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Tuesday, Sept. 3

Illini disappoint in a big way

Missouri hands Illinois a 33-20 whopping

By Jeff Mayfield

[SEPT. 3, 2002]  Seldom does a holiday weekend start off with a big disappointment, but that was certainly the case at the Edward Jones dome in St. Louis on Saturday. It figured to be a going-through-the-motions easy victory for Illinois over a Missouri program that has struggled and floundered over the last couple of decades. And what seemed like a great idea for the last couple of months — spending a little time with family and friends in the gateway city — turned into a nightmare of epic proportions.

Click here for more photos

This is exactly why this former athletic director would have never scheduled this game. We didn’t like anything about it. We don’t like football indoors; what’s next — basketball outdoors? We don’t like playing Mizzou — too many recruiting tricks and obstacles to overcome. We don’t like giving their fans an edge, and their fans were certainly an edge, especially at critical times during the game.

What would we do? We’d put together a pre-Big Ten schedule like Virginia Tech did a year ago. They didn’t play anyone who was in the top 100 before their schedule turned serious. That makes you 4-0 before conference play, and then all you have to do is win two or three more games. Now Illinois really has to buckle down. They play what many people believe is a better Southern Mississippi team next week in Hattiesburg, wherever in the heck that is! Then a better-than-you-think San Jose State team after that. This season is already turning into more of an adventure than I wanted!

The Missouri game started off in trouble from the start. The Tigers marched right down the field on their first possession, and the vaunted Illini defense made Missouri freshman quarterback Brad Smith look like a stinkin’ Heisman trophy candidate. That’s probably a little harsh, as the youngster acquitted himself quite well on this day and might have made any defense look bad, but it just goes to show how deep the disappointment runs when you bleed orange and blue.

Zach Abron capped an eight-play, 77-yard drive by busting right up the middle for a six-yard TD amble to open up the scoring, and our greatest fears were already beginning to be realized.

[Photos by Tom Seggelke]

Illinois came right back six minutes later, going 65 yards in only six plays as Antoineo Harris took it the final two yards to knot the score at 7-7.

Mizzou’s T.J. Leon scored next, scampering six yards to pay dirt and putting the Tigers up 14-7 at halftime. And it could have been a lot worse for Illini fans.

Brandon Lloyd broke loose on a 29-yard pitch and catch from an inconsistent Dustin Ward, and the Illini once again tied the contest, at 14-14. One had the feeling that if the Illini could score next, they might be able to begin to pull away.

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That next score never developed. In fact, the worst possible thing is what developed next. The ball was popped out of Ward’s throwing hand, and the Tigers thought, like we did, that the play would be ruled an incomplete pass. As the whistle never did blow, Missouri’s James Kinney rumbled and stumbled 46 yards on what was ruled a fumble.

Do other college teams have as much bad luck as the Illini do? Just wondering. The reality: Sometimes you’ve got to make your own luck. (See Michigan’s game with Washington, for example. In that game their receiver drops a fourth-down pass, which means the Huskies will win, but the play is ruled a fumble, and a Michigan guy falls on it for a first down. Michigan kicks the field goal and wins at the buzzer. It has to be a coincidence?!)

The Illini still had time to make something happen. Enter Jon Buetjer. He did hit Lloyd for an 18-yard TD, but the comeback was never really realized. Abron and Smith added TDs of their own to finish the dotting of the Illini’s I’s at 33-20!

The brightest spot of the day for the Illini was the punting of Matt Minnes. When your punter is the star of the game, you know it was probably a long day.

Over-evaluation and analysis will leave you in the same state; we were beaten in every phase of the game. If only the Illini could have played as well as the LDN staff ate this past weekend. I would put our staff up against almost anyone in this phase of the game. And I would have to say that we played/ate nearly flawlessly — if only that could have been transferred to the play of the Illini.

