10 Days - 30 B1G Years - 2001
by Bama Hawkeye on Aug 22, 2011 11:06 AM CDT
in Illinois
Email
PrintAfter the mess of 2000, it made sense that someone would rise up and grab the league in 2001. We just didn't think it would be the Illini. With an incredibly powerful offense, and a just good enough defense, Illinois stormed through the non-conference, and only dropped a game at MIchigan. At 10-1 (7-1), this was the best that Champaign had produced since 1983.
Unfortunately, the bowl result would be reminiscent of 1983 as well. With the Rose Bowl hosting the National Title game, Illinois was an available team. This would be the first year since 1945 that the Big Ten would not send a team to Pasadena. Illinois was selected to face SEC Champion LSU. In the Sugar Bowl. Facing a virtual home crowd, the Illini got behind early and could never quite get back into the game, falling 47-34.
And though they weren't a conference member yet...
...Nebraska sure learned that what Poison sang is true.
18 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Nothing but a good time?
I don’t get it.
by mikjones24 on Aug 22, 2011 11:14 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
This is also the first year Ferentz had a winning record at Iowa
First Iowa bowl game under Ferentz
First Iowa bowl win under Ferentz
For the record,
Most every Nebraska fan knew we had no business being in that game… We had a good, not great, team that forgot how to play defense the second half of that season. Still, you gotta hand it to this run that basically gave a wide-open heisman race to Crouch. It made that year fun.
Always check the words with the red squiggly line. They mean you probably screwed up.
The kid had it coming... well, maybe not.
Interestingly enough, Kellen Huston was a pretty sane and smart guy. He was a pre-med student and academic all-american. Generally everyone liked him, but he kinda lost it on the field that night. Looks like it didn’t affect his long-term goals, though. He’s now an orthopedic doctor down at SLU via Iowa Med School. So he’s got that going for him.
As a sidenote, when I saw you send a link to someone getting straight up knocked out, I assumed you’d be going here.
Always check the words with the red squiggly line. They mean you probably screwed up.
by KennardHusker on Aug 22, 2011 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Huh, I graduated high school with Kellen Huston (Ankeny class of 2000, represent)
Didn’t really pay attention to what happened to him after that since I was at Iowa and didn’t pay attention to Nebraska football whatsoever. One of the biggest (funniest) things I remember about the kid was that he always used to wear too short jeans. As in highwaters. This was more in junior high/early high school though. He was indeed pretty smart—I think he was in my honors Calc class senior year and would challenge the teachers with various math problems with a couple other students (as in, how would you figure out this equation to some hypothetical). He was also pretty nice. I don’t think anyone really ever had a problem with him (nor was he known as an asshole like many others).
Man, I haven’t thought about that guy in 11 years.
by Captain n Diet Coker on Aug 22, 2011 2:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh, I was delusional.
I 100% thought we would be able to hang. And still hung on to the hope that just a tweak or 2 was needed to fix the team the following year. The 02 Penn State game ended killed that notion.
Google's homepage celebrates too much shit.
The 2001 Colorado loss killed me
The way they steamrolled us was the bad omen for me. I still can’t get the images of Purify and Brown running over our defense out of my head. Penn State 2002 was the catalyst for Solich’s demise at Nebraska. I remember Lord looking completely hopeless in that game.
Always check the words with the red squiggly line. They mean you probably screwed up.
by KennardHusker on Aug 22, 2011 3:31 PM CDT up reply actions
WAIT!!!
I got it!!!….
Their mama’s don’t dance, and their daddy’s don’t Rock and Roll!!
*with my best Charlie Brown impression…
THAT’S IT!!!
While I have very fond memories of that season,
You’re forcing me to think about Ron Turner, which makes me somewhat upset.
And for the next five seasons...
….Illinois went back to being the bottom-feeder we know they aspire to be….
We can't all not make it to a BCS bowl game/lose every bowl game.
That takes a special brand of mediocrity distributed in Evanston.
"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'"
Mediocrity...
…is what Illinois aspires to.
A 0.344 conference record since PSU joined in 1993 (ahead of only Minnesota and Indiana) means there is a lot of work in Champaign-Urbana to even become a mediocre squad like Northwestern.
by Chadnudj on Aug 22, 2011 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
2001 Nebraska...
making that national title game despite not even playing for its own conference championship. Yuck.
Editor at BT Powerhouse, a Big Ten Basketball blog.
Author at Acme Packing Company, a Green Bay Packers blog
The surge of emotion that shot through me when I saved your life taught me an even more valuable lesson: where Caroline lives in my brain.
CAROLINE DELETED
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Aug 22, 2011 7:17 PM CDT reply actions 3 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
