Can Illinois Football defy history this week?

Last year, the Illinois Fighting Illini ended the year with eight wins and tickets punched for a bowl game in Tampa against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Despite some close losses, the Illini were strong contenders for the Big Ten West Division title until the final game of the season.

But you wouldn’t have guessed that from the way they played on Sept. 2, 2022 against the Indiana Hoosiers: Illinois squandered a nearly 200-yard rushing effort from Chase Brown by turning the ball over four times and committing eight penalties for 81 yards in a 23-20 defeat.

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

The Indiana game last year fit within the longstanding trend of even very talented Illini teams struggling mightily when they leave Memorial Stadium for the first time in a season, no matter who they’re playing against. It’s a problem that stretches across the tenures…