Memory Lane: Dana Howard's guarantee

EACH WEEK, WE'LL TAKE A LOOK BACK AT A MEMORABLE MOMENT IN ILLINI HISTORY, THANKS TO THE WORDS OF LOREN TATE AND THE MEMORIES OF JIM TURPIN.

This week: A look back at Dana Howard's guarantee of victory against Ohio State in 1994

Oct. 8, 1994

Headline: Howard's forecast on target

COLUMBUS, Ohio - It's not bragging if you can back it up.

And that's what burly linebacker Dana Howard did Saturday. He drove Buckeyeland - fans, coaches, players - into a frenzy with widely publicized prediction of an Illinois victory, and then he joined quarterback Johnny Johnson and the inspired Illini in pulling it off.

The UI's all-time tackle leader turned the tide early with a TD-saving interception, blitzed his way to two critical second-half sacks and accumulated 14 tackles in a convincing 24-10 Illini win.

In Howard's four seasons on the field, the proud Buckeyes scored just four TDs against the Illinois defense.

If this ABC-televised game, with all the pregame hype attached to it, doesn't make Howard a finalist for the Butkus trophy, then the judges aren't paying attention. This was an extraordinary performance, totally debunking the idea that outspoken predictions are hurtful. If anything, Dana fired up his teammates by openly stating Illinois would win, and they said so.

Teammates liked it

Johnson, following his best-ever performance, went on record:

"When Dana says something like that, it's out job to back him up."

Said linebacker John Holecek:

"Dana might have regretted his comments because of the scolding he took, but he is a very confident person. He proved himself. We like these underdog situations on the road. We tend to bond together."

Said defensive end Simeon Rice:

"Personally, I liked what Dana said. He made us step up and play. We came in here expecting to win."

Said split end Jasper Strong:

"What Dana said meant a lot to us. He said what we all felt inside."

Howard still was trying to figure out why, if he's asked about a game, he shouldn't predict a victory if he feels that way.

"My teammates voted me captain, and I thought I should say what they wanted me to say. This is a team sport and this was a team effort," he went on. "We played bad last week (in a 22-16 loss to Purdue), not like the No. 1 defense. This win belongs to everybody, including the fat guys (fat guys? Oops, again, Dana!) up front who are really deserving."

Howard's interception was the first of three against QB Bob Hoying, one more than the Illini picked off in the first four games. A week earlier, pass defense had been the most glaring UI shortcoming.

Turnaround plays

Howard's pilferage was another in a series of huge turnaround plays that have marked this series since John Cooper became the OSU coach. Illinois was reeling, the Buckeyes rumbling into a second and 1 on the Illini 10 with the score 0-0.

"It was a slant (pass) to Joey Galloway and I got in the throwing lane," Howard said of the bullet pass that he snatched above his head.

"When I started to run, nobody was blocking for me, and I didn't want to get killed, so I pitched it to Antoine (Patton) and I tried to block for him."

Patton evaded Hoying on the left sideline and ran to the OSU 40. The suddenly inspired Illini marched from there, Ty Douthard ramming 6 yards for the opening score.

Coach Lou Tepper thought he saw some defensive slippage in the second quarter as OSU forged ahead 10-7, but two defensive plays turned the game back in Illinois' direction after half-time.

First, on the fourth play after the kickoff, Howard sacked Hoying for minus 9 at the OSU 26, and the Buckeye possession was wasted.

Later in the third quarter, with the score 10-10, OSU elected to go for it on fourth and 1 at the UI 34. That's when Ty Washington blitzed from his safety slot and ran directly into a flood of OSU jerseys sweeping right.

Washington's behind-the-line tackle of Eddie George put Illinois in position for its tiebreaking surge,the last 49 yards coming on a Johnson bomb to Jasper Strong, who sidestepped a bump-and-run defender to speed into the wide open spaces.

In the pressurized fourth quarter, OSU never advanced past Illinois' 45-yard line while Johnson kept completing third-down passes to salt away another prized triumph at OSU.

Any more predictions, Dana?

"Nope. I'll leave that to Sylvester Stallone's mother (a psychic)."

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