The night before Illinois plays Western Michigan in spacious Ford Field, I have no idea what to expect in terms of crowd and game atmosphere but everything points to a disappointment.
A story in last Monday’s Kalamazoo Gazette quoted a source at the university saying that only 10,000 tickets had been sold with less than a week to go. That doesn’t bode well for generating excitement in a 65,000-seat NFL facility. Athletics director Kathy Beauregard said in the same story that the goal has always been to have 20,000 at the game.
This could be a win-win situation for the Illini: they can become bowl eligible with a victory and will take home $300,000 for the athletic department. But without a win, the payout won’t be worth much, at least not from coach Ron Zook’s standpoint.
More from the stadium tomorrow. …
Early chat in the press box is about whether Jeff Cumberland will play. He has been identified as the player who was involved in the incident that led to Mikel Leshoure suffering a broken jaw. Zook said Cumberland would be in uniform but didn’t say specifically whether he would be used in the game. He started last week. The general consensus is that he’ll play. …
The doors have opened and the early rush landed about 200 people in their seats. Now comes word that 12,000 tickets had been sold before today. I’m guessing the walk-up won’t be too good. It’s awfully cold in Detroit with snow expected tomorrow.
This is my first visit to Ford Field and I’d have to say that my first impression is that it’s a lot nicer than most of the domes I’ve visited, especially the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Being relatively new doesn’t hurt. But I like that at each end of the stadium, high above the seats, they have allowed for natural light to pour into the building, eliminating that sense of darkness you get in most domes. …
Western Michigan coach BIll Cubit said his team has watched Illinois this season on “The Journey” on the Big Ten Network. Not that it will help the Broncos in their preparation, but it lends a difference perspective.
“When we see their faces come up on the scouting report, we say ‘Oh, yeah, I remember him from that epidose’ so it should be fun,” Cubit said. “Hopefully there will be some fun during the game.” …
The Illini are expected to have their season-opening offensive line available today. Ryan Palmer will return from a foot injury althought he might not necessarily step into a full-time job right away. And Xavier Fulton should play after aggravating a shoulder injury last week. …
I made a coffee run downstairs with Terry Bannon from the Chicago Tribune and found out that college rules are in effect for today’s game. They wouldn’t put lids on our drinks because they’re not allowed to during college games because fans are apt to throw them on the field.
But lids will be on the drinks for tomorrow’s Detroit-jacksonville NFL game. Apparently, fans who pay more for their tickets are less inclined to throw them. …
Attendance update: 20 minutes before the game my estimate is about 3,000 fans in their seats and about one-third are orange-clad Illini faithful. Champaign’s own REO Speedwagon (”Ridin’ the Storm Out”) is playing overhead. And the stadium finally is about to get loud because the Western Michigan band is taking the field. …
It’s too bad so few will be here. This game could actually be plenty entertaining. Illini quarterback Juice Williams ranks eighth nationally in total offense and his Western Michigan counterpart, Tim Hiller, ranks ninth. Hiller is one of three players in WMU history with at least 7,000 passing yards and he’s only a junior. …
Starting fullback Rahkeem Smith did not make the trip due to a violation of team rules. Freshman Zach Becker will take his place. …
Jeff Cumberland is officially in the game for the start of the Illini’s second possession. But the Illini look intent on establishing the run. oh, never mind. Now we see why Zook wanted Cumberland to play – a 61-yard completion to the big guy down the sideline and he nearly dragged half the WM defense into the end zone with him. …
I wouldn’t want to play for the Illinois defense these days. That bend-don’t-break philosophy is permeating this game as the Illini have held the Broncos to a pair of field goals after they got to the red zone. At this point WMU has run 30 offensive plays to the Illini’s 13. The Illinois defenders have got to get tired in this type of game. …
Juice is now definitely having a bad game. His second bad interception came after he tripped on someone’s foot and seemed to try and flip the ball to Jason Ford while falling to the ground. The better offense through 24 minutes of this game is definitely WMU. …
Halftime stats that tell the story:
Tim Hiller: 20-27-0, 212 yards
Juice Williams 3-9-2, 78 yards
Western MIchigan leads in first downs 14-6, in time of possession 18:55 to 11:05 and has not committed a turnover.
Williams has thrown seven interceptions in the last three weeks and after weeks of progress now seems to be regressing. How can this be possible? And might Zook consider Eddie McGee in the second half to rejuvenate the offense?