Louisville, Illinois Meet After One-week Layoff
September 18, 2001 | Football
Sept. 18, 2001
From the Associated Press
One week after the teams were supposed to meet, Louisville and Illinois finally get back to playing football.
This game was originally set for last Saturday, but the entire Division I schedule was postponed because of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Instead, the No. 25 Cardinals (3-0) will travel to Memorial Stadium to take on the Illini on Saturday. Illinois (2-0) was previously scheduled to play at Michigan this week, but that game was moved back to Sept. 29.
Illinois coach Ron Turner gave his team last weekend off after the game was postponed, and encouraged his players - most of whom are from Illinois - to spend the time with loved ones.
"A lot of them did go home, and a lot of them took teammates who maybe didn't have a place to go with them," Turner said.
Defensive end Derrick Strong said he spent much of the weekend finding other activities for his family, including a group outing for dinner at a downtown restaurant. His father is a Chicago firefighter who was moved by the rescue efforts in New York.
"It was very difficult for me but I had to try to get his mind off it," Strong said. "Even though, in my heart, I couldn't think about anything else."
Illinois is trying to open the season 3-0 for the third consecutive year. A win Saturday would give the Illini victories in 10 straight non-conference games.
An Illinois offense that sparkled in its opener struggled in a 17-12 win over Northern Illinois on Sept. 8. The Illini began the season with a 44-17 win over California the previous week.
Louisville is off to its best start since 1993, when it finished 9-3 and won the Liberty Bowl. Cardinals coach John Smith hasn't been impressed, however.
"I don't think we're very good," Smith said last week. "We haven't proven we're a Top 25 team. We haven't been consistent for an entire game."
The coach's latest criticism came after a 31-7 win over Western Carolina on Sept. 8, when the Cardinals were beaten by 12 minutes in time of possession and 19-18 in first downs. Smith doesn't believe Louisville will get away with making the same mistakes Saturday.
"This is real competition for us," Smith said. "It's time to step up and find out if we're worth a darn."
Louisville's Dave Ragone, the 2000 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, is averaging 320 passing yards a game, with six touchdowns and just one interception.
The Cardinals, second in the nation last season with 38 takeaways, have forced eight turnovers already this season.
Louisville and Illinois have split their previous four meetings.
