One way to play defense (via MrBenzduck)

The wait to see what might happen to Illini linebacker Jonathan Brown is over. After his crack at the walnuts of Northwestern lineman Patrick Ward, Brown is receiving a one game suspension which will take place away versus Indiana. With around 6 tackles a game it should be a blow to the Illini defense. Considering it's the Hoosiers, however, this suspension could not have come at a better time.

Seeing it live, I was not completely sure what had gone down, but thanks to that marvel of instant reply and being on national television it was certain that we would see it a few times more and slowed down. My boys certainly shared in the pain of the low blow by Brown. He embarrassed his team, his school, and himself. He has since apologized to Northwestern fans regarding his actions. The quick response by Coach Zook has been hailed as fair and appropriate. 

This is not, however, the first time that an Illinois-Northwestern game has come to blows and injury. One day, Willie the Wildcat decided to be a little playful with one of the Marching Illini members. Willie snuck up and took one of the hats from a band-o shortly before halftime was about to start. Unbeknownst to Willie, however, the band was just told a story about hat thieves from a road trip game to Ohio State. At the sight of a hat thief band members leapt into action yelling "Hat thief! Hat thief." A brave and brash member of the trumpet section speared Willie to the ground. The band-o got up with the hat and ran off to do half time... Willie on the other hand tried to get up but failed and had to be helped off the field. Willie eventually returned to the field... significantly taller. You see, the person inside of the Willie the Wildcat costume was none other than your typically tiny cheerleading girl... and now she had a broken leg. Upon his return from halftime to the stands, DIA members approached the band and talked to the director (Caneva at the time). They pointed up at the band member and motioned him down. He was escorted from the premises. It was the last game of his senior year. A year later the Big 10 instituted a rule that no contact was to come between mascots and opposing schools. Even a friendly and consensual goal-posting of Herky the Hawkeye ended in the band members being escorted from the stadium. 

If you can't find the connection between the two stories besides the obvious injury: allow me to give it away. Both injuries occurred because those involved really wanted that damn hat. 

Marching Illini Shakos are a hot commodity. 

Land of Lincoln Trophy? Or Mad Hatter? 

This is classic Illini. Start the comeback too late. I just don't get it. I love this team. Probably too much. It was a tightly called game. But that bad choice foul out by Bill Cole and the poorly chosen foul out by D-Mac (though Mike Davis tried to take credit for it) was what did it in for the Illini. Is this an MJ curse? Jeff, I love your dad. But you need to take the ball down the court with some urgency. DJ should not have to heave the last shot towards the basket with nothing but a prayer. We should have had an easy pull up or an easier layup with maybe a plus one (God forbid we get the ball in the paint). That being said, I still think Illinois will have no problem making the tournament. We have two regular season games left. Ohio St. away and Wisconsin at home. I think we could possibly take either one of these. Though I think if we take Wisconsin in the reg. season we will have a difficult time taking them in the tournament.

As a sort of disclaimer I guess: I am in the basketball band and I am going to attend the Men's Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis and I am set up to go to rounds 1 and 2 in the NCAA tournament (which we are projected to go to Buffalo). So don't fuck this up for me (This is to you Illinois and to you the rest of the Big Ten and the rest of the bubble teams. Fuck you bubble teams...).