I started my day with PT and a short walk (West Peoria 3.14 course in 40:18 or 12:50 mpm). Then I picked up Tracy and it was off to the Penn State game.
The tone was more or less set on the opening drive which lead to a missed field goal by the Illini. The Penn State offense was less than impressive, but an early fumble and TWO interceptions lead to Penn State taking a 13-0 lead. On the first of these drives, Penn State had a first and goal at the 2 and got stuffed.
A blocked field goal (52 yd) set up an Illini TD drive (one determined run) but then a late exchange of punts lead to a Penn State field goal as time expired. 16-7 and it could have been a lot worse.
An early drive in the 3’rd quarter was thwarted by yet another interception. Then came a drive punctuated by an option pass for a 23-7 lead…then a 4’th interception (5’th turn over) which lead to a touchdown run and 30-7 lead.
Penn State then got the ball back and turned it over to their second team quarterback and played a lot of guys on defense as well, and the Illini second team quarterback (with 3’rd running back) got a consolation touchdown with just over 4 minutes to go to cut it to 30-13. (2 point conversion failed)
Total yards: 383 to 354 Penn State, but much of the gap was closed in the 4’th, and those turnovers!
Socially: we got there early so we checked out aspects of the stadium.
I did work out first: PT mixed with pull ups: 20 singles (in 2 sets), 10 (3 sloppy reps), penalty set of 3, 4 sets of 5 (a couple were chins), and a 40 count hold. It was 14 F outside.
Downstairs for bench: 5 x 134, 4 sets of 4 x 154, 3 sets of shrugs, 3 sets of curls, 3 sets of 5 x 105 high incline.
Then 3.13 outside; first mile took 16 minutes and average pace was 14:59. Then 1 more commuter walk to give me 4 for the day, 145 for the month so far.
Saturday: Illinois hosted Northwestern. NW came in with a 6-5 record and Illinois was 5-6 and needed a win to make a bowl. B and Jacob sat in club seats; I sat in my regular seat.
The game started off with an exchange of punts, followed by a Northwestern interception off a tipped pass, putting the Cats at the Illini 26. They marched it in with no problem.
The Illini marched it down with a nice drive, but fumbled the shotgun snap on 3’rd and 1 and had to settle for a field goal. 7-3.
No problem for Northwestern; they took over, kept it until the second quarter and marched it 73 yards for a touchdown: 14-3 early in the second.
Now the Illini got a great return to their own 43 and marched it 57 yards for a touchdown to cut it to 14-10; the game began to take on an Indiana game vibe.
The Cats were held and made a short punt; the Illini drove it deep again and kicked a field goal to cut it to 14-13 with 2:20 to play.
Northwestern got aggressive. With 1:54 to go, a pass was picked off at the NW 45 and returned for a touchdown! So..it was 20-14 Illini.
So..Northwestern got the ball with 1:09 and promptly marched 75 yards for a touchdown. But that had some controversy: the final play was a short run from the 3 and the ball carrier fumbled before crossing the goal line. The ball was loose and underneath all of the bodies it was ruled that a Northwestern guy recovered the ball. It was impossible to tell from the replay.
So, it was a wild half: 21-20 Cats.
Second half: Northwestern gets the ball; this time they drive it 89 yards to lead 28-20; the Illini defense was reeling. But the Illini offense got another drive..which ended with…another field goal. It was now 28-23 with about 6 minutes left in the 3’rd.
Northwestern drove it back but ended up missing a field goal (short from 45).
So, just after the start of the 4’th, the Illini finish their drive with a sweet option pass from their “quarterback turned wide receiver” and now lead 31-28 after the 2 point coversion.
But we were just getting started.
The Illini forced a punt. The Illini muffed said punt and Northwestern recovered at the 18. 4 plays later, Northwestern took the lead back 35-31 scoring on a quarterback scramble.
Then on the next kick off…the Illinois guy gets tackled; the ball pops up in the air, and a Northwestern guy caught it and ran it in.
But..we are not getting revved up. The Illini hit a short pass and Washington, the receiver slipped a tackler and ran down to the Northwestern 3 yard line. A penalty gave the Illini 4 downs from the 2 and they needed ALL of them to cut it to 42-37 (missed the 2 point conversion) with 7:15 to go in this wild game.
Northwestern ..you guessed it, started a drive but the Illini intercepted it inside the 10 yard line. Just over 5 minutes remain.
But…Illinois pass is tipped and intercepted again, at the 30.
The Cats get stopped but eat up 2 minutes and (barely) make a field goal; now it is 45-37 with just under 3 minutes.
The Illini get the ball back but with just under 3 minutes to go, but fail on 4’th and 3 with 2:21. The quarterback got sacked.
The Illini still have time outs.
The Cats can’t move and elect a pooch punt with 55 seconds to go.
Then…you guessed it..80 yard touchdown pass on a play very similar to the 75 yarder! But the Cats stop the 2 point conversion, and cover the onside kick.
This is a long highlight reel, but..well, there were a lot of highlights.
This one ended 27-20. Once again, I sat away from the crown in section 209; great view, but this was one of those poorly designed “only one exit” rows.
