Behind the Mic

Welcome To The Illini Roller-Coaster Ride

Posted by: Brian Barnhart

Sunday, November 16, 2008 1:15 PM

The Illini football game on Saturday was typical of most the season for this Illini team.  Lots of big plays (TD to Cumberland...big gains on the ground by Jason Ford and Daniel Dufrene....455 yards of total offense...2 more field goals on a windy day by Matt Eller)....but also too many turnovers and mistakes....(Juice's fumble inside his own 20-yard line....blocked punt for a safety....an interception that leads to Ohio State points).

Saturday's game against the 10th-ranked Buckeyes was a framed photo of what the entire season has been like.  Others might describe it as a roller-coaster ride.  As a fan along for the ride....your emotions (like mine) were constantly going up and down and you were never quite sure what to expect around the next turn. Sometimes those twists and turns came within a single game (Missouri-big plays for each team)... or it happened over a 2-week stretch (the huge win at Michigan....the tough-to-swallow loss at home to Minnesota).

And after all the ups and downs of the past 11 weeks...you are probably ready to get off the ride and settle your stomach down a little.  But there is still one last round on the ride and that is the Northwestern game in Evanston next Saturday.

I know that after a Rose Bowl season...Illini fans in general are not that excited about going to any lower tier bowl (Motor City....Insight....etc).  But dont forget...the Illini still have a lot of nationwide interest after last year's magical Rose Bowl season and have some marketable players (Juice Williams....Vontae Davis....Arrelious Benn) that bowl representatives (and TV networks) love to hype to stir interest in their particular bowl game. 

Which makes the Northwestern game very important for Illinois.  They can still be bowl-eligible with a win and with a bowl appearance would get a few more weeks of valuable practice to get ready for next year as well. 

So what can we expect next week against the Wildcats?  After this season...I dont know for sure.  But I would advise you to fasten your emotional seat belt one last time....just to be safe. 

By the way....it always seems very cold and windy when we go to Ryan Field in  Evanston in November.  Maybe a big  lake near the stadium  has something to do with that.

 

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