ILLINI BASK IN THE STUN
Lunt’s TD pass to Allison with 10 seconds left, Zalewski’s PAT give Cubit a huge victory
CHAMPAIGN — Bill Cubit strode the field parallel to the sideline, shaking his head up and down, right fist in the air.
The Illinois interim coach greeted players, one by one, as they ran off the field after the touchdown that might have saved the team’s season and — well, who knows? — given Cubit a real shot to become the permanent successor to the disgraced Tim Beckman. This was pretty hard to believe. Illinois beat Nebraska 14-13 Saturday to move to 4-1 overall and— can you believe it?— 1-0 in Big Ten play. Not since before Beckman arrived in Champaign before the 2012 season have the Illini had a winning record in conference play.
On a rare great day for Illinois’ defense, Cubit’s offense took possession on its 28-yard line with under a minute to play and drove the field for the winning score — Lunt finding Geronimo Allison in the front right corner of the end zone with 10 seconds left on the clock. An extra point by ever-shaky Taylor Zalewski, who’d already missed two field goals, put the Illini over the top.
“Probably one of the coolest experiences of my life,” said Lunt, who threw for 251 yards and two scores.
Lunt hung in there better over three-plus brutal hours than his Huskers counterpart, Tommy Armstrong Jr., did. Armstrong entered the game as the league’s passing leader, but he was stifled by an Illinois defense that just kept coming. A year ago on its home field, Nebraska had 11 first downs in the first quarter of a blowout victory. This time, the Huskers didn’t move the chains for the first time until the second quarter.
“The defense was outstanding,” Cubit said. “Unbelievable.”
Defense was a seldom-whis- pered rumor during Beckman’s time as coach, but now it appears to be the strength of the team under Cubit, the program’s former offensive coordinator. Defensive coordinators Tim Banks and Mike Phair have worked well together to pull the Illini from the depths of the conference — really, from routine embarrassment — on that side of the ball.
But Cubit is part of the turnaround, too. Full of hugs, quick to tears and always giving off positive vibes, Cubit said perhaps it was the best victory of his long coaching life.
“I’m not stunned because of the type of kids we’ve got,” he said. “But, boy, I’m happy to [have won].”
Before the game, he urged his players to let their imaginations run a bit wild.
“I want you to imagine walking off that field,” he told them, “with zeros on the clock and the band playing.”
He wanted them to believe they would win. It looked unlikely after the Illini had owned the first half — more yards, far more time of possession, leading in the turnover battle — yet trailed 10-0 anyway. It seemed beyond a long shot as the Huskers faced a third down at the Illinois 27-yard line with about a minute to go, their lead at 13-7.
The Huskers (2-3, 0-1) imploded from there, mismanaging the clock offensively and committing multiple pass-interference penalties after the Illini took over the ball on downs.
Cubit, 61, might benefit most. Needless to say, he wants to kick off that “interim” albatross and stay awhile.
“There’s sure talk about it [among players],” Lunt said. “Obviously, we love coach Cubit.”
With zeros on the clock, the band playing joyfully and Illini players falling all over one another, what wasn’t there to love?
Follow me on Twitter @SLGreenberg.