the daily illini: touchdown times
DESCRIPTION
Tuesday December 16, 2014TRANSCRIPT
TouchdownA publication of THE DAILY ILLINI
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
TimesIllinois bowling in Dallas
Turn to Page 4
Bowl game step in the right direction
for Beckman, Illini football program
Tuesday, December 16, 2014 THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM2
EYE ON THE ILLINI: WIDE RECEIVERS
With freshman Mike Dudek primed to break 1,000 receiving yards on the season and plenty of nice
weather in the forecast, look for Illinois to throw the ball all over the Cotton Bowl. Reilly O’Toole has established
himself as a running threat, and with Louisiana Tech playing the run, Dudek and Company should be able to get open against a Bulldogs defense that allowed
more than 300 yards through the air against Marshall in the Conference USA championship. If the Illinois have
success on offense, it is likely to be through the air.
ROSTERS
PASSINGReilly O’Toole
98-for-167, 1,049 yards, 9 TDs
Wes Lunt 149-for-233, 1,729 yards,
14 TDs
RUSHINGJosh Ferguson
139 carries, 685 yards, 8 TDs
Donovonn Young 88 carries, 361 yards,
5 TDsReilly O’Toole
77 carries, 261 yards, 1 TD
RECEIVINGMike Dudek
69 catches, 965 yards, 6 TDs
DEFENSEDE Houston Bates 94DT DeAngelo Brooks 90DT Vernon Butler 9 DE Vontarrius Dora 8 LB Mitch Villemez 32LB Nick Thomason 24LB C.J. Cleveland 29CB Le’Vander Liggins 13CB Adairius Barnes 21S Kentrell Brice 23S Xavier Woods 7P Logan McPherson 43
LA. TECH STARTERS
OFFENSEQB Reilly O’Toole 4RB Josh Ferguson 6RB Donovonn Young 5WR Geronimo Allison 8WR Mike Dudek 18TE Matt LaCosse 11TE Jon Davis 3LT Austin Schmidt 57LG Michael Heitz 74C Alex Hill 52RG Joe Spencer 71RT Christian DiLauro 67 K David Reisner 38
TH
E
DEFENSEDE Jihad Ward 17NT Austin Teitsma 44DT Rob Bain 96LEO DeJazz Woods 90 WLB Mason Monheim 43MLB T.J. Neal, Jr. 52STAR Earnest Thomas III 9CB V’Angelo Bentley 2CB Eaton Spence 27SS Zane Petty 21FS Taylor Barton 3P Justin DuVernois 18
OFFENSEQB Cody Sokol 19 RB Kenneth Dixon 28WR Paul Turner 3WR Hunter Lee 36WR Trent Taylor 5WR Sterling Griffi n 4WR Carlos Henderson 1LT Jens Danielsen 77LG David Mahaffey 55C Kirby Wixson 73RG Joseph Brunson 62RT Richard Greenwalt 57K Kyle Fischer 39
ILLINOIS LEADERS
The Bulldogs lost a 26-23 nail-biter to Marshall in the Conference USA championship on Dec. 6. Louisiana
Tech quarterback Cody Sokol threw a late interception that capped a scoreless fourth quarter for the Bulldogs,
who held a 23-16 lead going into the fourth quarter. Sokol completed just 7-of-20 passes, but running
back Kenneth Dixon racked up 156 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Bulldogs fi nished the
season at 8-5, while the Thundering Herd ended at 12-1. Louisiana Tech lacked impressive wins on its schedule. But three of the Bulldogs’ fi ve losses did
come against Oklahoma, Auburn and Marshall. At one point during conference plan, Louisiana Tech won fi ve
straight games.
