Full Court Press

Offensive line was awesome and Leman was like a smaller version of Urlacher a few years back. A few less dropped passes and it's not even close. THAT was a well played game. Now we know why the spread is so potent in college and even though he didn't have a big game, Mendenhall is gonna be a damn good pro. Ohio States' commitment to stop him and the Illinis' play calling presence to take advantage of the situation was the difference in the game.

Hopefully Ron Turner watched the game.

First Illini touchdown is gonna put a damper on the victory by many an expert, but the 'Champaign Shotgunners' dominated the game to the point where there is no question who the better team was today. Gotta love it!

GO ILLINI!

Sombody pinch me.

It isn't often that every college team I hate lose on the same day.

OSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Alabama all took the pipe!

Now if Miami loses, (they're down 14/zip as of this post) I'm heading out to the 7-Eleven to buy a hundred dollars worth of lottery tickets, because the stars are in alignment and the Gods are smiling on me.

More like Juice can Play...correct me if im wrong, but it was Williams who wanted to go for it on 4th down with about 7mins to go. Too bad he is too short...like Troy Smith 2

Also...total fumble on that first big play by ILLINOIS....whoever Tressel is paying to watch for that stuff should be fired.

Too bad Illinois couldnt close the deal on Iowa...

Thank you Illini!!!!! (although I am not jumping on the band wagon)

How about this...

Kansas goes number one, LSU admittedly has the tougher schedule, but Kansas at 10-0 has a claim. So Kansas goes number one and Missouri wins out which includes beating Kansas on the last day of the season. Mizzou goes to #1? Who would have thought that at the beginning of the season? Is it to far a reach?

Did I say keep Weis?

This game put Illinois right up there with elite football programs.
Illinois has good young players the public league is represented
well and great players from other states.
Kudos to Ron Zook.
Now lets keep building a great program for a great university.

Go Illini!

Congratulations to the Illini fans.....you cleared the way for a real national championship game

I hope the Pumpkinheads win the Big 10 next year and get a shot at being in the National Championship game...next logical step

Ohio State is always overrated, but that was a great win

Thank you, Fighting Illini

Most of the top guys on the Illini are Chicago players: Juice, Rashard (Turner's recruit), Martin O'Donnell. I say let's keep the talent in state. There's no reason for Michigan, ND, or Iowa to get those recruits. With a stellar record every year and a great recruiter like Ron Zook, the Illini should cement a nice pipeline straight down I-57 to Champaign. Keep up the great job and excitement! GO ILLINI

I am cracking up Mark V!! I hope you win!!!

I was lifted to a higher place as I watched Illinois rip the heart out of the horseshoe! Camera work was excellent as it panned over every face of disappointment including that classless fight at midfield, and the few hundred loyal illini celebrating wildly after the game was over. Was the upset of the year and brought back memories of Texas taking down USC on national TV. Was beeyoootiffull football. That last quarter was pure Zook and Juice. And kudos to Ron for giving the fouth down CREDIT to his QB and allowing him to speak (somebody needs to send that to Scott Skiles and Ron Turner). Illinois held the ball for 10 of the 12 minutes in that quarter and that my friend is how you counter a potent offense. It used to be Bear football - but no more. And yes Notre Dame's collapse made it even sweeeter! my my, my my my!

Keith sez: "I was lifted to a higher place as I watched Illinois rip the heart out of the horseshoe!"
______________________________________

Indeed!

Now these two over-rated / overhyped, "powerhouses" can play their final game of the season to decide which one of the LOSERS gets to represent the Big Ten in Pasadena; whilst looking back over their shoulder pads whistfully at what might have been.

I hope this spanking haunts all of them to the grave.
(Yes ... I know I'm a mean, spiteful, and vindictive little bastard, but I just can't help myself)

I'm a Florida alum and think this is a great win for Zook. Zook is a very good coach and he's only going to get better. I think he was treated extremely unfairly at Florida (e.g., the creation of FireRonZook.com BEFORE he even coached his first game) and honestly, at this point, can't say we're any better off with Urban. I wish Zook many successful years at Illinois and, maybe one day, he'll have his true shot at redemption -- coaching Illinois against the Gators for the national championship.

