Illinois 24, Nebraska 13 Postgame

#226      
Dkayak
gibb52 said:
Good info. IL ticket office does not do a good job of letting people know exactly where that is.
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It’s the next best thing to Colonnades premium seating, which is right beneath the West Balcony. The only difference is the WB concessions are outdoors and don’t offer quite as many options. Great sight-lines too. The TV cameras are scattered across the WB handicapped seating space. Go for it!

They have spaces for wheelchairs but also offer freestanding chairs for “ambulatory” folks with canes or walkers. No bleachers! There’s lots of elbow room and staff guard the space to shoo away people who just want to stand nearby and watch while stretching their legs. It might be partially roped off?
 
#229      
gibb52
Dkayak said:
It’s the next best thing to Colonnades premium seating, which is right beneath the West Balcony. The only difference is the WB concessions are outdoors and don’t offer quite as many options. Great sight-lines too. The TV cameras are scattered across the WB handicapped seating space. Go for it!

They have spaces for wheelchairs but also offer freestanding chairs for “ambulatory” folks with canes or walkers. No bleachers! There’s lots of elbow room and staff guard the space to shoo away people who just want to stand nearby and watch while stretching their legs. It might be partially roped off?
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Thank you so much for that info.
 
#231      
altgeld88
Todd99 said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/2118931829063594392
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Dkayak said:
He said “These Illinois fans, they brought it”, a high compliment from a Corn Husker. We’re making progress!
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In Sept. 1986, 40 years ago this fall, I sat nearly exactly where that guy was last night in the east balcony on a gorgeous end-of-summer Saturday evening . The Huskers scored off a pick-six on the opening play, were up 28-0 at the end of the 1Q, and 38-7 at halftime. It's the only Illini game I ever left early (and found out only a couple years ago via this board that, in so doing, I missed Dick Butkus' jersey retirement at half.) It ended 59-14.

It wasn't until 15 years later when I watched Colorado eviscerate the Huskers in Boulder on Thanksgiving weekend 2001 (62-36) that I believed a Nebraska fan might finally understand how we felt that evening in Champaign.

After listening to his weeping-and-gnashing-of-teeth lament about Matt Ruhle, his swish faux-varsity jacket, and the state of NU football I have only one thing to say: the circle of life, no matter how long its circumference may be, is a beautiful thing to behold.
 
#232      
WWWWRocU
Absolutely excellent win last night! I mean, how much more in control can a team be than a BB coached team?
4 in a row? Really? Might as well make it a Lucky 7!!
 
#237      
RML
Pikeillinifan said:
And what showing for Gies Memorial Stadium on a Friday night on Fox, the lights and show looked amazing on tv and what a great experience for the fans. They’ve done an incredible job improving the gameday experience.
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It was great in person, even before the outcome was clear.
I'm not a fan of the stadium announcer though (too loud and his " enthusiasm" sounded fake to me, rather than real), or the Purdue-ish train horn.
 
#238      
Roundball Sage
altgeld88 said:
... a Nebraska fan might finally understand how we felt that evening in Champaign... the state of NU football I have only one thing to say: the circle of life, no matter how long its circumference may be, is a beautiful thing to behold.
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To consider the history of Husker fans is fascinating.

Generations ago, no one paid attention to Nebraska. Then the program took a chance on an out-of-state coach from a small Western populated State - and this hire planted the seed bed of an emerging great powerhouse program-to-be. He got them there, then that Coach eventually retired and the guy who replaced him took the Huskers to equal or greater heights.

Perhaps no State in America has a population that identifies more with their main State University than Nebraska people. As a small population State that most people ignore... it is through the success of the Huskers that Nebraska people get/got a great sense of pride and feeling of great success. And they got to feel that way for 30 years.

And then... the wheels of the whole thing began to fall off and do so quickly. And as the wins became harder and the powers-that-be there became more clueless about how to fix things... the sense of pride began to wane. And the now it’s been nearly another 30 years since Husker fans could feel that same pride and success on the field and in the National consciousness. And they feel lost and a bit betrayed.

Now, Husker fans are confused, angry, and dispirited. They have tried numerous coaches who have all been failures to fix things back to anywhere near where they once stood. They know that another restart is imminent and they lack confidence that this one will succeed any better than all the others did in the past 30 years.

The Husker fans now that can think beyond their own program and about others like the Illini today realize that many College Football programs in America have never tasted success like they once had. And some of these Husker fans now quietly appreciate what the Illini program has done as they hope in the quiet of their thoughts – or in the noise of angry Husker fan boards – that the Huskers can turn things around like the Illini have.

Last night was a measuring-stick game for Husker fans. They will say... We know how things were for ‘us’ once. We know how things turned sour. We know that nothing we’re doing now is working. And we know that programs like Indiana and Illinois have figured things out while we still can’t. And they will be a bit appreciative and a bit envious. And still confused and frustrated.

Husker fans are looking -- maybe praying -- for success on the field and a comforting group hug right now. And these days it is hard for them to find either of these things. And Illini fans know how Husker fans now feel. And that it’s good to not have to feel that way any more.

