| |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Ticker) -- Kurt Kittner passed for 244 yards and four touchdowns and Steve Havard rushed for 124 yards and a score as Illinois outlasted pass-happy Louisville, 41-36, for its first 3-0 start since 1982. Kittner, who finished 17-of-24, threw three TD passes in the second half, including a 12-yard toss to tight end Mike Craciunoiu that gave Illinois the lead for good at 31-27 with 3:01 left in the third quarter. Chris Redman was spectacular in defeat, competing 39-of-60 for 450 yards and three touchdowns, leaving him just 64 yards shy of the 10,000-yard mark for his career. He needs 2,064 yards to join Brigham Young's Ty Detmer as the only Division 1-A quarterbacks to throw for more than 12,000 yards. The loss snapped a six-game regular-season winning streak for Louisville (2-1), which took its last lead at 27-24 on Redman's 68-yard TD pass to Arnold Jackson with 6:05 to play in the third. Jackson had 11 receptions for 194 yards. Louisville closed to 31-30 on Jon Hilbert's 23-yard field goal 47 seconds into the final period, but Neil Rackers answered with a 41-yard boot for Illinois just under six minutes later. The Illini put the game away with a six-play, 65-yard drive late in the period, taking a 41-30 lead on Kittner's 49-yard TD toss to Brandon Lloyd with 2:13 to play. Louisville completed the scoring on Redman's 49-yard TD strike to Frank Moreau with 41 seconds remaining. Illinois recovered an onside kick of the ensuing kickoff and ran out the clock. The shootout featured more than 1,000 yards of total offense, with Louisville gaining 578 yards. Moreau rushed for 139 yards on 25 carries for the Cardinals. Illinois evened the all-time series at two wins apiece.
|
