5 painful observations from the Illinois football loss to Oregon

2. Illinois didn’t quit fighting

Pretty much from the opening kickoff, Illinois was out of this game. We dug ourselves in a 14-3 hole at the end of the first quarter and then a 35-3 hole at halftime.

Everything started to snowball, and that is how you give up 35 points in 30 minutes of action. Heading into the second half, it would have been easy for Illinois to pack it in and give up even more points. That didn’t happen, though.

In fact, Illinois came out of the locker room and looked like the team I have watched all season long. We drove down the field on the first possession and got the ball to the Oregon two-yard line.

The Illinois defense started to lock down Oregon a bit. Their first two possessions were a punt and interception, which showed some life out of Illinois.

Illinois’ offense finally put up a touchdown on the second possession of the second half. It was a solid, crisp, drive that made the game slightly more respectable.

After the Illini intercepted Dillon Gabriel but failed to keep the offensive drive going, I gave up hope of an epic comeback. But I was impressed with one thing. The lack of quit.

Illinois never quit in this game, and that shows me that whatever the coaching staff is doing is working. They are playing hard even when they are down 32 points at halftime.

I know this sounds weird, but while this was a loss, this was a culture builder. I don’t judge people when times are good. Everyone is happy and jovial when things are going well. I judge people when the chips are down, and times are tough. How do you react? On Saturday, Illinois acted resiliently and with heart. We didn’t give up. That shows high character and a positive culture in Champaign.