CHAMPAIGN – Bret Bielema saw something. He spotted a weakness.

Illini head football coach and special teams coordinator Robby Discher had been practicing a fake punt for several weeks, waiting for the perfect moment.

Saturday’s first half ended with Michigan closing to 13-7 and promising more of the same in the second half. After the break, Illinois sputtered near midfield and appeared to be in desperate need of a spark.

Imagine if that failed. Bielema had to be 90% sure, but there could be no guarantee. Imagine the mass dismay in this sold-out crowd, all emotionally committed to the rededication of Memorial Stadium, which will be celebrating its 100th anniversary… but fearful of another rally in Michigan that would have marked decades of disappointment.

You’ve seen the number: Michigan was 26-2 (1 tie) at Memorial Stadium since 1959. Something always happened to spoil UI efforts, a muffed punt, foul play arbitration, a key turnaround, whatever.

In a difficult situation

When 265-pound Tanner Arkin dashed into the open spaces on a 36-yard jaunt, the roaring assembly realized Bielema was just the guy with the cajones to complete Saturday’s dramatic tribute at Memorial Stadium and the big Red Grange. Thousands of people in attendance and millions watching CBS-TV were totally surprised.

So did the Wolverines, and Luke Altmyer and the inspired Illini covered the remaining 16 yards on the ground. And Bielema had one more surprise up his sleeve, inserting little-used Donovan Leary to throw a perfect 2-point conversion to Zakhari Franklin.

It ended 21-7 with 24 minutes left. The Illini team that allowed 46 points to Purdue in the second half a week earlier, donned those Grange uniforms and held the 2023 national champions scoreless in the second half and to their lowest game total since 2014.

They capped it by blunting two serious drives, first with a sack leading to a blocked field goal and later with a fourth-quarter interception by Matthew Bailey at the 2-yard line.

Courageous defenders Gabe Jakas, Dylan Rosiek, TeRah Edwards and Bailey have drawn praise where recognition is usually reserved for offensive members.

#1 in their mind

Altmyer only managed 80 yards through the air as he was under pressure and his wide receivers struggled to resist ultra-tight coverage. But the Illini advantage at QB was huge. The day ended with delirious supporters, automatically carrying their enthusiasm onto the field and blithely forgetting, in those precious minutes, the decades of misfortune that preceded it.

Bielema dismissed the past as he talked about the immediate future, with these early successes creating the possibility that the 6-1 bowl-eligible Illini, with long shots of course, could truly shock the nation at No. 1 in Oregon Saturday.

Somehow it seems more possible than before.

But it is important that those who suffered understand how important Saturday was and why the reaction was so explosive.

It was, thanks in part to the 100-year accumulation, the most significant Illini football triumph in 41 years. You could feel it. It was different from a normal victory against a 3-3 opponent. It dates back to 1983, when a group of burly Californians joined forces with coach Mike White to defeat every member of the Big Ten, including No. 6 Ohio State and No. 8 Michigan, both at home.

There were few memorable triumphs here after that. In the 15 seasons preceding Ron Zook’s 2007 Rose Bowl team, Illinois never beat a ranked Big Ten team in “unfriendly confines.” In the 32 years since John Mackovic, the Illini are 41-88 against Big Ten teams at home.

Over the years

Here is my paper-thin 41-year list of the best conference triumphs at Memorial Stadium:

(1) In 1985, during a 27-game sellout streak, the Illini toppled No. 5 Ohio State early on, while the 1983 carryover remained strong.

The 80s belonged…

(2) In 2007, IU beat No. 24 Penn State 27-20 and No. 5 Wisconsin 31-26 in home thrillers.

(3) In 2019, the Illini ended a four-game skid when Tony Adams threw a late interception and James McCourt kicked a 39-yard field goal to topple No. 6 Wisconsin, 24-23 . Some 37,000 tickets were sold, but the turnstile showed only 26,255 people in attendance for Lovie Smith’s iconic five-year victory.

(4) In 1989, Mackovic’s 10-2 club beat unranked Ohio State 34-14 with 69,088 registered.

(5) In 1991, No. 20 Illinois beat No. 11 OSU, 10-7, before ending up with a 6-6 team.

What happened Saturday was a much bigger experience. It was born out of frustration and recognition of how this magnificent structure came to be and what Grange meant to UI and football a century ago.