Illinois Football: Illini fans see program heading in right direction

The loss on Saturday was rough for the Illinois football fan base.

Illinois was so close to potentially pulling off an upset, or at least finishing the game with a close score, but they let it slip away into a blowout victory for Penn State. Throughout the game, though, the Illini showed signs of being an actual team that could compete with the Nittany Lions.

Yes, I know the Orange and Blue still have major flaws. The defensive backs are weak at times, the linebackers didn’t show up and the defensive line was run through as easy as a hot knife through butter. That is just on the defensive side of the ball.

The offense has their issues as well. The offensive line isn’t strong in the passing game, the wide receivers were dropping balls like someone just threw them a poisonous snake at them and the threat of a big play isn’t there right now.

Most of the Illinois fan base sees the flaws in this team, but they are also hopeful for the future. They can see the progress this team is making toward becoming a solid program in the Big Ten. In a poll on Saturday, 87-percent of Illini fans voted that the team is heading in the right direction, even after the Penn State loss. That is an overwhelming majority.

I can see why they believe this program is on the right track too. Illinois has a quarterback who seems to be a legit Big Ten passer. Their running game is solid. They were able to keep up with No. 10 Penn State through three quarters with the score heading into the fourth quarter reading 28-24 in favor of the Nittany Lions.

Illinois is starting to build depth at every position, but they still aren’t close to being finished. I really like what we have on the field right now and the majority of players are extremely young still. They will only continue to improve. In addition to these players, Illinois also has Verdis Brown coming off a redshirt and the class of 2019 coming in that will help fill some big voids on both sides of the ball.

As Illinois fans, we have all been through a lot. I understand the tendency to go toward the negative. But, there is a lot to be positive about. The future is bright for this once legendary program. We will get back to the top of the Big Ten. We will, in fact, win.