By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com
In a series that dates back more than a hundred years, there may be no battle between Illinois and Minnesota that merits as much significance as the 1993 game. Thanks to a nearly –picture-perfect last-minute drive, no Illini-Gopher match-up featured a more thrilling conclusion than the game that was played 25 years ago.
A crowd of 50,192 braved the 10-degree wind-chill temperatures as snow swirled briskly inside Memorial Stadium that sixth day of November 1993.
Both Coach Jim Wacker's Gophers and Coach Lou Tepper's Illini were riding three-game winning streaks, thanks to respective upset victories over nationally ranked teams. Just a week before, Minnesota had captured Paul Bunyan's Axe from No. 15 Wisconsin, while two weeks earlier Illinois had defeated No. 13 Michigan in Ann Arbor with a last-minute touchdown.
"The Minnesota game was special to me because the Big Ten coach I respected the most was Jim Wacker," Tepper said. "He had an exciting personality, an exciting team, and always had something positive to say. He was just a tremendous friend of mine."
Wacker's Gophers grabbed a first-quarter lead with a field goal, but UI junior placekicker Chris Richardson helped Illinois to a 6-3 advantage late in the second period with successful field goal conversions of 46 and 49 yards, the two longest of his Illini career.
Late in the third quarter, in a span of just 5:33, Minnesota built up a 20-9 lead on successive touchdowns and a field goal, greatly diminishing Illinois' prospects for victory.
"We were really battling against the odds," Tepper remembered. "(Quarterback) Johnny Johnson had thrown five interceptions and we'd had a field goal attempt blocked. You don't win many games doing that."
Said Johnson to the media afterwards, "If I was the coach, I probably would have benched me."
With hope for a win dwindling in the fourth quarter, Illinois solved its offensive struggles on its next-to-last possession of the game. Johnson hit wide receiver Gary Voelker with an 11-yard touchdown pass with just 4:24 remaining to shrink the Gopher lead to five points, 20-16.
"It was a post-corner route," said Voelker. "I was in slot and I ran a corner in the end zone. I wish I could have had more receptions in that game because of the way we were running the offense. It seemed like I had a linebacker or safety defending me much of the time; that was a pretty favorable matchup."
Up to that point, Voelker had sparkled for UI's special teams, racking up 123 yards on five kickoff returns and 50 yards on four punt returns. Those efforts and his TD catch earned him ESPN's Player of the Game honors.
LEFT: Ty Douthard scores the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds. RIGHT: Linebackers Dana Howard (40) and Jon Holecek (52) team up to tackle a Gopher in the 1993 victory.
Now nursing a four-point lead, Minnesota's offense took the field, where only a few first downs were needed to ice the game. Instead ace linebackers Dana Howard and John Holecek stepped up to give the Illini offense one last chance.
"I remember Holecek was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week," Tepper said of the man who was the least heralded of his all-star linebacker corps. "We had two future Butkus Award winners (Howard and Kevin Hardy) and Simeon Rice, who was just as good or better than two others I coached—Khalil Mack and Bruce Smith. And yet, you could make an argument that if you could just pick one guy to start your defensive with, it would be Holecek, just because of the effect he had on others."
After forcing a Gopher punt, only 73 seconds remained on the clock. More significantly, 87 yards separated Illinois from its must-have touchdown. Surprisingly, the Illini offense remained confident about achieving its seemingly impossible mission.
"At that time, our offense was budding with confidence," said Ty Douthard, then a freshman tailback for the Illini. "Though it was just our first year into (offensive coordinator Greg Landry's) offense, we were pretty confident in our two-minute drill. Once we got that momentum going, everything was clicking on all cylinders."
Johnson began the drive by connecting with Jason Dulick on two passes to move the ball up to the Illinois 42-yard line, then converted a fourth-and-one situation with a quarterback sneak to keep the drive alive. After two pass incompletions, Johnson scrambled up the middle for a gain of 17 and another key first down. A pass interference call on Minnesota cornerback Juan Hunter moved the ball to UI's 25-yard line.
However, only 20 seconds showed on the scoreboard clock.
As Illinois prepared for the critical play, Johnson made eye contact with Landry on the sideline and got permission to audible and make his own call, one called "65 screen right." Douthard would be Johnson's target.
"Once I heard the call, I was like 'I'm ready,'" Douthard said. "'Let's go out and do what we're supposed to do.'"
Johnson's final pass was completed and Illinois' No. 7 set off to finish the play.
"I was definitely surprised to be as open as I was once I caught the ball and turned up field," Douthard said. "I was like 'Man, I've got a chance to actually get in that end zone.' I made a guy miss, then was able to get to the next level. (Illini assistant coach) Greg McMahon worked with our wide receivers and made them tough blockers. Jason (Dulick) had that last DB hemmed up, so it was just a matter of me securing the ball and getting into the end zone."
Final score: Illinois 23, Minnesota 20.
Said Wacker afterwards to the assembled press, "Illinois might not be the best team, but they're certainly the most exciting."
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Catching up with the cast of heroes from the 1993 Illini-Gopher game:
Lou Tepper, who celebrated his 73rd birthday in October, resides with his wife, Karen, in rural Greensboro, Georgia, roughly halfway between son Matt in South Carolina and daughter Stacy in Atlanta. The Teppers see some or all of their four grandchildren almost every weekend. Lou is now involved with a local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, mentoring young people at three local high schools.
Following a long career in reproductive physiology and molecular embryology, Gary Voelker is now the managing director of mortgage sales for First National Bank of Omaha in Fort Collins, Colorado. He and his wife, Kim, are parents of two soccer enthusiasts, 16-year-old Peyton and 11-year-old Emily. Gary now plays recreational ice hockey.
Ty Douthard is the proud father of a four-year-old son named Anthony. He's in the financial services industry in Indianapolis, working for World Financial Group. Living on the west side of Indy, Ty is a frequent attendee at Illini football games and those of his high school alma mater, LaSalle High in Cincinnati.
