Sports: JD excited for new challenges
Opinions: Why students need a Spring Break
UNIVERSITY.
WesternCourier.com
Monday, October 26, 2020 - Vol. 121 Issue 15
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Six Presidential Search finalists selected
By Rachel Greene editor-in-chief
The search for Western Illinois University’s 12th President is underway and six finalists have been selected. In an interview with Student Member to the Board of Trustees Justin Brown, he explained the process and gave some insight into the candidates and what he is personally looking for. Brown said, “The process looks a bit different this time than it has during any other search process. The search committee has met exclusively virtually and candidates have not been able to come to campus. While it is less fun and exciting, conducting a search in this manner does allow a wider variety of people to
meet and ask the candidates questions, even if it is via Zoom.” When asked what he is looking for in a candidate, Brown said, “We need a leader, not just a president. Someone who will really put in the work and get to know the real issues going on. This person should have experience and a wide array of communication skills and should not be afraid to go out and learn about the campus and the community and someone who is able to engage with all students, alumni and prospective students.” The six finalists are Martin Abraham, Bahman Ghorashi, Cady Short-Thompson, Steve Michael, Michael Shonrock and Guiyou Huang. The candidates come from various institutions across the country, with the
Sports on Page 7: Khabib retires
exception of Martin Abraham who is an internal candidate in the search. Brown said, “From my understanding, it was very difficult to narrow it down to these six candidates. They range from former presidents to current presidents to deans to provosts and everything in between. There is a wide variety of qualities among this candidate pool. We are thankful to our search firm which helped reach out to these candidates so that they could apply. Each candidate has been assigned a day where they will follow an interview itinerary consisting of meetings with Administrators, Academic Directors, Department Chairs, Student Government Association, students from both the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses
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as well as the presidential search committee. In the open forum Zoom session with candidate Steve Michael, Student Government Association President Daria Levchenko asked, “How would you go about making sure that you’re hearing students’ voices and concerns and help with those things to the best of your ability?” to which Michael said, “I advocate being a student leader very strongly, you can make an impact for yourself and other students. Many skills I cultivated were mastered when I was a student leader. When I came to my university, I was introduced to various student leaders of organizations. No one was the president of everything, so I wanted to or-
ganize a student government association. I wanted to make a statement. I still advise student government and meet weekly with them regarding issues and concerns. I am very excited to walk with students as one of them.” There are two more Zoom open forum sessions this week with Shonrock on Monday and Huang on Tuesday, these are each at 4:30 p.m. and are open to all students and community members. There will be opportunities for questions. Anyone who wants to participate in these sessions must register at https://form.jotform.com/202864170962054. The Board of Trustees plans to name the 12th President of Western Illinois University by Jan. 1, 2021.
Opinions on Page 3: Get involved in hall government
OPINIONS 3 | EDGE 5 | SPORTS BACK PAGE
NEWS 2
Monday, October 26, 2020
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COVID-19 quarantine in Bayliss Hall By Devin Brooks
NEWS3 reporter MACOMB, Ill. (NEWS 3) — Bayliss Hall was once the home of freshman students at Western Illinois University. It is now housing students who have tested positive or have come in contact with the Coronavirus. Students who test positive will receive a call from the Beu Health Center and will then be put in touch with a designated case leader. This case leader will start the process of contact tracing with the student and will help with getting the student ready to be moved into Bayliss Hall. The university has the residence hall set up for students to either be put in isolation or
