THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 1, 1995 TAG: 9501010206
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MEMPHIS, TENN. LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
The East Carolina Pirates came to the Liberty Bowl intent on making a statement about the quality of its football team.
Pirate fans had better hope nobody heard it.
A surprisingly inspired Illinois squad capitalized on five East Carolina turnovers and hammered the Pirates, 30-0, before 33,280 and a national TV audience Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
The Pirates (7-5) were playing in only the third bowl game in school history, and it showed. Despite the urgings of well over 12,000 ECU diehards, East Carolina turned in an absolute stinker, and a team that had lost its previous four games by a combined total of 30 points was shut out for the first time this season.
``I'm shocked,'' Pirates flanker Jason Nichols said. ``We were prepared, ready to play and everything. We wanted to prove a point. Then we come out here and basically beat ourselves.''
Illinois (7-5) didn't make it easy. Fighting Illini quarterback Johnny Johnson, who found himself embroiled in a quarterback controversy after a shaky outing in Illinois' season-ending loss to Wisconsin, had a big day, throwing for 250 yards and four touchdowns. He was named the game's most valuable player award.
Four receivers caught scoring passes, and Chris Richardson - a 6-4, 270-pound soccer-style kicker - added a 21-yard field goal for Illinois, which built a 24-0 lead by halftime.
Scoring against the Pirates' defense was hardly a shock. The surprise was that the East Carolina offense couldn't keep pace. The Pirates entered the game averaging 407 yards and about 30 points a game.
``No, I didn't expect to shut them out,'' said Illinois' Dana Howard, the Big Ten's all-time leading tackler and the 1994 Butkus award winner as the nation's top linebacker.
Pirates backers will no doubt assign much of the blame for the offense's failure to sophomore quarterback Marcus Crandell, who threw four interceptions and rarely resembled the player who finished eighth in the nation in total offense.
There was plenty of blame to go around, ECU linebacker Mark Libiano said. ``This was a total team loss. You can't put it all on one person. It's just very embarrassing.''
Despite the final score, the Pirates had several chances to make the game competitive. They drove into Illinois territory on four of six first-half possessions. But they squandered each opportunity, then were unable to play catchup against Illinois' tough defense, ranked ninth nationally.
The Fighting Illini, on the other hand, took advantage of everything. Their first score came after linebacker Simeon Rice stripped the ball from Pirates running back Jerris McPhail near midfield. Illinois cornerback Robert Crumpton recovered the ball, and the Fighting Illini cashed in the turnover 10 plays later when Johnson hit tight end Ken Dilger with a 17-yard touchdown pass.
The Pirates responded with a quality drive of their own, marching from their own 32 to the Illinois 31. When the drive stalled, ECU tried to pin the Fighting Illini deep in their own territory by having Chad Holcomb pooch punt out of field-goal formation. Holcomb did his job, but no one got downfield and his soft kick dribbled into the end zone for a touchback.
Two plays later, the Illinois struck with what East Carolina coach Steve Logan would later call the most damaging play of the game.
Illinois' Johnson, blessed with plenty of time to throw, found Jasper Strong slanting across the middle and hit him in stride for a 10-yard gain. Strong zoomed toward the right sideline and, thanks to crushing blocks by Dilger and receiver Jim Klein, streaked down the right sideline and into the end zone. The play totaled 73 yards, and was Illinois' longest scoring pass since 1985.
Undaunted, the Pirates moved from their own 20 to the Illinois 19, only to see Crumpton outduel Allen Williams on a fade pattern in the end zone and pick Crandell off.
Richardson's field goal moved the Illinois ahead, 17-0. Illinois closed out its first-half scoring binge with 2:41 remaining when Johnson hit Jason Dulick in the end zone with a five-yard scoring pass.
``It's really disappointing,'' Logan said. ``We brought a lot of people down here. I apologize to them for not being more competitive.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
East Carolina running back Junior Smith, right, shakes hands with
Illinois' Robert Holcombe.
by CNB