A CHANCE TO HAVE FUN
Lopsided victory spiced by trick play for 2-point conversion, onside kick
CHAMPAIGN — They played this one to the end, a 50-14 Illinois victory, because, as it turns out, those are the rules.
But it certainly was over by halftime, when the Illini (3-1) led Miami (Ohio) 36-0. It was a done deal even sooner than that, come to think of it.
Early in the second quarter, quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase found tight end Evan Wilson for a leaping touchdown grab that gave the Illini a 13-0 lead. That’s when coach Tim Beckman and his staff injected some extra fun into the game, as they’ve done often.
A two-point conversion pass from holder Tim Russell to tight end Jon Davis made it 15-0. Next came an onside kick that was successfully recovered by tight end Matt LaCosse.
“That’s what we do,” Beckman said of the unpredictability.
Four plays and 1:33 after the surprise move, the score was 22-0 and the RedHawks (0-4), owners of the worst offense in the FBS ranks, were in a bottomless hole.
Miami coach Don Treadwell spoke afterward of the Illini’s “great athletes across the board,” and that’s an easy thing to say after a 36-point loss. Not necessarily accurate, but easy.
Sure, the RedHawks were outmanned. More than that, they were outplanned by a Beckmanled coaching staff that continues to perform far above expectations.
“This has been unbelievable,” first-year offensive coordinator Bill Cubit said of his overall experience beginning with the Aug. 31 opener.
The oft-criticized Beckman doesn’t get enough credit for the hiring of Cubit, who in turn is getting perhaps too much credit for the team’s early-season success. Cubit has three DVDs’ worth of trick plays, according to Beckman, but he isn’t the only coach with an itch to switch from the conventional. Who stayed in Beckman’s ear to try an onside kick? Al Seamonson, who’s in charge of — go figure — the linebackers.
The coaches are feeling it at 3-1 — one more victory than the Illini had last season — and, of course, the players are too.
“We know we’re a good team,” said linebacker Mason Monheim. “We’re a damn good team.”
They looked every bit of it throughout an absurdly one-sided first half. Scheelhaase bounced back from a difficult outing against Washington with 256 yards and five touchdowns in the opening 30 minutes — and it would have been six TDs if Ryan Lankford hadn’t dropped one in the end zone, leading to a missed field goal.
Illinois’ 394 yards was its most in a first half in 30 years. The defense, not to be ignored, was pitching a shutout. Again: It was over.
It was time for Illini fans to let their minds drift to what’s yet to come.
The obvious question: Will this surprisingly good-looking team fall apart once Big Ten play begins next weekend at Nebraska?
The Illini have a 14-game Big Ten losing streak. They have still yet to climb a single step out of the league basement. You’re better off remaining skeptical.
But it isn’t naïve to wonder if the team in its second year under Beckman is capable of winning a few league games and even reaching a lower-tier bowl game. Naïve is thinking the Big Ten is too big, strong and bad to allow that to happen.
And foolish is denying what’s right under our noses: The Illini are much better than they were this time last year. Which means this season won’t be “over” any time soon.