Perhaps we left our game in Rantoul. Maybe all the attention the Bears are getting messed up our focus. It could even be that we took the Tigers far too lightly. Whatever the reason(s), it was too much disappointment for us. We vote to cancel this series immediately and pay the fine!

But there’s no time to cry over spilt peanut butter. We’ve got to somehow find a way to get a win in Southern Miss next weekend. Good luck, fellas, as you strive to right the ship!

[Jeff Mayfield]

Illinois-Mizzou notes

By Greg Taylor

[SEPT. 3, 2002]  Five questions for Illini football to answer before Saturday:

Click here for photos of the game

1.  Why was there so little emotion in St. Louis? It was obvious from the flip of the coin that this border war meant much more to Missouri than to Illinois. Panning the Illinois sidelines, very little encouragement or excitement could be seen — much less the display on the field in front of 61,000 fans.

2.  Will Illinois revert to their year 2000 defensive standards, when they were the second-worst-run defense team in the entire country? Missouri ran at will on Illinois, and defensive coordinator Mike Cassity did not appear to have any concept of what to do to stop the very average Tigers. I shudder to think what Michigan or Ohio State could have done to Illinois on Saturday.

3.  Does Illinois outthink themselves at times on offense? In their first series, Illinois runs plays out of three and four wide receiver sets and fails to get a first down, going three and out. This is after Missouri has scored a touchdown on their first possession. Illinois proceeds to run out of a traditional pro set on their second series and literally runs the ball down Missouri’s throat. But do they stick with this? Not at all — back to the "Gary Crowton" sets.

4.  Can Dustin Ward really get the job done for Illinois? Give coach Turner this much: He is really a loyal coach — rewarding Ward for three years in the program. And after the game, Turner insisted the starting QB will be Ward, even though Beutjer appeared much stronger in the fourth quarter.

5.  Was 2001 a one-year flash in the pan for Illinois football? This writer says no, but Illinois did not make me look very good on Saturday. Turner said it best in the post-game press conference: "Many of our players forgot you have to come out and play hard. Missouri did just that, and they deserved to win."

Five positives seen in Saint Louie this weekend:

1.  Brandon Lloyd — He was still the best player on the field — for either team. I would pay big bucks to watch him play (but I’m sure glad I don’t have to).

2.  Illinois fans — Great turnout in Missouri-land!

3.  Matt Minnes — Illinois’ new punter. The Urbana native almost died two years ago while on vacation in New England, yet he has rebounded to become the starting punter and kicked the ball great on Saturday.

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4.  Mount Zion’s Winston Taylor — an all-conference first-teamer at Eastern Illinois. Taylor (no relation) gave up his scholarship to transfer to Illinois and had to sit out last season. Saturday he almost blocked a punt early and made several nice stops on defense. Turner has rewarded Taylor with a scholarship.

5.  Ron Turner — Jeff Mayfield and I expected to hear nothing but excuses after the game. Give Turner this much — he laid it on the line with his team and was very straightforward with the press. Then, as we were leaving the press conference, we witnessed Turner with his wife and two sons — and he looked like he couldn’t care less about football at that point. He embraced his wife and went out of his way to get updates from both of his boys about Friday night football games. I was really disappointed with Illinois’ effort Saturday, but Turner taught me a lesson about priorities.

Other news and notes

•  Illinois’ record in domes the last 10 years fell to a terrible 1-7, with the lone victory coming in 1994 (21-17 victory over Minnesota at the Metrodome). The Illini will play at least one more game in a domed stadium this season, at Minnesota on Oct. 5.

•  Missouri missed several opportunities in the first three quarters to extend their lead, including two missed field goals, a failed attempt at converting a fourth-down run and two fumbles while driving the ball in Illinois territory.

•  Illinois’ Christian Morton (a St. Louis native) blocked a 26-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter.

