Elated Fighting Illini fans gathered in Bromley Hall’s cafeteria Thursday night for a live broadcast of the Ron Zook radio show.

Students had the chance to listen to football coach Zook’s thoughts of the season as well as ask some questions of their own.

Lori Macy, freshman in LAS, was excited for the chance to see Coach Zook outside of the game atmosphere.

“It’s nice that he’s going to be here just for us,” Macy said. “We see him at the games, but it’s nice to see him on a more personal level.”

Heading into the 98th annual homecoming weekend, students had many questions about what the team was doing to prepare for Minnesota.

“I told my guys they’re (Minnesota) coming into the game expecting a win,” Zook said. “This is a critical game for us. Minnesota is a much improved football team this year.”

Jon La Berg, junior in Business, is a loyal football fan ready for a great game.

“I’m a big Illinois football fan,” La Berg said. “I’ve been following the team for three years now and it wasn’t so fun early on. The win against Michigan was much needed and the team made a great comeback after a pretty rough start.”

Answering questions about the 45-20 win over Michigan, Zook gave credit to his team and their determination.

“I just tell the guys if something good happens keep playing, and if something bad happens keep playing,” Zook said. “Just keep playing.”

Brian Barnhart, host of the radio show, which was broadcast on WDWS-AM News Talk 1400, took phone calls from fans all across Illinois. Most just wanted to tell Zook to keep up the good work.

Barnhart has also hosted the Bruce Weber show at Bromley Hall in years past.

“This is the first year for the Ron Zook show to be hosted here,” Vice President of Bromley Ed Coyne said. “It’s really something fun for the residents and we just want to show support for the football team this weekend.”

Zook also gave a shout out to football fans and his appreciation for all their support.

“I’m just blessed to be coaching,” Zook said. “This is the student’s football team. It takes a special bond between the players and the fans to see them jumping up into the stands game after game. It’s the neatest thing.”