HOW LOUSIANA TECH GOT HERE
PASSINGCody Sokol
246-for-420, 3,189 yards, 29 TDs
RUSHINGKenneth Dixon
240 carries, 1236 yards, 21 TDs
Jarred Craft78 carries, 278 yards, 3
TDs
RECEIVINGTrent Taylor
62 catches, 814 yards, 9 TDs
Paul Turner39 catches, 476 yards, 4
TDsSterling Griffi n
29 catches, 408 yards, 2 TDs
ILLINOIS LOUISIANA TECHOFFENSE
In the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas bowl, Illinois will face a quarterback that has Big Ten experience. Louisiana Tech is led by Cody Sokol, a redshirt senior transfer from Iowa. After transferring to Iowa from
junior college, the quarterback redshirted the 2012 season and saw action in only one game in 2013. With Louisiana Tech, Sokol enters the postseason 11th in the nation in passing touchdowns
(29) and 22nd in the nation in passing yards (3,189). He was named Conference USA’s Newcomer of the Year. He’s played in all
13 games going 246-for-420 passing with 13 interceptions.Of note: Sokol has led the Bulldogs to 40 or more points in six
games this season. Three games have seen more than 50 points.
BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI CARTER CARROLL THE TECH TALK
DEFENSEThe Illini defense will look to shut down a Louisiana Tech
offense that averages just over 400 yards per game. Led by junior linebacker Mason Monheim, who leads the team with 108 tackles and two interceptions, the Illini defense stepped up in the fi nal weeks of the season. Coming into the fi nal two weeks with the Big Ten’s worst defense, Illinois held Penn State to just 14 points and then forced fi ve turnovers against Northwestern.Of note: Illinois allowed opponents an average of 489.9 yards
per game coming into the fi nal two weeks of the season. But the Illini defense only allowed an average of 318.5 total yards in its
fi nal two games.
ILLINOIS STARTERS
LA. TECH LEADERS
EYE ON THE ENEMY: HOUSTON BATES
The former Illinois defensive end-linebacker hybrid is playing in his fourth and fi nal year of collegiate eligibility
and transferred to Louisiana Tech in the spring of this year. Bates was an All-Big Ten honorable mention last
season for the Illini and followed that with second-team All-Conference USA honors this season. He has started every game for the Bulldogs, who need to put pressure on Reilly O’Toole and force the Illinois’ quarterback to make quick decisions. Bates will be a big part of that
pressure, as he plays in his fi nal collegiate game against his former team.
AUG. 30 AT NO. 4 OKLAHOMA L: 48-16
SEPT. 6 AT LA. LAFAYETTE W: 48-20
SEPT. 11 AT NORTH TEXASW: 42-21
SEPT. 20 VS. NORTHWESTERN ST.L: 30-27
SEPT. 27 AT AUBURNL: 45-17
OCT. 4 VS. UTEPW: 55-3
OCT. 18 VS. UTSAW: 27-20
OCT. 25 AT SOUTHERN MISS W: 31-20
NOV. 1 VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY W: 59-10
NOV. 8 AT UABW: 40-24
NOV. 22 AT OLD DOMINIONL: 30-27 (OT)
NOV. 29 VS. RICE W: 76-31
DEC. 6 AT MARSHALL W: 26-23
DEC. 26 VS. ILLINOISNoon, ESPN
BULLDOGS SCHEDULE
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM Tuesday, December 16, 20143
BY CHARLOTTE CARROLLSTAFF WRITER
Reilly O’Toole sent a text when he found out the news.
Donovonn Young received a Snapchat, and Mason Monheim got a mix of both that he says basically the whole team seemed to receive.
The sender: former Illinois defensive lineman Houston Bates, who now plays for Louisiana Tech.
The reason: all found out they would be playing their former teammate and his new ones at Louisiana Tech (8-5, 7-1 Confer-ence USA) in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl on Dec. 26.
Those snaps and texts are just one of the many story lines taking hold as the Illini (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten) prepare to head to Dal-las for their first bowl game appearance since 2011.
The last time Illinois faced Louisiana Tech, it was Beckman’s first season with the Illini in 2012. The Illini lost 52-24. At the time, the Bulldogs were coached by Sonny Dykes. In the win, Louisiana Tech forced six turnovers and scored seven touchdowns. After injury forced former quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase to the sidelines, Reilly O’Toole went 19-for-25 passing with 120 yards with no touchdowns.
This year, the teams faced only one com-mon opponent: Western Kentucky. The Illi-ni defeated the Hilltoppers 42-34, where the
Bulldogs recorded a 59-10 victory.Louisiana Tech is led by Cody Sokol,
who transfered from Iowa over the off-season. The quarterback has played in all 13 games, completing passes at a 58.6 per-cent clip with 29 touchdowns and 13 inter-ceptions. He’s helped lead the Bulldogs to 3,284 passing yards, but the team also ran for 1,966 yards.
