Western Michigan 23, Illinois 17
Illini's bowl hopes fade with loss to Western Michigan
By Terry Bannon | Tribune reporter 11:19 PM CST, November 8, 2008 DETROIT - A year after recording the biggest single-season turnaround in the nation, Illinois is in the midst of a nasty reversal.
Saturday's 23-17 upset loss to Western Michigan at Ford Field leaves the Illini at risk of going to no bowl a year after playing in the Rose Bowl.
"We thought we're a better team and we want to do better things, but we haven't been able to get it done," said sophomore receiver Arrelious Benn, reflecting on preseason expectations.
"We want our seniors to go out with a bang, but they're not going out with the bang they expected."Illini are 5-5 with two games remaining. They need one victory to be eligible for a bowl game, but 6-6 teams are not guaranteed a bowl, as Northwestern and Iowa were reminded last year. There are scenarios under which they would need seven victories.
Their bowl prospects have fallen to the point that a return trip to Ford Field for the Motor City Bowl against another Mid-American Conference team Dec. 26 is beginning to look good. The Motor City Bowl gets the Big Ten's last bowl team, if any are left after the conference's other bowls pick.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,7201198.story
(attendence at todays Illinois game was 12865! Have the Illinois fans packed it in? Has the team?)