It was the game of the year in college football, and that’s no empty platitude.
Just how big a deal was LSU’s clash against Alabama two Saturdays ago in Tuscaloosa? Put it this way: The CBS afternoon affair was the highest-rated regular-season college football game — on any network — since 2011. A wild 46-41 victory by the visiting Tigers merely lived up to the hype.
But Richie Petitbon missed it. The offensive lineman with Alabama crimson in his veins just so happened to be nearly 800 miles to the north — at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan — and playing the game of his life.
That’s no empty platitude, either.
Petitbon — the grandson of the former Bears star of the same name, a four-time Pro Bowl safety in the 1960s — gave Alabama four years of his very best. Alas, his best never was quite good enough to crack the starting lineup of the mighty Crimson Tide.
After redshirting as a freshman, appearing in 11 games in the next three seasons and graduating last December, Petitbon still had one season of eligibility to spend . . . where?
It turns out Illinois was the perfect place. Petitbon, who turned 23 last week, has started all 10 games at right guard for the Illini. Three days before his birthday, he celebrated early with the biggest comeback in school history.
Illinois 37, Michigan State 34: It meant bowl eligibility for the Illini, who stormed back from a 28-point deficit. And it meant sweat, scrapes, bruises and enormous satisfaction for Petitbon, who’s got a good bit of orange and navy blue in his blood, too.
‘‘My entire goal here was to show up, work hard and show guys I was excited to be here and was going to help my team win,’’ said Petitbon, who’s pursuing a master’s degree in sports management. ‘‘I really wanted to show them everything I can do, how hard I can work, the way I handle my business — weight room, field, classroom.
‘‘And these guys have been great. I’ve got some really great buddies here.’’
He has some great ones on the team back in Tuscaloosa, too. Even in that first hour or two of tremendous disappointment, their loss to LSU all too fresh, a handful of them reached out to Petitbon to congratulate a friend who had worked his tail off to achieve his moment in the sun.
One of them was Mac Jones, who since has stepped into a glaring spotlight as the quarterback who is replacing injured superstar Tua Tagovailoa. Another was Matt Womack, Petitbon’s roommate for all four years at Alabama.
A fifth-year offensive lineman, Womack was good enough to start as a sophomore and is an NFL prospect. Hearing from Womack, who knew better than anyone how badly Petitbon wanted to be on the field — and not on the sideline — on Saturdays, was extra-special.
‘‘When you go to college, you never feel you’re going to leave somewhere,’’ Petitbon said. ‘‘But it was all part of the plan, you know? Part of what God wanted me to do. I’ve been accepted into the [Illinois] family, and it’s been awesome. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.’’
The Illini wouldn’t be the same without him.
Just sayin’
Anybody want to guess how long it had been since Alabama had lost and Illinois had won on the same day?
Hint: Nick Saban had won only one of his five national championships at the school.
The answer is Oct. 9, 2010. The top-ranked Tide lost 35-21 at South Carolina. The Illini won 33-13 at Penn State.
You might say the programs kind of went in opposite directions from there.
• Alabama landed just outside the top four in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. It’s LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia and then the Tide at No. 5. Next comes Oregon, whose athletic director, Rob Mullens, happens to chair the selection committee.
‘‘It’s an honor to do this on behalf of everyone who loves college football,’’ Mullens said after a marathon session with the committee Tuesday.
Translation: What the heck’s a guy gotta do around here to get the Ducks in?
• It took the Bulls until their 24th and 25th games to post back-to-back victories in 2017-18. It took them until their 33rd and 34th games last season. Are we about to get into December once again before even the tiniest Bulls winning streak happens?
Somebody wake me if and when amateur hour finally ends.
• Just spitballing here, but wouldn’t it behoove Bears coach Matt Nagy to at least find out whether Eddy Pineiro can play quarterback and Mitch Trubisky can kick?
• Bears’ offense vs. Bulls’ defense.
Discuss.
• Congrats to all the winners of the Chicago Journalists Association awards last weekend. A fine bunch of adults they all surely are.
But the name on the list that jumped out at me was Lily Jiang, a Stevenson High School student who won honorable mention in the sportswriting category. Lily is a junior writer for Long Grove Living magazine and has been writing for the publication since she was in fifth grade. I had to track her down.
‘‘My main goal has always been to tell stories,’’ she said. ‘‘My passion for journalism comes from being able to tell the stories of outstanding individuals and everyday citizens. I can use my platform to spread the stories of those who may not have a voice otherwise.’’
Keep knocking it out of the park, kiddo.
