CHAMPAIGN — Football trips to Minneapolis involve strange scenarios for Nathan Scheelhaase.
At least it was in 2011 when the then-Illinois quarterback knew Ron Zook’s days coaching the Illini were nearing an end.
That year’s team limped into TCF Bank Stadium on a five-game losing streak, with the firing of Zook imminent. Then-Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas, three months into his new role, quickly followed through, firing Zook a day after Illinois ended the 2011 regular season with a sluggish 27-7 loss to the Gophers.
“Weirdest locker-room environment I think I’ve ever been in,” Scheelhaase said.