quarantine. “Isolation is if you tested positive or you are symptomatic,” Executive Director of Auxiliary Services and Risk Management Joe Roselieb said. “Quarantine is when we believe you have been in direct contact, but you have no symptoms.” Any student who is in Bayliss Hall and is in quarantine or isolation is not allowed to leave the floor where they are placed. They may leave their room to use the restrooms and take showers, but they must wear their masks when walking in the floor ’s hallways. Roselieb said students are also not allowed to visit other students’ rooms who may be
on the same floor as them. Two meals are brought to the residence hall every day and are provided by the university’s dining service, Sodexo. Students will order their meals online a day in advance, and the food will be brought to their room. The university is also looking for ways to keep those who are in quarantine and isolation entertained during their stay. The university’s recreation center has started an online yoga class so that students can have some sort of physical activity while they’re stuck in their rooms. Roselieb said a concert outside of the residence hall is in the works so students will have something to watch and
listen to. Although the university is offering these things along with wellness checks, April Goetz, a WIU senior who spent the earlier part of this month in quarantine, said it was not easy for her. “It was difficult at first,” Goetz said. “I know when I went there I was calling up my dad and calling up my mom.” Goetz passed the time by playing her ukulele and FaceTiming her cross country teammates. “Just to have that support and to have that friendship together, even though we couldn’t see each other, we saw each other only through FaceTime and Snapchat and
texting. It went well,” Goetz said. The staff in Bayliss Hall will continue thoroughly disinfecting the bathrooms, showers and rooms. They will also continue their contact tracing to help slow the spread and keep the students and faculty on campus safe. “I don’t think anybody truly understands how much time that people are taking out from their normal jobs to get this through,” Roselieb said. “You know that’s what we have to do to get through this.” Anyone who wants more information about the process of quarantining and isolation on campus should visit wiu. edu/returntocampus.
Multicultural Center unveils art By Rachel Greene editor-in-chief
The Western Illinois University Multicultural Center recently unveiled a new piece of artwork on campus. The project, which was funded by the Multicultural Center, has added some graphic flair to a set of stairs near the center. Executive Director of University Communications Darcie Shinberger said, “Jessica Lambert of University Relations re-created the original design based on artwork and phrases we have seen and heard nationally. Natalie Divan of the Visual Production Center further refined the design to fit the stairs and printed and installed these exterior stickers.” The stairs read, “At Western Illinois University, we believe black lives matter, women’s rights are human rights, no human is illegal, love is love, science is real, kindness is everything, we are all members of the WIU family.” The bulk of the stairs are made up of phrases that can be found across the Internet adorning T-shirts, flags and other various forms of merchandise, but with a Western Illinois University twist.
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When asked how the idea for this project came about, Multicultural Center Coordinator Carl Ervin said, “The Multicultural Center mission is to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, kindness and unity. We continuously search for ways to get the message out. The steps offer a medium that is convenient, prominent and spreads our message of being inclusively inviting and intentionally recognizing.” Ervin went on to say, “We hope to promote awareness and encourage reflection and connection to diversity, inclusion, equity, kindness and unity. We want to shed light on the social justice message of valuing diversity, equity, inclusion and kindness. The one thing we want students to learn is that our mission has been and will continue to be one of innovative student centered programming and inclusive excellence.” The stairs align with a statement made on the Multicultural Center ’s website, “The Multicultural Center, home of the Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center, Casa Latina, the Women’s Center and the LGBT*QA Resource Center, aims to advance the
PHOTO BY DION WASHINGTON
The Multicultural Center showcases new art in support of members of the Western Illinois University family.
