Yes there were some weird playcalls. Yes, we got outclassed. But I was also there in person, and I have to say that we were not embarrassed in the slightest. On the contrary, I left sad about the game yet proud and optimistic for the future. Here are some reasons why:
-USF came away with no points on the first drive after matching down the field. The defense buckled down and did not take their lack of momentum as a sign to stop trying on that drive. Then, they stopped them entirely because....
-Special teams are a focus, not a sloppy afterthought. We blocked two kicks (at least one of which was by Isaiah Gay, a SEVENTEEN year old), and Nate Hobbs returned one of them for two points. That play was the peak of the fun for us Illinois fans there, rivaled only by...
-Epstein scoring a long touchdown two minutes before the half. The past few years, if we went down, we rarely punched back. These Young Illini stood tall and answered the bell. Unfortunately we gave up a touchdown right before the half which made any comeback hopes unlikely, but the Epstein drive was hope inspiring.
-Jeff George Jr. can throw the ball with some zip, and maybe more importantly he knows where he wants to go with it way quicker than Crouch.
-Our young DBs are going to be really good. Particularly Adams and Hobbs. Adams' interception was textbook coverage and was during a part of the game when we still had a legitimate shot at winning.
-Our young DEs are incredible for their age, and I really think one will be a freshman All-American.
-Our defenders are, for the first team since the start of the Beckman era, able to tackle players with enough power and technique to drive them backwards. It only happened a few times at USF, but against WKU it was more common. I missed that sort of Martez Wilson or Justin Harrison type hit.
-Lovie, Hardy, and McGee just flat out exude calmness and confidence. Watching warmups is a joy with this group. This team will be properly coached up.
-Underrated point: we actually had a respectable amount of fans show up to a game several states away. Us Florida Illini loved that.
When we were walking out of the stadium, most Illini fans were in agreement that the future is bright and that we just need to wait a year to see some fruits of this rebuild. Our Young Illini fight and make opportunistic plays, and if you cannot appreciate and enjoy this team, that's on you and not them.