I don’t take Ron Zook to be a fan of “moral victories.” In fact, I’m not sure many football head coaches are. Moral victories are something for the media to analyze and write about, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

If you remember back to 2007, my first year on campus, expectations for the Fighting Illini were low — so low that the athletic department couldn’t give away enough free tickets to students. Sure, they put me halfway to the moon in the Edward Jones Dome, but I got to see a heck of a game: a 40-34 Missouri win with Eddie McGee filling in for the banged-up Juice Williams.

After that game, the Illini went on to have a dream season by Champaign standards, finishing 9-3 before being slapped in the face by the NFL’s USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl.

What spurred that season? No, maybe it wasn’t the moral victory in the Arch Rivalry game, but if the Illini were dismantled in the season opener, they wouldn’t have bounced back like they did. Case in point: 2008 and 2009.

Leading up to the 2008 season, the Illini were ranked No. 20, and expectations were high in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana.

But then the Orange and Blue came out and flopped, like we have all become accustomed to. Illinois trailed Missouri 31-13 at halftime and ultimately lost the game 52-42 behind Tigers quarterback Chase Daniel’s 323 yards and three touchdowns.

How did the Illini finish that season? They finished at 5-7, lowlighted by the worst loss in my time on campus — a 23-17 loss to Western Michigan at Ford Field.

Why Illinois even agreed to play in that game is a mystery we’ll never figure out, but that’s a story for another day.

In 2009, it went from bad to worse for the Illini. Missouri once again bludgeoned Illinois, this time by a margin of 37-9, in then-sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s coming out party.

Gabbert threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start, while rushing for another 39 yards and a score. And we all know how 2009 went from there for the Illini — they finished a paltry 3-9 in one of the least inspired seasons since Ron Turner was head coach. Illinois suffered a nice shiner in the form of a five-game losing streak smack dab in the middle of the schedule, before ending the year on a three-game skid.

So what lesson have the Illini taught me in my short time on campus? Keep it close, keep your confidence. Anything less than a sheer embarrassment would be a success for the Orange and Blue, though they may not admit it.

Junior running back Mikel Leshoure told me Tuesday that the team’s expectations are higher than they were before last season, despite the fact that 90 percent of the country has lowered their expectations for the 2010 Illini.

If that’s the case, Illinois has to keep this year’s Arch Rivalry game within reach to maintain its confidence for the rest of the season. A blowout could lead to a lack of focus and a potential disastrous outcome in back-to-back in-state matchups.

I’m not saying the Illini should be happy with a loss — that’d be downright silly. But they should see the silver lining should they secure a narrow loss and move on to Week 2.

My advice? Fight for the moral victory and call it a day.

Alex Iniguez is a senior in Media. He can be reached at ainigue2@illinimedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @alexiniguez.