Oct. 29--CHAMPAIGN -- Watching the Illinois defense near the end of the Minnesota game, quarterback Reilly O'Toole was waiting for luck to bounce the other way for the Illini.
It never did.
"I got the chills standing on the sideline," he said. "That's never happened before."
The Illini (4-4, 1-3 Big Ten) awakened some dormant emotions with their 28-24 home victory against Minnesota. The question is whether they can keep the excitement brewing for Saturday's game at Ohio State (6-1, 3-0).
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak and was only the second in the Illini's last 26 Big Ten games, the last 20 coached by Tim Beckman.
Beckman doesn't plan to let the good vibes dissipate.
"I'm not going to bottle up any of that. We're going to keep it," he said. "That's the way you play football. You play with great enthusiasm."
That emotion will be as important as the game plan for the Buckeyes. As well as watching game tape, the Illini watched a sideline video of the team's reactions to plays.
"The eruptions we had on the sideline were unbelievable," Beckman said. "On Mason Monheim's interception, wow. There were about four coaches who about got trampled on by all the kids jumping up."
The Illini lost their last two games against Ohio State by 25 and 30 points. They haven't won at the Horseshoe since 2007.
Besides history, the Illini face a more daunting challenge in a Buckeyes offense that ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (44.3 points per game) and third in total yards (499.4 per game).
But hopes are higher than they've been in a while in Champaign. And the Illini hope that follows them to Columbus.
"There's a lot of excitement right now for our players," offensive coordinator Bill Cubit said. "There was a lot of excitement in the stands. Walking off (the field), there were still people out there (in the stands). Going to my car, tons of people. Went to church, there were still people tailgating.
"The kids sense that. They want to keep that up."
sryan@tribune.com
Twitter @sryantribune
