The Illini win the 2010 Texas Bowl, and raise our expectations for next year

It was no Rose Bowl victory, but any bowl victory for this fan base tastes good after more than ten years without one. The victory over Baylor last night allows us sit back and actually consider this season a success. There is verifiable progress that has been made.  We finished with our second winning record under Zook, we executed a game plan and stuck with it, and we didn't wilt under pressure at the end, we played probably our best game all year.

Literally everything Illini fans wanted to see in this game, they got. Mikel Leshoure was ridden to victory, just like everyone who has tweeted #feed5 all season has screamed for. 29 carries for 184 yards and three touchdowns is exactly what you should be doing with your offense when you know you have a first round running back. Leshoure like his predecessor Rashard Mendenhall, saved one of his best performances for the bowl game, and like the old #5, this #5 probably punched his ticket for the draft as he left Baylor defenders in his wake. Of course when you ask Leshoure right now "he isn't sure" whether or not he will make the jump to the league, but when we saw him hand the MVP trophy to his mother in the stands after the game, you know how life changing being drafted to the National Football League can be for not just a young man, but also his family. So I say, go ahead Mikel, do right by your family and be a success at the next level, as far as I am concerned you have done more than enough for your school.

Another box on the Illini wish list was checked last night as well: a competent and efficient passing game. Nathan Scheelhaase has officially made the strides in the passing game we have been hoping for, and the coaching and tutelage he has received in the last few weeks was evident. Scheelhaase began the game by completing his first 13 passes, and finished the game with a very pretty 18/23, including two spectacular down field shots to true freshmen Ryan Lankford and Darius Millines. He stretched the field, he hit his receivers and moved the chain on third down (the Illini made six of fourteen third down conversions.) Even more exciting, Petrino and Scheelhaase spread the ball around to seven different receivers, five of whom will be returning next year.

The third and perhaps most satisfying wish that was fulfilled last night was the return of aggressiveness and discipline on defense. Robert Griffin III posed the same threat to this defense that Denard Robinson and Terrelle Pryor posed earlier this season in Illini losses. Instead of worrying about Griffin breaking containment and making plays with his feet, the defensive line decided to just go full boar ahead and exploit the advantage they had over the apparently very undersized Baylor offensive line. Griffin would get his yards through the air on our secondary, (30/41 for 300 yards passing) but Clay Nurse and Corey Liuget broke through the protection time and time again and their combined three sacks and at least three tackles for loss (no formal stat I can find right now) took Griffin out of his comfort zone and kept him from breaking away into open space. The direct result of this disruption is the 2-10 third down conversion ratio for the Bears. My hat is off to this defense, they absolutely got themselves turned around after seemingly falling apart in the last few weeks of the season.

The common theme of all of this euphoria is that we will have many of these important play makers back next year. We will lose Jared Fayson and Clay Nurse to graduation, and likely Corey Liuget and Mikel Leshoure to the NFL draft, but otherwise the vast majority of both sides of the ball will be returning next year. With another off season under the coaching of both of these excellent coordinators, and a season looming with eight home games, with five straight home games to start the year, this team could actually be primed to make a great run in the conference next year. I cannot believe I am typing this, the way that these past two seasons have depressed me at times, but yes, this team seems to be on the upswing.