Box Score (if you dare…)

First of all, I think it’s fair to say I was completely wrong on my predictions for Saturday.  Opps….

Second of all, why am I even writing this?  You all know what I’m going to say.  It’s the same exact thing every week.  Terrible offense + poor tackling + iffy play calling = another loss for your “Fighting” Illini.  When will this thing get straightened out?  Will it get fixed before the season ends?  Could we really go 1-11?  I’m sorry, but we don’t play any more division II opponents, so our chances to win a game have slimmed to a very low percentage. 

I saw a lot of John Schoop at Saturday’s game.  I just don’t understand the logic of throwing a screen or flat pass when you have a 3rd and 11.  Why aren’t we going down the field more?  Maybe it’s because our wide outs aren’t doing a good job of getting open.  Next question then… Why aren’t our wide outs getting open?  Why can’t we run?  Should there be any position changes?  Seriously Jeff Cumberland, what were you thinking?  Did the Orange-Out really look different than any other game?  Wow, can you believe how awesome this press box is?  These were just some questions I was asking during and after another Illini embarrassment. 

Despite the game, I had a pretty cool experience on Saturday.  As you might have been able to figure out from one of my previous questions, I was able to go up in the new press box for the first time.  If you ever get a chance to check it out, you should.  That thing was beautiful.  I was up there because I was doing some work for Radio P-A and 98.9 WQLV in Millersburg, Pennsylvania, the pulse of Central P-A (Don’t call me a traitor.  They paid me.)  After the game, I headed on down to Penn State’s locker room to grab some audio for Radio P-A.  I sat in the media room for a bit and waited to grab some audio after the game.  I heard the players coming in and they were cheering and yelling “Nice Win” and other various phrases along those lines.  At this time I’m the only one sitting in the media room just waiting for the post-game press conference.  Guess who the first person to walk into the room was?  It was none other than Joe Paterno!  He walked in, saw me sitting there and said hello.  I said hello back and asked him how he was and he said he was doing good (of course he was, he got another win).  It might have only been a five second “conversation”, but I feel like we bonded, lol.  It was a pretty good experience being at the game and being able to check out areas that I had never seen before.

I heard a number of funny quotes during and after the game.  Here are the ones that stuck out to me.

‘They spent $120 million dollars on a new press box?  You think they would have spent some money on this media room.’  - Some Penn State media guy who was in the media room after the game.

“I don’t really want to say it’s the flu.  You know, they got a temperature, they’re coughin’, they don’t feel good, I said ‘Geez, I got the flu 365 days a year.”  - Penn State coach Joe Paterno after the game, talking about defensive back Chad Powell and his illness.

‘They should fire all of the coaches, disband the team, and burn down the stadium’ – My mom on what Illinois should do after Saturday’s loss.

Okay, Moving on…

Later tonight, I will do my “Monday Night Sim” of Illinois-Michigan State and I will update the standings of our little prediction game (I didn’t look to smart in that).  In the meantime listen to what Ron Zook had to say in today’s First Word with Stevie Jay on News Talk 1400 WDWS.  HERE THE BIG NEWS FROM RON ZOOK.

I-L-L…