“They’re similar to our last game, North-western, as far as offense,” sophomore defensive end Taylor Barton said. “We play in the Big Ten, so we’re used to a lot of run-ning teams, and they’re a mixture of both. They’re pretty balanced, so it’s a little dif-ferent in that aspect, but it’s something we game plan for.”
Illinois is heading into the bowl game with pressure to finish the season well. The Illini finished the regular season averag-ing 117.1 rushing yards per game and 243.2 passing yards per game, switching mainly between quarterbacks Wes Lunt and Reil-ly O’Toole.
Lunt went 149-for-233 for 1,729 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and three intercep-tions in seven games. O’Toole finished the season throwing 98-for-167 for 1,049 pass-ing yards, nine touchdowns and seven inter-ceptions in 12 games.
With former teammates facing off, three Texas natives on the Illini roster, a former Big Ten quarterback guiding the Bulldogs and pressure to finish the season well, Illi-
nois has a lot going on. But Young summed it up rather simply.
“It’s a revenge game,” the Texas native said. “I get to play against my old team-mate. And I like playing teams from down south. It’s a little different taste of foot-
ball, and I’m excited to see what these guys have got.”
Charlotte can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @charlottecrrll.
Heart of Dallas Bowl a ‘revenge’ game
Fans vs. TravelThe trip to Dallas, by car, comprises of a drive
nearly 15 hours. That, plus the bowl being the day after Christmas, will likely discourage the Illini fan base from making the trip, especially students. With the creation of a “fan council” that looks to improve the gameday experience, this bowl could serve as the first case study on how to get legions of fans to road games at an affordable price.
MATCHUPSTH
E
BY ERIK PRADOSTAFF WRITER
Record-wise, this game looks to be in favor of the Louisiana Tech. The Bull-dogs, with their 8-5 record, will play a 6-6 Illinois team. However, the Illini are peaking at the right time, having won two of their last three games to reach the Zaxby’s Heart of Dal-las Bowl. While it may not be the most exciting bowl of the postseason, it’s still a bowl nonetheless.
RB Kenneth Dixon vs. Illini defenseAnother team, another top running back the
Illini have to contain. Dixon is 30th in the coun-try after notching 1,236 yards and 21 touchdowns in the regular season and is part of an offense that averages 37.5 points per game. The defense showed improvement down the stretch by not allowing as many big runs and will need to do that and force turnovers.
Donovonn Young and Josh Ferguson vs. Louisiana Tech defense
The Illini running game was virtually non-existent earlier in the season. That’s not the case, as Young and Ferguson managed to grind away and relieve pressure off Reilly O’Toole. They’ll need to continue to get decent yardage to bal-ance out the offense.
Erik can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @e_prada.
DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTOIllinois’ Houston Bates, 55, makes a call during the Homecoming game against Michigan State at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. on Oct. 27, 2013. The Illini lost, 42-3.
FOLAKE OSIBODU THE DAILY ILLINI BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI FOLAKE OSIBODU THE DAILY ILLINI
Tuesday, December 16, 2014 THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION4
Head coach Tim Beckman takes Illini football to 1st bowl game since 2011
FOLAKE OSIBODU THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois’ head coach Tim Beckman during the game against Northwestern at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. on Nov. 29. The Illini won 47-33.
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com Tuesday, December 16, 20145
Head coach Tim Beckman takes Illini football to 1st bowl game since 2011
Now, Beckman and his Illini football team have an opportunity at a bowl victory. Another opportunity to continue building the program — something Beckman has gradually done since his 2-10 debut season with Illinois.
“Six wins is what we had to achieve,” Beckman said. “That’s a start. And that’s probably a realistic start — a reality check for this program.”
Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas said there still needs to be work done to build the football program, despite giving Beckman a vote of confidence after the bowl-clinching win.
“I’d rather not be 4-6 and have to win the last two games,” Thomas said. “It’s better to be the one being chased than to be the chaser.”
Thomas said the goal for the program is to one day make it hard to get a ticket to a home game week-in and week-out.
