Just when you think it can’t get worse, it does. That is exactly what is happening with the University of Illinois and its football program this season after their Memorial Stadium caught fire on Tuesday. It perfectly encapsulates how the season has gone for the Fighting Illini thus far, a complete and utter disaster.
Despite the stadium catching fire, the team remains hopeful they will be able to host Nebraska in their home game next Friday as currently scheduled. As of now, the Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) will continue to investigate the matter in hopes of figuring out what caused the fire and how to prevent it from happening again moving forward.
Thankfully, the first was quickly extinguished thanks to the local fire department and no injuries were reported.
This season has not gone as planned for head coach Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini after a 2022 pleasantly surprising 2022 campaign. In 2022, Bielema led the group to an 8-5 record, their winningest season since 2007. Through five games in 2023, the Fighting Illini are 2-3 and have looked like a shell of the team that won eight games last season.
The offense has failed to score points consistently and the defense has been unable to stop anyone, allowing over 30 points per game to opponents.
Similar to Memorial Stadium, Illinois’ season is up in flames after a rough start. There is still time to turn it around, but Bielema and his team will need to do it quickly if they want to salvage their season.
