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Turpin Time

Dreams Die Early

Posted by: Jim Turpin

Sunday, September 6, 2009 12:04 PM

My minister said Sunday morning that it didn't seem fair that all your dreams and expectations that carried you through the summer could die in one week. (He is a big fan of the Georgia Dawgs. They lost, too.)

We all read and listened and watched as stories on recruiting successes, the maturing of certain players including the quarterback, the wealth of receivers, the stable of running backs, and a different attitude flooded the newspapers, radio talk shows and television productions.

We were made aware of the fact that Missouri had lost so many players to the NFL that they couldn't possibly be as good as last year. This was a young team with an un-tested quarterback and a lot of question marks. Odds-makers were similarly duped as they made the Illini a one touchdown favorite.

Illinois would surely win - maybe even dominate big-time - to go 1-0. Then, next week we'd beat up on Illinois State, take a week off, and be sky-high for the Buckeyes after that. That was the dream, the expectations.

No need to re-hash. When the coach says, "I don't know what happened," that says it all.

Illini fans listening on the radio and/or watching on TV bailed out early. Some told me they tuned out in the first half. The outcome was so obvious that taking a walk or a bike ride or getting an early start on grilling the burgers seemed a better idea. It was too painful to watch your dreams die so quickly.

Oh, the season has a long way to go. There will be victories along the way - maybe even six of them to become bowl eligible. But, unless Missouri is a surprise powerhouse - and I don't think that they are - the road ahead for the Illini will be much tougher than we dreamed about all during the summer of 2009.