People say Halloween gives us a chance to dress up as someone else for a night and escape ourselves, but I tend to believe our choice of costume reveals more about who we are rather than hiding it.

For example, I once dressed up as Optimus Prime from “Transformers” when I was in second grade. So what does that say about me? Clearly, it means I’m really a robot capable of turning into a semi-truck … or that I just liked cars and science as a kid.

So if our costumes say something about who we are, then what do the costume choices by Illinois football players and coaches say about them?

Ron Zook as Jim Mora

In case you haven’t heard, Ron Zook had a mini-meltdown after Monday’s practice by lashing out at a group of reporters in what would surely make a solid Coors Light commercial.

After Zook claimed he saw no problems with the way the team was practicing, staff writer Wes Anderson asked Zook to explain what he then thought was specifically wrong with the team. Zook briefly kept his composure before channeling the spirit of former NFL hothead coach Jim Mora, who was made famous by his “Playoffs?!” tirade.

“Here’s the deal. We’ll be ready to go, OK?” Zook said as he reached his boiling point. “Yeah, I am a little bit feisty right now and I don’t have an answer for you. Everybody wants an answer. Hell, if I had an answer I’d give it to you!”

Now, either this was a brilliant piece of acting to get his team fired up or the Zooker is truly on the verge of explosion. I’m guessing the latter.

Like Mora, who wore his emotions on his sleeve, the frustration of a disappointing season seems to be getting to Zook. Nothing says “lost cause” like the wrath of a vengeful head coach.

Juice Williams as Troy Smith

During his junior season, Smith became one of the focal points of the Buckeyes offense and struggled to make the transition from a running quarterback to a pocket passer with mobility. Some of his performances were great and some not so much.

In 2008, Juice has attempted to make the same jump from runner to thrower, which has been a struggle for the junior at times. His yards per attempt (9.2), quarterback rating (152.6) and touchdown passes (18) are higher than last season’s numbers, but Juice folds when the game rests solely on his ability to throw effectively.

While Smith went on to win the Heisman his senior year, I’m not predicting the exact same results for Juice quite yet. I will say, however, that Juice will be one of the best passing quarterbacks in the nation next season when he learns to use his running ability to open up throwing lanes … then he will go onto to be a lifelong backup for the Baltimore Ravens.

Martez Wilson as a freshman

There were some lofty expectations for “The Freak” coming into the season. Being named a preseason first team all-Big Ten linebacker without even starting a game is pretty high praise.

So far though, Tez has been a no-show in the game-changing statistical categories where the coaches were hoping he’d make his biggest impact.

Look at this stat line: three sacks, one fumble forced and recovered, and no interceptions.

Wilson does have 61 total tackles (second on the team), but most of the time he seems to get lost in coverage, gets blocked too easily by offensive linemen and disappears for too long.

Overall, he has been ineffective and more of a liability than a playmaker at times.

Brit Miller as J Leman

J might be one of the biggest fan favorites to ever play at Memorial Stadium (he got a bigger cheer from the home fans than Dick Butkus, for crying out loud), but Brit Miller is doing his best impersonation to become the next Leman.

The numbers speak for themselves. In 2007, Leman had 132 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks through 13 games. Through eight games this season, Miller already has 84 total tackles (on pace for 126), 14 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Actually, maybe J should be dressing up like Brit?

Illinois football as Michigan State football

Like so many Spartan teams of yesteryear, the Illini are hard to figure out. At times they look like one of the best teams in the conference, while also having the amazing ability to compile a long list of incredibly confusing losses.

Michigan State has been know as a program that starts its seasons off with a great deal of promise, only to fade away later in the schedule. While Illinois began the 2008 campaign with two early losses, the potential for a very prominent bowl appearance really didn’t evaporate until last week in Madison.

Now, it’s not a matter of where the Illini will play their bowl game, but if they will even make a postseason appearance.

Kyle Betts is a graduate student. He can be reached at [email protected].