I Have Nothing To Say, So I Will Write

Air let out: Gophers spoil Juice's big day

CHAMPAIGN - An exciting burst of momentum: Gone.

The joy of a glorious, sun-kissed homecoming afternoon: Wiped away.

Hopes for a run that just might keep Illinois in the Big Ten title hunt: Adios, at least for now

All of Illinois' worst football fears came home to roost on Saturday

The local newspaper headline summed the 3 hour showdown up in a couple lines.  The 3 hour showdown that left the 60,000+ ticket holders sunburned with no good explanation story. Left them walking out of the stadium with nothing exciting to talk about other than the designs of the cracks in the sidewalk.  This was not how it was planned...Minnesota?!?! This was Homecoming, was it not?!?! This was suppose to be a weekend of partying until the sun came up on Monday. I mean damn, the 65 year old tuba player came all the way back to perform with the band and his other fellow alumni at halftime.  And did the 55 year old lady, that hit the ground because her equally as old male spotter did not have the muscles he did back in '86 to hold her over his head as long as he used to, come back to see this??? Come on boys, have some pride. Break somebody's leg if he's running all over you!

Whether they expected to or not, they were.  

The final scoreboard read:

Minnesota 27, Illinois 20...leaving the Fighting Illini to fall to 3-3. 

Yes, so pretty much stated...Illinois' football season is over.  And I know that many people will say that true fans are suppose to stay with their teams until the end,  and believe me, I will be in that stadium every Saturday from now until the November 11th smackdown with Ohio State. And I will be continue to wave my Zook Zone towel wildly over my head every single play of the game until the final second runs out.  And i will continue to quickly run down to the tunnel after each game to joyfully get a high five from a hopeful future NFL player as the team makes it's way back into the locker room. I love football! But who's fooling anybody? A 1-2 record after 3 weeks of conference play in the Big Ten is a custom engraved tombstone in a cemetery.  The 2008 Illini have been laid to rest. I'm not giving up all hope though, trust me, there is still countless football to be played.  The season has just begun.  Just because another shot at the Rose Bowl will not come true this year does not mean that the sternum cracking, concussion causing, temporarily deafening hits are over.  There is much more football to be played, and if there is more to be played, I will be there to watch.  And if you ask me, YES!, the Fighting Illini will go undefeated for the rest of the season and whoop the Buckeyes ASS on the third Saturday of November in Memorial Stadium. Dont get it wrong, I'm bleeding orange and blue.  But until that defense learns that the other team is NOT suppose to drive down the field and put points on the board, I may be the only sober individual yelling "I-N-I" back, in response to another Illinois hopeful's cry of "I-L-L"