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Illinois trolls Michigan State with 3/28 reference

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Illinois used March 28 as an opportunity to take another shot at a B1G rival.

Saturday’s date is 3/28, prompting many folks on social media to mention one of the greatest Super Bowl comebacks in history — New England’s come-from-behind win over Atlanta in Super Bowl LI. The Patriots trailed 28-3 before surging late in the game, defeating the Falcons 34-28 in overtime.

Atlanta has never lived it down.

But during the 2019 college football season, Illinois had a 28-3 story of its own. On Nov. 9 the Fighting Illini trailed Michigan State 28-3 in the first half. After rattling off three-straight victories, it looked like the end of the winning streak for Lovie Smith and company.

That wasn’t the case. Illinois outscored Michigan State 27-3 in the fourth quarter and defeated the Spartans 37-34 in East Lansing. It was the largest comeback win in Illini football history.

So, on Saturday, Illinois wanted to send that reminder to Michigan State with a post on Twitter. Wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe also got in on the fun:

https://twitter.com/joshbhebhe/status/1243969822066532352?s=21

For Illinois, its players and fans, Saturday was certainly a day worth celebrating. Michigan State, on the other hand, would probably like to bury its head in a pillow and wait for the day to end, just like the Falcons.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB