1999 Micronpc.com Bowl
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Virginia Bowl Games
Micronpc.com Bowl
December 30, 1999–Miami/
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Illinois 63, Virginia 21
Sparked by the versatile play of quarterback Kurt Kittner, Illinois handed Virginia its worst postseason loss in school history, defeating the Cavaliers 63-21 in the Micronpc.com Bowl at Pro Player Stadium.
Virginia finished the 1999 season with a 7-5 overall record.
Kittner, who completed 14 of 24 passes for 254 yards and one interception, was named the bowl’s Most Valuable Player. He scored the game’s first touchdown on a one-yard run with 9:42 remaining in the first quarter. Later, in the second quarter, he caught a 30-yard scoring pass from wide receiver Brandon Lloyd and threw for touchdowns of 61 yards and one yard to halfback Jameel Cook.
Illinois scored 28 unanswered points in the second quarter, capitalizing on two blocked punts, to build a commanding 42-7 halftime lead. Adding to Virginia’s woes, starting offensive linemen Noel LaMontagne and Josh Lawson were both injured in the first half and did not return to action.
Overall, the Fighting Illini scored touchdowns on nine of their 14 possessions and amassed 611 yards in total offense, compared to 380 by the Cavaliers.
Virginia tailback Thomas Jones rushed 23 times for 110 yards and scored on a seven-yard run to tie the game at seven with 7:24 left in the first quarter. Jones also led UVa with five receptions for 31 yards.
Quarterback Dan Ellis completed 15 of 32 passes for 146 yards and one interception to lead the Virginia passing attack. He threw a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kevin Coffey in the third quarter. Ellis was replaced late in the fourth quarter by David Rivers, who completed two of three passes for 62 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown strike to backup quarterback/wide receiver Will Thompson with 1:43 left to play.
Linebacker Shannon Taylor led UVa with eight tackles. Linebacker Byron Thweatt recovered a fumble and defensive back Dwayne Stukes intercepted a pass. Donnie Scott averaged 45 yards on four punts, including a long of 53 yards.
SCORING SUMMARY___________________________________Illinois 14 28 7 14--63Virginia 7 0 7 7--21___________________________________First QuarterILL-- Kurt Kittner 1 run (Neil Rackers kick), 9:42UVa-- Thomas Jones 7 run (Todd Braverman kick), 7:24ILL-- Rocky Harvey 47 run (Rackers kick), 4:04Second QuarterILL-- Kittner 30 pass from Brandon Lloyd (Rackers kick), 10:36ILL-- Jameel Cook 61 pass from Kittner (Rackers kick), 7:20ILL-- Steve Havard 5 run (Rackers kick), 3:22ILL-- Cook 1 pass from Kittner (Rackers kick), 1:32Third QuarterUVa-- Kevin Coffey 5 pass from Dan Ellis (Braverman kick), 10:51ILL-- Havard 2 run (Rackers kick), 3:51Fourth QuarterILL-- Harvey 9 run (Rackers kick), 13:02ILL-- Kirk Johnson 1 run (Rackers kick), 3:51UVa-- Will Thompson 55 pass from David Rivers (Braverman kick), 1:43Attendance-31,089