Dec. 25, 2014
By Lexi Shurilla, fightingillini.com staff writer | @SusanAlexisS
Bowl Central
The match-up for the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl will feature not only the Illini in Orange and Blue, but also a former Illini on the other side of the ball when Illinois takes on Louisiana Tech in its bowl game Dec. 26 in Dallas. La Tech defensive end Houston Bates, a Louisiana native and Illinois graduate, will line up against his former teammates and some of his best friends in the game.
Bates as an Illini in 2013.
There and Back Again
Bates spent four years on the Illinois campus, playing in 35 games and earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors in his time with the Fighting Illini. He started all 12 games at the LEO position (linebacker/end hybrid) for the Illini in 2013. He ranked eighth on the team in tackles (40), second in tackles for loss (12) and second in sacks (3.5) his last season at Illinois, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. He decided to play his final season closer to home at Louisiana Tech after graduating from Illinois in May 2014.
Bates' decision to transfer wasn't about football, it was about his family. Originally from Covington, Louisiana - about 300 miles from where LA Tech plays its home games - Bates' father passed away when he was 11. After receiving his undergraduate degree in community health from Illinois, the senior decided that going back home for his last year of eligibility would be important to him and his family.
"It was one of the toughest things I've had to do, to leave a program that I loved so dearly and all the friends, coaches and teammates I had [at Illinois]," Bates said. "Coach Beckman knew it was really about family and not abandoning Illinois. It's going to be kind of crazy ending up playing Illinois in my final game as a result of that.
"It was a big jump going from a four-year program that was my home, and I had a starting job, and then I was just going to pick up and leave and go to a different program not knowing what the future was going to hold. There were a lot of questions to be asked. Once I came down here on my visit, I knew right away it was a good fit."
LA Tech is 8-5 going into its game against the Fighting Illini after falling in the Conference USA championship game. Now a defensive end for the Bulldogs, Bates said that it's been really special for his mom to be able to come to all of his games this season. She wasn't able to make the trip every week to Illinois, but being three hours away now has made it easier for Bates' family to support him on game days.
"I think Houston's played well this year, there's no question about it," Illinois head coach Tim Beckman said. "He leads them in a couple categories and you can see his tenacity and his work ethic have really paid off for him at LA Tech."
Hunting Illini in Fall 2013 (l-r) Taylor Barton, Mason Monheim, Houston Bates and Clayton Fejedelem
Friendly Foes
When he made the decision to transfer to Louisiana Tech for his senior season, Bates would have never guessed that his last game in college would be against his alma mater and some of his best friends.
As far as his relationship with his former teammates and hunting buddies goes, the bonds he made in Champaign are still strong.
"We've actually been talking quite a bit, ever since they announced the bowl game," Bates said. "There's been some jawing going back and forth, but it's all in good fun.
"It's not going to be a hate match-up. It's going to be a fun one because I didn't leave those guys on bad terms. We're going to have a good time going up against each other again."
"When we were looking at bowl game projections that was one where I was thinking, that would be kind of cool to go back and play him, me and my class, so it's kind of the icing on the cake," Illinois offensive lineman Michael Heitz said.
Many of the Illini contacted Bates as soon as they found out their bowl fate and have playfully been talking smack over the last couple weeks to get fired up for game day. Linebacker Mason Monheim is still great friends with Bates and is one of the Illini that sees him on a regular basis.
"He's one of my best friends," Monheim said. "Too bad he doesn't play on the offense so we could get after it a little bit, but it's going to be fun. A lot of the guys on this team know him really well, so we're counting on the offense to get after him."
Bates said that he still tries to catch as many Illinois games as he can, especially on his bye weeks. As someone who used to get nervous for games, he said he's mostly past that now, but he thinks he probably will have some nerves playing his former team. Well aware of what offensive coordinator Bill Cubit is capable off, he suspects that Cubit will have some plays designed especially for him so he'd better get ready for it.
"It's going to be special," Bates said. "Playing with those guys was always a fun time but playing against them, I really don't know how it could be any better. It's a pretty cool feeling knowing that I'll be wrapping up my career against my former team and all my buddies."
As for what his former teammates had to say to him, Heitz simply said, "We're coming for you."
