Loyola football has always been about power running, a physical defense — and passing as a last resort.
The chances of a Loyola quarterback throwing 40 passes in a game were about the same as, well, the Cubs winning a World Series.
“I really didn’t believe it,” said Peter Badovinac, who completed 28 of those 40 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 28-17 upset of St. Rita. “Usually I’ll throw 15 passes in a game.
“It was so much fun to have the game in your hands. I just tried to spread it out to all the talent we have. When we went to the no-huddle attack on the second series of the game, it was the first time I had ever run an offense like that.”
Working with the same QB tutors who have polished the mechanics of Maine South’s Charlie Goro and Glenbrook North’s Tom Coughlin, the 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound Badovinac has attracted recruiting interest from Michigan State, Notre Dame, Iowa, North Carolina and every Ivy League school.
Loyola receiver Brian Lindsay knows that when Badovinac has time — linemen Brian Mulroe (6-4, 260) and Brendan Skinner (6-3, 264) usually provide it — the ball will be delivered.
“He knows everything that everyone else is doing on the field,” Lindsay said of his teammate, who ranks in the 97th percentile of his class and scored a 31 on the ACT. “Peter processes stuff so fast. He knows what I’m thinking and where I’ll be going before I even get there.”
On Saturday, Loyola’s football brainiac will take his “final exam” when No. 1 Mt. Carmel (6-0, 3-0) comes to Wilmette with the Catholic Blue title on the line. No. 9 Loyola is 5-1, 2-1.
“I considered Mt. Carmel and St. Rita as the two best teams in the state,” Badovinac said. “A lot of teams would be [scared to death] playing them one after the other. I look at it as a great challenge. If you can’t get up for these games back to back, you have no soul.”
As a three-year starter, this will be the fourth time Badovinac gets to face the Caravan. Loyola lost last year 32-14 and fell twice in 2005, by 21-3 in the regular season and 41-3 in the Class 7A playoffs.
“Mt. Carmel is a storied program, so rich in tradition,” Badovinac said. “They just beat you up. We’re trying to build that same tradition at Loyola.”
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*Read Bob Sakamoto’s blog ‘The Inside Scoop’ at chicagosports.com/sakamoto
