Planning for this column began months ago. Illini football almost always has at least one home game over Thanksgiving break, and I was going to infiltrate the “Block I” student section on its emptiest day. My goal for months had been to write a column with a title something along the lines of: “What it’s like to be in the Big Ten’s emptiest (worst?) student section.”

At Illinois, football comes second to basketball and that’s true even when the Illini are putting a decent team on the field. Saturday’s game against Penn State was scheduled for the first day after classes let out, and I knew the crowd in Block I would be barren. 

The scene had played out before. Only a couple hundred students show up to Memorial Stadium, photos are taken, there’s ridicule across social media, and everyone uses it to show how pathetic the Illinois football program is.

A year ago, Deadspin picked up the story twice, first calling Block I the “saddest” student section, and then a week later calling it the “saddest-est” after an even worse effort. 

Well, I sat in the “saddest-est” student section Saturday — it was only about 250 people strong at kickoff, I counted — and I’ll be honest: It was fun.

I expected to write a negative column about Block I, and its poor effort every week. I really wanted to bash the student section. I did write that column. It’s saved on my computer. But no one will ever read it, because it wasn’t right or fair.

I can’t hate on any of the 250 students who showed up to Saturday’s game. They aren’t the ones who should be made fun of. It’s the empty bleachers and the students who weren’t there to occupy them who should be made fun of.

If you are a student at this university and you weren’t one of the few at Memorial Stadium, I’m calling you out. It’s the kids who went home — like my three roommates, yeah, I’m calling you guys out, too — who are to blame. Not those who donned orange and blue and showed up.

The 250 who made it, I commend you. You didn’t have to stay a day after classes ended, but you did — and you had fun.

To those who don’t bother to attend games but are ashamed of our football program, I ask: What are you doing to change it? 

Not much. 

Maybe this column, if you’re still reading, will wake you up. Changing the culture of a football program is a university-wide effort, probably statewide in our case. You can’t make the team any better, but you can make the atmosphere better. 

The streets were as quiet as they’ve ever been on a gameday when I walked to the stadium Saturday morning. The parking lot was sparse. 

I took a spot in the middle section of Block I — near the back, with a view of everyone. A senior now, it was my first time back in Block I since I was a freshman. Writing for The Daily Illini has given me the luxury of sitting in the press box with my fellow newspaper writers and radio announcers.  

Those 250 students were a dedicated bunch. When a kid wearing Penn State blue made his way up the stands midway through the second quarter, they collectively turned to boo and hurl insults his way. 

The kid’s name was Rob, a senior at Penn State. Originally from Cary, Illinois, he was home for Thanksgiving and went to the game with his buddy Peter, a senior at Illinois. Rob clearly had no fear walking into Illinois student section wearing enemy colors.

“He told me no one would care,” he said, pointing to Peter. The Block I leaders didn’t let it fly though. They made him wear an old Illinois shirt over his Nittany Lions garb, so Peter wasn’t entirely correct. 

Rob told me of his experience in the Penn State student section. “It’s bigger than this entire crowd,” he said. He couldn’t quite explain the atmosphere. “You just have to be there,” he said.

I was there a year ago when Illinois traveled to Penn State. It was about as big as the 35,172 announced at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Those students turn out no matter who the Nittany Lions are playing. I can’t say I know exactly what Rob means, but just seeing it gives you something of an idea.

At halftime, Block I did its signature card stunts — holding up colored cards to make designs and write messages. After it was over, I went down to the front to meet the kid leading the card stunts.

His name is Nick Robinson. He’s a junior from Virginia, and he hasn’t missed a game since he came to Illinois.

Why does he keep coming?

“It’s not so bad. My high school team was worse,” he said. “In my four years, I think we won four games.”

Nick said he uses a computer system to make the card stunt designs. It’s easier when the crowd is bigger because you can be more creative. But he doesn’t mind when there’s a low turnout.

“Everyone here cares.” He nodded up at the small crowd. “We still love it. It’s our team, it doesn’t matter if they’re winning.”

Throughout the second half, I realized Nick was right. This small contingent of Illini students cares. And they don’t care if you make fun of them on social media. Everyone knew the cheers, everyone knew the dances, and they were in good company.

As Illinois drove down the field and kicked a game-winning field goal, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like if the student section were full — if it were even half of what Penn State draws. When David Reisner made the kick it was bedlam, as crazy as 250 people could get.

And why shouldn’t it be? They deserve to jump around after a win.