Illini still need more depth

PASADENA, Calif. -- Illinois' 32-point loss in the 94th Rose Bowl could be viewed as the difference between the "haves" and the "not-have-enoughs."

"Obviously, when they beat you 49-17," said Illini offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, "we've still got a pretty big gap to fill in terms of being able to handle playing on this level at this type of stage.

"Talent-wise, for us the big key is to go out and recruit the depth. I think our top 22 guys can play anywhere in the country. Maybe the top 33.

"But we need to go out and have a pretty good recruiting class here which will give us the depth that we need to compete at this level."

Illinois' players didn't sense as much of a difference between themselves and the Trojans, who played in a BCS bowl for a record sixth consecutive year.

"Athlete for athlete, they couldn't just run us over or anything like that," said junior linebacker Brit Miller.

"We could play with those guys," said freshman receiver Arrelious Benn. "We just kept making careless mistakes."

Bounces for USC: The Trojans caught several breaks early, and Illinois senior safety Justin Harrison always seemed to be on the losing end of them.

"I went out and I played with all my heart," Harrison said. "Left it all out on the field. The things that I feel like I made my name for, I feel like I did today.

"I went out and had some big hits. I made the plays I needed to make, but I felt like I could have made more."

On the Trojans' opening drive, Harrison thought he had a 57-yard fumble return for a score. But officials ruled correctly that receiver Stanley Havili's knee hit the ground milliseconds before the ball came loose and USC retained possession.

Two plays later, Harrison crushed receiver Vidal Hazelton so hard over the middle that the ball flew 8 yards back and to the left.

However, it flew right into tailback Joe McKnight's hands for a 14-yard gain that set up the first of USC's 7 touchdowns.

Two possessions later, Harrison intercepted a John David Booty pass and seemed headed for a 65-yard touchdown return.

But freshman defensive end Jerry Brown couldn't get out of Harrison's way and he was tackled at USC's 20. That big break ended with Illinois still down 14-0 as Jason Reda missed a 29-yard field goal.

Prodigal return: Three hours before kickoff, it was easy to pick Curtis Clarke out of the thousands of fans outside the Rose Bowl.

He was the only one who wore his 1984 Rose Bowl jersey (No. 92) to the game.

"I couldn't find my Rose Bowl ring, so I wore my jersey instead," Clarke said.

Clarke, a South Pasadena native who was part of the 22-Californian contingent on that team, posted 11 tackles as a backup defensive lineman in 1983.

Illinois' return to the Rose Bowl served as a perfect reunion opportunity for the 1983 Big Ten champs.

"I was just out by Coach (Mike) White's tailgate," Clarke said. "He's got a bunch of people over there. I miss all my friends -- Scott Kehoe, David Aina, Don Thorp -- so this was great."

Ticket fiasco: Apparently Illinois gets the blame for a flat ticket market outside the Rose Bowl.

Brokers offered less than 50 cents on the dollar for $135 tickets and didn't even bother trying to resell anything except the best seats at list price.

"It's Illinois," said one ticket entrepreneur. "If you had Michigan or Ohio State here -- definitely Ohio -- it'd be a lot better out here."

The record book: With his 28-yard field goal at the 0:38 mark of the second quarter, senior kicker Jason Reda became Illinois' all-time leading scorer.

Reda finished his career with 113 extra points and 51 field goals for 266 points. To commemorate the occasion, Reda ended his self-described "odd" media boycott.

"It's a nice way to end my career, especially with some of the names that are up there," Reda said. "Being part of that group is a great achievement. I feel like I'm honored to be up with those people. I feel good about it."

Chris White, the son of former Illini coach Mike White and the kicker for the 1984 Rose Bowl team, dropped to second place with 262 points.

Reda also would have claimed Illinois' single-season field-goal accuracy record, but he hooked a 29-yarder in the first quarter. He finished 16 of 18 for the year.

Sack time: When Hinsdale's Doug Pilcher dropped John David Booty for a 10-yard loss in the second quarter, Illinois had its 40th sack of the year.

That tied the school record set by the 2001 Big Ten champions who went to the Sugar Bowl.