“You have to win and you have to win consistently,” Thomas said. “If you build that kind of foundation and that kind of tradition, I don’t think we’ll be sitting here talking about the attendance and the lack of people showing up for University of Illinois football games.”
Illinois had the second-worst attendance average in the Big Ten, with a reported 43,757 fans per game. If you counted the actual fans at Memorial Stadium each Saturday, that number would likely be lower.
But with the team’s turnaround performance resulting in a trip to the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl against Louisiana Tech, a new confidence
BY SEAN NEUMANN STAFF WRITER
I llinois head football coach Tim Beckman watched as quarterback Reilly O’Toole took the snap and kneeled on the ground
at Northwestern’s Ryan Field.It was the moment he finally knew
Illinois had won its sixth game. The moment he knew the Illini reached their preseason goal of achieving a six-win season — a goal seemingly unreachable with a 4-6 record and just two games left.
When O’Toole’s knee touched the ground, Beckman finally knew Illinois was going to a bowl game.
Before the team left Champaign to play Northwestern, the third-year Illini head coach told his team the one thing he wanted to see was the “victory formation” to run out the clock.
To Beckman, seeing that formation meant the Illini had reached a bowl game for the first time in his tenure, despite the odds stacked against them: an injured starting quarterback, an inconsistent defense, the lack of fan support and the looming questions surrounding the program — When will things change?
“There were tears,” Beckman said, remembering the final snap. “They’ve been through a lot — probably more than a lot of football teams have been through. I was very proud.”
Chants of “Beck-man! Beck-man!” rose from the Illini fans who gathered around the barrier to get as close as they could to the team’s celebration on the field. Two weeks prior, the fans and the media were calling for his job.
surrounds the team.“This could really start something
and get something rolling for this team and for this program,” defensive back Earnest Thomas said. “It’s going to be very important that (returning players) keep on trying to elevate their game and elevate the culture around this program.”
Beckman said he believes the seniors have elevated that culture and laid the necessary groundwork for Illinois to continue improving in the win column and reintroduce itself to relevancy in the Big Ten.
A month ago, Beckman was all but laughed out of a press conference when he estimated his then 4-6 Illini could win eight games next season. A month later, Beckman’s prophecy has become believable.
There’s no question in the coach’s mind that playing in a bowl game already puts momentum into his upcoming fourth season in Champaign.
“I said to this football team: ‘Let’s make this a habit,’” Beckman said. “‘Let’s make sure that the seniors that are leaving us have realized that they’ve built something.’”
But what’s being built at Illinois is not yet finished — as Thomas stressed again and again, not by any means. And what’s under construction may not be a Tim Beckman empire but a sustainable program, which he’s proved has the ability to make gradual — yet undeniable — improvements.
Sean can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @Neumannthehuman.
FOLAKE OSIBODU THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois’ head coach Tim Beckman during the game against Northwestern at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. on Nov. 29. The Illini won 47-33.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014 THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM6
December 20R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWLNEVADA VS. LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE, 11 a.m.
GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWLUTAH STATE VS. UTEP, 2:20 p.m.
ROYAL PURPLE LAS VEGAS BOWLNo. 22 UTAH vs. COLORADO STATE, 3:30 p.m.
FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWLWESTERN MICHIGAN VS. AIR FORCE, 5:45 p.m.
RAYCOM MEDIA CAMELLIA BOWLSOUTH ALABAMA VS. BOWLING GREEN, 9:15 p.m.December 22
MIAMI BEACH BOWLBYU VS. MEMPHIS, 2 p.m.
December 23
BOCA RATON BOWLMARSHALL VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS, 6 p.m.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWLNAVY VS. SAN DIEGO STATE 9:30, p.m.
December 24POPEYES BAHAMAS BOWL CENTRAL MICHIGAN VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY, NOON
HAWAI’I BOWLFRESNO STATE VS. RICE, 8 p.m.
December 26ZAXBY’S HEART OF DALLAS BOWLILLINOIS VS. LOUISIANA TECH, 1 p.m.
QUICK LANE BOWLRUTGERS VS. NORTH CAROLINA, 4:30 p.m.
BITCOIN ST. PETERSBURG BOWLNORTH CAROLINA STATE VS. UCF, 8 p.m.
