Illinitalk

That was painful. But, Illini fans know how to handle painful. We have plenty recent experience with ugly losses.

The Illini made critical mistakes, but they also played well. As one USC fan said to me after the game, “The final score doesn’t reflect how well you played.” Once on track, the D held USC scoreless for a long stretch in the first half. And as Juice’s arm warmed up, our offense showed it’s explosive potential.

Here are a few of my thoughts based on my perspective from the Illini end zone…

• Rust. Most of the first half, Illinois looked like a team that hadn’t played since Nov. 17. It took too long for the passing game to get going, and most of the first quarter for the defense to stand up.
• Turnovers. They generate and kill momentum quickly. Early in the game, when the ball was ruled down before we picked it up, the Illini were fired up, but the call on the field was discouraging. But the fumbles and interceptions killed the momentum that was building in the third quarter to the point where some SC fans admitted being concerned
• USC defense. It’s good. Illinois has done very well in the red zone this season, and after the first interception, not getting any points really hurt. And once their defense figured out the Juice/Mendenhall option plays, drives stalled quickly. This unit showed they really are one of the nation’s top defenses.
• Mendenhall. He’s good. Yes, he can be stopped, but it took the Trojan defense a bit of time to figure out how to stop him, and he still had some great runs. He will be missed.
• Tough calls and lucky breaks. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don’t. Most everything went well for the Trojans, from a ball bouncing off one player and into the arms of another, to a questionable pass interference call that negated what appeared to be an interception by J Leman.
• Poor sportsmanship. Both teams disappointed me here, with unnecessary taunting and late hits as emotions ran high. USC reinforced their obnoxious image, but unfortunately the Illini played that game too. That behavior really takes away from the game.
• Illinois loyalty. The chant from the student section of “Thank you, seniors” during the final minutes of the game helped me remember just how far we’ve come this season. From 2 wins to 9 wins and a BCS Bowl invitation in one year? That’s impressive. Thank you, seniors.
• Atmosphere. A Bowl game is lots of fun.
• Bright future. The Rose Bowl wasn’t as competitive as hoped, but the Illini have a lot of talent returning next year, and a very strong recruiting class coming in. And we will go into the season with Bowl experience.

2007 was a year to remember. We beat Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. We won 9 games. And we had a great scouting trip to Pasadena so that players, coaches and the Illini Nation know how to do this next time. Because I firmly believe this is just the beginning. A few notes:

• The coaches saw how the team reacted to all the hype, distraction and pressure of this game – what seemed to make sense, and what didn’t, so that next year will go more smoothly.
• When in an unfamiliar environment, the cheerleaders and Marching Illini really need to help organize the Illini section so we can support our team with unity. It was hard to hear ourselves in the Rose Bowl, so we needed more leadership from the field to help us cheer.
• The L.A. area hosted us graciously, even though we were playing a “home” team. This trip raised my respect for the USC program and it’s fans. Overall, the USC fans are passionate about their team, but they are also pretty good sports (at least compared to the LSU Tiger fans in New Orleans a few years ago).
• Orange looks great in any city! I'll gladly check out the Illini scene in Orlando, San Antonio, Pasadena, etc., next year.

Finally, I refuse to allow this disappointing end spoil a wonderful season. We still had a season that exceeded expectations. And as I watched a team of very disappointed young men walk off the field, I choked up with pride in this team and their accomplishments. I am proud to be a loyal Illini.

Note: Please forgive the length of this post and it's redundancy with Chief's comments. After watching live, I had lots of thoughts to share...

Labels: Illini football, Rose Bowl

# posted by Alma Mater : 12:32 AM