goals of educational, social and cultural awareness. Together, the MCC provides resources to enhance the
campus community’s understanding and appreciation of all identities.” For more information about
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3
OPINIONS
For as long as I can remember, spring break has been a time that students went on trips to get away from the chaos of school. It is a time to celebrate the nice weather and have time to get away from the exams, papers and homework before the semester ends. As a lot of people know, Western has cancelled spring break for the spring 2021 semester. As
Monday, October 26, 2020
a senior, I am sad because I had to change my plans and because I already know that I am going to need a break at that time. I think that, for our sake as students, we should still have a spring break, but there needs to be restrictions on it. I think that the purpose behind cancelling spring break is to keep students from catch-
ing COVID-19 and bringing it back with them after break. This makes complete sense, but I think that there are other ways to keep students safe other than cancel spring break all around. A few ways that Western could keep students safe is by putting restrictions on them after break. All classes could be remote for the two weeks after the break would end. This way, students who chose to travel would already be secluded from other students on campus and it would keep everyone protected. Another thing that the university could do to ensure student safety would be to check
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temperatures and monitor their students closely for two weeks after break. When we came to school for the beginning of fall semester, there were temperature checks, daily check-ins and quarantine rules. I simply do not understand how this is any different than coming back to school after winter break. Students are going to travel to see family and friends because it is in their plans already or because it is the only time they have to do it. So, with that being said, I think that the school has already been doing a fantastic job of keeping their students
safe and reducing the ways that people can catch Coronavirus. Keeping the same rules and regulations in place will ensure that the students of WIU will be safe, even after their spring break. I believe that it is important to let us have a spring break this year, especially because it has been beyond exhausting for students and staff to learn how to get used to complete online learning. Having a spring break would mean a break for all of us, and I would say after the long year we have all had, it would be something rewarding and refreshing for everyone.
Get involved in Hall Government It is evident that being involved throughout your college career is extremely important. We have learned that those who are involved tend to perform better in class, sporting a noticeably higher GPA than those who are not involved. My own first involvement here at Western Illinois University was through Hall Government. Hall Government is an organization established for each complex on campus: Thompson Hall, Lincoln/Washington/Grote Halls and Corbin Olson Halls. Hall Government is a sounding board for residents, it is an open and inclusive place where residents can
express their concerns and ideas and be heard. Each Hall Government is connected by Inter-Hall Council, an organization for all different complexes to come together and discuss issues, plan events and to share what is happening in their respective buildings. Each Hall Government has a certain number of individuals that represent their organization at Inter-Hall Council, however, all are invited to attend and participate. “I joined Hall Government because I wanted to challenge myself during my freshman year. Because of this decision to join Hall Government, I have been able to make great
connections and have been able to truly make in my residence hall complex,” Megan Orsini shared with me on why Hall Government is so important to her. Megan began her leadership journey in Hall Government last year as a general member before soon becoming the Secretary. This year, she has stepped up as the President of the organization. Lincoln/Washington/Grote Hall Government Vice President, Elizabeth Orwig, shared “I joined Hall Government because I wanted to make a difference where I lived. By participating in Hall Government and other leadership positions on campus, I have grown my leadership greatly. I feel I am a much better listener, more organized and better able to work with others. I encourage all students to be involved in at least one organization on campus, they will not
regret it!” Lincoln/Washington/Grote Hall Government has been hard at work this year. Their executive board, composed of extremely passionate leaders from throughout the complex, has been working nonstop to make their community better for the residents in it. Some things that the executive board has been working toward include addressing dining concerns, creating engaging programs and increasing attendance at Hall Government as a whole. Lincoln/Washington/Grote Hall Government plans to hold an open forum soon with a representative from dining services to address some ongoing questions that students have had. The members of the Lincoln/Washington/Grote executive board have planned a wonderful event for Halloween, which will be a two-night
movie event. The movies will be played via Netflix Party, to respect the procedures for COVID-19. In addition to addressing concerns and creating wonderful events, the executive board has been working to find more ways to engage residents in Hall Government. Lincoln/Washington/Grote Hall Government will be playing games at their meetings now with potential prizes for those who win! Some game ideas that the executive board has are Kahoot and Among Us. No matter what complex you may live in, I highly suggest checking out your Hall Government. It is a place for your voice to be heard and your concerns and ideas to be met. Hall Government takes place on Mondays at 7 p.m., talk with your Resident Assistant about where Hall Government is for your building!
