I was really glad to read this article in the Tribune this morning.
Illinois quarterback Juice Wiliams and wide receiver Arrelious Benn staked out some campus bars that are off limits to football players and found that some of their teammates were breaking team rules by hanging out in those establishments. The duo reported the rules violations to coach Ron Zook, who made the offending players run sprints.
Good. That's the kind of leadership the Illini need from Williams and Benn this year. That's the type of leadership that was sorely lacking in last year's underwhelming 5-7 campaign. It's time to put some accountability into the Illinois football program, and the best way to do that is for the players to hold each other accountable.
I admit I reached my boiling point with Illini football last season. I'm tired of the off-the-field shenanigans. I'm tired of the undisciplined, mistake-prone play on the field. I'm sick and tired of losing to MAC schools. I'm sick and tired of losing to Missouri, and I'm damn sure sick and tired of losing to Northwestern. NU coach Pat Fitzgerald never misses an opportunity to talk about how much he hates the Illini. Come Nov. 14 of this year, I want to give him another reason to hate us.
The pieces are in place for Illinois to win eight or nine games this year. They have an explosive offense and perhaps the best defensive line in the Big Ten. It's time to stop the self-destruction and stop with the excuses. It is time for Illinois football to win.
I am pretty sure Tim Brewster has no use for I-L-L-I-N-I after they rejected him for an interview. Brewster and his team were celebrating at Champaign last year as if the Gophers clinched a Rose Bowl.
What would Minnesota know about the Rose Bowl? The Gophers haven't been there since 1962.
Gophers haven't made a Rose Bowl appearance in quite awhile, but at least, they didn't get blown out by USC in the Rose Bowl like the I-L-L-I-N-I. To think, delusional Chicago sports fans actually thought the I-L-L-I-N-I was actually going to beat USC in the Rose Bowl couple of years ago.
My sister, my brother-in-law and several of my friends and acquaintances are Illinois grads. Nevertheless, I'm not sure I know a single person who expected Illinois to win that game.
TheOldRoman predicted a victory for the I-L-L-I-N-I that day against USC. I recalled many myopic Illinois fans were actually thinking victory that day at White Sox Interactive.
I'm quite sure people were hoping for victory that day. After all, hope is a good thing to have. Thinking victory? I doubt it.