Tate Why are the Illini having success? It's the program, silly
· Yahoo Sports
Nov. 9—When they say it is NOT about the Benjamins, it's surely about the Benjamins ... even when it isn't.
Confused? As Illini coach Bret Bielema emphasized Friday night, and as we witnessed angry crowds leaving early at Ohio State and Michigan on Saturday, it takes more than wealthy donors to win Big Ten football games.
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It's the program, silly. It's the athletic director, the weight training, the nutritionists, the medical people and all those who set the stage, and heady leadership like that provided by coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. in outmaneuvering the opposition.
Then it's up to a growing squad of gritty athletes. Record-breaking Collin Dixon grabbed two of Katin Houser's three short touchodwn passes on Friday, little-used Jordan Anderson again stepped forward late, Bielema shocked the building in turning punter Lars Rau loose on a game-turning fake field goal, safety Matthew Bailey went to the locker room and back and still had 11 tackles, 285-pound Pat Farrell deflected a 4th-and-1 pass, sub Mason Muragin knifed in for a late-game sack and a once-unsettled defensive unit defined "bend-don't-break."
It's the program, silly. And it resulted in the Illini's fourth straight win, 24-13, against a dazed Nebraska club that missed two field goals and failed to score a point on four 11-play drives ... a Nebraska club that lacked Illini discipline in drawing 11 penalties ... a Nebraska club now searching for a new offensive coordinator ... a Nebraska club setting all-time records for fourth-quarter ineptness.
So the Illini team that seemed helpless against troubled Purdue has won four straight, and Bielema dared to make a subtle mention of what 9-3 would mean as the 6-3 Illini travel to the Rose Bowl this upcoming Friday night to face a surprising UCLA team that has won eight of its nine games by double figures.
How can you evaluate two high-level basketball teams when both are minus their front-line powerhouses, Illinois' David Mirkovic and Texas Tech's JT Toppin, on Tuesday night in Lubbock?
The 6-foot-9 Toppin produced 35 points and 11 rebounds during the Illini's 81-77 win here last season but suffered an ACL knee injury in mid-February and hasn't played since.
These are comparable absences. Neither can be replaced even as both teams are an unchallenged 2-0 as they learn to play without them (Tech leans heavily on former Illini guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn).
Mirkovic will undoubtedly miss next Tuesday's game at Duke. He must be considered uncertain for the Dec. 4 date with Connecticut in Chicago.
Regardless of what we've seen from Brad Underwood's prize freshmen, Illinois can't be considered a title contender without Mirkovic. He provides a beefy toughness and versatility up front that Illinois needs for a championship run.
On the other hand, the loss of Jake Davis — possibly for the season — can be compensated for by their three-point shooters and live-wire rebounders in this new class. Underwood points to Davis as a dedicated worker and a respected squad member but he lacks playmaking skills.
In the final analysis, Davis can be replaced but, on this roster, Mirkovic can't.
Credit Josh Whitman for lighting a fire under Illini football fans with the two-game series at Notre Dame next year in South Bend, Ind., and here in 2028.
However, as exciting as this will be for ticket holders, these games aren't likely to enhance Illinois chances insofar as the 24-team playoff is concerned. This is stated as one who personally watched the Irish defeat the 1946 Big Ten and Rose Bowl champions, 26-6, and Jim Valek's 1967-68 UI teams by 47-7 and 58-8.
Notre Dame, a national gridiron institution that often attracts the cream of Chicagoland talent, is just as dominant these days as throughout the past — the Irish just downed No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Saturday night — while the Illini has reached bowl level for only the 13th time in the 35 post-Mackovic years ... losing six of those, including 35-18 to Louisiana Tech in 2014.
When the Irish fell short of the 12-team playoff last year, they simply declined bowl invitations as though the idea was beneath them (and a half-dozen players gearing for the NFL draft).
So, yes, a victory next September under the Golden Dome would certainly reach Top 10 status historically for Illinois. It's something to shoot for. But the program might see more benefits in the long run playing past 50-50 non-conference foes like Duke, Kansas, Virginia and North Carolina.
As he did with the videoboard, credit Whitman for reaching for the stars. But, remember, any September loss will always make it a long haul back into the Top 24.