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OPINIONS 4
Monday, October 26, 2020
Police brutality in Nigeria
The issue of police brutality in America has been all too familiar for African-Americans for decades. Whether it was Rodney King, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor or George Floyd, the conversation around excessive police force on selective groups of people has been a polarizing issue at that. Unfortunately, police brutality and discrimination isn’t only felt in the states, but in other countries as well. For a while now, I’ve been
seeing posts on social media about the protests that are taking place in Nigeria. Every post I saw said #ENDSARS. Now, I didn’t know what SARS was and why my fellow Nigerians were protesting all across Lagos (a city in Nigeria) to denounce it. But, after further educating myself on what the organization was and why so many are decrying its existence, it started to make sense. During the 1990s, Nigeria
(similar to cities like New York and Oakland) was experiencing a high percentage of crime; as a result of this, the Nigerian government implemented a special police force, the Strategic Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), that would patrol different areas in efforts to arrest and stop people who were causing problems, such as robberies. The difference was this special force did not have to wear uniforms and blended in without people noticing who they were. Now, in theory, this sounded like a good idea, but gradually this special force took matters into their own hands and instead of protecting its citizens, it unjustly targeted them.
SARS would primarily profile young Nigerian adults who they believed were suspicious of illegal activity. This would include people who wore expensive attire, had dreadlocks, tattoos or even an iPhone. This characterization fits the description of who SARS believed were criminals, even if this was extremely far from the truth. Unfortunately, this profiling has led to SARS unjustly attacking and even murdering people they suspect to be criminals. These tactics have reached a breaking point in Nigeria as mass protests around the region have led to more attention being placed on the Nigerian government.
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Fortunately, the Nigerian government, through constant pressure, agreed to disband SARS, but completely blindsided people by announcing it would implement its replacement called Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT). The protests in Nigeria have already turned deadly as members of these forces have killed protesters as well as people trying to hijack the protests for their own agenda. What's happening in Nigeria is terrible, but it's just the latest bad news in this catastrophic year. Police brutality isn’t only in America, but everywhere else, too.
Contact Allison Young
AN-Young@wiu.edu
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E2 EDGE
Monday, October 26, 2020
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Megan Thee Stallion launches scholarship fund savannah Osborne Courier staff @savozzy
Megan Thee Stallion has just announced that she will be offering two scholarships of $10,000 each in order to promote her new single, “Don’t Stop” featuring Young Thug. This is a collaboration between her and Amazon Music’s Rap Rotation. The scholarship fund is for “women of col or pursuing a degree in any field of study.” Although 2020 has not been the best year, she is encouraging women to still pursue their dreams and she wants to help make an impact. The application can be found online at, https:// theedontstopscholarship.com/. As the application states, “In honor of all the young women out there who don’t stop working hard to get their education! Women remain underrepresented and undervalued in society and female students of color are at a larger disadvantage when it comes to access to financial resources.” The contents of the application include your name,
birthday, zip code, email, field of study, your current college and year of study. Lastly, you will submit an essay pertaining to yourself, your major and why you need to receive your degree. This is very different from current scholarship essays because she does not require a word count or any certain number of pages. You do not need a certain GPA or to be involved in any spe cific clubs, she is only interested in your story and wants you to try your hardest on the essay. Scholarship applications can often be overwhelming and very time consuming on top of doing your required college work. As a college student, it is very dif ficult to get financial help, especially with the pressure of want ing to make your application as perfect as possible. This is more of a relaxed approach to giving out scholarships which she informs everyone from one of her previous tweets saying, “Doesn’t
matter how many words or pag es just do your best hotties!” Al though she is a well-known female rapper, most people don’t know that she is a senior majoring in Healthcare Administration at Texas Southern University. Being a college student herself, she understands the struggles and challenges they face every single day. This is her way of wanting to encourage women of color to keep pursuing their degree and to not let anything stop them. The application link was sent out on Oct. 8 and the next morning the site was backed up and began crashing. However, this should not discourage you from still trying to apply because they are working on fixing the web site to make sure everyone has a fair chance to complete the appli cation. The two winners for the “Don’t Stop” applications will be announced sometime in November, but the actual date has not yet been announced. In order to stay updated on the scholarship, you can follow Megan Thee Stallion on her Instagram and Twit ter, both with the handle @theestallion. If you are able to apply, it is highly encouraged and you should take this opportunity to do so.
