Zook: 'Blame me'

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CHAMPAIGN – The Illinois coach didn't want to hear it. No complaints about officiating calls. No whining about missed opportunities.

His team lost. Period. To Northwestern ... for the sixth time in seven years. The 21-16 victory by the Wildcats eliminated Zook's fifth team from bowl consideration.

"I told our team, 'Basically, we didn't play well enough to win,' " Zook said. "Don't go around blaming people. That's what we've been doing all year. If you want somebody to blame, blame me."

Illinois trailed 21-3 early in the fourth quarter before a pair of touchdown drives cut the margin to five. The Illini had a final chance, but a pass from Jacob Charest to Jarred Fayson was ruled to be intercepted by Northwestern's Sherrick McManis.

Zook didn't want to talk about the play, which was reviewed by the replay official.

"It doesn't matter what it looked like to me," Zook said. "I'm not trying to elude the question. There's no use getting into it. I'm not going to say anything. It's like I just told our football team, 'I'm tired of people pointing fingers.'

"We shouldn't have been in that situation. We were. Everybody has bad games. Players have bad games. Coaches have bad games. And, obviously, officials have bad games. That's the way it is."

Zook's team has two nonconference games remaining. In the first, Nov. 27 at Cincinnati, the Illini will be heavy underdogs against the nation's No. 5 team. In the second, Dec. 5 at home against Fresno State, they'll celebrate Senior Day in front of what figures to be a sparse crowd.

The bowl hope is gone. Now what?

"Keep trying to win," Zook said. "That's the only thing I know. I don't know any other way. That's why they keep score. I'm pretty sure they're not going to cancel the next two games."

Shouldn't playing No. 5 Cincinnati provide motivation?

"That remains to be seen," Zook said. "You'd think if you've got an opportunity to play a top team in the country, you'd think they would be excited about that. If they're not, then they probably won't be on the trip."

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