Monday, September 4, 2006 12:13 AM CDT
Close, but only for a while
BY BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
CHAMPAIGN -- This was about to go from respectable to maybe-the-little-neighbor-can-actually-do-it.
Down by 14 points early in the third quarter, Eastern Illinois’ field goal unit was able to draw Illinois offsides n of course, special teams coach Justin Lustig is not revealing his secret n and gave the Panthers first-and-goal at the Illini 2-yard line.
Each of EIU’s two tall receivers had already caught a touchdown pass, and the Panthers were ready to pick on Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis again.
Quarterback Mike Donato put the ball up in the air for his 6-foot-5 senior receiver Ryan Voss only for the 6-foot Davis to come up with the interception in the end zone.
“That’s how we’ve been practicing it, me and Voss,” Donato said. “The DB just made a great play. “It was a freshman corner, and he made a great play.”
EIU assistant head coach Mark Hutson said: “That was a big momentum swing. We talk all the time about riding the rollercoaster.”
It was all easy riding after that for Illinois.
The Illini responded with an 80-yard touchdown drive and pulled away to Saturday night’s 42-17 season-opening football win at Memorial Stadium.
If the interception did not doom the 14th-ranked NCAA Division I-AA Panthers’ bid, the following play probably did.
Illinois’ Jody Ellis appeared to have caught a Tim Brasic pass over the middle and taken a couple of steps before EIU linebacker Seymour Loftman forced a fumble that his teammate Donald Thomas recovered apparently giving the Panthers new life.
Officials ruled an incomplete pass, however, a call that could not change in this non-televised game although the replay board witnessed by the crowd of 45,444 seemed to have suggested Eastern had recovered a fumble after a completed pass.
“Instant replay wasn’t part of this game,” said Hutson, in charge of the team while head coach Bob Spoo is recovering from Tuesday’s surgery. “That’s why they instituted it into the game. The officials made the call.”
Donato said: “You know, it looked like we had it. I thought that might have been a turning point.”
Eastern did not have much margin for error n its own or by officials n in a game in which Illinois topped the 300-yard rushing mark and ran for six touchdowns for the first time since Dec. 30, 1999 when it thrashed Virginia 63-31 in the Micronpc.com Bowl.
Led by senior Pierre Thomas’ 126 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, Illinois averaged 7.2 yards per attempt in racking up 356 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
“I was impressed with the way we came out today,” Illini coach Ron Zook said. “We said our offensive line would be improved this year and that we’d have to run the ball better, and I think we did that today.”
EIU rover Tristan Burge said of the Illini: “They’re a very talented team. They were very physical and pounded the rock.”
While Illinois was overpowering EIU on the ground 345 yards to 106, Eastern tried to counter through the error with Minnesota transfer Micah Rucker living up to his preseason billing at wide receiver.
After Illinois took a 14-0 first quarter lead, Rucker went deep for a 38-yard pass reception and two plays later burned Davis for a 20-yard-touchdown pass from Donato, whose pump fake got the 6-foot-6 Rucker open in the end zone.
“He’s a big-time player, and he proved it tonight,” Donato said of Rucker, who finished with four catches for 105 yards.
Donato was 8-for-14 passing for 134 yards and threw two interceptions while EIU also used former walk-on quarterback-converted-to-receiver Justin Duhai to take a handoff and pass to Voss, who outwrestled a defender for the ball in the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown reception EIU’s 14-point second quarter.
“Alan Ball had him covered as well as you could have him covered,” Zook said of Voss’ touchdown. “He had the ball and the receiver took it from him. It was a great play by No. 9. He is a great receiver. I told him after the game it was a great play.”
But Illinois drove 83 yards for Thomas’ 1-yard touchdown run 28 seconds before halftime to make it 28-14, and then after his first-half troubles the Illini cornerback Davis came up with the play off the game.
“He came back and learned from it,” Zook said. “Hopefully (mistakes) won’t happen again, but I won’t be surprised if it does.”
When EIU’s 11-play, 78-yard possession to the Illinois 2 ended with the interception Illinois had its ninth straight home-opening win in hand heading to Saturday’s 11 a.m. ESPN2 game at Rutgers.
Eastern is to return to the I-AA level for its home opener set for 6 p.m. Saturday against Indiana State at O’Brien Stadium.
“The Illinois game does not make or break or season,” Hutson said.
EIU’s first football game against Illinois in history was to provide the Panthers $300,000 and maybe some confidence.
“Now there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Rucker said. “After playing here seeing that big sea of orange with a lot of noise, this team could go anywhere now.”
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
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 Stephen Haas (JG/T-C)
Eastern wide receiver Micah Rucker makes a sliding catch in the second quarter against Illinois Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium. Rucker had 107 yards from four catches and one touchdown in Eastern's 42-17 loss to the University of Illinois.
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Angie Miley wrote on Jul 17, 2006 8:05 PM: