Illinitalk

That looked more like the offense we expected all season. Once again, the Illini marched down the field immediately to take the lead. And when Juice Williams went down with an ankle injury on a fumble later in the first quarter, redshirt freshman Jacob Charest lived up to expectations. He kept the Illini moving down the field, and added a TD pass.

And the defense...Terry Hawthorne, welcome to Big Ten football. The freshman from East St. Louis followed up his performance last week with a beautiful pick-6 from Gophers QB Adam Weber. And as a whole, the D sacked Weber 7 times for a total loss of 50 yards. Plus, they held strong once again to hold Minnesota to a field goal after a goal-line stand.

The blocked punt for a TD was scary, but the Illini came back nicely to score once more. Yes, the final score shows how effectively the Golden Gophers came back late in the game, but we'll take the Big Ten win on the road.

It would have been nice to see this team a bit sooner this year, but I'd rather have a few games to enjoy than none at all. Yes, it's been a rough season for Tim Brewster and his Gophers, as well, and the Iowa loss to Northwestern doesn't do much for the Big Ten rep. But a win is way more fun than a loss. And a win on the road bodes well for the future, especially after the free-fall that was the first half of the season.

Great game, boys! Go Illini!

Labels: Illini football, Jacob Charest, Terry Hawthorne

It's November. The clocks have fallen back. And there's lots going on in Illini sports this weekend.

The Illini football team heads up north to Minnesota, looking to build on their strong performance against Michigan.

In Champaign, the volleyball team, now ranked #5, will host #15 Michigan and Michigan State this weekend. And they will take the court without libero Ashley Edinger. She is out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear in her left knee. She tops the Illini record book in digs, so her injury is a big loss for the Illini.

On Sunday, Bruce Weber's basketball team will play their final exhibition game before the season gets underway. The boys warmed up with Missouri Southern last week, and will take on Quincy this weekend. Then college basketball will get underway, followed by what should be a very tough Big Ten season.

So take your pick -- there's plenty Illini games to follow this weekend. Go Illini!

Labels: Illini basketball, Illini football, Illini volleyball

Thank you, Terry Hawthorne.
Thank you D-line.
Thank you Juice. Thank you LeShoure. Thank you O-line. And Benn. And Ford. And Cumberland. And the rest of the team. And Tate Forcier's slippery hands. Oh, and instant replay and the play review system.

The Illini showed signs of life at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. And the Michigan Wolverines left the stadium with an L for the first time in a long, long time. (I could go into the game they stole in 2000, but that would just irritate me, so I'll focus on this season.)

Juice and his O-line proved they could still cruise down the field with a strong opening drive. The problem was that Michigan immediately answered. And then the offense stalled. The D did reasonably well, managing to hold Tate Foricer and company to a couple fields goals.

But it really wasn't looking good in the third quarter when Roy Roundtree took off down the middle of the field after out-running the Illini coverage. Signs of life seemed to be non-existant. Except for a freshman in the secondary who refused to give up on the play. Hawthorne drug Roundtree down from behind. On the 1.

And then the Illini D put together a stand like they hadn't had all season. 1st and goal. No gain. 2nd and goal. No gain. 3rd and goal. A bit closer to the end zone. 4th and goal. Down just inches from the goal line.

The Illini offense took this performance to heart and went on to score. A few times. While the D prevented further scores, with a bit of invaluable help from Michigan turnovers.

The offense on the first drive and after "The Stand" is what we had hoped to see all season. But I'm very glad it showed up, especially for one of our favority Big Ten foes. Program rebuilding aside, it's always sweet to get a win over Michigan.

We really didn't know what we would have with the defense, especially with the critical losses of key players. But the D that showed up yesterday was impressive. Yes, they needed the help of the review system, but they had the "indisputable video evidence" needed to prove they could stand.

And so, just like Terry Hawthorne refused to give up on the play, I refuse to give up on the program. This year hasn't been pretty. And who knows what next season will bring or what changes will be needed. But signs of life like we saw yesterday are encouraging.

Boys, please use this as a turning point for the season.
Go Illini!

Labels: Illini football, Terry Hawthorne

Will the Illini football team show any signs of life against Michigan this afternoon? We can certainly hope. Michigan has had a rocky season, but they've had a few more bright moments than the Illini. But any home game is a chance to prove there's a spark left in the Illini...I hope they can find it...

• The Illini women's volleyball team moved up in the rankings to #8 after their weekend victory over Minnesota
• The Illini men's golf team is ranked 6th nationally
• Illini libero Ashley Edinger was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, the second week in a row this title has gone to an Illini
• I gained a greater appreciation for the skill required on the O-Line in this article -- complete with quotes from former Illini Tony Pashos
• Jeff Jordan has rejoined the Illini basketball team
• Illini senior cross-country runner Angela Bizzarri, a seven-time All-American, won the 6K race at the Pre-National Invitational

Words fail me. I am very, very sad for the Illini players that have worked hard and just can't get this season back under control. This is definitely not what anyone expected from this season.

The game itself was indeed ugly. Missed tackles. Missed field goals. Turnovers. There were some impressive catches on both sides of the field, but bright spots were few and far between, especially for the Illini.

It will be very interesting to see what next year brings...

Not easy to dig into today's Illini football matchup. Indiana is traditionally not a football school, and typically it's a good place to get a conference road win.

The Hoosiers were destroyed at Virginia last week (not impressive), but the Illini haven't been impressive all season. Indiana had a strong road loss at Michigan early in the conference season. In fact, a poor call by the referees may have cost the Hoosiers that game.

What does that mean for today? Who knows. I'll try to be optimistic that it could be an evenly matched, if somewhat ugly, game. Probably won't be widely watched, and that's understandable. But this could be an opportunity for the Illini to show off some of their offensive talent...I hope.

Go Illini.

Labels: Illini football

The #10 Illini volleyball team beat #6 Minnesota in front of a school-record crowd at the Assmebly Hall last night. The Illini are now alone in second in the Big Ten, behind #1 Penn State. If you need a break from the NFL tomorrow, check out the match on the Big Ten Network, 5 pm Central...

Tonight the #10 Illini women's volleyball team will attempt to set an attendance record as they host #6 Minnesota tonight at Assembly Hall. And the match will be immediately followed by the kickoff of the basketball season with Illini Madness.

So if you are in the area, seriously think about heading to Assembly Hall. That will be much warmer than the high school football game I'm planning to check out...