His numbers bring to mind a Mark Hoekstra flashback. He completed exactly one of his 10 first-half passes and in the second half threw three interceptions. 9-for-32 is not exactly a bottom line that will land you in the College Football Hall of Fame.
But in some ways, Saturday’s first-ever start for freshman quarterback Juice Williams was a beautiful moment, a beginning, a much-needed transition from the past to the future. And so what if Juice looked like a freshman and played like an excited freshman at times? So what if he threw some balls too hard, some too high, others simply off course?
Juice Williams has a chance to be special. If you watched what he did on his touchdown pass to Jacob Willis, you had to know you were watching a young man with unusual skills. He looked downfield, scrambled far to his right, then zipped a pass across his body back to the middle of the field (normally an interception.) But his pass hit Willis in stride, on the money, in the end zone. And there was nothing Iowa could do to stop it.
And it was hardly his only nice pass. He threw another that was perfectly placed and hit Derrick McPhearson in stride in the end zone. Trouble is, McPhearson dropped the ball. And another lob pass into the end zone slipped through the arms of Kyle Hudson, who was tightly defended. That came on the game’s final play and could have been Juice’s third TD toss of the game.
On the day, I recorded five passes I’d list as out-and-out drops. There were some others that could have been caught, but Juice was more to blame for the incompletion than the receiver.
The point is, this was a valuable starting point against the 14th-ranked team in the country. Iowa has a decent defense and Juice didn’t seem overwhelmed by it all. And he’ll get better, week by week.
Ron Zook said he didn’t know who would start the next game at Michigan State, but if it’s anyone other than Juice Williams he ought to have his whistle and clipboard confiscated. Tim Brasic played eight plays, threw a bad interception and did nothing to make me long for his return.
From here on, it’s Juice, Juice, Juice (although I fully expect Zook to give Brasic the occasional series, just to keep him sharp).
The defense showed me something, too. It was very tough for much of the first half and the three TDs it gave up came in a period of just over four minutes in the second quarter and were scoring drives of 31, 54 and 35 yards. Hardly end-to-end scoring marches.
The play that started Iowa rolling was a horribly executed rugby-style punt by DaJuan Warren. He felt the rush coming, hurried the kick and flipped a 12-yard spinner into the air. C’mon, dump this thing! It’s stupid and it sure as heck is not a weapon, as Zook has claimed. What it is is a bad idea.
By the way, Dee Brown, Deron Williams, Luther Head and James Augustine were at the game and were introduced after the first quarter. Too bad they couldn’t have been here last week when Eric Gordon was in the house.
Also at the game were six basketball recruits, including Demetri McCamey, who was making his official visit. McCamey, of course, is a 6-3 guard (he’s the same height as Deron Williams) from Westchester St. Josesph.
Making unofficial visits were Lewis Jackson, the 5-9 junior guard from Decatur Eisenhower; Darius Miller, a 6-6 junior forward from Mason County High School in Maysville, Ky.; Tyler Griffey, a 6-9 sophomore from Lafayette High School in Ballwin, Mo.; Reggie Smith, a 6-foot junior guard from Thornton; and Joseph Bertrand, a 6-3 guard from Sterling.
By the way, Gordon is still on the books to return to campus for the Oct. 7 homecoming football game against Indiana. I think he should sit at the 50-yard line and attend whichever school wins the football game. Illini vs. Hoosiers for all the marbles plus Eric Gordon.
First of all, it’s a marketing ploy that is the only possible way to sell out Memorial Stadium. Second, I can just see the crowd rocking as the game comes down to the final minute.
Game tied, 23-23, late in the fourth quarter. Illinois with the ball, deep on its own territory. Juice Williams drops back, is flushed from the pocket, rolls right, looks, looks, looks and rifles the ball 90 yards in the air. Kyle Hudson has a half-step on the cornerback and catches the ball at the goal line. But wait!!! Hudson bobbles the ball. It’s out of his hands, then back in his hands, then out, then back, then….he dives to make a desperation grab and…
Well, you’ll have to check back later to see if Hudson caught the ball, and whether Ron Zook was carried from the stadium on the shoulders of thousands, or if he was hung from the uprights in anger.
