I really did not want to write this post. This season was so bad that we have known for many weeks that there would be very little positive that could be taken from it. It was a season that will be defined by let downs, unmet expectations and uncertainty.

Like I did at the end of last year's basketball season, I have assess to what expectations I wish to hold this team. At the beginning of the season, after reading my Phil Steele and feeling about as confident as I ever have about this team, I said that this season would probably be an 8-4 year, with losses to Penn State, Ohio State, Cincinnati and one team we should not lose to. That's a bowl, a solid season and in a situation that gives you a good feeling about the future.

Phil Steele said we would finish 3rd in the conference, and that there was an outside chance we would go undefeated. If there is anyone more upset with Ron Zook right now than Phil Steele, I would like to meet him, because this 3-9 season has got to hurt his credibility.

You know what might be the worst thing about this year? That the defense by the final three weeks was completely unable to make a stop and the offense was putting up sick numbers on otherwise good teams. The polar opposite of the beginning of the year where the defense would hang tough for 3 quarters before folding from exhaustion at the end, and got no support from the vaunted offense.

That offense that finally got its feet under it in the second half of the year put Illini fans through some awfully difficult to watch games early in the year. It would move the ball down the field and then lose the ball in one disastrous way after another. Fumbles and penalties and interceptions, groan. The offense at times was literally tripping over its own feet and keeping itself from success.  There were lots of problems from receivers like Fayson and Cumberland who disappointed in their production, to  Arrelious Benn who just plain was not thrown to enough. (double standard maybe, but which of these 3 is getting first round money?) One of the weapons I was looking forward to seeing better used this year was Uh-oh who outside of a catch here or there was either not thrown to or was sidelined with injury.

The running game would eventually prove to be one of the bright spots of the team, but early on it too was inconsistent, and underused more than likely due to all of the talent we perceived ourselves to have a wide receiver. Mikel Leshoure needs to get the ball more next year than any of the other backs, I don't care what playing time has been promised to the others. He is your go-to back, no excuses.

As for Juice, I still feel bad the way his final season as an Illini ended up. When he is allowed to play his game, the game he excels at, the game that got him to the Rose Bowl, it can be plainly seen how much of a threat he can be to defenses. He is as classy as football players get, even through being pulled earlier this season and then being put back in without any fanfare. He is your all time offensive yards leader, he will go down as one of the most important players to this school, and I for one wish things would have gone better for him. Maybe I am biased, going to school at Illinois during the Rose Bowl run will probably tend to do that.

As for the defense many of the problems that plagued it at the beginning of the season still plagued it at the end, but to a greater degree.  There are some spots on defense of real strength, most notably defensive tackle, but the weak points were never fully shored up. I suppose some of this can be blamed on injury the losses of Martez Wilson, Miami Thomas and intermittently Donsay Hardeman combined with youth and inexperience in other areas to create at best an inconsistent defense.

The season just never really got off to the start it was supposed to. The loss to Missouri I really think sent this team into a tailspin and had it under perform its own ability from then on. I believe to some degree it was not as good as advertised, but its talent level is not as bad as its record. Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State did just as some predicted and put the Illini in a hole that they were never really fully able to pull themselves out of. If the Illini take one of those three games, I don't believe they lose to either Purdue or Indiana. This team should have been at least a 6-6 team. You can blame the coaches for panicking maybe, or the players for despairing, or the AD for giving the team a schedule that seems hell bent against going to a bowl. Whatever the reason this team was not put into a position to succeed, and underperformed.

There are still some bright spots to look forward to, somewhat at least. Terry Hawthorne, whatever position he is going to play, on whatever side of the ball, is going to be one of the better players for this team. He ended up being the best defensive back after being converted to the position halfway through the season. Jacob Charest emerged as the probable starting QB for next year, with Eddie McGee moving to receiver, a position he proved better at than many established players.

For all the problems this team has had it still has talent. Right now both Jon Asamoah and Arrelious Benn are projected first round draft picks. Along with Rashard Mendenhall from two years ago and Vontae Davis last year that will make three years in a row with a first rounder. Thats not something that usually happens to consistently bad teams. But to us, it has.

I don't know what next year really holds. There are a lot of rumors of firings and transfers that will be decided in the next several week, so I could not really tell you in what direction the team will ultimately go. The two indicators we do have though are next year's schedule and recruiting, and both of those point to another losing season. See you this summer football, I hope under better circumstances.