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Cap'n Cat has been fortunate enough to see and participate in many great Cat homers from 1981 an on. Most of mine are from a bygone era, The Mike Smith and Darrell Mudra Years. Some of you younger guys will have to tell us about your more recent home highlights.
Cap'n Cat's Top Dome Games (in no particular order):
1. Eastern Illinois, 1989.
Believe EIU was ranked rather high when they came to the Dome one Saturday that year. They very quickly went up 28-0. They were laughing at us and taunting whenever there was tackle out of bounds on the UNI side. God, they were pricks. They were the Western Illinois of their day.
Anyway, we clawed back to 28-20 or something. The coaches noticed that, when Eastern set up for field goal and extra point blocks, they left the right side of their d-line open about three spaces. There was nobody there! Milo Popovic, a speedy receiver and punt/KO returner back then, was also the PAT/FG holder. I think we scored to make it 28-26 and were setting up for the PAT. Unbeknownst to everyone except the PAT team, Milo took the snap, scooted to the left side and dove over our o-line's backs and tied the game. We stopped them on the next drive and won on a field goal shortly thereafter.
The great thing about it was embarrassing Eastern so badly that they didn't even shake our hands after the game. Another nail in their Gateway coffin until they finally got sick of losing to UNI and left the conference in '95 or '96.
2. Georgia Southern, 1985.
Everyone remembers this game. This one, and the Northeast Louisiana game in 1987, was the closest the Cats ever got to being in the National Championship game. Back and forth all night. UNI had 505 yd offense and GSU, 500. It was a shame to lose as we had won 11 in a row that season, including the first of three v Kansas State, but what a legendary I-AA playoff game.
3. Southwest Missouri, 1990. The Best Of All.
Cap'n Cat was a GA in '89 and '90. This one was a bitter, bitter game and one of a couple between the two teams that really enhanced what became a huge rivalry. They've been down for a number of years lately, so it's not as hot, but it was back then.
SMS was ranked and headed to the playoffs, but they still had to play a game versus Northern Iowa. They had a great option offense, a quick little quarterback, a good line - generally a powerhouse team. UNI was much the same that year - ranked and going to the playoffs.
THE memorable play came late in the fourth quarter with SMS down by five or so, and about 1:30 left. They were on the 20 or 25, going in, and need a touchdown. They ran four options in a row to the right at DE Casey Smith and DT Tony Monroe, two of the hardest-nosed guys Cap'n Cat ever saw in a UNI uniform. They grudgingly gave up a few yards each play and it came down to fourth-and less-than-one. They had no choice but to go for it.
The crowd was roaring like it never had before. They optioned right again, toward the UNI sideline. Their QB got hit at the line of scrimmage by Smith, then Monroe, then about four others and was stuffed soundly! Casey Smith got up and started to do a celebration right near the QB, who proceeded to throw the ball at him. Next thing you know, all hell breaks loose and there is a bench-clearing brawl. Bears are running from the west sidelines, Panthers are spilling out from our sideline and Cap'n Cat is right smack in the middle of it.
Cap'n Cat, trying to be a good coach, was trying to break everything up, but it was no use. Most SMS guys and a couple UNI guys were just head-hunting, smacking anyone in opposite colored garb. This tiny Bear running back winds up for a roundhouse at Cap'n Cat. The Cap'n saw it coming and was able to block it with his left arm, but he was so pissed that he grabbed the little bastard by the Adam's apple and squeezed it like a pomegranate, then threw him to the ground. I'm sure that guy has speech problems to this day. Moments later, Cap'n Cat got his right index finger caught in an SMS facemask and started bleeding like the proverbial stuck pig.
It was a verifiable riot. Remarkably, no flags were thrown and, when things finally got back in order, they did a measurement and found that the SMS QB had made no gain. First and ten the other way! The crowd went wild again. Needless to say, the Hill rocked that evening, too!
Yours?
Cap'n Cat's Top Dome Games (in no particular order):
1. Eastern Illinois, 1989.
Believe EIU was ranked rather high when they came to the Dome one Saturday that year. They very quickly went up 28-0. They were laughing at us and taunting whenever there was tackle out of bounds on the UNI side. God, they were pricks. They were the Western Illinois of their day.
Anyway, we clawed back to 28-20 or something. The coaches noticed that, when Eastern set up for field goal and extra point blocks, they left the right side of their d-line open about three spaces. There was nobody there! Milo Popovic, a speedy receiver and punt/KO returner back then, was also the PAT/FG holder. I think we scored to make it 28-26 and were setting up for the PAT. Unbeknownst to everyone except the PAT team, Milo took the snap, scooted to the left side and dove over our o-line's backs and tied the game. We stopped them on the next drive and won on a field goal shortly thereafter.
The great thing about it was embarrassing Eastern so badly that they didn't even shake our hands after the game. Another nail in their Gateway coffin until they finally got sick of losing to UNI and left the conference in '95 or '96.
2. Georgia Southern, 1985.
Everyone remembers this game. This one, and the Northeast Louisiana game in 1987, was the closest the Cats ever got to being in the National Championship game. Back and forth all night. UNI had 505 yd offense and GSU, 500. It was a shame to lose as we had won 11 in a row that season, including the first of three v Kansas State, but what a legendary I-AA playoff game.
3. Southwest Missouri, 1990. The Best Of All.
Cap'n Cat was a GA in '89 and '90. This one was a bitter, bitter game and one of a couple between the two teams that really enhanced what became a huge rivalry. They've been down for a number of years lately, so it's not as hot, but it was back then.
SMS was ranked and headed to the playoffs, but they still had to play a game versus Northern Iowa. They had a great option offense, a quick little quarterback, a good line - generally a powerhouse team. UNI was much the same that year - ranked and going to the playoffs.
THE memorable play came late in the fourth quarter with SMS down by five or so, and about 1:30 left. They were on the 20 or 25, going in, and need a touchdown. They ran four options in a row to the right at DE Casey Smith and DT Tony Monroe, two of the hardest-nosed guys Cap'n Cat ever saw in a UNI uniform. They grudgingly gave up a few yards each play and it came down to fourth-and less-than-one. They had no choice but to go for it.
The crowd was roaring like it never had before. They optioned right again, toward the UNI sideline. Their QB got hit at the line of scrimmage by Smith, then Monroe, then about four others and was stuffed soundly! Casey Smith got up and started to do a celebration right near the QB, who proceeded to throw the ball at him. Next thing you know, all hell breaks loose and there is a bench-clearing brawl. Bears are running from the west sidelines, Panthers are spilling out from our sideline and Cap'n Cat is right smack in the middle of it.
Cap'n Cat, trying to be a good coach, was trying to break everything up, but it was no use. Most SMS guys and a couple UNI guys were just head-hunting, smacking anyone in opposite colored garb. This tiny Bear running back winds up for a roundhouse at Cap'n Cat. The Cap'n saw it coming and was able to block it with his left arm, but he was so pissed that he grabbed the little bastard by the Adam's apple and squeezed it like a pomegranate, then threw him to the ground. I'm sure that guy has speech problems to this day. Moments later, Cap'n Cat got his right index finger caught in an SMS facemask and started bleeding like the proverbial stuck pig.
It was a verifiable riot. Remarkably, no flags were thrown and, when things finally got back in order, they did a measurement and found that the SMS QB had made no gain. First and ten the other way! The crowd went wild again. Needless to say, the Hill rocked that evening, too!
Yours?
The dome was nearly sold out, and you could have heard a pin drop when that kick went through. That game was a roller coaster ride of emotions, I was physically exhausted when I left that night, and all I did was yell my brains out.
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