By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com
Unlike most of its other Big Ten Conference foes, the Fighting Illini football team's series against Rutgers University doesn't date back to the 19th or even to the 20th century.
In fact, one needs only to be a teenager today to remember when Illinois and the Scarlet Knights first met on the gridiron. The initial battle in 2005 is one of only seven overtime contests in which the Illini have ever participated.
The 2005 season followed a year when Illini basketball fans were on an emotional high, stemming from a 37-2 ride that took them all the way to the NCAA's Championship Game. Four other Illini teams—baseball, women's track and field, men's tennis and wrestling—also held distinction as defending Big Ten champs. In football, UI Director of Athletics Ron Guenther had just made a coaching change.
Guenther persuaded former Florida head coach Ron Zook to take the reins of Illinois's football program. As Zook began his Illini coaching career only 42 of the 100 men on the '05 roster had actual game experience. Restructuring the program, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, was a necessity. And for a team that had won only four times in its previous 23 games, Zook would also have to bolster Illinois's confidence.
Zook's debut game—September 3, 2005—against Rutgers was labeled as a toss-up by the oddsmakers, but it certainly didn't appear that way in a raucous second quarter that saw the Scarlet Knights tally 17 unanswered points to take a 20-7 halftime lead.
"In the first half, we were awful," Zook admitted. "Our field position was awful. There were a lot of second-and-long situations. We were killing ourselves on first downs."
Illini quarterback Tim Brasic, who was making his starting debut, struggled mightily from opening-game jitters and his first-half statistics (just 38 total passing yards and two interceptions) reflected his uneasiness. Thankfully, Brasic's coaching staff was there to pull him out of the dregs of a dreadful first 30 minutes.
"Rutgers had some great blitzes and the game seemed so fast early on," Brasic said. "I can't say enough about Coach Zook and (quarterbacks) Coach (Ed) Zaunbracher. Every time I came off the field, the coaches were like 'Tim, you're OK. Keep your head up.' Finally, in the third quarter, everything started slowing down and I really started getting a good feel for what I needed to do."
When Rutgers' Brian Leonard set sail on an 83-yard touchdown gallop less than five minutes into the second half to extend RU's lead to 27-7, things appeared hopeless to everyone except Zook and his Illini. But instead of collapsing, Illinois' coaches and players gathered themselves and things eventually began to click on both sides of the ball.
Trailing 27-10 going into the fourth quarter, Jason Reda stroked a 32-yard field goal, his second of the game. A six-yard pass from Brasic to Kendrick Jones with 8:40 left narrowed the margin to seven points, 27-20, and providing positive momentum on Illinois's sideline.
Coach Greg Schiano's Knights relied on the running skills of Leonard and Ray Rice on a fourth-quarter drive that set up a 43-yard field goal attempt. However, Illini defensive tackle Chris Norwell got a fingertip on the ball as the football began its ascent, transferring possession to Brasic and the Illini offense at its own 35-yard line.
An effective combination of runs by Pierre Thomas and E.B. Halsey plus Brasic pass completions to Thomas, Halsey, Franklin Payne and Jody Ellis set up a first-and-10 situation at the Rutgers 13-yard line. That's where Brasic spotted Halsey at the sideline for a diving touchdown, tying the game at 27-all with 1:13 left in regulation.
Illinois's defense stood strong on Rutgers' next possession, giving the ball back to its offensive unit with 0:28 remaining. Three Brasic pass completions set up a 52-yard field goal try by Reda, but it sailed wide right as regulation time expired.
In overtime, the Scarlet Knights got the ball first and their drive resulted in a 40-yard field goal.
Now it was Illinois's turn. Starting at the 25, Brasic began the possession with an eight-yard run. After a false start penalty, the Illini quickly retrieved those five yards and 15 more when Brasic connected on a pass with Halsey down to the two-yard line. That's where Thomas took it in for the game-winning TD, providing Illinois with a 33-30 victory.
Said Zook to the media afterwards, "It wasn't very pretty, but we kept believing. All week long we talked about facing adversity and today we came back."
