1989 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
American college football season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1989 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second year under head coach John Mackovic, the Fighting Illini compiled a 10–2 record (7–1 in conference games), finished in second place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 301 to 161. Illinois concluded its season in the 1990 Florida Citrus Bowl, defeating Virginia by a 31–21 score. They were ranked No. 10 in the final AP and UPI polls.[1]
| 1989 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
|---|---|
Florida Citrus Bowl champion | |
Florida Citrus Bowl, W 31–21 vs. Virginia | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 10 |
| AP | No. 10 |
| Record | 10–2 (7–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Gene Dahlquist (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Lou Tepper (2nd season) |
| MVPs | |
| Captains |
|
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Michigan $ | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Illinois | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Michigan State | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 24 Ohio State | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Quarterback Jeff George led the Big Ten with 216 completions, 348 pass attempts, 2,417 passing yards, and 19 passing touchdowns. George won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the best quarterback in college football. The team's other statistical leaders included fullback Howard Griffith (654 rushing yards, 66 points scored) and wide receiver Mike Bellamy (51 receptions for 761 yards).[2]
Nine Illinois players received first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP) or United Press International (UPI) on the 1989 All-Big Ten Conference football team: George at quarterback (AP-1, UPI-1); Bellamy at wide receiver (AP-2, UPI-1); center Curt Lovelace (AP-1); defensive linemen Mel Agee (AP-1, UPI-1) and Moe Gardner (AP-1, UPI-1); linebacker Darrick Brownlow (AP-1, UPI-1): and defensive backs Henry Jones (AP-1, UPI-1) and Marlon Primous (AP-2, UPI-1).[3][4]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 4 | 7:00 pm | at No. 5 USC* | No. 22 | ABC | W 14–13 | 54,622 | [5] | |
| September 16 | 2:30 pm | at No. 8 Colorado* | No. 10 | CBS | L 7–38 | 46,747 | [6] | |
| September 23 | 1:00 pm | Utah State* | No. 20 | W 41–2 | 61,553 | [7] | ||
| October 7 | 2:30 pm | Ohio State | No. 18 |
| ABC | W 34–14 | 69,088 | [8] |
| October 14 | 1:00 pm | at Purdue | No. 16 | W 14–2 | 41,101 | [9] | ||
| October 21 | 11:30 am | at Michigan State | No. 13 | ESPN | W 14–10 | 76,216 | [10] | |
| October 28 | 1:00 pm | Wisconsin | No. 8 |
| W 32–9 | 64,856 | [11] | |
| November 4 | 2:30 pm | at Iowa | No. 8 | ABC | W 31–7 | 67,700 | [12] | |
| November 11 | 2:30 pm | No. 3 Michigan | No. 8 |
| ABC | L 10–24 | 73,069 | [13] |
| November 18 | 2:30 pm | Indiana | No. 12 |
| ABC | W 41–28 | 53,368 | [14] |
| November 25 | 2:00 pm | at Northwestern | No. 11 | W 63–14 | 31,017 | [15] | ||
| January 1 | 12:30 pm | vs. No. 16 Virginia* | No. 11 | ABC | W 31–21 | 60,016 | [16] | |
| ||||||||
Rankings
Game summaries
Ohio State
at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
- Date: October 7
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Sunny, 54 °F (12 °C)
- Game attendance: 69,088
- Referee: Gil Marchman
- TV: ABC
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
At Purdue
at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana
- Date: October 14, 1989
- Game attendance: 41,101
Jeff George made his first appearance at Purdue since transferring following the 1986 season[17][18][19]
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Passing | Jeff George | 24/42, 254 Yds, TD |
| Rushing | Howard Griffith | 24 Rush, 94 Yds, TD | |
| Receiving | |||
| Purdue | Passing | Jeff Lesniewicz | 9/22, 82 Yds |
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida Citrus Bowl (vs. Virginia)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • No. 11 Fighting Illini | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| No. 16 Cavaliers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
- Date: January 1
- Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
- Game attendance: 60,016
- Television network: ABC
Roster
| 1989 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
|
Defense
|
Special teams
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards and honors
1990 NFL draft
| Player | Round | Pick | Position | Club |
| Jeff George | 1 | 1 | Quarterback | Indianapolis Colts |
| Mike Bellamy | 2 | 50 | Wide receiver | Philadelphia Eagles |