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Part 1
A funny thing happened
on the way to the Rose Bowl
By Jeff Mayfield
[OCT.
5, 2000]
Actually,
it’s not all that funny. Illinois’ dream college football season
has hit a partial derailment. Now they have a bye week to try and
right the ship and avoid a total train wreck. I tried to warn those
who were caught up in the early euphoria. In fact, the LDN said if
the Illini somehow managed to go 8-4 again, we would just mail that
in to the NCAA home office and move on to basketball. I had
questions about our defense. They did play an inspired first half
against Michigan, but in the Big Ten you must string two halves
together! There is a great opportunity to get well against Iowa, but
then the schedule stiffens in a hurry. This week the LDN does all it
can do to keep the faith and to will the Illini back to...
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...health
and respectability. If the Michigan loss wasn’t enough to take the
wind out of our sails, the loss to Minnesota was a crushing blow. I
had a bad feeling about the Gophers while I was watching the
Michigan game snatched out of our mouth of victory. The
disappointment was so heavy in the air, especially because of the
way the last four minutes unfolded, that a letdown was almost
inevitable.
Most
people did not recognize it. However, if you’ve ever been in a
position or ever find yourself in a position to beat one of the
nation’s top 10 teams...then realize that you’re a couple of
minutes away from realizing your dream...then watch it evaporate
right before your eyes in an instant...then you might be able to
begin to understand the crushing blow that it is for a team’s
psyche!
In
my lifetime I have only seen one or two coaches ever who have been
able to mastermind some way of recovering their team’s morale
after such a disheartening loss. Coach Turner tried to turn our
fortunes around, but when both the heart and the soul are scared as
bad as they were, his task was next to impossible.
[to top of second
column in this section]
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I’ve
been brought up to believe that you will play the way you practice.
Reports out of Chambana last week said that the Illini had a
terrible week of practice. As the great Joe Walsh once sang,
"It’s hard to leave, when you can’t find the door."
The Illini found it hard to practice after having their hearts
ripped out of their chests. They never could find the door to
bouncing back.
They
better get a heart transplant quick, because after Iowa comes
a-calling, the schedule takes a turn towards the brutal side. First
there’s a trip to Happy Valley, Penn. The uninitiated would say
that Penn State is down, so this is our year to kick them. Do you
have any idea how much Joe Pa Paterno prepares for Big Ten games?
His preparation skills are second to none. The Nittany Lions remind
a lot of Neil Alexander’s Railers...they don’t lose because they’re
not prepared…they lose only when they don’t execute. As a fan
and a sports writer, I love coaches who can take the game to that
high a level. If you’re going to play it, you might as well make a
commitment to excellence.
(To
be continued tomorrow)
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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