"Wow" A real football team!! Somthing we havent seen that often the last 20 years in Champaign. The Zooker has turned things around so much faster than I thought was possible. If he continues to recruit so well, theres no reason we cant be a consistent player on the national scene. Go Illini!!!

the suckeyes are overrated and finally got beat and by the fightinf illini heres some nuts for u buckeyes

The Illini are back. There should be no doubt that Ron Zook should be coach of the year. He has worked his tail off to convince these young me to come to Illinois and be difference makers. Mission accomplished but even more important victories will come in the years ahead. Congrats Mr. Zook to you and your players.

As the football team came back - so will Chief Illiniwek!
That sprit will not die before the jerks on the board of trustees and current administration do -

given the fact that a loss to my alma mater makes you drop to 7th-behind inferrior teams, I must still insist that the only thing that impresses me about the Illini: the uniforms. We have made much more progress there. Soon we will be as good as the uniforms.
can Orange Juice Pass? hmmm I wonder if there is a reason they don't call a black fotball player for the orange illini whose name is Juice,Orange Juice? O J ust a minute. I figured it out.

Honestly, I believe the Illini are getting back to the consistency they had in the late 80's to the early mid 90's. Everyone keeps acting like this is a doormat program. I expect them to return to winning. After all the Big 10 has to of the nation top winning programs. Not to mention that illinois has success at some point in every decade just about. I mean consider the fact that florida wasn't ever good consistantly until about 1990 when Spurrier showed up. As for talent as a state, let's not forget that for many of those years that ND, Mich and Wisconsin were good they raided the state for players. During the 80's and 90's the two states with the most players on big 10 and ND roster was Illinois. So, as long as Zook recruits and try to keep players in state we will win.

Ok, I realize as a new guy i must validate my statements from my previous entry. I played football in the SEC (on scholarship)- I moved to metro Atlanta (which is a huge football hotbed)in 11th grade. I am originally from Evanston which back in the 90's were a consistantly ranked team with a history of being one of the states best program (not to mention B-Ball. But after being a football standout and track star I would talk to other standout down here and realize that they were from up north. See Atlanta is a metro area full of recent transplants as is the State of Florida (hence the population explosion in both areas over the last five years.) One thing even my college coaches would say about the Big 10 is that the midwest has just as many athletes as the south maybe more they just over look it. One coach specificly told me that the African American athletes are in greater number in Chicago,St. Louis, Milwaukee,Detroit and Cleveland. He said that they have the same speed (ted ginn) as the southern boys. And that in many cases they were more athletic because basketball is so big in the northern culture so they develop agility and quickness at an early age. If you don't believe why do Big 10 reciever do better in the pros than SEC. Last but not least we are bred in tougher weather conditions so we are just tougher and more physical. I agree, especially look at all the pros that are standouts from Chicago (Donovan Mcnabb, Simeon Rice, Antwan Randall EL etc..! I will stop now - the point is the talent is there, our football player that are caucasian are light years above SEC players. I mean when is the last time you seen a cauasian the like of AJ Hawk, Paul Paluzny and JP Leman - come out the SEC - thats what I thought not for a long time. But unlike our basketball talent we must keep our talent at home. Here's food for thought. Did you know has the highest percent of players in the NBA-we have 24 only New York and Cali have more with 25 and there state population is larger than ours(based on last years NBA Stats.) But with all this talent why is it no college team in Illinois is consistantly in the final four or elite eight and hasn't won the national title- because the best talents leaves state to make other teams better.

Also along those lines T. Rhodes, but a little off topic: Illinois is also way up there in total players in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I think we only trail NY.

Last year in E. Lansing, the Illinois players tried to plant an Illinois flag on the Spartans logo causing a scuffle that resulted in the Big Ten fining both schools 10k. This year in the 'Shoe, the players went out to midfield to dance on the OSU logo causing yet another scuffle which could result in more fines. Will someone please tell Ron Zook he is no longer playing in the SEC? This is the Big Ten, we are supposed to be better than that.
And that fumble? By NCAA rule, television monitors are not allowed in the coaches' boxes in the press box.