EVANSTON – Coming off what appeared like a step in the right direction in 2019, Illinois football wanted so much more this fall.

There were signs of a heartbeat from last season, considering the last-second upset of Wisconsin and the miracle comeback against Michigan State, and so much more was expected from the diehards who have stuck with this struggling program for the bulk of a decade since the Illini last posted a winning season.

Then there was the reality of a new year, the cancellation of the non-conference season, COVID issues and a thin roster taking the usual hits from injury.

The Illini failed to back it up this fall, and with one game left, it’s been another long, trying season. In a rivalry game Saturday, No. 14 Northwestern thumped Illinois 28-10 in a thoroughly dominating game in the Chicago suburbs.

What began with some big talk has reached the moment when the Illini simply attempt to halt any exhale in the locker room.

“We’re trying to keep the motivation there, trying to keep our heads high,’’ said Illini running back Chase Brown. “When you play poorly two weeks in a row, we’re trying to look for answers. Bottom line, we have to be better. There’s still one more game to go. We’ve got to find motivation in that.

“I haven’t seen effort drop, but it’s hard to stay locked in mentally. A lot of guys go to the stadium and go home. We don’t really have a lot going on. There’s COVID exhaustion. I’m sure guys are experiencing that.’’

Illinois (2-5) plays again next weekend, but it’s really moot at this point. It appears, once again, this program is going nowhere. There’s not enough star power or enough depth to make it happen consistently against Power 5 competition. Looking back, this was a tough year for the Illini to back it up, if history tells us anything.

Playing a conference-only season wasn’t in the Illini’s best interest, considering one of the biggest reasons for success were those three out-of-league gimmes to start in the original schedule. The Illini haven’t posted a winning record in the Big Ten since 2007, the year they went to the Rose Bowl.

History and excuses notwithstanding, the Illini fell flat, unable to ride the momentum offensively from last season or prop of a disastrously poor defense.

If coach Lovie Smith sticks after this season – and that’s still THE offseason question at this point – there must be some soul searching in the head coach’s office. Watching the Wildcats dance around with the Land of Lincoln Trophy for the sixth consecutive season has to make you think.

“There are a lot of things going on right now,’’ Lovie said. “We’ve handled some things good. With injuries and us not playing good, we haven’t gotten in a flow. It’s a big disappointment today. Overall this season, that’s how it’s been. We saw signs. We saw signs today.’’

After being dominated by Northwestern for the second straight year while the Illini were talking about injuries, Illinois needs to be more like Northwestern. That’s a difficult thing for Illini folks to grasp, and Lovie didn’t even want to go there when asked about what Northwestern does so well.

“All I can talk about is what we could do today,’’ Lovie said.

As Northwestern looked forward to its second trip to the Big Ten title game in three seasons, the Illini stagger to the end of the fifth season under Lovie with the kind of record that would get a guy fired. His program has beaten four teams in the Big Ten West. The Illini found a way to knock off Purdue, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Minnesota once apiece. Against Iowa and Northwestern, the Illini are 0 for 10.

It’s probably worthwhile for Lovie (or athletic director Josh Whitman) to take a peek at Northwestern’s formula.

When Northwestern’s offense needed an overhaul following last season, coach Pat Fitzgerald made the move, fired a coordinator entrenched in the program and landed Mike Bajakian, the former Boston College offensive coordinator. He was known for producing a solid running game that doesn’t turn it over. In nine seasons as a college offensive coordinator, Bajakian’s offenses averaged 424 yards and 31 points a game.

So, it should be no surprise Northwestern played a solid, fundamental style on its way to Indy, and while grinding past the Illini on a cold, soggy day just blocks west of Lake Michigan, the Wildcats finished with 411 yards rushing (compared to 82 through the air).

When Fitzgerald looked for help on offense, he hired a guy with experience. When Lovie needed help on defense, he chose to serve as defensive coordinator, then pay his inexperienced son $315K as linebackers coach.

Then there’s the job of building depth. It’s done by recruiting high school players and developing them, instead of relying upon the transfer portal to cherry pick guys looking for a second chance. When the Illinois High School Football Association held a virtual clinic this week, Fitzgerald gave a little bit of his time for a presentation. So did Indiana coach Tom Allen and Maryland’s Mike Locksley.

According to a published report, Lovie chose to snub the local coaches and concentrate on game preparation against Northwestern. With no in-state kids signed last season and three in the recruiting class thus far, the Illini aren’t showing signs of building a base close to home, a goal for most programs.

Through it all, Northwestern is still The Team Up North, both in geography and the Big Ten West standings.

The farther the calendar takes us from 2019, it sure looks like the Illini caught Wisconsin in a sucker game. You know the one, the weekend before the Badgers’ big game at Ohio State. Michigan State was Michigan State last season, bad enough to get its long-time coach fired. For all the excitement from those two wins, the blemishes from a loss to Eastern Michigan and blowouts elsewhere in the league were enough to keep level-headed fans wondering just where the program stood.

Well, the Illini are The Team Down South, both in geography and the Big Ten West standings.