Illini tricked, rarely treated against Michigan

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CHAMPAIGN – The losses have come in all shapes and sizes.

Some close (eight decided by a touchdown or less). Some blowouts (margins of 57, 32, 28 and 24 twice). Some controversial (Bill LeMonnier and crew's blown fumble calls in 2000).

From 1959 to today, Illinois is 1-21-1 at home against Michigan. Only Vanderbilt against Alabama (1-22-1) has a worse home stretch in the country among BCS schools.

Think it's the coaching? Well, 10 coaches have taken their Memorial Stadium shots at the Wolverines. Here are their records since 1959:

Ray Eliot: 0-1.

Pete Elliott: 0-3.

Jim Valek: 0-2.

Bob Blackman: 0-3.

Gary Moeller: 0-2.

John Mackovic: 0-2.

Lou Tepper: 0-2.

Ron Turner: 0-3.

Ron Zook: 0-1.

Note the coach who isn't on the list, Mike White. He's the one who can talk about beating Michigan at Memorial Stadium. And tying the Wolverines, too.

In four home games against the Wolverines, White went 1-2-1. The combined score of the four games was 43-42, Illinois. The two Illini losses were 16-10 in 1982 and 17-14 in 1987, White's final home game.

From the moment he arrived on the Illinois campus before the 1980 season, White made beating Michigan and Ohio State his top priorities. The one year he got them both, 1983, the Illini went 9-0 to win the Big Ten.

"When we came into the league, we set the bar at both Ohio State and Michigan," White said. "For whatever reason, we had some early success against Ohio State. We sort of got over that myth. I think it's been carried on since. Illinois has had several wins against Ohio State. The kids had a lot of confidence against the Buckeyes.

"For some reason, the Michigan one we never quite got over the hump."

Especially on the road. Though Illinois played good games against Michigan at Memorial Stadium during White's era, the team got outscored 210-66 in the Big House. One year, the Illini led 21-7 at Michigan and got beat 70-21.

"We dropped a pass that would have made it 28-7," White said. "Then, all hell broke loose. From then on, psychologically, they sort of had our number."

The relationship between the programs wasn't good. White and the late Bo Schembechler weren't buddies. Schembechler reportedly wasn't happy that Illinois fired close friend Moeller after three seasons.

"They took the liberty of putting us down in the newspapers," White said.

When he had a chance to pound the Illini, Schembechler didn't miss the opportunity.

"They became our target game," White said. "The one at home was all we could muster up in all those years."

White could have just as easily been 4-0 at home against the Wolverines. In 1982, the teams were tied 10-10 at halftime in a 16-10 Michigan win. In 1985, Illinois was tied 3-3 late in the game against fourth-ranked Michigan. Chris White, Mike White's son, had a chance to win the game with a 37-yard field goal. But the ball got tipped by Michigan's Dieter Heren and hit the crossbar.

In 1987, Illinois led 14-7 going into the fourth quarter against the Wolverines. Michigan got a field goal by Mike Gillette midway through the final quarter and scored the winning touchdown with 43 seconds left.

Looking back more than two decades later, White thinks Michigan was able to control the style of games between the teams. Instead of the wide-open games he had against Ohio State, they were defense-dominated.

"They forced you to play their type of game," White said. "It's something that's always bothered me."

In the 1982 game at Illinois, White had the Illini try a run on a critical late drive where he would normally have passed. The play didn't work.

"I take that responsibility," White said. "The way you had to beat Michigan, they weren't going to give you the game. They stayed with 'Big Ten football.'

"We got a little bit out of our profile and a little bit out of what made us successful."

White wasn't shy about pointing to the Wolverines. The week of the game, he would hang a stinky Michigan helmet in the Illinois locker room.

"That helmet is so distinctive," White said. "It became a tradition."

It must have worked for the Illini in 1983, who won 16-6 to end a 16-game losing streak against Michigan. The Wolverines took an early 3-0 lead, but Illinois went ahead for good on Jack Trudeau's 9-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Rooks in the second quarter. The Illini sealed the win on Trudeau's 46-yard touchdown pass to David Williams.

As the clock wound down, Illinois fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts.

"Michigan evolved as almost a bad-blood game," White said.

The current nine-game home losing streak for the Illini against Michigan hasn't helped the feelings. There are unfriendly T-shirts and chants during the games.

But the Michigan team that visits Memorial Stadium is different than those from the past. First, the coach, Rich Rodriguez, came to the school without ties to Michigan or Schembechler. That's a change for a team that replaced Schembechler with Moeller, who was replaced by longtime Michigan assistant Lloyd Carr.

The current Michigan staff has no memory of past success at Memorial Stadium. Few of the Wolverines coaches have even been in the place.

The only Illinois memory for the current Michigan coaches is last year's 45-20 home loss.

"They're struggling a little bit themselves now," White said of the Wolverines.

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