December 27MILITARY BOWL PRESENTED BY NORTHROP GRUMMANCINCINNATI VS. VIRGINIA TECH, 1 p.m.
HYUNDAI SUN BOWLNo. 15 ARIZONA STATE VS. DUKE, 2 p.m.
DUCK COMMANDER INDEPENDENCE BOWLMIAMI (FL) VS. SOUTH CAROLINA, 3:30 p.m.
NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWLBOSTON COLLEGE VS. PENN STATE, 4:30 p.m.
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY BOWLNEBRASKA VS. No. 24 USC, 8 p.m.
December 29
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWLTEXAS A&M VS. WEST VIRGINIA, 2 p.m.
RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWLOKLAHOMA VS. No. 17 CLEMSON, 5:30 p.m.
ADVOCARE V100 TEXAS BOWLARKANSAS VS. TEXAS, 9 p.m.
December 30
FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY BOWLNOTRE DAME VS. No. 23 LSU, 3 p.m.
BELK BOWL No. 13 GEORGIA VS. No. 21 LOUISVILLE, 6:30 p.m.
FOSTER FARMS BOWLMARYLAND VS. STANFORD, 10 p.m.
December 31
CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWLNo. 9 OLE MISS VS. No. 6 TCU, 12:30 p.m.
VIZIO FIESTA BOWLNo. 20 BOISE STATE VS. No. 10 ARIZONA, 4 p.m.
CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWLNo. 7 MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. No. 12 GEORGIA TECH, 8 p.m.
January 1OUTBACK BOWLNo. 19 AUBURN VS. No. 18 WISCONSIN, NOON
GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL CLASSICNo. 8 MICHIGAN STATE VS. No. 5 BAYLOR 12:30, p.m.
BUFFALO WILD WINGS CITRUS BOWLNo. 16 MISSOURI VS. No. 25 MINNESOTA, 1 p.m.
ROSE BOWL GAME - SEMIFINALNo. 2 OREGON VS. No. 3 FLORIDA STATE, 5 p.m.
ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL - SEMIFINALNo. 1 ALABAMA VS. No. 4 OHIO STATE 8:30, p.m.
January 2
LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWLHOUSTON VS. PITTSBURGH, NOON
TAXSLAYER BOWLIOWA VS. TENNESSEE 3:20, p.m.
VALERO ALAMO BOWLNo. 11 KANSAS STATE VS. No. 14 UCLA, 6:45 p.m.
TICKETCITY CACTUS BOWLWASHINGTON VS. OKLAHOMA STATE, 10:15 p.m.
January 3
BIRMINGHAM BOWLEAST CAROLINA VS. FLORIDA, 1 p.m.
January 4
GODADDY BOWLTOLEDO VS. ARKANSAS STATE, 9 p.m.
January 12
CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PRES. BY AT&TTBD vs. TBD* 8:30 p.m.
College football bowl schedule for 2014-15 seasonAfter coming empty in two impressive seasons as the
head coach at Ohio State, Urban Meyer finally captured the Big Ten championship in his third year. The Buckeyes routed Wisconsin in the championship game and earned themselves a shot at the national championship. Ohio State had been ineligible for the conference title in 2012 and lost the 2013 championship game to Michigan State.
What’s even more impressive, Ohio State succeeded most of the year with its backup quarterback J.T. Barrett after
Braxton Miller went down with a season-ending injury in the summer. The Buckeyes then lost Barrett and won the Big Ten title game with third-string playcaller Cardale Jones.
This season saw three household names rule the Big Ten in Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Minnesota was a surprise contender and finished a game short of reaching the conference championship game.
Ten Big Ten teams were selected for bowl games this year. Illinois and Penn State scraped by at 6-6. Rutgers surprised
many, winning seven games overall and finishing with three Big Ten wins. Ten teams matches the most the Big Ten has ever had reach bowl games. It helped that the conference expanded from 12 to 14 teams with the addition of Rutgers and Maryland.
Last season, the Big Ten finished 2-5 in seven bowl games. The Big Ten has not had a winning record in its bowl
games as a conference since the 2009-10 bowl season, when the conference won four of seven bowls it appeared in.
