.
After a loss in their second game at Colorado, the Illini rebounded with a win over Utah State, before heading into their Big Ten opener to face Ohio State. Two minutes into the game, Illinois ran into trouble when quarterback Jeff George was sacked by Ohio State's Alonzo Spellman and did not return until the second half. Backup quarterback Jeff Kinney was also out of the picture, which left freshman Jason Verduzco.
Inspired by nose tackle Moe Gardner and a fierce Illini defense, the Illinois offense came alive with Bellamy catching 10 passes for 152 yards and Verduzco completing 9-of-14 passes and two first-half touchdowns before George returned and led Illinois to a 34-14 victory over the Buckeyes.
"The team gathered around Jason when he stepped in," Bellamy said. "We all had confidence in each other. We had multiple All-Americans on our team for the next two or three years, which consummated the fact that the program was on the rise again."
Illinois continued its winning ways with a 14-2 road win against Purdue, before traveling to Michigan State the following weekend. On homecoming weekend for the Spartans, Illinois secured the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards for the opening score, keyed by a 53-yard pass play from George to Bellamy.
"The Michigan State game was important, because as a team it was the opportunity to step a level up," Bellamy said. "We were able to have faith in each other, have faith in ourselves and fought until the end. The defense made a big play and the offense came right in and was able to capitalize on that turnover."
With less than five minutes remaining in the game and Michigan State leading 10-7, Illinois had a chance to tie or take the lead, but turned the ball over on downs. However, on the next play, Michigan State fumbled the ball to Quintin Parker and three plays later, George found Bellamy open in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 1:08 remaining in the game and the Illini went on to win 14-10.
Illinois followed it up with wins over Wisconsin (32-9) and Iowa (31-7), which would set up a rematch with Michigan for the Big Ten title. Unfortunately, Michigan again got the best of the Illini and captured a 24-10 victory.
"Winning the Big Ten championship was one of the things that we had set as our goal at the beginning of the year," Bellamy said. "It was the game we wanted. Unfortunately we didn't win, but it did not ruin our season."
With the Michigan defeat still fresh in their minds, the Illini finished the regular season off with convincing victories over Indiana (41-28) and at Northwestern (63-14). After the win, Illinois was invited to play Virginia in the 44th annual Florida Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 1990.
It was the second straight bowl appearance for the Illini, whose last win in the postseason was the 1964 Rose Bowl. That would change, however, as Illinois claimed a 31-21 win behind a season-high 321 yards from George on 26-of-38 passing, including three touchdowns, en route to being named the game's Most Outstanding Player.
"That was a great experience for the program," Bellamy said. "It was a great experience for the football team and for followers of the University of Illinois. Playing the first bowl game of the day, you couldn't dream of a better ending to the season."
Head coach John Mackovic earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year, making him the first coach to win the award in his first two seasons at the helm. Also garnering accolades was Gardner, who was named to several All-America first teams, while Bellamy was named to the Associated Press All-America second team and George was selected as a Davey O'Brien nominee and Sammy Baugh Award winner.
