On Saturday, the No. 17 Fighting Illini host the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Gies Memorial Stadium.
Yes, it is going to be an orange out in Champaign, so if you are planning on attending, act accordingly.
I am not going to prognosticate like everyone else. The stakes are clear. The matchup is what it is. The Illini at 5-1 are on pace with expectations, so a loss here will not be devastating.
But you came here for nostalgia. You came here to see i we can glean any advice for the Illini based on societal conditions the last time the Illini won the Illibuck Trophy.
NOVEMBER 10, 2007
Illini World
Head Coach – Ron Zook
Admittedly, the Ron Zook hire was similar to the Bret Bielema hire.
Yes, the hire. Not the tenure.
Zook is a Midwest guy who took over an SEC program. And like Coach B, Zook kinda got his teeth kicked in.
Also like Bielema, Zook brought a ready-for-prime-time skill to Champaign. Bielema brought elite program-building chops, while Zook excelled in recruiting. And his early Illinois rosters looked built to make NFL scouts do double takes.
Hotshot Offensive Coordinator – Mike Locksley
He is the anti-Lunney. Locks was a flashy, aggressive recruiter who led Illini pursuits of top players. He is the main reason the Illini had a national recruiting footprint in those days.
But Lunney has put in his time. He has deep connections to Arkansas and Texas, and Luke Altmyer is providing a magnum opus thesis for Lunney’s system. I think Luke’s ability to protect the football could be Illinois’ best chance to pull an upset.
Number one movie – American Gangster
This movie, like the Illini with a reloaded, retained roster, was expected to be a huge hit. Luke Altmyer and Gabe Jacas are the Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington of Champaign, Illinois. Both are venerable superstars with the ability to put on award-winning performances every time they step onto their chosen field of endeavor.
In order to contain Julian Sayin, Carnell Tate, and Randy Moss Jeremiah Smith, Gabe Jacas has to act with all of Frank Lucas’ ruthlessness but without the sloppiness that eventually got him pinched.
And this may be the moment Barry Lunney Jr. and Luke Alttmyer unleash the special stuff they have kept on the shelf. What do you have in your bag of tricks that has no film?
Yes, Illinois needs to make big plays in all three phases. And having two superstar conduits through whom infinite hope flow definitely helps.
Number one song – Kiss, Kiss by Chris Brown
Okay, so I can’t find any good advice for the Illini in this song’s lyrics. But if the Illini want to beat the nation’s top team, they may have to run it, run it.
(I probably lost some of you with Chris Brown lyrics. I’ll land the plane now.)
“The mark of mediocrity is to look for precedent.” Norman Mailer
Mr. Mailer passed away on the day of Illinois’ last victory over the Buckeyes.
So perhaps trying to find validation and justification for optimism is a fool’s errand.
So what does this game win?
Because Illinois has taken care of business in two of its three “toss-up” games, this game does not mean nearly as much. This is an Illinois team that had a 9-10 win standard expectation for the season. So they are still on that pace with a spate of winnable games on the horizon.
This becomes the ultimate house money situation for Bret Bielema’s squad. If they lose, nobody will begrudge them a loss against the top team in the nation.
But if they win, they just hit the entire sport with a banned move that surely overwhelms the sulphuric taste of the Indiana game.
So if you think the Illini are going to roll the Buckeyes, Ryan Day’s team is likely too good for that.
But is the Illinois squad that takes the field nearly a full current UIUC freshman’s lifespan after Illinois’ last win over OSU ready to grab the brass ring?
They were not ready in Bloomington last month.
They were not ready in Eugene last year.
While there are no moral victories, there are program victories. And a good showing against a legit natty contender would go a long way towards Illinois stacking recruiting classes that look more like Ryan Day than MAC schools.