COSMOPOLITAN.COM
Megan Thee Stallion became the first female rapper to be signned to 300 Entertainment since it's establishment in 2012.
POPSUGAR.COM
Megan Thee Stallion launched the scholarship fund on Thursday Oct. 8.
E3 EDGE
Monday, October 26, 2020
WesternCourier.com
Broadway announces shut down extension
Broadway has been around for a considerable amount of time and is located in the theater district in Manhattan. For a performance to be held on Broadway is a mark of success that is considered to be the highest level attainable for commercial theater. Due to the continuous spread of COVID-19, the organization released a devastating announcement. The Broadway League has
announced yet another extension of the stage shutdown in New York City. The organization confirmed that it is suspending ticket sales and performances through May 30, 2021, marking more than a year of COVID-19-induced delays before live theater productions can return, according to an announcement Friday via Twitter. The Broadway League also indicated in their announcement that tickets can
be refunded or rescheduled for when Broadway opens again. Broadway expects productions to resume in June of 2021, but what about the people that make a living performing and working at the theaters? Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing professional stage actors and managers, released the following statement Friday regarding the Broadway League’s “difficult but responsible decision to put the safety and health of their workers and audience first.” Mary McColl, executive director for Actors’ Equity states that her “heart breaks for everyone who works on Broadway or depends on it to make
their living,” McColl continues as she calls out our nation's leadership and their strategies regarding the virus. “This is a deeply painful time for everyone who depends on the arts for their livelihood. We are at this moment because, seven months into the pandemic, our nation still lacks a coherent national strategy for masks and testing which could help bring the virus under control.” Broadway performances were suspended on March 12, 2020. At that time, 31 productions were running, including eight new shows in previews. Rehearsals for eight other productions, set to open in the spring, were also shut down. One of the many shows that
were shut down was Hugh Jackman’s “The Music Man.” This not only affects those involved in the performance but New York City as a whole. According to a statement given to the New York Post, Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League states, “with nearly 97,000 workers who rely on Broadway for their livelihood and an annual economic impact of $14.8 billion to the city, our membership is committed to re-opening as soon as conditions permit us to do so.” St. Martin continues, “we are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again.”
VANITYFAIR.COM
Broadway is located in Manhattan and is considered to be the most prestigious in commercial theater.
NAPLENEWS.COM
Hugh Jackman's "The Music man" is now set to debut December of 2021.
Monday, October 26, 2020
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Sports 7
The Eagle has… Retired? dayne mcelwee assistant sports editor
In what was already an excellent fight card on Saturday evening, UFC upped the ante by having one of the most dominant fighters in history on the card. Of course, I am talking about Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov taking on what many thought would be his biggest challenge yet, Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje. If anything could prepare us for the emotional rollercoaster that was this fight, it was the rest of the main card before it. From Magomed Ankalaev’s nasty KO victory over Ion Cutelaba to Robert Whittaker ’s absolutely dominating performance over the number three Middleweight contender Jared Cannonier,
this card had everything a fight fan could want. The fight for the undisputed lightweight championship belt only lasted two rounds, however, those two rounds did not speak to the true story of this belt. It wasn’t until directly after the fight that we saw the real story here. Khabib now has an astounding MMA record of 29 – 0, but this incredible feat did not come without hardship. The Dagestani Russian wrestler lost something very important to his fighting game and everyday life this summer. His father and longtime cornerman, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, passed away on July 3, 2020, due to complications involving COVID-19.
