TD ILLINI!

36-34

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Sherman remarked, "Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant looked up. "Yes," he replied, followed by a puff. "Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow, though."

Do you believe in miracles? YES!

GOING BOWLING!

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Sherman remarked, "Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant looked up. "Yes," he replied, followed by a puff. "Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow, though."

amazing victory.

I think it was the biggest deficit overcome in Illini history.

You'd think in theory that a former NFL coach would have an advantage in college ball.

It surprised me the first few years of Lovie's Illini coaching tenure that that wasnt the case.

But now u are starting to see that bearing out. Defensively at least. Those guys make plays that look like the pros.

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I think it needs to be said that Illinois is still not any good. The Big Ten is shit. They lost to EMU at home. They are getting TOs, but otherwise give up 8 yards a play and have a pretty much useless offense.

Kudos to them for making plays to win these games, but if anyone thinks this season is a “turning point” I think they are going to be very upset next year.

Their 4 best defensive players didn’t play that MSU game.

Arrow is pointing up.

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You know me like that.

look at how badly they have played the last few years. 7 probable and 8 potential wins is a major step up from where they have been.

I imagine Iowa comes in and throws a shutout on them this week

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

might be stepping up to a sunny location now

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

The Illini band is currently playing outside of my office on the corner. They cannot want my money that badly, could they?

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Are you safe?

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Curious. One of my best friends, who is a lawyer, just texted me a picture of them playing from his office.

Did you used to scream about loving cheesecake when you were in college?

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You know me like that.

BTW, there is still a scenario where Illinois can win the Big 10 West.

Here's the Scenario...

Illinois wins games against Iowa and Northwestern
Purdue beats Wisconsin
Wisconsin beats Minnesota
Northwestern beats Minnesota

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You know me like that.

Iowa will beat Illinois handily and Minnesota will stomp northwestern this weekend.

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I'll make a few calls and tell them not to bother to play the games.

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You know me like that.

Fuck that! I already took my Minnesota and Iowa.

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If the Illini keep playing Lovieball and score on defense, they got a shot.

I gotta hand it to Lovie. He has a method.

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You know me like that.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Things happen.

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You know me like that.

Your faith is impressive. Hell I hope it happens...what a way to end the year.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

That is the way Lovie draws it up. I wouldn't be surprised if they were lowly rated in yards allowed and highly rated in red zone TD %.

I'm on board with them beating Iowa. Lovie is a bumslayer and Stanley is a bum, masquerading as a decent QB.

What was Lovie's record with 2 weeks of preparation?

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

damn, what a shame.

I think we played Iowa at their place tougher than anybody this year.

If we had any kind of offense we would be unbeatable.

If we coulda pulled this game out, I would say we would be closed to ranked.

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Wrong numbnuts, Minnesota and Purdue played em tighter and Penn State beat em.

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What really matters is that the team can actually play the game.

Get to a meeting, put the pipe down son.

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That train left the station decades ago.

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You know me like that.

surprising blowout loss vs NW.

But then again, with an inept offense it shouldnt be surprising.

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made the Redbox boowl.

vs. Cal.

https://fightingillini.com/news/2019/12 ... -area.aspx

Ticket info down below:

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CHAMPAIGN, ILL – The Fighting Illini football team is going bowling in 2019, and the location will be the Redbox Bowl in San Francisco and Santa Clara, California. Illinois (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) will face Pac-12 Conference foeCalifornia (7-5, 4-5 Pac-12) at 3 p.m. CT/1 p.m. PT on Dec. 30 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

The Redbox Bowl will be televised nationally by FOX, with pregame coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT/12:30 p.m. PT. The game will be simulcast in Spanish on FOX Deportes.

"The University of Illinois is thrilled to accept the invitation for our football team to participate in the 2019 Redbox Bowl," said Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. "The game features a traditional Pac-12 opponent, one of our country's great stadiums, an advantageous date, and a premier television partner. We are excited for our players and fans to experience the San Francisco Bay area, which is home to our University's second-largest concentration of alumni. We hope Fighting Illini faithful from across the country will join us in California to celebrate a memorable season and help our team in its push for win number seven."

The 2019 Redbox Bowl will be Illinois' 19th postseason bowl appearance, and second trip to the Bay Area for a bowl after playing in what was then the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in 2011, a 20-14 Fighting Illini victory over UCLA.

"Playing in a bowl game is another step in the growth of our football program," Head Coach Lovie Smith said. "It is the culmination of hundreds of days and thousands of hours of hard work by our players and staff. The excitement shown by our team when we got the win to become bowl eligible is something I'll never forget. Playing in a bowl game is a huge step for our program in terms of the extra practices, the message it sends to recruits and the excitement we see both within our team and throughout our great fan base."

Illinois leads the all-time series with California, 7-3. The teams last met in 2005, a 35-20 win for Cal in Berkeley, which was the fourth of two home-and-homes (2000, 2001 2003, 2005) when Illinois and Cal split the four games. Prior to the recent meetings, Illinois and Cal met six times from 1955 to 1974 with the Illini winning the first five meetings. This will be the first bowl meeting between Illinois and California.

"The Fighting Illini and Golden Bears present an incredibly compelling match-up for the 2019 Redbox Bowl and we look forward to featuring them for Bay Area college football fans at Levi's Stadium and for a national audience on FOX," said Ryan Oppelt, executive director of the Redbox Bowl. "Cal and Illinois are ascending programs with game-breaking talent on both sides of the ball, elements we expect will excite the local fans of the Golden Bears along with the large alumni base of the Illini."

The Illinois team and travel party will embark to San Francisco on Thursday, Dec. 26 for preparation and team events leading up to the game on Dec. 30. The team will enjoy a visit to Alcatraz, participate in a community service event at St. Anthony's Dining Room, and have a chance to explore San Francisco.

TICKET INFORMATION

Ticket information can be found HERE and ticket orders will begin tonight.

Persons wishing to order Redbox Bowl tickets should sign into their Fighting Illini account upon placing the order to ensure proper ticket allocation. Priority deadline for ticket allocation is 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13. Tickets will be allocated based on I FUND giving level and priority points. Bowl tickets will be mailed via USPS on Monday, Dec. 16.

Illinois fans are highly encouraged to purchase their bowl tickets directly through the Illinois Ticket Office to ensure:

Sitting and cheering with other Illini fans.
Demonstrate to the entire bowl community and all of college football the loyalty of Fighting Illini fans.
Assist the University in meeting its bowl-mandated ticket obligation.
For information regarding official University of Illinois travel packages, please click HERE.

Should demand exceed supply for any price level, the order will be fulfilled at the next available price. The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics reserves the right to reduce or cancel any order.

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My guess is Cal blows the game off being stuck at home for a bowl rather than an exotic location. Obviously it will be a pro Cal crowd.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I didnt expect to win today.

Still good to be in a Bowl game. Hopefully build off this next year. Which usually never happens.

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