CONF OVERALLOHIO STATE 8-0 12-1MICHIGAN STATE 7-1 10-2MARYLAND 4-4 7-5RUTGERS 3-5 7-5MICHIGAN 3-5 5-7PENN STATE 2-6 6-6INDIANA 1-7 4-8
CONF OVERALLWISCONSIN 7-1 10-3MINNESOTA 5-3 8-4NEBRASKA 5-3 9-3IOWA 4-4 7-5ILLINOIS 3-5 6-6NORTHWESTERN 3-5 5-7PURDUE 1-7 3-9
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAMEDEC. 6: OHIO STATE 59, WISCONSIN 0
STANDINGS
EAST DIVISION WEST DIVISION
The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com Tuesday, December 16, 20147
OURPICKS
SEAN NEUMANN
SEANHAMMOND
ALEXORTIZ
CHARLOTTE CARROLL
TORRENCESORRELL
ERIKPRADO
Sports editorStaff writer On-air sports editor Assistant sports editor On-air reporter
28-14
17-14
35-24
42-28
27-17
28-24
35-31
35-32
24-14
24-21
28-21
38-14
24-14
21-14
38-28
35-24
17-14
28-25
42-21
21-17
17-14
27-14
31-24
35-17
31-19 34-16 30-20 36-14 35-15 29-21
31-20 34-21 31-17 38-21 42-32 17-14
28-14
35-24
38-30
28-14
38-31
35-17
21-17
21-14
24-21
28-27
24-21
28-24
34-28
42-38
48-24
35-17
24-21
31-24
28-24
24-17
38-30 28-27
ILLINOIS VS.
LOUISANA TECH
OHIO STATE VS.
ALABAMANATIONAL
CHAMPION?
MICHIGAN STATE VS.
BAYLOR
WISCONSN VS.
AUBURN
MISSOURI VS.
MINNESOTA
NEBRASKA VS. USC
IOWA VS.
TENNESSEE
PENN STATE VS.
BOSTON COLLEGE
MARYLANDVS.
STANFORD
RUTGERSVS.
NORTH CAROLINA
35-21
35-21 24-2134-28 34-28 27-2128-21
27-24 42-35 42-24 38-34 17-14FLORIDA STATE OREGON OREGON ALABAMA ALABAMA OREGON
Staff writer
Tuesday, December 16, 2014 THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM8
Here we are. It’s finals week, the end of the semester, and somehow Illinois football is still playing.
No, in the grand scheme of things, the out-come of the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl against Louisiana Tech means nothing. Pre-New Years bowl games have always been meaningless, and they are even more so now that the college playoff has expanded to four teams.
But don’t tell the players that this game doesn’t matter. You would care about this game, too, if you had poured hours upon hours in the weight room and on the foot-ball field. Plus, 7-6 sounds better than 6-7, doesn’t it?
You can bet the Illini players are going to lay it all on the line, especially the seniors.
After four years, this will be the last time we will see Reilly O’Toole as an Illini quar-terback. Through all the adversity, the turn-overs and the poor play of his sophomore and junior seasons, it was O’Toole who led the Illini to a bowl appearance. O’Toole will play his heart out, as will running back and close friend Donovonn Young.
Other seniors playing in their last game include punter Justin DuVernois, offensive linemen Michael Heitz, Alex Hill and Simon Cvijanovic, tight ends Matt LaCosse and Jon Davis, and defensive lineman Austin Teits-ma. There are, of course, more.
And they all deserve your applause for turning this season around. Things looked dire when the Illini sat at 4-6 with two games remaining.
If you are a senior at this University, this is your last game, too. Sure, the outcome of this bowl game is irrelevant, but watch the game anyway. Seniors will never have another chance to watch your team play as a student.
Here’s the best advice for enjoying the Heart of Dallas Bowl to the maximum effect: Don’t sleep in too late, or you might miss the noon kickoff. Grab yourself a big plate of left over Christmas dinner and as many Illini friends as you can find. Then sit down and enjoy the fact that the Illini are playing in December.
I don’t know if the Illini will beat the Bull-dogs. The last time Illinois played Louisiana Tech (in 2012), I picked the Bulldogs because they were the better team. This time, I’ll pick the Illini because they have the hot hand.
Yes, the Bulldogs nearly topped 12-1 Mar-shall in the Conference USA championship game, and, yes, their 8-5 record sparkles more than Illinois’ 6-6. But O’Toole started all three of the Illini’s Big Ten wins.
