[NU Sports] NU-Illinois

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Unfortunately, I wasn't at the 1992 Gissendander catch
game, but I imagine that it was one heck of a game and
a preview of all those amazing comebacks we'd see the
next decade or so of NU football.

I can tell you that my LEAST favorite Illinois game
was the 1998 Big Ten home opener that we lost 13-10.
It was a tough loss, made all the worse by the sight
of Illini players dancing around Hannibal and draping
their ill-colored flags all over our beautiful new
wildcat statue in the south end zone after the game.

After that disgusting display, the next home date with
Illinois -- 2000's 61-23 pasting -- ranks as my
favorite. We didn't even try and run it up, we just
blasted those punks out of the stadium from the
opening play and I'm sure more than a few of us frozen
fans in the stands remembered their little victory
dance in 1998 each time "Go U!" played on that day.

I think it is a big game for positioning next year.
Illinois is a team on the rise. I'm not completely
sold on Zook's coaching yet, but he's a heck of a
recruiter and endlessly enthusiastic. They're getting
more confident each week and ready to make a run next
year for a bowl game.

And the Cats have been a different team ever since CJ
stepped in against MSU. The offense has clicked and is
starting to look like what we all expect from the
Cats. An even more pleasant surprise is the way the D
has come out firing after that MSU debacle. Now if we
can cut down on those darn turnovers it should be one
heck of a game Saturday.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

* * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!


 
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