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Friday, September 11, 2009 11:07 PM CDT
Spoo still recalls bad night at ISU
By BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
At least one more time Bob Spoo might be haunted by Kip Hennelly entering Indiana State’s Memorial Stadium.
As Eastern Illinois’ football coach, Spoo has won 14 of 19 meetings with the Sycamores, including one that began a four-game job-saving win streak in 1994 and then one clinching an NCAA postseason playoff berth the next year.
But asked for one lasting memory of this series between nearby colleges that at least for next year is to be interrupted, Spoo brings up an unhappy one.
He remembers in 1990 quarterback Kip Hennelly as a highly regarded redshirt freshman leaving Eastern after a few preseason practices, apparently uncomfortable with competition from incoming freshman Jeff Thorne, who became a four-year starter.
Hennelly played that 1990 season at College of DuPage and then chose Indiana State in a recruiting rematch over Eastern.
Six games into his sophomore season, Hennelly, though not listed as the starter through the week, got his first Indiana State start against his former team. The Sycamores beat the Panthers 16-15.
“He was instrumental in that win for Indiana State,” Spoo said. “I remember that.”
Maybe the only thing that would top that nightmare on Spoo’s Indiana State memory list would be if his team would lose to the Sycamores in today’s game scheduled for an 11 a.m. Central time kickoff at Terre Haute.
Unlike those days in the 1980s of evenly matched Gateway Football Conference rivals, Eastern has won the past four meetings since a 33-30 overtime loss to Indiana State in the 2004 opener.
Now Indiana State has college football’s longest losing streak of 28 games since defeating Missouri State 28-22 on Oct. 21, 2006.
Things have gotten to the point that Indiana State has opted out of this series after today’s 83rd meeting so that it can replace Eastern either with a big-money making game or a win over a lower-division school, although playing Quincy in this year’s opener did not help as the NAIA team rallied from a 17-0 deficit for a 26-20 overtime win at Indiana State.
Before saying goodbye to the opponent from across the state border, Indiana State has another shot at Eastern.
The Sycamores could be trying that with Wyoming transfer Chris Stutsriem at quarterback or maybe they will pull another Kip Hennelly game-time surprise using redshirt freshman Travis Johnson, a former Marshall star and the son of Mattoon coach Troy Johnson.
Eastern has been noting Indiana State’s improvement in the second season under coach Trent Miles and backing up that coachspeak is the Sycamores’ respectable showing in last week’s 30-10 loss at FBS Louisville.
Miles returns compliments about the Panthers.
“They’re a good football team,” said the former Sycamore now coaching at his alma mater. “They have a great football program over there. They are physical and run hard on defense.”
That may be nice for Spoo to hear. But it probably doesn’t make him forget Kip Hennelly.
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
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