Surf’s up in Champaign. While the dark stormy weather in Lincoln still goes on. And fortunes on the gridiron create ripples that reach fan bases far beyond the stadium.
 
#240      
altgeld88
Roundball Sage said:
To consider the history of Husker fans is fascinating.

Generations ago, no one paid attention to Nebraska. Then the program took a chance on an out-of-state coach from a small Western populated State - and this hire planted the seed bed of an emerging great powerhouse program-to-be. He got them there, then that Coach eventually retired and the guy who replaced him took the Huskers to equal or greater heights.

Perhaps no State in America has a population that identifies more with their main State University than Nebraska people. As a small population State that most people ignore... it is through the success of the Huskers that Nebraska people get/got a great sense of pride and feeling of great success. And they got to feel that way for 30 years.

And then... the wheels of the whole thing began to fall off and do so quickly. And as the wins became harder and the powers-that-be there became more clueless about how to fix things... the sense of pride began to wane. And the now it’s been nearly another 30 years since Husker fans could feel that same pride and success on the field and in the National consciousness. And they feel lost and a bit betrayed.

Now, Husker fans are confused, angry, and dispirited. They have tried numerous coaches who have all been failures to fix things back to anywhere near where they once stood. They know that another restart is imminent and they lack confidence that this one will succeed any better than all the others did in the past 30 years.

The Husker fans now that can think beyond their own program and about others like the Illini today realize that many College Football programs in America have never tasted success like they once had. And some of these Husker fans now quietly appreciate what the Illini program has done as they hope in the quiet of their thoughts – or in the noise of angry Husker fan boards – that the Huskers can turn things around like the Illini have.

Last night was a measuring-stick game for Husker fans. They will say... We know how things were for ‘us’ once. We know how things turned sour. We know that nothing we’re doing now is working. And we know that programs like Indiana and Illinois have figured things out while we still can’t. And they will be a bit appreciative and a bit envious. And still confused and frustrated.

Husker fans are looking -- maybe praying -- for success on the field and a comforting group hug right now. And these days it is hard for them to find either of these things. And Illini fans know how Husker fans now feel. And that it’s good to not have to feel that way any more.

Surf’s up in Champaign. While the dark stormy weather in Lincoln still goes on. And fortunes on the gridiron create ripples that reach fan bases far beyond the stadium.
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Yep. Bob Devaney put them on the map in the '60s after decades of irrelevance. Back-to-back Nattys in '70 and '71. That '71 team was probably better than any of Osborne's NC winners and one of the finest of all time, perhaps the best. It beat the #2, #3, and #4 teams in the final polls. The '71 Nebraska victory in Norman on Thanksgiving Day was among a handful of "Games of the (20th) Century".

Devaney retired before he was 60. He coached only 11 seasons at Nebraska; Osborne clocked 25.

Finding coaches such as Devaney and Osborne, and enjoying the 35 -year run they had, is incredibly rare and difficult. It depends on an exceptional AD, which Nebraska appears not to have had in a long, long time. Given the nature of Nebraska I can only imagine the pressure cooker that job is.
 
#242      
wpr
I am thrilled with the win. Whenever the Illini play Nebraska at home I think of when I watched them. Back in 1986 my Dad scored a few tickets to the Illinois Nebraska game in Champaign. It was an absolute drubbing. 59-14. It was over by halftime. The 1986 season was a miserable one. The only highlights were beating Purdue, #16 Iowa and Indiana.
 
#243      
IlliniNash
RockfordIllini said:
Maybe it was just me, but last night really felt like a return to Aaron Henry bend but don’t break style. I wonder if that was a specific game plan for Nebraska with the idea they’d likely shoot themselves in the foot if we kept things in front. Certainly worked.
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Jeremy Werner interviewed Nebraska’s sports counterpart and he said that the problem for Nebraska this year is that they always move the ball well, but can’t punch it in. Seems to have panned out that way for this game.
But kudos to the defense and Cooper he’s done a very good job. We’ve only given up like 13 points per game for the last 3 games. Very impressive.
 
#247      
Illiniguy74
Curbelo Fanboy said:
I was born in 1971 and remember the following coachess

Mike White = did great things but was fast n loose with the rules and it wasn’t sustainable

Mackovic = good coach. Had something cooking. I bet he sometimes wakes in a cold sweat regretting the day he left for Austin.

Tepper =. Perhaps the worst coach in modern power conference history

Turner = solid coach but didn’t work the recruiting side

Zook = exact opposite of Turner. Game coaching disaster class

Beckman = see Tepper and LASAGNA

Lovie = similar to Turner

Bret = without question the best Illini coach of my lifetime. We aren’t fancy or flashy but we are smart, well prepared and give max effort at all times. We do the little things well. And the players are fully bought in on Bret. I’ve never seen one of his teams lay down on him. We’ve had bad games but we keep going for 60 every week.
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It annoys me when people call out Mike White for being "fast and loose with the rules". His transgressions were minor comparatively, in the relative scheme of things and especially by today's standards. They were magnified by a vindictive NCAA and the negative influence of certain opposing schools and coaches. In my mind, he will always be an Illini of great standing.
 