•  Champaign native Dustin Ward really struggled the first three quarters of the game, going just 9-21 with one touchdown and one interception. Ward also fumbled twice, one of which was returned for touchdown by Missouri and broke a 14-14 third-quarter tie. Ward was replaced by Iowa transfer Jon Beutjer early in the fourth quarter.

•  Beutjer led Illinois to a nice comeback attempt (once Illinois trailed 33-14), hitting Brandon Lloyd for an 18-yard touchdown pass and leading the Illini on a nice drive in the final five minutes before Illinois turned the ball over on downs.

•  Illinois’ next game is Saturday on the road at Southern Mississippi. Game time is 11 a.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

[Greg Taylor]

Lincoln College men’s soccer vs. Yavapai

[SEPT. 3, 2002]  Nationally ranked Yavapai defeated Lincoln College 2-0 in men’s soccer in the championship game of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay tournament Sunday night.  

Coach Mark Howard stated: "We played very poorly in the first half and were still only down 1-0. We played much better in the second half but were unable to dent the net. In the first half we had very few possessions; however, in the second half we competed a lot better.

"We were playing one of the best teams in the nation and they had a lot of speed. We played with a great deal of heart and effort in the second half, and it was a good experience for our kids. We challenged them in the second half, and I was pleased with our effort. It was encouraging to stay within two goals of one of the top teams in the nation."

"Our goalkeeper, Fernando Delgado, played a careless first half. I would say it was average to poor. However, in the second half he was sensational. He showed what effort and work can do, with his second half performance," said Howard.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Lincoln College men’s soccer vs. Iowa Central

[SEPT. 3, 2002]  The Lincoln College men’s soccer team posted a 3-2 victory over Iowa Central in the opening round of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay tourney Saturday night, before playing nationally ranked Yavapai for the championship at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

John Lusicic was a standout for the Lynx, scoring two goals and assisting on the third.   Lusicic scored a goal in the first half on an assist by Ryan Stack, and the two teams were deadlocked at 1-1 at halftime.

Lusicic assisted on a goal by Rene Aguilar early in the second half to put Lincoln on top, and then Lusicic scored with an assist from Maceo Guy to give the Lynx a 3-1 lead.  Iowa Central scored a goal in the final five minutes to cut the lead to 3-2; however, the Lynx held on for the win.

Coach Mark Howard stated, "We didn’t play real well in the first half but we survived.   We cleared a couple of balls in the first half that could have been goals and put us down 3-1; but, we were able to keep them out of goal, and that was really the difference in the game."

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Lincoln College women win soccer opener

[SEPT. 3, 2002]  Lincoln College won its opening women’s soccer game against Florissant Valley, 2-1, at Freesmeier Field in Lincoln Saturday afternoon.   

Lincoln College defeated the St. Louis area team for the first time in history, home or away. First year coach Rick Carpenter said, "We played well. We still have a ways to go, but the girls played well." Assistant coach Todd Spellman commented, "Our girls played with a lot of guts and got a result worthy of their effort."

After the two teams battled through the first half, scoreless, Lincoln College got on the board with an unassisted goal from Krystal Williams. Florissant Valley tied the score on a penalty kick, and Lincoln then got the winning goal on another unassisted goal, this one by Ayana Evans.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Lincoln College plays in volleyball tourney in Mattoon

[SEPT. 3, 2002]  MATTOON — Lincoln College won one of three volleyball matches here Saturday, defeating Black Hawk East and losing to Kaskaskia and Lake Land. Lake Land won all three of its matches to win the tourney.

Lincoln defeated Black Hawk East by scores of 30-21 and 30-18. The Lady Lynx then lost a close match to Kaskaskia, 31-29, 29-31, 15-5. Lake Land defeated Lincoln in the final match, 30-10 and 30-14.

Amy Guy had an outstanding day for the Lynx with 47 set assists, seven kills and 22 service points. Janine Buettner had 14 kills, five digs and 15 service points, while Amy Cox contributed six kills, five blocks and 12 points. "Angela Maestas had nine digs and played very well from the newly created libero position," said coach Mark Tippett.

