After Oregon beat Illinois 34-31 Saturday night, Illini coach Lou Tepper was visibly angry with the officiating. One call in particular–on the mild-mannered Tepper, no less–was key to this game’s outcome.
With a little more than 7 minutes remaining and Illinois clinging to a 31-28 lead, the Illini stopped an Oregon drive. The Ducks punted, and return specialist Marquis Mosely called for a fair catch.
An Oregon defender, however, didn’t give Mosely the required buffer–and actually grabbed Mosely around the waist. Tepper stormed onto the field, and was called for a personal foul.
So Illinois got the ball at its own 15-yard line instead of the 30. Two plays later, Johnny Johnson was sacked and fumbled into his own end zone, where Oregon recovered the winning TD.
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“I just came out and said, `He hit him, he hit him,’ ” Tepper said. “There was a violation that I pointed out.”
The Illini were flagged 12 times for 106 yards, Oregon six times for 40 yards.
Running back woes: Illinois rushers Ty Douthard and Robert Holcombe suffered leg injuries against Oregon, and both sat out stretches of the game. Wilbert Smith, a 5-foot-8-inch freshman, filled in, gaining 13 yards on six carries.