Louisiana Tech quarterback Cody Sokol — an Iowa transfer — can sling it. He has 29 touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions and has thrown for more than 3,000 yards. Former Illini lineman Houston Bates will be out to get his former teammates on the defensive end.
One could probably argue that the Bull-dogs are better than every team Illinois beat this season except for maybe Minnesota. But bowl games aren’t about who has had a
better year. They’re about who has a better game on a given day.
Louisiana Tech is the favorite, but it’s probably a toss-up. If the Illini can slow the Louisiana Tech attack, they’ll stand a chance.
Either way, enjoy Illini football in Decem-ber; it doesn’t happen often.
Sean is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @sean_hammond.
BY SEAN HAMMONDSPORTS EDITOR
Like many football players across Amer-ica playing in bowl games this winter, Skip Holtz is just happy his dad will be on hand to watch.
It will be a rare opportunity when Holtz, the Louisiana Tech head coach, will guide the Bulldogs in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dal-las Bowl on Dec. 26 against Illinois with his dad Lou watching.
Lou Holtz, the ESPN commentator, will announce the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl for ESPN on Dec. 24 and fly to Dallas for the Louisiana Tech vs. Illinois game before heading back to the Bristol, Connecticut, studio on Dec. 28.
“It will be a special treat for me because I think he has had the opportunity to go to only about two games in the last 10 years because of ESPN,” Skip said at the Heart of Dallas Bowl press conference last week. “Obviously, Saturday is his busy day.”
Lou has been working for ESPN since
2005 after retiring from a coaching career of more than 40 years. He is well known for leading Notre Dame to the 1988 national championship.
When Skip was born in 1964, Lou was an assistant at Connecticut — where Skip would eventually become head coach 30 years later. The two coached together in the early 1990s at Notre Dame — Lou as the head coach, Skip as the wide receivers coach and eventually the offensive coordi-nator. The two would also coach together in the early 2000s when Lou took the head job at South Carolina.
But Skip has made a career of his own out of coaching. The Notre Dame alumnus had head coaching jobs at Connecticut, East Carolina and South Florida before taking the Louisiana Tech job in 2013.
Though his dad might be a more famil-iar face, Skip won’t be the only coach in Dallas on Dec. 26 who is following in his dad’s footsteps. Illini coach Tim Beckman comes from a similarly football-focused
background — though on a lesser stage.Beckman’s father, David, was an assis-
tant coach under Bob Commings at Iowa in the late 1970s and spent six years in the Cleveland Browns front office, followed by two years with the San Diego Chargers front office.
“What a unique thing this is,” Beckman said. “I do not know that there are really two coaches’ sons battling each other in a bowl game, which is kind of neat.”
Beckman, who has been a coach since 1988, likes to joke that he really has 49 years of football experience, thanks to his dad.
“We are creatures of the people we have been around,” Beckman said. “I cannot be blessed more to have a father that took this game and coached this game for the stu-dent-athletes. It was kind of a no-brainer. I knew what I wanted to be.”
“It’s in your blood,” added Holtz. “You do it because you love it. You do not do it for any other reason. You do it because you love
it and (because of) the relationships you are able to build with the student-athletes.”
Holtz remembered a time when his dad was a coach for the Jets, and he was the ball boy as a seventh grader. The Jets leg-endary quarterback Joe Namath took him to lunch one day.
“He took me to a Jack in the Box,” Holtz said. “No offense to Zaxby’s.”
It’s those types of opportunities that hav-ing a coach for a dad affords a young foot-ball player. For Beckman and Holtz, com-ing from a family of football lovers wasn’t a choice. But they both realize where it has gotten them.
“I am just very blessed to have had these opportunities,” Holtz said. “I know my son — who is on the football team at Texas right now — if you ask him today, he will tell you he is getting into the family business.”
Sean can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @sean_hammond.
‘Enjoy Illini football in December; it doesn’t happen often’
Holtz, Beckman: Fathers made football a family business
SEAN HAMMOD
Sports columnist
FOLAKE OSIBODU THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois’ Matt LaCosse celebrates after scoring the only touchdown during the game against Penn State at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 22. The Illini won 16-14.