| Player Profile | |
| Kurt Kittner | |
| Position: Quarterback |
|
| College: Illinois | |
| Height: 6-2.1 | |
| Weight: 221 | |
| Hometown: Schaumburg, Ill. | |
Career Notes | Agility | High School | Personal | Stats
ANALYSIS
Positives: Durable passer with effective scrambling ability…Has good foot quickness, setting up with proper agility, base and balance…Shows a strong arm snap, releasing the ball quickly…Has solid velocity on his short tosses, displaying good hip rotation while putting a tight spiral behind his tosses…Has a good pocket presence, sensing when his protection is breaking down to step up and show patience while targeting his secondary receivers…Makes good decisions reading defenses, showing good touch to deliver a catchable ball…Has good huddle presence with cool demeanor in the pocket…Shows movement rolling out, working quickly to open throwing lanes…Hits receivers in stride, showing a good feel for routes…Sees on the move with the ability to adjust and has consistency throwing in tight spots…Knows how to look off and spot the secondary receiver…Won't beat you scrambling, but has enough elusiveness to escape…Even though he has fine athletic ability, it is his field presence and winning mentality that makes him stand out above most.Negatives: Has a tendency to throw into coverage…Makes receivers work for the ball on deep routes as his passes tend to float in this area…Gets a little jumpy at times in the pocket, but can connect throwing on the move…Tends to stare down receivers a bit, but will make good decisions…Better in the short to intermediate game, as his long ball just seems to die…Throws flat-footed at times and other times, he does revert to a ¾ release, but not often.
CAREER NOTES
The all-time winningest quarterback in school history (24 victories), his "never say die" attitude elevated his teammates to another level…Having taken over the starting job midway through his freshman year, Kittner became the school's career-record holder with 70 touchdown passes, topping the previous mark of 55 by Jack Trudeau (1981-85)…Gained 8,722 yards on 682 of 1,264 passes (54.0%)…Only Trudeau (797) completed more passes in school annals and his 1,264 attempts broke Trudeau's Illini record of 1,245…His 8,722 yards passing was three shy of the school's all-time record of 8,725 set by Trudeau…His 8,880 yards in total offense broke Trudeau's old Illinois career-record of 8,640.
2001 SEASON
All-American third-team and All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection by The NFL Draft Report, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches…Finalist for the Johnny Unitas Award and semi-finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback) as he led the team to its first conference title in eleven years…Completed 221 of 409 passes (54.0%) for 3,256 yards and 27 touchdowns…His 409 pass attempts rank fifth on the school's season-record list while his 27 scores broke his own season-record of 25 set in 1999…Became only the fifth passer in school history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season (ranks fourth)…Scored twice on 42 carries…Gained 3242 yards in total offense, joining Trudeau (3,321 in 1985) and Tony Eason (3,331 in 1981 and 3,671 in 1982) as the only players in school annals to gain over 3,000 yards in total offense in a season.
- California - Began the season with 18 of 34 tosses for 297 yards and touchdowns of 9 & 49 yards to Brandon Lloyd.
- Northern Illinois - Threw for 241 yards on 17 of 34 tries and a pair of scores.
- Louisville - Facing one of the better pass rushing defenses in the country, he connected on 18 of 39 passes for 301 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 38-yarder to Walter Young.
- Michigan - Ran for a 4-yard score and gained 244 yards on 20 of 39 throws.
- Minnesota - Hit on 16 of 28 attempts for 239 yards with 28 & 59-yard touchdowns to Lloyd.
- Indiana - Followed with 12 of 17 passes for a season-low 117 yards, but did throw a pair of touchdowns playing in windy and wet conditions.
- Wisconsin - Threw for a career-high 401 yards on 24 of 45 tries and 4 touchdowns, including a 34-yarder to Aaron Moorehead and a game-winning 22-yarder to Lloyd in a 42-35 decision…His 401 yards tied for ninth on the school's game-record list and was the most by an Illini passer since Jason Verduzco gained 431 yards vs. Missouri in 1991.
- Purdue - Had a pair of scoring tosses, including a 47-yarder to Lloyd, gained 299 yards on 15 of 34 attempts and registered a solo tackle.
- Penn State - Completed 16 of 33 attempts for 195 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a 1-yard score to give the Illini a 33-28 victory as the offense rallied for 26 second-half points.
- Ohio State - Connected on 18 of 28 passes for 274 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also posted a solo tackle.
- Northwestern - Gained 387 yards on 33 of 43 attempts with 4 touchdowns, including a 33-yarder to Young.
- Louisiana State (Sugar Bowl) - Closed out his career with 14 of 35 tosses for 262 yards and 4 touchdowns…His four scoring tosses tied the school bowl-game record, first set by Johnny Johnson vs. East Carolina in the 1994 Liberty Bowl.
2000 SEASON
All-American honorable mention by Football News…Team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year…Ranked fourth in the Big Ten Conference as he completed 173 of 297 passes (58.2%) for 1982 yards, 18 touchdowns and only eight interceptions…Scored twice on 44 carries and also had a 44-yard punt.
