By Woodrow Carroll
Both football teams at Northern Illinois University and the University of Illinois have worked themselves into bad positions without victories through last weekend.
Northern Illinois, 0-1, following a defeat at the hands of the visiting University of Buffalo, 49-30, in a season and home-opener in DeKalb, was set to play host to Central Michigan, 1-0, in a Mid-American Conference West Division game Wednesday this week. Northern Illinois will be at Ball State Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Defeats for Northern Illinois in those two games would give the Huskies’ a record of 0-3 and match the start by Illinois following three Big Ten Conference games. Both conferences play truncated schedules and conference-only games.
Illinois, 0-3 and a member of the West Division, will play at Rutgers, 1-2 in the East Division, at 11 a.m. Saturday. A defeat for the Illini would immediately eliminate them from any better than a .500 season in quick order in the eight-game Big Ten schedule. Ohio State defeated Rutgers, 49-27, Saturday. Visiting Minnesota roughed up Illinois, 41-14, Saturday, in Champaign.
On the other hand, Northwestern University is off to a 3-0 start in the Big Ten West and a visit to the No. 23 in the Associated Press ranking along with three other Big Ten teams, Ohio State, No.3, Indiana, No. 10, and Wisconsin, No. 13, and Notre Dame, No. 2 and 5-0, following its exciting 47-40 double-overtime victory against No. 1 rated Clemson in South Bend, Ind. Saturday.
Northwestern will play at Purdue, 2-0, in a big West Division game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Northern Illinois errors paved the way to its defeat in the first of six conference and season games. The score against Buffalo was not as close as the score would indicate. Buffalo returned two fumbles and a pass interception for touchdowns.
Starting this week only West Division foes are on the schedule for the Huskies.
Illinois played shorthanded for the second consecutive week because 12 players were held out due to COVID-19 protocol.
The only delight for the Illini in the disappointment, was the return of injured running back Mike Epstein who rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
Minnesota, which improved to 1-2 with its first victory of the season, completed a total yardage advantage of 556 to 287, a valid indication of the Gophers’ superiority. Illinois fell behind, 21-0, and never recovered. Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim scored four touchdowns and gained 224 yards.
Remember the wonderment surrounding Illinois football last year after the Illini defeated Michigan State, 37-34, with a scintillating fourth-quarter comeback? The victory improved the Illini record to 6-4 and assured them a bowl berth. It is now just a distant memory!
Something that makes-you-wonder department: In the third quarter of the Illinois-Minnesota game, Illinois had first and goal at the Minnesota 10. The drive ended with the Illini punting from near midfield. A 15-yard penalty on Illinois, along with a 17-yard rushing loss, pushed Illinois back near midfield and from there had to punt.
In previous yeas, having Illinois and Penn State with the same records would have looked good to most, at least from the Illinois standpoint. Penn State is a surprising 0-3.
After three weeks, Penn State and Illinois are the only 0-3 teams in the Big Ten. Nebraska, which lost 21-13 at Northwestern Saturday, is 0-2 with a Huskers’ previously-scheduled game with Wisconsin still in limbo following cancellation because of Wisconsin players out due to COVID-19.
Host Oklahoma, 5-2 overall, defeated Kansas, 0-7, overall, Saturday, in a Big 12 Conference game, 62-9, however, the figure most interesting might have been the 22,700 in attendance, an indication of continued increases around the country in spite of COVID-19 -related muzzling of crowds..