April 12, 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 Four
1991: "Putting a John Hancock on the Program!"

By Courtney Cheatham, Illinois Sports Information

The Fighting Illini football team entered the 1991 season with confidence. Illinois was coming off a Big Ten Championship, an 8-4 season and its third consecutive bowl game. But several players graduated, and the Illini could have been in for a rough season.

"We took it as an opportunity for some of us seniors to really get a lot of playing time," outside linebacker Mike Poloskey said.

Illinois started the season 1-1 before facing the University of Houston's preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, David Klinger.

The Illini stepped up their game by scoring 51 points and amassing 645 yards in total offense, still the fifth-highest total in school history. Illinois quarterback Jason Verduzco played his third exceptional game of the season, which earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. Verduzco went 16-for-22 for 341 yards and three touchdowns, but according to captain and offensive lineman, Tim Simpson, the defense was to thank.

"Coach (Lou) Tepper had a tremendous game plan and we shut them down," Simpson said. "It put the ball in our hands. We put up 51 points. There was so much effort from guys like Mike Poloskey, which was key. He was on the quarterback every play, and if he wasn't getting to him, he would make the quarterback throw off balance or re-adjust his movements."

Illinois' entire defensive team was honored with a Big Ten weekly award, while safety Mike Hopkins earned national Defensive Player of the Week accolades from The Sporting News for his nine-tackle, three PBU performance.

"It was one of those special games where everything came together," Hopkins said. "When it was time to execute, everything just clicked on the field. The game plan worked. We were able to dominate the game and come away with a victory. It was a great feeling."

Following their performance against Houston, the Illini collected wins over Minnesota and Ohio State. The victory over the then-11th-ranked Buckeyes marked the first time in school history that the Illini defeated the Buckeyes in four consecutive games.

The Illini followed up losses at Iowa and Northwestern with wins against Wisconsin and Purdue, which made Illinois bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year and put the team back in the top 25.

At the end of the season, the Orange and Blue were invited to the John Hancock Bowl to take on UCLA on Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas. Prior to the game, head coach John Mackovic announced he had accepted the head coaching position at the University of Texas, which left defensive coordinator Lou Tepper to take over at the helm.

Both team's defenses came ready to play as the score remained tied at three until the fourth quarter, but an untimely Illinois fumble led to a UCLA field goal to give the Bruins a 6-3 win. Despite the loss, Poloskey was honored with the Jimmy Rogers, Jr. trophy as the game's most valuable lineman.

"They give me the most valuable lineman award, but it wasn't a product of myself having a lights out game," Poloskey said. "It was the product of the defense have an amazing game."

The defense ended the year ranked fourth in the Big Ten, while the offense finished first in passing offense, as receiver Kameno Bell led the Big Ten with 1,290 all-purpose yards.

"Kameno Bell was a force on the field," Hopkins said. "Much of our success had to do with his performance."

The 1991 season was just the beginning of Tepper's Illinois football coaching career, as he later led the Illini to two more bowl games over the next three seasons.

"When you look at how you try to mold yourself as coach or player, I can honestly say both Coach Mackovic and Coach Tepper were tremendous role models of what I wanted to be and have tried to become in my life," Simpson said.