Bye Week Blues
October 13, 2005 1:02 PM
The resiliency that fueled the Illini to their miraculous comeback win against Rutgers in game 1 has all but disappeared. Looking back to last weekend's 36-13 defeat to the Indiana Hoosiers, it's easy to figure that this team won't win another game until '06.
In all fairness, Illinois did get screwed in such a vast assortment of ways in Bloomington that it would have been hard for most teams to overcome. Where to begin? There was a successful UI on-side kick that was reversed by an official who didn't even have the common courtesy to throw the flag before giving the ball to IU. Instant replay proved indisputably that Derrick McPhearson's foot was quite close to the sideline on his 51-yard TD catch. There is no way ESPN+'s $200 Hi-8 Sony Handycams had the resolution to prove his foot touched out-of-bounds. UI's 5-10 corner fairly battled with IU's monster 6-7 receiver—otherwise known as pass interference defense. IU held on a play, a flag was thrown and then immediately waved off.
Besides all that nonsense, Illinois had a good chance to make a game of it in the 4th quarter, but essentially fell apart after Tim Brasic's good-play-Good-Play-BAD-PLAY! fumble on a scramble after crossing the 1st-down marker.
The Fighting Illini have an extra week to rekindle the toughness and resiliency they showcased early in the year before the powerful Nittany Lions storm into Memorial Stadium on Homecoming.
- Good teams make plays Illini do not finish
[herald-review.com] - Mix-up won't cost Miller: Zook seeks more time for freshman
[herald-review.com] - Young Hudson showing promise
[herald-review.com]
