At this time last year, the Block I had sold about 600 student season tickets in the north end zone of Memorial Stadium.
As of two weeks ago, that number had topped 1,000.
At last year's Quarterback Club golf outing, 84 people played the 18-hole scramble at the Orange and Blue Course.
At this month's outing, 128 hit the links.
Across the board, all things Illini football — from tickets to T-shirts, marketing efforts to media requests — are trending upward.
Call it the Lovie Smith Effect.
Since the former Chicago Bears coach was announced as the new man in charge of Illinois football, the buzz surrounding the program has remained constant, and it will only continue to grow as Smith gets closer to coaching his first game, 65 days from now against Murray State.