The Fighting Illini went on the road to start the 1989 season to play the two-time defending Pacific-10 Champions USC Trojans. Illinois was No. 22 in the country in the preseason polls, while USC stood at No. 5.
Illinois found itself down 13-0 to USC at the LA Coliseum and needed some heroics from quarterback Jeff George to bring the Illini back to life. The play of the game — and first Illini touchdown — occurred with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
George dropped back to pass just behind midfield, he throws it, the ball ricochets off of a USC linebacker, and it magically lands in Illini wide receiver Shawn Wax’s breadbasket.