It's time for the Illini football team to answer some questions.
Did last week's 38-13 victory over Michigan change the way this wobbly team feels about itself?
Did it improve the likelihood that it can win Saturday at Minnesota?
Or was last week's second-half turnaround a one-week wonder, an aberration that does nothing to inflict permanent change on an Illini team that is still stuck in the cellar of the Big Ten Conference?
Even Illini coach Ron Zook knows he's dealing with some nebulous, difficult-to-define forces that somehow made a difference last week against the Wolverines.
"If I knew (what was different) I probably wouldn't be standing here," Zook said. "It's a funny game. I can't answer that. I just know it felt like a blanket was lifted off of us.
"I have always felt good about our preparation. They have prepared every week. It's hard to explain. It's been there, but we finally had to convince ourselves and believe it ourselves."
First-year offensive coordinator Mike Schultz, who has struggled and strained to get consistent production, was asked why things finally clicked against Michigan.
"If I knew that I would have clicked it a lot earlier than the third quarter," Schultz said.
For the first time in a while, the Illini football team can at least look forward to a game with some optimism and a fresh reminder of what it feels like to win.
"It shows that we're a good team," said defensive tackle Josh Brent, a Central Catholic High School graduate. "We just have to believe in ourselves and come out every week and prove it. At least we can remember what we did to be successful."
Saturday, Illinois will try to succeed against a Minnesota team that has been hard to figure in its own right.
The Gophers won three of their first four games, then lost three of four heading into a home game last week against Michigan State.
On top of that, Minnesota lost the Big Ten's leading receiver, Eric Decker, to a season-ending foot injury.
Despite that loss, Minnesota beat Michigan State 42-34 as quarterback Adam Weber passed for 416 yards and five touchdowns, becoming the Big Ten's offensive Player of the Week.
Zook said the loss of Decker actually made Minnesota's offense less predictable.
"Their first play was a 62-yard touchdown pass to a running back," Zook said. "When you looked at them in other games, you knew where they were going with the ball. Now you don't know where they are going. Their tight end caught eight balls."
Minnesota's offense was so good that it was able to overcome 17 penalties that cost the team 157 yards.
Zook also said it appears the Gophers are playing with more confidence at their new home, the 50,805-seat, on-campus, outdoor TCF Bank Stadium.
For years, Minnesota played in the open-air Memorial Stadium. But the last game there was Nov. 21, 1981, and since then the Gophers played in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
The dome, while loud, did not have a college feel and this new stadium became a reality when the Minnesota state legislature approved funding for the $288.5 million facility. The first game at TCF Bank Stadium was played on Sept. 12.
Zook said he still plans to use two quarterbacks, although last week he ditched that idea when Juice Williams got rolling in the second half and played the entire way.
Assuming Zook does use two quarterbacks, look for Williams to start and redshirt freshman Jacob Charest to be used on occasion.
It's also a chance for Illini tailback Mikel Leshoure to build on his recent success. In the last two games, Leshoure has carried 36 times for 272 yards.
Two in a row?
Illinois at Minnesota
Time: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Broadcasts: Big Ten Network, WJEZ-FM (98.9)