Remembering Illinois Football's Last Bowl Win: Beating Back the Bruins

Thirteen years ago, the Illini defeated UCLA in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl to salvage a lost season

Nov 16, 2013; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase (2) during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-Imagn Images / Bradley Leeb-Imagn Images

It has been 13 years since Illinois football has won a bowl game.

For some, it feels even longer.

Back on Dec. 31, 2011, Illinois took on UCLA in San Francisco in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. These were different times – or so fans of today's 6-3 Illini squad surely hope.

After starting the season 6-0 and climbing as high as No. 16 in the AP Poll, Illinois wound up flipping its record in the second half and dropping six straight to finish the regular season 6-6.

In seemingly a season to forget in Champaign, coach Ron Zook was fired before the Illini limped into a bowl game with interim head coach Vic Koenning calling the shots. Matched up with a UCLA squad that had made it to the Pac-12 Championship, Illinois had one opportunity to end the season on a positive note.

After two slow-moving quarters, the Illini found themselves trailing 7-3 coming out of the half. Yet another dull third quarter left the score unchanged, until Illinois defensive back Terry Hawthorne delivered a miraculous play.

With 43 seconds left in the third quarter, Hawthorne picked off UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince and scampered 39 yards into the end zone to give Illinois its first lead of the game at 10-7.

The Illini never looked back.

Dual-threat quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who finished with 125 yards on the ground and 139 through the air, found A.J. Jenkins for a 60-yard score in the fourth quarter that extended the lead to 20-7 with less than six minutes to play.

Throwback to the 2011 @FosterFarmsBowl (aka Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl). #lllini 20, UCLA 14 🏆 pic.twitter.com/2VG9OVSTGf

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) December 27, 2015

Behind Scheelhaase’s offensive performance and an Illini defense that bottled up the Bruins' rushing attack (only 18 yards allowed), Illinois left San Francisco and ended 2011 on a high – and with a 20-14 New Year’s Eve victory over UCLA.

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