Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois Football: Terrible Loss to WMU Isn't the End of the Lovie Momentum

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Illinois football took a step backwards on Saturday as they were blown out by the Western Michigan Broncos.

The Illinois Fighting Illini fans were hoping for a close game or maybe even a win but the Illini came up short of those expectations.

As a whole, the Big Ten did fairly well this weekend.

No. 3 Ohio State took down No. 14 Oklahoma by 21-points.  No. 4 Michigan swept past Colorado after a slow start.

No. 12 Michigan State beat up on No. 18 Notre Dame, which is always nice to see.  Also, Nebraska took down No. 22 Oregon as well.

All of these wins were great for the Big Ten, but apparently, Illinois missed the memo.  They really laid a stinker against the Broncos.

But, what does this loss mean in the grand scheme of things?

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I mentioned that a loss wouldn’t kill the Lovie Smith era early this week and I am going to stick by that sentiment.

Don’t get me wrong, this was an absolutely ugly loss that I don’t want to remember.  I was going to be sad with a loss by a few points but wouldn’t be surprised.

I was genuinely surprised by a blowout loss, though.

Illinois is a much better team than a 24-point loss to the Western Michigan Broncos.

Even with an embarrassing loss, I don’t think the momentum of the Lovie hiring is gone.  I still think fans should be excited about the future of the program.

What Lovie is doing here in Champaign is a lot bigger than one game against a MAC program that didn’t go our way.

Lovie doesn’t have his personnel on the team.  He is playing with a combination of Tim Beckman and Bill Cubit players.

I can’t wait until 2017 and beyond when Lovie starts to get his players in the program that fits his system.  This is going to make worlds difference.

But, the one concern I do have is the players that Lovie is recruiting seeing a loss to the Broncos by 24-points.  That can’t look good to a recruit, despite it actually solidifying the reason the Illini need those players.

So, while this loss was ugly and terrible, don’t give up Illinois fans.  This is only the beginning of the Lovie Smith era.

Just remember, the night is darkest just before the dawn.  And I promise you, the dawn is coming.  We Will Win.

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