http://m.qctimes.com/sports/college...5979-a5a1-086c5dd3fbef.html?mobile_touch=true
9 years later and this game still remains in my personal Top 10 Favorite Rutgers Games of All-Time. While the '05 season opener gave us one of the most famous Leonard Leaps ever, it also personified the 'Same Old Rutgers' mantra as we dominated a clearly-inferior opponent, only to fall asleep at the wheel and fall apart, allowing a lousy Illinois squad to capture their highlight win of the year (they finished 2-9). That game still makes me sick to my stomach even though it did help give birth to our 'Keep Chopping' mantra.
Fast-forward to summer 2006. While still riding high from the Insight Bowl season, wins over BCS AQ/P5 teams were still in short supply for us at the time (we had 10 from 1999-2005), and to say other teams viewed us with skepticism would be putting it lightly. I remember Illinois poster Big Will (I think the parent of a NJ lineman with the Illini) and a host of other Illinois posters talking about how improved they were going to be and how we weren't going to be able to handle their B1G-caliber players. I remember a number of us saying the '05 game was a fluke and Rutgers should win by 10+ points, with the Illinois posters basically laughing at us.
The Illinois game was our home opener that year and it was one of the most dominating performances I have ever seen Rutgers have live. Our defense and special teams literately beat the crap out of the Illini. I don't think they had an earned 1st down until the 3rd quarter and they never crossed midfield. The game wasnt nearly as close as the 33-0 score would indicate; a 3-0 Rutgers lead was basically climbing Everest for Illinois that day.
After the '05 debacle at Illinois this game was one of the sweetest wins I can remember. I remember Big Will being complimentary of Rutgers after the game but also being dumbfounded on the result (couldn't believe how fast/aggressive/hard-hitting the RU defense was), similar to a number of Iowa State fans after the Pinstripe Bowl (wondering how we were able to run on them seemingly all game), with a number of the other Illinois posters pulling their best Casper the Ghost impressions and vanishing. I also remember it being something like 300 degrees that day as well (I remember reading somewhere that a field-level thermometer read 115 F).
Joe P.
9 years later and this game still remains in my personal Top 10 Favorite Rutgers Games of All-Time. While the '05 season opener gave us one of the most famous Leonard Leaps ever, it also personified the 'Same Old Rutgers' mantra as we dominated a clearly-inferior opponent, only to fall asleep at the wheel and fall apart, allowing a lousy Illinois squad to capture their highlight win of the year (they finished 2-9). That game still makes me sick to my stomach even though it did help give birth to our 'Keep Chopping' mantra.
Fast-forward to summer 2006. While still riding high from the Insight Bowl season, wins over BCS AQ/P5 teams were still in short supply for us at the time (we had 10 from 1999-2005), and to say other teams viewed us with skepticism would be putting it lightly. I remember Illinois poster Big Will (I think the parent of a NJ lineman with the Illini) and a host of other Illinois posters talking about how improved they were going to be and how we weren't going to be able to handle their B1G-caliber players. I remember a number of us saying the '05 game was a fluke and Rutgers should win by 10+ points, with the Illinois posters basically laughing at us.
The Illinois game was our home opener that year and it was one of the most dominating performances I have ever seen Rutgers have live. Our defense and special teams literately beat the crap out of the Illini. I don't think they had an earned 1st down until the 3rd quarter and they never crossed midfield. The game wasnt nearly as close as the 33-0 score would indicate; a 3-0 Rutgers lead was basically climbing Everest for Illinois that day.
After the '05 debacle at Illinois this game was one of the sweetest wins I can remember. I remember Big Will being complimentary of Rutgers after the game but also being dumbfounded on the result (couldn't believe how fast/aggressive/hard-hitting the RU defense was), similar to a number of Iowa State fans after the Pinstripe Bowl (wondering how we were able to run on them seemingly all game), with a number of the other Illinois posters pulling their best Casper the Ghost impressions and vanishing. I also remember it being something like 300 degrees that day as well (I remember reading somewhere that a field-level thermometer read 115 F).
Joe P.
