Despite the outcome, Illini fans found trip worthwhile
By: Marcus Jackson
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
PASADENA, Calif. – The outcome was far from what they had hoped for, but the Illinois fans that traveled so far to see their favorite team play on one of college football's biggest stages say they have no regrets about making the trek west.
"Absolutely not," said Diane Rice of Bloomington. "Coming out here and doing this was so much fun."
"This was definitely a good experience," said 1990 Illinois graduate Kevin Breaux of Chicago. "The whole family came and we had a great time."
When Illinois won the Big Ten and reached the Sugar Bowl in 2001, the thought was the team would be postseason regulars. This was Illinois' first winning season since then, but fans are confident there will be no such drought in the coming years.
"We got a lot of young guys on this team," said Len Bogle of Decatur. "We'll be back and we'll be back strong, I know that. I'm so proud that they made it here and I think they did the Illini nation well."
The initial reaction after the 49-17 loss to Southern California was disappointment at how things played out on the field. But after realizing just what the Illini accomplished this season and the quality of opponent they faced on Tuesday, the disappointment turned to pride.
"I don't think we opened up our offense enough in the first half," said Brian Lewis, a 1985 Illinois graduate who made the trip from Kennesaw, Ga. "We were still in the game, but the turnovers in the third quarter were really the momentum shift.
"From where this team was two years ago and even last year, we have a lot to look forward to in the future."
"We just didn't get any breaks," Breaux said. "We've got some big recruits coming in and I think we'll be back."
The hometown Trojans, as expected, had a large contingent of fans among the 93,923 folks in attendance. But they couldn't have anticipated the 40,000-plus Illini fans who blanketed the north and west sides of the Rose Bowl in a sea of orange. And not only were the Illini fans there, they were making plenty of noise.
"The fan base was great," Rice said. "So many Illinois fans and we're just so proud to be a part of it all and support the team."
Rice and her husband Jim had some USC fans in their section, so they had to deal with some razzing from the Trojan faithful.
"They were giving it to us a little bit, and rightfully so," Jim Rice said. "It was kind of light-hearted early, but it got a little nasty there late when they went up big."
Critics said the Illini didn't deserve to be in the Rose Bowl, and the final score only enhances their argument. Illinois fans might be biased, but they say there is no doubt Illinois belongs on this stage.
"Absolutely they belong," Lewis said. "If you just look back we were that close to making this a close game in the second half. But they're only getting better and I'm excited to see it continue."