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| SportsTuesday, September 11, 2007 12:37 AM CDT |
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Illini look to end dome drought this weekend at Syracuse
CHAMPAIGN — You’ll have to forgive the University of Illinois football team if it seems a little disoriented this week. For one thing, it’s heading into a dome, and Illinois hasn’t won a football game in a domed stadium since 1994. For another, despite going on the road to Syracuse, Illinois finds itself in the unfamiliar role of favorite. And not just the favorite. How about a 12½-point road favorite? That’s so unheard of, you have to wonder if it’s some kind of trap. Maybe it’s a good thing the four Illini players who addressed those subjects on Monday knew nothing of the dome drought, nor were they aware that Illinois was favored by nearly two touchdowns in the Carrier Dome. “I’m not too much aware of it,” freshman receiver Rejus Benn said when asked about Illinois’ 0-for-8 stretch in domes since 1994. “I’m pretty sure that was a long time ago, and this is now.” Or, as offensive tackle Xavier Fulton said, shrugging off the trend in domes as nothing he’s had much of a hand in, “I was in second grade at Go Lightly Elementary in 1994.” True. That was then. This is now. But Illinois has had some nightmarish experiences in domes, four of them while playing Minnesota at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, three of them against Missouri in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis and once against LSU in the Sugar Bowl played at the Super Dome in New Orleans. Even the last Illini dome victory was nearly a nightmare. It was a controversial touchdown by Illini running back Ty Douthard that had Illinois in front of Minnesota, 21-17, on Nov. 5, 1994. Athletic director Ron Guenther was pacing nervously in the press box because Illinois was trying to stay alive for an elusive bowl bid, and a loss on could have ruined Guenther’s grand plan. And with the seconds ticking down, Minnesota was on the march. A completed pass to the Illini 4-yard line brought the Gophers to the edge of taking the lead, but two of Illinois’ most storied linebackers raced to the rescue. Kevin Hardy drilled the receiver, knocking the ball free. And Dana Howard smothered the loose ball, ending Minnesota’s threat with 19 seconds to play. Even though Illinois finished the season with losses to Penn State and Wisconsin, the victory at Minnesota was enough to land the Illini in the Liberty Bowl, where they whacked East Carolina 30-0. That, as it turned out, was the high-water mark of the Lou Tepper coaching era. So now, the oddsmakers are telling us Illinois’ dome woes will end this week, and they’re basing this prediction primarily on Syracuse being outscored 72-12 in two season-opening losses. The thing is, however, that Syracuse has played a pretty tough schedule. The Orange lost at home to Washington, 42-12, in Week 1. That’s the same Washington team that knocked off nationally ranked Boise State last week. Then Syracuse went on the road and lost at Iowa, 35-0. So not even a return to the Carrier Dome is expected to lift Syracuse this week. And it doesn’t seem to matter that Syracuse came to Champaign last season and won, 31-21. It was good to hear the Illini players say they actually like playing in domes. “Playing football in your backyard or a big stadium or a dome, it’s the same thing,” linebacker J Leman said. “We’re not thinking about that. It’s probably going to be a loud environment, but that’s why we came to Illinois, to play in places like that.” Defensive lineman Chris Norwell said he’s looking forward to the dome. “This is only my third time playing in a dome, and it doesn’t bother me,” he said. “You get over playing inside in the first couple minutes of the game. We’re excited to be going up there. It’s a great environment, and we’ll be ready go to.” One player who already has played in the Carrier Dome is Benn, who attended a prep camp there. “I like domes,” Benn said. “The surface is fast there. I like that type of atmosphere, where no one expects us to win or do anything special.” Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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go.. wrote on Sep 11, 2007 3:09 PM:
Frank Johnson wrote on Sep 11, 2007 8:57 AM:
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