Khabib couldn’t be seen in a gym, let alone an octagon, without his father by his side. They were an unstoppable duo that wreaked havoc on the UFC lightweight division. A duo comparable to Cus D’Amato and Mike Tyson, Abdulmanap and Khabib were practically inseparable. Immediately after his submission victory by triangle choke over Justin Gaethje, “The Eagle” was overcome with emotion. He signaled his corner to stay where they were and fell to the ground where he sat sobbing for minutes. This was one of the first times we saw Khabib show emotion about his father ’s death, and I believe this is where everyone gained a particular level of respect for the champion. Even if you didn’t like him before, you had to respect what he had just done. When he finally gathered himself enough to get up, he started to unwrap
Khabib emotional after fighting without his farther in his corner for the first time
his gloves. As avid fighter fans know, this only occurs when someone is hanging their gloves up and retiring from the fight game. Khabib went on to give an extremely heartfelt speech that had another message other than “chasing your dreams.” He addressed his last opponent, Gaethje, and said, “I know a lot of things about you, because one day, it’s going to happen. You never know what is going to happen tomorrow, you never know. Today is my last fight here in the UFC. It was my father ’s dream.” His father ’s dream propelled him to be the most dominant UFC champion right now and the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Another message Khabib wanted to make clear, was that everything he did in his career was to be the absolute best to ever step in the octagon. He always left it all on the floor. Against
Edson Barboza, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Gaethje, it didn’t matter the opponent he faced. Khabib Nurmagomedov just wanted to make his father proud. While Abdulmanap wasn’t able to be there for his alltime belt defense, everyone knows he is proud of his son. In an unforgettable moment, Khabib spoke to his mother, who told him she did not want him to fight at all without his father in the corner. While he agreed to this, he had a job to finish. There was doubt in his name still, and that had to be silenced to finish what he and his father started. He dominated Gaethje and in an absolutely stunning moment for the sports world altogether, Khabib left his gloves in the octagon and retired an undefeated, undisputed lightweight champion of the world. The Eagle has returned to his nest.
YAHOO!SPORTS.COM
JD Gravina excited for new challenges ahead for 2020 By Hayden Donaldson Courier Staff
This year has presented new challenges for everyone, especially to those in the sports world, but WIU women’s basketball coach JD Gravina is looking forward to tackling those challenges. The women’s basketball team, after a long offseason, has recently been able to return to practice and Gravina is more than ready to get back to work. “It definitely feels good. It’s amazing how much you realize how big a part of your life coaching is, and for our players, playing basketball. It almost felt like there’s a part of you missing when you weren’t able to coach your team.” Practices have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as well. Gravina said the team was unable to hold summer workouts and when preseason started, the team practiced in different groups. Masks are still required, but the practice has returned to
normal for the most part. Gravina says that it is important for players to stay mentally strong. “The hardest thing is mentally we’re testing every week now and so there’s always kind of that fear of if you test positive how will that affect us and so that’s been a little bit of a tough adjustment.” The Leathernecks will also have to adjust to a new Summit League scheduling format. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams will no longer play home and away on different days, now they will play two games at one site on back to back days. “I’m looking at it as a new challenge, almost like a little bit of an NBA mentality on how you make adjustments from the first game to the second game,” said Gravina. “Are you going to play with your kids for as many minutes? Are they going to need a little more rest? If you get up or down are you going to think about resting kids for that next game? It’s
going to be interesting. I like things that are hard because it makes you think a little more outside of the box,” he added. Western is looking to improve off of a solid 2019 campaign where they finished 15-15 overall and 9-7 in the conference. However, the Leathernecks were unable to advance past the first round of The Summit League Tournament, losing 74-66 to Oral Roberts. The bright spot is that the team was very young and returns with another year of experience which Coach Gravina is excited for. “It’s nice to have some experience back. We have that really strong junior class, and we’ve got a couple of seniors with experience, especially Grace Gilmore and Sam Pryor, and then getting Kyra (Washington) back for another year.” The team returns four starters from last season, but the loss of starting point guard Olivia Kauffman will be a large void to fill. “She
was such a big part of everything we did and so even though we have a lot of quality returners when you lose a player like that, there’s a lot of roles that people need to be willing to step into,” said Gravina. One person that Coach Gravina is looking to help fill that void is forward Evan Zars. Zars was the 2019 newcomer of the year in The Summit League after ranking second in the league in rebounds and blocking 47 shots. Gravina explained her importance to the team. “Evan was a huge help defensively and on the boards last year. I think her offensive game is starting to come around. We’re really working on her being more aggressive offensively because I think she could definitely be a 15 plus point a night player.” The women’s basketball season starts Nov. 25 as the Leathernecks look forward to a promising 2020 season.