#248      
Illiniguy74
Dkayak said:
It’s sort of a cultural thing for each team. Ours has too often resembled a funeral. Compare the atmospheres at a symphony to a high energy concert, two very different cultures with different behavioral norms.

With success, both on field and in crowd engagement, standing will become more our norm. Seeing the enthusiasm up close on our huge new scoreboard encourages more standing and participation. Maybe that was part of the strategy behind the investment? It seems to be working. I enjoyed watching last night’s crowd more than ever. It’s the sort of thing that will attract students to come and to stay. We NEED that!

At this point in our transition, I’d stand w/o apologies. This will encourage others to join the party, taking us past a tipping point in crowd energy. It’s also a very effective way to support your team, with a significant impact on the game. It’s one of the main reasons to go to the game rather than watching on a screen at home. Participating vs watching!

Some folks will be disappointed or even frustrated enough to stop coming. They’ll be replaced by others drawn to a fired-up atmosphere. We need more of the latter. The former can add to TV viewership.
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I've always felt that it's the duty of the fans in attendance to display as much energy as possible. My wife and I attended the 2000 Illini-Michigan "hose job" game and sat in the student section. Mind you, we were 48 by this time. The students were absolutely nuts. Standing and yelling all game. We joined in. Best football crowd I've ever experienced (including 1983 games).
 
#249      
BretMyBeachHouse
Roundball Sage said:
To consider the history of Husker fans is fascinating.

Generations ago, no one paid attention to Nebraska. Then the program took a chance on an out-of-state coach from a small Western populated State - and this hire planted the seed bed of an emerging great powerhouse program-to-be. He got them there, then that Coach eventually retired and the guy who replaced him took the Huskers to equal or greater heights.

Perhaps no State in America has a population that identifies more with their main State University than Nebraska people. As a small population State that most people ignore... it is through the success of the Huskers that Nebraska people get/got a great sense of pride and feeling of great success. And they got to feel that way for 30 years.

And then... the wheels of the whole thing began to fall off and do so quickly. And as the wins became harder and the powers-that-be there became more clueless about how to fix things... the sense of pride began to wane. And the now it’s been nearly another 30 years since Husker fans could feel that same pride and success on the field and in the National consciousness. And they feel lost and a bit betrayed.

Now, Husker fans are confused, angry, and dispirited. They have tried numerous coaches who have all been failures to fix things back to anywhere near where they once stood. They know that another restart is imminent and they lack confidence that this one will succeed any better than all the others did in the past 30 years.

The Husker fans now that can think beyond their own program and about others like the Illini today realize that many College Football programs in America have never tasted success like they once had. And some of these Husker fans now quietly appreciate what the Illini program has done as they hope in the quiet of their thoughts – or in the noise of angry Husker fan boards – that the Huskers can turn things around like the Illini have.

Last night was a measuring-stick game for Husker fans. They will say... We know how things were for ‘us’ once. We know how things turned sour. We know that nothing we’re doing now is working. And we know that programs like Indiana and Illinois have figured things out while we still can’t. And they will be a bit appreciative and a bit envious. And still confused and frustrated.

Husker fans are looking -- maybe praying -- for success on the field and a comforting group hug right now. And these days it is hard for them to find either of these things. And Illini fans know how Husker fans now feel. And that it’s good to not have to feel that way any more.

Surf’s up in Champaign. While the dark stormy weather in Lincoln still goes on. And fortunes on the gridiron create ripples that reach fan bases far beyond the stadium.
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Nice post but I disagree that they want a turnaround like ours. They want titles. Which is why they fired at least one good coach.
 
#250      
Dkayak
RockfordIllini said:
Maybe it was just me, but last night really felt like a return to Aaron Henry bend but don’t break style. I wonder if that was a specific game plan for Nebraska with the idea they’d likely shoot themselves in the foot if we kept things in front. Certainly worked.
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It wasn’t just you. Brett mentioned it post game, in this video, also posted elsewhere. Here’s the Google summary:

"Let’s just keep the ball in front of us, don’t let the ball get over top of us," was the core defensive philosophy Illinois head coach Bret Bielema stressed to interim defensive coordinator Roger Cooper and his defensive staff.

Bielema discussed this bend-but-don't-break mindset following the Fighting Illini's 24-13 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Acknowledging that the style can test a team's composure, Bielema noted: "I know it gets boring and sometimes you give up some yards... Sometimes patience is a virtue and if you get in a hurry bad things can happen, but I really liked the demeanor of our guys."

By focusing on sound tackling and preventing explosive, over-the-top plays, the resurgent Illini defense successfully limited Nebraska to just a single play of 20+ yards (a 51-yard touchdown). Keeping everything underneath forced the Huskers into inefficient, long drives that ultimately stalled out, helping Illinois lock down their fourth straight win and secure bowl eligibility.

 
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