Illinois vs. Michigan – Saturday

The 1-6 Illinois will take on the 5-3 Michigan Wolverines this Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The game begins at 2:30pm and will be broadcast on ABC.

The Illini will be using their two quarterback rotation, as used last week, with Juice Williams and Jacob Charest. This game has been looked at as a must-win for the Illini and especially for Coach Zook, but can they really do it? The following is an excerpt from a letter by the News-Gazette’s Loren Tate to Coach Ron Zook:

Dear Coach Zook,

Here’s the best deal you’ll get this week. Beat Michigan on Saturday and all is forgiven. OK, maybe not all, but a long overdue triumph would certainly take pressure off you and your boss.

This is the stadium, remember, that was dedicated with a 39-14 defeat of the Wolverines. Red Grange ran wild. It was here that the Illini upset Tommy Harmon & Co., 7-0, in 1936. It was on this snow-covered field that Tommy O’Connell passed to Rex Smith for a 7-0 win in the UI’s last undefeated season of 1951. There is history in this series, but it is long-ago history. Now, all these decades later, we look back on a single home win – 16-6 in 1983 – in the last 51 years.

Imagine how a victory would uplift your athletes and your fans. And imagine what it would do for your guy, Coach Guenther. In what might be described as psychological transference, the heat has switched from you to the athletic director. By coming out publicly for you in the midst of a nine-game losing streak against I-A teams, he has taken a position opposed by more than 90 percent of Illini Nation.

If this tailspin isn’t turned, at some point you’ll be able to take your millions and go to the next stop in your quasi-military career. It’ll be your 12th station since 1980. You’re accustomed to it. But Ron Guenther LIVES HERE. This is his home. He was a teammate of Dick Butkus and Jim Grabowski, the Illini MVP in 1966, the director who cleaned up the mess left by Neale Stoner, the visionary who changed the look of the south campus and renovated Memorial Stadium. He succeeded Ray Eliot and Dike Eddleman as Mr. Illini.

But now, after announcing his determination to retain you another year, his legacy is changing. He is the center target on the dartboard. Irate fans are firing up Internet Web sites while planning all manner of insults from bumper stickers to paper bags with punched eyeholes.

…

There is only one good answer. Turn this losing stampede, Coach Zook. Give Illini Nation a week to smile. This is becoming much too grim.

Regards, Loren

This letter has come under much heat from fans on both sides of the fence sharing their opinions. What do you think? I think that we as fans need to continue to support our team. It may not be pretty, and it may not be fun, but that’s what makes this game interesting. For those of you who don’t want to go to the game (because you think we will lose), I encourage you to think differently. Let’s give them this one more chance.

I guess we’ll see what happens on Saturday. According to Red Grange (or the the Twitter account established by his statue), the Illini have pulled out the stops for the Wolverines: http://www.twitpic.com/na8xl

Illinois vs. Michigan // Oct. 31 // 2:30pm

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Go Illini, beat Michigan!

Tate: An open letter to Coach Zook – IlliniHQ.com   
Game 8: Illinois (1-6, 0-5) vs. Michigan (5-3, 1-3) – FightingIllini.com