Forget 1970 or 1923. Let’s go way back to 1906.
That year, the world’s first feature film was released, the first radio broadcast was sent out and the Cubs put together the best regular season in baseball history (but still managed to lose the World Series, of course).
Also that year came the institution of the forward pass, a concept apparently lost on Illinois’s offense to no worry from coach Ron Zook.
Of course, it helps when your team runs for 519 yards.
“It’s about winning the game,” Zook said. “It’s not about who gets the credit.”
There was nothing fancy about Illinois’s offensive gameplan, aside from the poorly-executed trick pass from wide receiver Eddie McGee. Mikel Leshoure hit home run after home run like Babe Ruth, while the Northwestern defense ran at about the same speed as the Great Bambino.
“Pretty much everything we were calling, we executed and that’s why they were working,” Leshoure said.
The hype behind this game was certainly unlike anything I’d ever seen for an NU game during my time here in Evanston. ESPN gave it the full treatment with “College GameDay” coming to town, and the controversial rule change stole the college football spotlight all around the country. If you didn’t know Notre Dame played in Yankee Stadium on Saturday, you’re not the only one.
Too bad the Wildcats have a way of losing on the national stage when the other team isn’t named Iowa. See 2008 against Michigan State, the 2008 Alamo Bowl, the 2010 Outback Bowl, the collapse this year against Michigan State and the even bigger collapse at Penn State.
To say NU dropped the ball at its grand Wrigley appearance would be an understatement.
In retrospect, the dearth of production from the offense isn’t surprising. Even with the high they were riding on after their last-minute victory against Iowa, the Cats were missing more than 75 percent of their offensive production in Dan Persa. Evan Watkins, the new starter, had thrown all of seven passes at NU.
Nobody could have seen Leshoure’s epic performance coming, but the run defense continues to struggle against teams with multiple rushing threats. Penn State’s Evan Royster and Silas Redd burned the Cats for 265 yards on the ground and Purdue’s Rob Henry and company ran all over the field for 232 yards.
It wasn’t just Leshoure making it happen for the Illini. Backup Jason Ford ran for 86 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase kept the defense guessing with 97 yards on the ground.
The Cats have seen some big moments this season – for their opponents. Michigan State kept its then-perfect season alive by coming back from down 17-0, while Penn State got JoePa his 400th win by scoring 35 unanswered points in five straight possessions.
Assuming the Bowl Championship Series standings hold, NU will travel to Madison on Saturday as Wisconsin plays for a chance to travel to Pasadena for the first time since 2000.
Considering it’s at 2:30 p.m. and on ABC, I wouldn’t put my money on the Cats.
Sports editor Andrew Scoggin is a Medill senior. He can be reached at [email protected].