"Overall, I was pleased with our effort," he continued. "We still have a few kinks to work out, but we really played well against some very good competition. It was a good team effort, and our second match, against Kaskaskia, went back and forth and could have gone either way."

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Sport schedules

High school football

Central State 8 (including LCHS)

College football

ISU

U of I

College women's volleyball

LCC

ISU

U of I

UIS

College men's soccer

LCC

UIS

College women's soccer

LCC

ISU

U of I

Articles from the past week

[SEPT. 3, 2002]  Do not count me among the scoffing fans of the Lincoln Railer football squad. I thought they made positive strides on Friday night. And yes, I was disappointed that they didn’t win, but not any more disappointed than those young men and their coaching staff were when they came off the field. It takes time to build a program and this group is improving.

You wonder, what kind of a difference might Derek Schrader have made in that game?

If I was to be critical (and as a former coach, I never cared much for second-guessing), I wondered if Lincoln would go conservative or aggressive in a tight ballgame. Many people will criticize either choice. I’m too much of a gambler when it comes to playing sports, so I usually go aggressive. However, the Railers looked (although we could be more than wrong, as that has happened to us once before) like they took a more conservative route. Sometimes you can shorten the game with that approach and then hope for something good to happen. With a tough schedule in the weeks ahead that may be a good approach.

I’m sorry for our guys this past week; I believe they deserved a better fate!

•  •  •

The Rail was all Patricia Meunier-Lebouc this past weekend. She was on fire from wire to wire. When you open with a 64 and finish to win with a 67, you are playing a game in which I am not familiar! Meunier-Lebouc, who has won several times on the European tour, carded her first-ever LPGA tour victory on Sunday. And she did so by being as cool as the other side of the pillow!

The LDN followed Jennifer Rosales, who fired a closing 65; Candie Kung, who was playing great for a while; and Amy Fruwirth, who was really giving us a lot of insights. As she struggled with her swing, she approached us after a wayward driver tee shot. I asked her if she could feel the problems somewhere in her swing or if the outcome was just something that happened. She said, "No, that’s just my swing." She has a very good demeanor for this sport.

The LPGAers may well be the most accessible athletes of any sport.

Is there anyone more colorful than Michelle McGann?

•  •  •

Thank you, Texas Rangers, for your holiday treat.

•  •  •

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The Cardinals picked up Jamey Wright, who’s already posted a Redbird victory, from the Milwaukee Brewers. I didn’t know they had arms to spare???

The Cardinals also acquired Jeff Fassero from Chicago. Thank you, Cubbies.

•  •  •

LCC looked rather impressive in their opening-night win over Hannibal-LaGrange in straight sets before a large, raucous crowd!

•  •  •

I didn’t get to see it, but I heard LCHS soccer teams looked quite impressive in their most recent wins as well.

•  •  •

How ’bout those Oakland A’s? BTW, they are a team that I followed as a kid. If you ever dig into our archives, look what the LDN said about Art Howe early in the season even when he was under fire… And you don’t even pay a subscription for our inside scoops!

•  •  •

Thank you to the many of you who have made gracious comments to Greg and me following our first episode of "Fandamonium!" We really want to cover the things that you want covered and the stuff that you want to talk about. We’ve got great sponsors and great giveaways, so give us a call with your questions or comments. The holiday scrapped this week’s show, but we’ll return next Monday night, following the opening of the NFL season and leading you into the first evening of "Monday Night Football."

•  •  •

There’s lots of other stuff happening in sports, but it’s late and I’m tired… Have a super week, everybody!

[Jeff Mayfield]

[Aug. 30 column: "Bonus mutterings...
live from the Rail Classic"]

[Aug. 26 column: "‘Fandamonium’ opening tonight -- Lincoln/Logan County Chamber, team of the week"]

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