The Rose Bowl

We did lose again in the Rose Bowl, similar to 1984 against UCLA, but we probably looked more competitive this time. I think Illinois was fairly conservative about letting Juice throw downfield in the first half, thus two field goal attempts. The second half showed that Illinois could move the ball, but the turnovers really killed us. USC seemed to know exactly when to tackle the ball and pop it out for the turnover. Oh well, it was a beautiful day out here in California. We were able to play basketball outside (in shorts!) before the Rose Bowl started, and had a great time despite the loss. My next door neighbor, who is a huge USC fan, was pleased with the outcome.

I think next season Illinois can be really dangerous in a major bowl game.

Pasadena for the Rose Bowl

This is the first year for the Illini football team to make the Rose Bowl, since I migrated west, from Illinois to California. Now it is a reasonably drivable distance to get to Pasadena. I guess it would be a great way to cap off the year, having been to the Hall Of Fame Invitational, Masters, and Maui Classic this past year. It does sound like a nice idea..........