Nebraska-Illinois was a superbly horrible soccer recreation4 min read

Late on Friday evening, a message got here by means of the primary SB Nation Slack channel. In the midst of discussions concerning the latest Randy Gregory commerce, Al Michaels not consuming greens, and Brock Purdy having a roommate — you recognize, the sorts of issues folks usually discuss at work — got here this:

I’ve been watching Nebraska-Illinois and I believe that is the worst soccer recreation I’ve ever seen.

All of us fall sufferer to hyperbole at occasions, taking part in up what we’re seeing within the second. Sports activities media is replete with such examples. Each participant we’re watching is the best of all time, or the worst we now have ever seen. Each recreation is one of the best we now have ever seen, or the worst. We reside our lives 280 characters at a time, and our sports activities protection displays that.

Nonetheless.

On this case, the assertion “worst soccer recreation I’ve ever seen” could be proper.

On a blustery Friday evening in Champaign, these two groups mixed to provide us a show of soccer that won’t precisely be featured on many year-end Large Ten spotlight reels. Simply have a look at how this recreation started:

Illinois marched down the sector and ultimately confronted a third-and-goal scenario on the Nebraska one-yard line. It was an opportunity to place an exclamation level on an emphatic opening drive that had lined over 70 yards and occupied practically all the first quarter. An opportunity to supply a becoming tribute to Dick Butkus, the Illini legend who was honored earlier than kickoff.

But, on two-straight performs they had been stopped, a feat that befuddled head coach Bret Bielema.

“It’s maddening, infuriating that we will’t achieve six inches on two performs,” he mentioned. “I’ve been teaching for 15 years and I’ve by no means been so pissed off. We’re maintain having the identical points. Now we have to make adjustments. Now we have to alter the equation.”

The primary landing got here early within the second quarter from the Cornhuskers, they usually tacked on a second after Illinois mishandled the following kickoff.

Truly, saying the Illini “mishandled” the kickoff won’t be one of the best description, as a result of to “mishandle” one thing implies that somebody at one level really tried to “deal with” it YOU KNOW WHAT LET’S JUST PLAY THE CLIP:

The kick will get held up by the wind, takes a positive bounce for the Cornhuskers, they usually get well to provide them a second-straight possession. One they might cap off with a landing to take a 17-0 lead.

Illinois managed to place a landing of their very own on the board to make this a 17-7 recreation on the half, and as unhealthy as the primary half was, the second was, effectively, worse.

Simply have a look at this:

Completely unimaginable.

Nebraska left city with the 20-7 victory, enhancing to 3-3 on the 12 months. And, as befits a recreation like this, simply learn these phrases from the ESPN recap of the sport: “The victory pushed the Huskers into the Large Ten West title image. After a bye week subsequent week, Nebraska hosts Large Ten West opponents Northwestern and Purdue then travels to Michigan State, all groups with shedding information.”

It’s true! Listed here are the present Large Ten West standings:

After these three video games — Northwestern, Purdue, and Michigan State — the Huskers play Maryland, Wisconsin, and Iowa to shut out the season. The Terrapins are 5-0 in the mean time, however play Ohio State at this time and could have a recreation in opposition to Penn State earlier than taking up Nebraska. Wisconsin has video games in opposition to Iowa and Ohio State arising.

All these means there’s a non-zero probability that the Black Friday recreation between Iowa and Nebraska is for the Large Ten West title. It could be a single-digit probability, however it’s potential.

One can solely think about the Slack messages such a scenario would encourage.