STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – It was the shot heard 'round the collegiate wrestling world.

Jevon Herman, ranked fifth in the nation at 177 pounds, had knocked off No. 1 Mitch Clark of Ohio State. Had handed the 1997 NCAA runner-up his first loss of the season after 31 victories. Had, in fact, pretty much had his way with the Buckeye senior.

But instead of punching his fist through the air triumphantly and proudly strutting off the mat after his 9-3 victory on Feb. 22, the Illinois senior reacted like it was another day at the office.

Just as Illini coach Mark Johnson hoped his veteran would.

"He didn't celebrate; he was matter of fact," Johnson said. "And that's very good because that was no Big Ten or NCAA tournament. It was a dual meet, and it stays in perspective."

Herman has every reason to keep things in perspective. For all the St. Charles native has achieved as an Illini – 102 career victories, 31 wins as a sophomore, three trips and counting to the NCAA Championships – he never has attained the goal he covets most: All-America status.

"I've had a great season so far, but it means nothing, really," said Herman, who is 22-4 and has yet to lose in 1998. "Nobody remembers anything until the end. So that's when I want to shine."

The end of a season – and of a career – is approaching rapidly for the fourth-winningest wrestler in UI history.

This weekend, Herman will compete for the last time in the Big Ten Championships. If the fifth-year senior can finish among the top seven in his weight class – he's seeded first – Herman will take a final shot at NCAA glory. It's a quest that has driven the fourth-year starter as never before since last March, when he was denied All-America honors for the third straight time.

"Last year was real disappointing because I knew what I was capable of," said Herman, now ranked third in his weight class. "I knew I was capable of being an All-American. It was painful, and it makes you want to win."

Herman seemingly had every reason to believe last March he would make the All-America breakthrough by placing in the top eight.

He was seeded seventh. His 27-7 record entering the NCAA Championships represented the highest winning percentage of his career. And he was coming off his best Big Ten Championships performance ever, a second-place finish to Clark.

"I was on track," Herman said.

He remained on track with a convincing 8-3 victory over Sanders Freed of Oregon State in the first round. Next up was Boston University's Grant Johnson, 1 of 4 177-pounders who had to survive a preliminary round to make it into the main draw. Herman was favored, but he did not win, Johnson rolling to a 10-4 victory en route to a surprising fifth-place finish.

When Herman also dropped his next match 8-6 in overtime, his season was done. And the former Class AA state champion was left to pick up the pieces.

"I sat there after the tournament and made some decisions," Herman said.

Among them was to remain at the UI during the summer for the first time since after his freshman season. Herman immersed himself in training, weightlifting and practice as never before. All with a single-minded purpose.

"This year, everything's directed at the NCAA tournament," said Eric Siebert, Herman's classmate and roommate. "He's really been pushing himself a lot harder in practice. He's watching more tapes. He's doing the little things that he maybe didn't do last year.

"And most importantly, I think mentally he knows what he has to do this year. Even though physically he might be only slightly better, mentally he's that much better than he was last year, and I think that's the difference."

Herman couldn't agree more.

"It's such a mental sport," he said. "There's so many head games that can affect your performance, and I think that happened a little bit last year.

"This year my mind-set's been real good. I've been confident. I just believe in myself."

It shows. Herman never has been more aggressive on the mat, never more willing to try to build on leads instead of playing it safe.

"I think the difference is I don't protect a win or protect a ranking," he said. "I'm going out there to wrestle and kick somebody's butt, really.

"It's like now, I don't take a shot (at a takedown) not to score. When I shoot, I'm going to score. It's just a mind-set: knowing what you do and having confidence with it.

"Do I do the same things? Pretty much. Just with a little different attitude, I think."

There may be no better example of Herman's attitude adjustment than his last meeting with Clark.

The two seniors have gone at it since their sophomore seasons and pretty much know the other's moves and techniques by heart. It was their fifth career meeting, Clark holding a 3-1 edge.

As usual, Clark laid back early, Herman leading 2-1 as the first period wound to a close. As the wrestlers went out of bounds with about 15 seconds left, Herman remembered some advice close friend Siebert had passed along before the match.

"I told him, 'You know you're going to get the first takedown just because he's kind of a slow starter,' " Siebert recalled. " 'Before you get your second one, you have to time it – at the end of first period, and that way you won't give him any chance to score on an escape."

Said Herman: "I looked at the clock and saw 15 seconds, and I said, 'Heck, I can score another takedown.' And sure enough."

Herman's quick strike made it 4-1 as the first period ended, and Clark never recovered. Keeping the pressure on, Herman outscored the Buckeye All-American 5-2 the rest of the way, never allowing Clark to do what he does best.

"I finished my moves real sound and didn't give him a chance to roll around with me and get into these crazy scrambles where he scores points," Herman said. "And that was the difference."

Being completely healthy has made a difference, too. When an early-season knee injury lingered into December, Herman lost his final two matches before the holiday break to fall to 6-3.

"He started off slow, hurt his knee early and really didn't perform very well," Johnson said.

But the time off cured what ailed Herman. Since returning to action after Christmas, Herman has won 16 of 17 matches. The lone setback was to Clark, 4-3 in the title match of the Midlands Classic in Evanston on Dec. 30.

Since then, Herman has won 12 in a row and will take the No. 1 seeding into this weekend's conference meet.

"He's doing a fabulous job, and we know he's that good," Johnson said. "This year, he's wrestled with a lot of confidence, and he knows there's nobody out there he can't beat."

Herman also knows his most important work still is ahead of him. And it won't be this weekend.

"If I'm the Big Ten champion, great," he said. "That's a personal goal of mine. But nothing matters until the end."

1998 Big Ten Wrestling Championships

When: Saturday and Sunday.

Where: Bryce Jordan Center, State College, Pa.

Defending team champion: Iowa.

Returning individual champions: 118 – David Morgan (Michigan State); 126 – Eric Jetton (Wisconsin); 134 – Mark Ironside (Iowa); 177 – Mitch Clark (Ohio State); 190 – Tim Hartung (Minnesota).

At stake: Top seven finishers in each weight class advance to NCAA Championships March 19-21 at Cleveland.

Illinois' 1997 finish: third.

Probable Illini lineup: 118 – Steve Doerrer (17-11); 126 – No. 2 seed Carl Perry (16-5); 134 – Tony Siebert (13-12); 142 – No. 5 seed Adam Tirapelle (19-4); 150 – No. 1 seed Eric Siebert (28-0); 158 – No. 6 seed Bill Zeman (22-8); 167 – Ben King (16-9); 177 – No. 1 seed Jevon Herman (22-4); 190 – No. 6 seed Pat Quirk (17-10); Hwt. – No. 3 seed Karl Roesler (23-5).

Illini outlook: If the regular season is any indication, Illinois is more in its element in tournaments than in dual meets. The 11th-ranked Illini were 4-3 in Big Ten duals, but they placed second in the 53-team Midlands Classic at Evanston and third out of 41 teams at the Las Vegas Invitational. Individuals can carry a team in a tournament, and the Illini have four wrestlers seeded third or higher. If they perform to expectations, Illinois' streak of top-four finishes in the nation's toughest conference should reach four years.

UI Coach Mark Johnson's comment: "We realistically can be in the top four, and that's a pretty safe goal. We're a young team, but we've got some outstanding individuals."