Illinois Illini fans not happy with Ron Zook
Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Ron Zook has come under a great deal of pressure after his club failed to secure a sixth victory again in week 11.
The Illini surprised many this season when they stormed out of the gate winning five of their first eight games. Unfortunately, the club has not been able to secure the all-important sixth win of the campaign, which would make them bowl eligible.
Illinois dominated the Purdue Boilermakers on 30 October, getting a 44-10 victory and their fifth win of the season. Since that time they have been unable to put together a proper effort, losing to both the Michigan Wolverines and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The loss to the Wolverines was not particularly embarrassing as Michigan was a 6-3 team at the time, and Illinois took them to triple overtime before losing 67-65 in a thriller. However, the loss to the Golden Gophers the following week was devastating,
as the Illini fell 38-34, giving Minnesota only their second win of the season and dropping their record to .500.
If Illini fans heard their club would only be one win away from bowl eligibility with two weeks left in the season at the beginning of the 2010 campaign, it would have been met with surprise and excitement. However, after such a strong start, the fans are
beginning to grow restless as they wait for bowl eligibility.
Making matters worse is Illinois has two difficult games to end the season, as they face-off against the 7-3 Northwestern Wildcats and the 6-3 Fresno State Bulldogs.
The pressure has fallen squarely on Zook’s shoulders, as school athletic director Ron Guenther made it clear he expected Illinois to be much better than their 3-9 record in 2009. In order to send the message, nearly all of Zook’s coaching staff was fired
and replaced to start the 2010 season.
The Illini will be back in action when they play the Wildcats on Saturday 20 November.
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