1999 SEASON
Team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year…Earned Most Valuable Player honors for his performance at the Micronpc.com Bowl…Completed 216 of 396 passes for 2,702 yards (54.5%) and a then school season-record 24 touchdowns (broke the record in 2001)…Had only five pass interceptions…Carried 67 times for 83 yards (1.2 avg) and a score…Also caught a 30-yard touchdown pass.
1998 SEASON
Played in nine games, starting vs. Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Purdue…Completed 72 of 162 passes for 782 yards and a touchdown…Rushed 43 times for 28 yards and a pair of scores…Became first true-freshman to start at quarterback since Bernie Krueger in 1946 when he opened the game at Iowa.
AGILITY TESTS
4.86 in the 40-yard dash…4.62 in the 20-yard shuttle…27-inch vertical jump…8'4" broad jump…4.5 20-yard shuttle…7.34 three-cone drill…325-pound bench press…375-pound squat…300-pound power clean…31-inch arm length…9-inch hands…Right-handed…31 Wonderlic score.HIGH SCHOOL
Played quarterback and linebacker at Schaumburg (Ill.) High…One of the state's most sought-after recruits, Kittner threw for 449 yards in a game early in 1997 season and had amassed nearly 1,200 passing yards when a broken right thumb sidelined him for the season after four games…Returned with a cast on his hand to play linebacker during the second half of the season…In 1996, he threw for 1,891 yards and 20 touchdowns in leading Schaumburg to its second consecutive state playoff appearance…Racked up 356 yards passing and five touchdowns in a 1996 game…Two-time All-Area and All-Mid Suburban League pick…Super Prep All-Regional selection…Chosen to play in the 1998 Suburban All-Star Game…Led Schaumburg to an 8-1 mark, the Mid-Suburban League title and IHSA Class 6A Elite Eight berth in 1995 and a 6-4 mark in 1996…High school coach was Tom Cerasini, who has sent six quarterbacks to Division I-A football, including eventual NFL player Paul Justin…High school offensive coordinator was Mark Steger, brother of former UI quarterback Kurt Steger.PERSONAL
Finance major…Worked for a professional cleaning company in the off-seasons…Son of Lee Trantin…Born 1/23/80 in Schaumburg, Ill.STATS
| PASSING STATS | |||||||||||
| YEAR | ATT | COMP | PCT | YARDS | TD | YD/ATT | YD/CMP | INT | I/PCT | LG | GM/AVG |
| 1998 | 162 | 72 | 44.4 | 782 | 1 | 4.83 | 10.86 | 7 | 4.32 | 50 | 86.89 |
| 1999 | 396 | 216 | 54.5 | 2702 | 24 | 6.82 | 12.51 | 5 | 1.26 | 67 | 225.17 |
| 2000 | 297 | 173 | 58.2 | 1982 | 18 | 6.67 | 11.46 | 8 | 2.69 | 61 | 198.20 |
| 2001 | 409 | 221 | 54.0 | 3256 | 27 | 7.96 | 14.73 | 14 | 3.42 | 67 | 271.33 |
| TOTAL | 1264 | 682 | 54.0 | 8722 | 70 | 6.90 | 12.79 | 34 | 2.69 | 67 | 202.84 |
| RUSHING STATS | ||||||||
| YEAR | GP | GS | NO | YARDS | AVG | TD | LONG | |
| 1998 | 09 | 05 | 43 | 28 | 0.7 | 2 | 61 | |
| 1999 | 12 | 12 | 67 | 83 | 1.2 | 1 | 30 | |
| 2000 | 10 | 10 | 44 | 61 | 1.4 | 2 | 13 | |
| 2001 | 12 | 12 | 42 | -14 | -0.3 | 2 | 15 | |
| TOTAL | 43 | 39 | 196 | 158 | 0.8 | 7 | 61 | |
| RECEIVING STATS | PUNTING STATS | |||||||||
| YEAR | NO | YARDS | AVG | TD | LONG | NO | YARDS | AVG | BK | LONG |
| 1999 | 1 | 30 | 30.0 | 1 | 30 | |||||
| 2000 | 1 | 44 | 44.0 | 0 | 44 | |||||
| TOTAL OFFENSE | ||||||||
| YEAR | GM | PLAYS | PASS | RUSH | YARDS | TDR | P/AVG | GM/AVG |
| 1998 | 09 | 205 | 782 | 28 | 810 | 3 | 3.95 | 90.00 |
| 1999 | 12 | 463 | 2702 | 83 | 2785 | 25 | 6.02 | 232.08 |
| 2000 | 10 | 341 | 1982 | 61 | 2043 | 20 | 5.99 | 204.30 |
| 2001 | 12 | 451 | 3256 | -14 | 3242 | 29 | 7.19 | 270.17 |
| TOTAL | 43 | 1460 | 8722 | 158 | 8880 | 77 | 6.08 | 206.51 |
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