THEKANSASCITYSTAR.COM
JD Gravina encouraging his team.
Wisconsin trounces Illinois in Big Ten opener Dylan leasure Courier staff
On the eve of one of the most exciting days of college football this year, there was a single game on Friday night to open up the fourth of the five Power 5 conferences this year. And it all started at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin as the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers took on the Illinois Fighting Illini to open up an unusual season. Wisconsin was looking for redemption from last year as the Fighting Illini stunned the No. 6 Badgers in Champaign last year on a game-winning field goal from James McCourt to win them the game 24-23. This sparked a successful season for the Illini as they went on to go to their first bowl game
in six years. Wisconsin is coming off of a year that found them in the Rose Bowl. They finished last season with a record of 10-4, with their losses being to Illinois, Ohio State twice, once in the regular season then in the Big Ten title game, and then finally the onepoint loss to Oregon in the Rose Bowl. But there are a lot of high hopes in Madison this year, with a favorable schedule and a great recruiting class coming in. Wisconsin has a very different look on the offensive side this year, with starting running back Jonathan Taylor going to the draft, and starting QB from last year Jack Coan being sidelined with an injury. It was time for
redshirt freshman Graham Mertz to step up and fill some big shoes, and he filled those shoes and then some with his performance in the win over the Illini. Illinois’ offense looked rough from the start, as running back Mike Epstein fumbled on the second play of the game in Wisconsin territory. This led to a Wisconsin touchdown on a pass from Mertz to FB Mason Stokke to give the Badgers a 7-0 lead, and that was the score after one quarter. Illinois QB Brandon Peters also looked like he was not seeing the field very well, as he was 8 for 19 passing with 87 yards. But he did finish as the game’s leading rusher surprisingly with 75 yards on seven attempts. In the second quarter is when a lot of the scoring came out. Mertz threw his second touchdown of the game to TE Jake Ferguson, the first of three for the hometown kid. The next drive resulted in an Illinois punt, but Ferguson
fumbled the ball and Illinois got a scoop-and-score from LB Tarique Barnes to cut the score to 14-7. This ended up being the only touchdown the Illini would score all game. The next drive led to Ferguson’s second touchdown from Mertz to make the score 21-7. Once again, the Illini looked lost on offense on the next drive, as they went three and out to give the Badgers one last possession with 36 seconds left in the half. On the first play of the drive, Mertz threw it to a wide open Danny Davis down the field for a 53-yard touchdown to give the Badgers a 28-7 lead at the half. Mertz finished the first half a perfect 14 of 14, passing for 190 yards and four touchdowns. The third quarter went by rather fast and was very quiet, with no scoring as the score held true to 28-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Three minutes into the fourth, however,
FB John Chenal punched it in from two yards out to push the lead to 35-7. And the Badgers just kept on rolling and never missed their stride in the fourth as Ferguson went on to catch his third touchdown of the night and kicker Colin Larsh hit a 19-yard field goal to nail in a 45-7 win to start the year. Mertz finished the game going 20-for-21 passing with 248 yards and five touchdowns. He broke the school record for completion percentage in one game with 95.2 percent. He also tied two records with consecutive completed passes in a game (17) and also the single game touchdown passes (5). Illinois (0-1) looks to bounce back from the loss when they travel back home to play Purdue at 11 a.m. on Halloween. As for Wisconsin (1-0), they hope to see Mertz replicate his performance as they travel to Nebraska to take on Scott Frost and the Huskers at 2:30 p.m.