Illinois Football: Five Greatest Moments Of The 2014 Season

Dec 26, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini marching band plays during the game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the Heart of Dallas Bowl at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Louisiana Tech beat Illinois 35-18. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 season was one to remember for Illinois football. We count down the five greatest moments of the 2014 season for the Fighting Illini.

With the doors opening for the year 2015, it’s time to reflect on the season that was for Illinois football in 2014.

The 2014 season might not have ended as well as Illini Nation would have like to see. However, there’s no doubt that this past season was an important one for Illinois.

The Illini were able to become bowl eligible for the first time under head coach Tim Beckman, who needed a bowl bid to save his job in the minds of most Illini fans.

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Illini fans were also treated to the fantastic performance and big plays of true freshman Mike Dudek. Despite losing to Louisiana Tech in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, Dudek was able to give Illini Nation hope about the future moving forward.

Seriously, this list took all of about 10 minutes to compile.

It wasn’t really difficult to find the five greatest moments of the 2014 season for Illinois football, but ranking them is a different story.

The reason why is because each moment has its own unique fingerprint that it put on the 2014 season.

Without further ado, let’s get this show on the road. Here’s the five greatest moments of the 2014 season for Illinois football

Next: 5. Wes Lunt's Debut In the Orange & Blue