By Woodrow Carroll It can be fun to be obnoxious, for some fans, especially, when their teams, or their teams’ conferences, or their neck of the woods, are doing well. With that in mind, the Big Ten Conference football serves as an example. Although the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has three
By Woodrow Carroll The offense often receives the lion’s share of attention in football. In Saturday’s Illinois-Rutgers’ Big Ten Conference game in Champaign, it was the host Illinois defense that stood out in the 38-10 victory. Rutgers was a three-touchdown underdog, however, the Scarlet Knights forged a 10-all tie at
By Woodrow Carroll With three starters returning, including senior guard Eugene German, who averaged 20.4 points per game last season, Northern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team is looking for a breakout season. The Huskies, 17-17 overall and 8-10 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) last season, will welcome back senior Lacey
By Woodrow Carroll Northern Illinois University played its third home football game of the season Saturday, and, for the third time this season it rained on the Huskies’ parade. It mattered little because Northern Illinois defeated the hapless Akron Zips, 49-0, in a (Mid-American Conference (MAC) game. Northern Illinois, 3-5
By Woodrow Carroll – Take nothing away from the University of Illinois kicker, James McCourt, whose 39-yard field goal when time expired gave the host Fighting Illini a 24-23 upset victory over heavily-favored Wisconsin Saturday. Yet, a tip of the hat is in order for Neuqua Valley High School product
By Woodrow Carroll When a team falls behind 28-0, which is what the University of Illinois football team did against Michigan Saturday in Champaign, a comeback victory is asking a great deal. The Fighting Illini did stage a spirited rally to close to within three points, but Michigan settled down
By Woodrow Carroll In the 38th Annual Little Ten Conference boys soccer tournament, Earlville repeated as champion with a 5-1 victory over Newark/Seneca in the championship match last week at Hinckley-Big Rock High School. It was a rematch of last season’s finalists when Earlville, then Earlville/Leland/Paw Paw, beat Newark/Seneca, 3-1.
By Woodrow Carroll Northern Illinois University has been a regular participant in football bowl games in recent years. Despite a tough non-conference schedule to include Nebraska, Iowa, and Utah among others along the way, Northern Illinois took comfort knowing that victories over Mid-American Conference foes Ball State and Eastern Michigan
By Woodrow Carroll Northern Illinois University, 1-3, will play host to Ball State,1-3, at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) football opener for the each team. The game will give Northern Illinois opportunities to get back on track after losses to three Power Five teams, Utah, Nebraska, and
By Woodrow Carroll For a long time Saturday it looked as though University of Illinois head coach Lovie Smith was going to pick up his fifth Big Ten Conference victory in his fourth season. Instead, Nebraska’s comeback saddled Smith with Conference defeat No. 24. Nebraska won, 42-38, in a game
By Woodrow Carroll Each week various sports journals predict and project match-ups for the approximately 40 college bowl games. It is an inexact science for sure, but, a fun challenge. Victorious in its first two games, the University of Illinois had merited a mention as a bowl prospect to a
By Woodrow Carroll In the 2018 season with five games remaining, the Chicago White Sox record was 62-95. The White Sox would have had to drop their final five games of the season to reach the not-so magic 100-loss season. To their eternal discredit, the Sox did just that to
By Woodrow Carroll Two weeks into the college football season, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) combined record was 10-13. Each of the 12 MAC members had played two games with the exception of Toledo, which had a bye. At first glance, a record of 10-13 doesn’t look bad, however, a closer
By Woodrow Carroll Lovie Smith is in his fourth season as head coach of the University of Illinois football fortunes. The Orange and Blue are 9-27 after his first three years. Smith is the first Illinois head football coach not to get a team into a bowl game within three
