Corner turned?
CB Hawthorne's chase and tackle changes game, gives boost to Illini
ILLINOIS 38, MICHIGAN 13
CHAMPAIGN -- Who knew?
(AP)
Looking for a spark, Ron Zook has been juggling quarterbacks and cornerbacks, offensive linemen and kickers, safeties and tailbacks.
Who knew that one tackle by one true freshman who went to his first training camp a wide receiver and came out as a cornerback would do the trick?
With Michigan seemingly headed for a 20-7 lead, Terry Hawthorne, in his first college start, chased down Roy Roundtree at the 1-yard line. That inspired the defense to stuff the Wolverines on four straight runs. And inspired Juice Williams and the offense to score three consecutive touchdowns.
Turning second-quarter boos to cheers, Illinois went on to defeat Michigan 38-13 Saturday and end its nine-game losing streak against major-college opponents since it beat Iowa on Nov. 1, 2008
''Terry Hawthorne. Holy smokes,'' a relieved coach Ron Zook after Hawthorne's gazelle work had limited Roundtree to a harmless 76-yard catch instead of a crushing 77-yard touchdown. ''He made the play of the game, maybe the play of the year.''
The win gave Illinois (2-6, 1-5 Big Ten) its first home win over Michigan (5-4, 1-4) since 1983. It also gave Zook a cool drink of water in what has been a Sahara of a season.
''It means a lot. Coach Zook has been through a lot,'' Williams said. ''I can only imagine what he goes through, waking up every day and wondering what people have to say. He has to take all the blame for everything that goes on. This win will give him some sigh of relief.''
Illinois, which won in Ann Arbor 45-20 last year, now owns its first back-to-back wins over the Wolverines since 1957-58.
''That's pretty sweet,'' said Williams, who also had a big burden lifted off of his shoulders.
The plan was for the struggling senior to share the quarterback job with redshirt freshman Jacob Charest, but Zook stuck with Williams because he was having his way with the Wolverines' defense for the second straight year. The numbers weren't as large as the 431 yards of total offense (310 passing, 121 rushing) in the Big House a year ago. This time, he threw for 123 yards and one TD and ran for 97 yards and another TD.
But they were good enough for a victory that put the charismatic smile back on the face of a young man who's known as the face of Illinois football.
''It feels good,'' Williams said, crediting Hawthorne's heroics. ''That play by Terry really gave us the boost we needed. I told the offens, 'We have to pay Terry back.' Terry did a fabulous job of running that guy down and the defense stood tall for us at the 1-yard line. That gave us the edge to do what we did.''
Scoring touchdowns on four straight possessions -- three touchdowns and a field goal --Illinois left Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez delivering from Zook's recent postgame remarks.
''We've got to look at everything we're doing and try to fix it before next weekend,'' he said.
The low-keyed Hawthorne surprised everybody but himself, saying he kept going because Zook and his staff have coached him to do so.
''No sir. I knew I could get him,'' said the Parade All-American from East St. Louis. ''I made up a lot of ground, but I was taught to never give up. I just go until the end of the play. I almost got the Purdue running back last week, but it was a little shorter field.''
Hawthorne said he had been thinking in terms of an interception for a touchdown, but he'll settle for this game-turning tackle.
''Before the game, I told myself I wanted a pick six,'' said the headliner of Zook's 2009 recruiting class. ''A pick six would have felt better. But this was a good thing, too.''
Highlighted by 70-yard TD, Mikel Leshoure ran for 150 yards, his second consecutive 100-yard game, and Jason Ford, thanks to a late 79-yard romp, added 128 yards as Illinois had two 100-yard rushers for the first time since Williams and Rashard Mendenhall did it against Northwestern in 2007.
Like the rest of the Illini, Leshoure also pointed toward Hawthorne.
''Terry Hawthorne is the MVP of the game,'' Leshoure said. ''That stop turned around the game for us.''
And gave Illinois something to enjoy. Maybe even something to build on.