Change is good for Miller

BY CHAD DARE

CHAMPAIGN August 29, 2008 06:47 pm

— The only school that mattered to Brit Miller growing up in Decatur was the Illinois Fighting Illini.
So when Illinois offered him a scholarship, the Eisenhower product said his family considered his recruit a done deal.
“My uncles were like, ‘Well now you’ve gotten what you needed’,’’ Miller said. “To them there was no other choice once Illinois
offered.’’
But considering how things went in his first two seasons with the Illini, a 4-19 record, did Miller ever consider leaving?
“Oh, no,’’ he quickly answered. “My parents and family would have killed me. We bleed orange and blue in my family.
“I grew up watching Illinois football and basketball.’’
But, that didn’t make things any easier for the 6-foot-1, 250-pound linebacker.
“We were on the losing end for a while, and Champaign is a tough place to be. They don’t like losers here. They are not accepted,’’ Miller said. “We also came in at a time when basketball was No. 1 in the nation all year long. We took some lumps from the community.
“It wasn’t never too bad. But at the same time, you are going out there, laying it on the line and not getting the results.
“Now, things have changed,’’ he added. “These guys around here deserve it, they have worked their butts off.
“It’s good to be an Illini football player now.’’
While the perception of the program changed with last year’s 9-4 season and Rose Bowl appearance, it also changed the expectations for the program.
“We know that we can compete with the best in the nation,’’ Miller said. “We are going to have that opportunity in the first game against Missouri.
“That is something that you dream about. The table is set for us.’’
Miller considers the season opener with Missouri in the State Farm Arch Rivalry contest at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis as a bowl game to start the year.
“We want to finish the season with a bowl game and we get to start it with one,’’ he said. “It’s a neutral site in St. Louis, there are a lot of guys from that area on both teams.
“It is also a situation where a lot of friends and family can enjoy the game and the weekend. That’s what college football is all about.’’
It also will be the first game since his freshman year that Miller will line up at middle linebacker.
He has spent the past two seasons playing an outside linebacker position, while J Leman held down the middle linebacker spot.
“That was a great coaching decision, because I got better playing the outside and J wound up being an all-American,’’ Miller said. “I didn’t get totally away from the spot, as I played that spot with our No. 2s in practice.’’
So, what is the biggest difference between playing the middle linebacker position and the outside linebacker spot.
“Just lining up correctly,’’ he said. “When I was in high school and playing quarterback, I tried to take a snap from the guard.
“Even though you have done it hundreds and hundreds of times, you still need to make sure you are in the right spot.’’
Miller, who had 62 tackles and 8½ tackles for loss a year ago, is going to be the leader of the defense this season with the graduation of Leman.
“We have to play with effort and emotion,’’ he said. “We believe in party at the ball. If you don’t get there, you get left out. You are not invited.
“The more people we get around the ball, the more successful we will be.’’
According to Miller, that attitude by the defense is called “swagger’’ by his teammates from the East and South.
So how does a kid from Decatur lead guys from Washington, D.C., Chicago, St. Louis and Roanoke, Va.?
According to Miller, it goes back to his days at Eisenhower.
“When you go to Eisenhower, you get educated and you get culture,’’ Miller said. “We have everything from rich kids to intercity kids going to school there.
“I don’t think there is any situation where I wouldn’t feel comfortable talking to anyone. That is the best thing about it.’’
He also said playing in the Big 12 Conference, where he had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, helped get him prepared for college football.
“Every week in the league, you were playing against guys that were being looked at by Division I schools,’’ he said. “This shows that we play pretty good football in the central Illinois.’’
Miller hopes to end his collegiate career on a high note and it starts with Saturday’s game against Missouri.
Kickoff for the State Farm Arch Rivalry is set for 7:30 p.m. The game is being televised by ESPN and it can be heard locally on WDAN-AM 1490 and WDNL-FM 102.1.