Tampa struck first with a field goal to go up 3-0 but the Colts got the next 3 scores to go up 17-3. A quick Tampa drive got it to 17-10 and then the Colts ..for some reason, burned a lot of clock and settled for a 58 yard attempt which doinked.
The Colts used strong running to move 75 yards for the clinching touchdown, though the Bucs did respond with a field goal with 4:20 to go to cut it to 27-20, which was the final score.
Ok, getting to the game was a disaster …tried the interstate and was in line for about 45 minutes…and then inside..forgot that the cash machine was gone. Live and learn.
Saturday (day before the game trip) 6.25 mile walk in 1:26:34 (13:51 pace after a sluggish start), followed by some light dead lifts: 4 inch 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 224, 10 x 255
Sunday: laps around a mall parking lot: 37:07 for 2.23 miles
Monday: decided on PT and a treadmill walk 5 miles in 1:07:12 then 1 mile commuter walk.
Yes, I spent 2 hours preparing for Monday’s lesson (and possibly beyond); I’d imagine that I’ll be buried on Monday. This semester has been hard due to all of the extra nonsense.
And so it goes. I did get tomorrow off from family duties.
Workout notes: meandering 4 mile walk after weights:
pull ups: 10 single pull ups (2 sets of 5 singles), then 6 sets of 5: 3 pull up sets, 3 chins) then a set of 5 chins, 5 singles. Then 31-32 second hold.
Downstairs: deadlift: 10 x 110, 10 x 135 deficit. 10 x 190, 10 x 225 low, 10 x 271 4 inch. These were with a lot of rest.
This was my third trip to Kinnick Stadium. The first was in 1993: a Miami Hurricane victor over Iowa. A friend was dating someone who had a son on the team (redshirting). The second was that infamous 55-24 blowout of Ohio State in 2017. Unforgettable trip; I might “encore post” that one.
And last Saturday: It was an easy trip there; left at 9:40 and arrived just after noon. I panicked a bit as the lot that I had planned to park in was full of tailgaters ..no spots at all. I did find a garage that was a pleasant 1 mile walk away from the stadium though. I’ll make a note of it.
The day: slightly chilly but downright warm for November in Iowa. I didn’t wear everything.
And the atmosphere: outstanding. Iowans take their football seriously! Packed stadium; fans cheering their team and booing the referees (and a few boos of offensive calls). But as to the game: I felt like crying afterward.
The Illini fought hard; took them to the limit. And late in the 4’th, the Illini had a 13-9 lead and had stopped Iowa’s offense all day…but that changed for two key drives.
How to sum it up.
Early, Iowa had a short drive, punted then sacked the Illinois QB in the end zone for a safety. Then it appeared that Iowa might take control; they had a decent drive that stalled and they missed a field goal.
Illinois made theirs (50+ yards) and lead 3-2 going into the second quarter.
Iowa responded with a long, time consuming drive that finished in the 2n’d quarter to lead 9-3. But the Illini responded with a long drive (key play: one longish run, and a nice pass to the tight end over the middle) to take a 10-9 lead.
After that..the Illini appeared to get the better of the action. But the Illini missed a long field goal..drove in close and at the beginning of the 4’th, on 4’th and 2 near the Iowa 10, settled for a field goal. I approved of the move as the Illini defense was in complete control. It was 13-9 and I thought that the Illini were going to win.
Then came their least ditch drive with 6:51. A good punt return set Iowa up near mid field, and two PI penalties (probably good calls, but the Illini didn’t get such benefit of the doubt) moved the ball to the 30. Then came “the run”.
Still, the Illini got the ball back with 4:40 to play. They ended up with 4’th and 2 at their own 33 with 2 time outs and they lined up in punt formation. Then the coach called a time out…then they went for it..pass batted down.
Now the Illini had one time out, and the Hawkeyes came up with a big run to get a first down to ice the game.
Sigh…
The game stats were about as even as the game was.
I had a front row seat in Section 332; I was kind of up there but loved the view of the game.
Other games: I was also disappointed in that the Illinois State Redbirds lost their game to North Dakota with 27 second left; ND makes the playoffs and the Redbirds don’t. They also lost a last second game to Youngstown State: so close but not yet there.
Navy beat a lousy East Carolina team 10-0 and now as won 5 games, albeit against dreadfully bad opposition.
Saturday (my Iowa City trip) nice 6.25 mile (1:24:06; 13:27 pace) walk (hill Bradley Park plus campus loop) prior to my Iowa City trip. Got 2 more 1 mile stadium walks while there.
Sunday: deadlifts and a very easy 5K walk (47:54 in my heavy shoes)
Deadlifts: 10 x 134 4 inch, 10 x 134 low, 10 x 184 low, 10 x 225 low, 10 x 271 4 inch. Then 3 sets of 10 x 60 goblet squats.
Monday (today) two 2-mile commuter walks (slow this time); weights went like this (usual PT, of course) 30 singles (sets of 10/5), 7, 3, 5, 5, then a hold (timer to 40 seconds; didn’t quite last. Downstairs: bench: 5 x 134, 4 sets of 4 x 154
shrugs: 3 sets of 10. curls: 3 sets of 10 high incline: 3 sets of 5 x 105
Life of an old goat 