Either way, Juice Williams is in the thick of the excitement and that’s the one part of the story I can see coming true.
September 23rd, 2006 at 9:22 pm
This football team is showing improvement, especially on defense. If the offense can find any consistency, we may win a couple more games this year.
Gordon is at IU this weekend being entertained by the Outlaw in Bloomington and his band of thugs. Hopefully our verbally committed prospect and his family can identify quality coaching and integrity in the programs they continue to compare with each other.
September 23rd, 2006 at 9:24 pm
A 24-7 loss is a win with this team. A few dropped balls and it could’ve made Iowa really nervous.
Other than the ridiculous rugby punt and insanely predictable plays that I predicted before they happened (Brasic’s INT and Iowa’s TD at the end of the first half)…this was a decent showing for this team. Sad, but true.
Brasic is awful and shouldn’t see another down all season unless Juice gets hurt. And even then, I’d start Kyle Yelton at QB.
Overall, I’m pleased. They broke the spread.
September 23rd, 2006 at 9:27 pm
You have got to stick with Williams. Trust me when I say Vince Young was pathetic for two full seasons. Suddenly he buries Michigan and the light bulb goes on. I ain’t saying Vince Young is great by any means but he won the big one by starting as a freshman. If a fifth year senior hasn’t figured it out by now then I think it is safe to say he doesn’t have the skills necessary.
PLEASE NO MORE IMAGINARY PLAY BY PLAY!!!! That was skin crawling bad!
September 23rd, 2006 at 10:14 pm
I think the Gordon stakes must be really turning against Illinois, if Tupper is calling for a winner of Illinois-Indiana football game getting Gordon.
September 23rd, 2006 at 11:08 pm
First, let me again say that I am SO pleased that Ron Guenther is our A.D. One game away from 100 losses as A.D. A true accomplishment!
Secondly,Tupp, you reference McPhearson. He has gone from ’special’, as Zook called him last year to ‘invisible’. He stinks. Time to move him to defense, or, to the bench.
This game WAS a game until the coaches ruined it for the kids. The stupid rugby punt set it all up. Then, the moronic play calling of Locks late in the first half led to two more TD’s for Iowa.
That game was there for the taking, but the coaching staff was masterful in digging a collective grave for they and the players.
September 23rd, 2006 at 11:20 pm
No more rugby punts! Please run the ball more often!! Juice did as well as could be expected. Terrible game by the WRs. Good job the defense. Okruch has worked a minor miracle.
September 23rd, 2006 at 11:43 pm
The punting was better, the defense was much better, and there was just enough offense to give us hope. We also beat the spread. There is no stopping us now. Hopefully the Michigan State Folders will be looking past us next week. Go Illini and keep the Chief!
September 24th, 2006 at 12:05 am
I think it is no secret to some that not starting Brasic EVER again would be major service for improvement for this program. Isiah Williams should not hang his head over numbers from this one. Receivers- you are getting a free “education”, it might not be too much to ask for you to catch the ball from time to time.
Save for some questionable strategic decisions in this game it actually could have gone the Illini’s way. Certainly all the early breaks one could reasonably ask for happened today.
I continue to believe this team has enough talent NOW to be COMPETITIVE. I think they proved that point today. For that, kudos to the players.
Now- coaching staff- um, you might wanna look at Michigan State’s punting alignment. Just a suggestion.
September 24th, 2006 at 6:28 am
How about more variety on offense? Draw plays and screens and an occasional pass to a tight end. It also seems that the running backs are being used very sparingly. Kicking is keeping Illinois in its own half for most of the game so it mandates passing, so I think the kicking game must improve to get the kind of field position that can give them a chance.
September 24th, 2006 at 7:18 am
Illinois ball on the Buckeye 40, fourth and two. Capel out, Butkus in. There’s the snap, handoff to Grabowski, Grabowski over the middle, FIRSTDOWN ILLINOIS ! Hopefully we can see something like this in the future !
September 24th, 2006 at 8:09 am
KY Mike #3 You hit the nail on the head when you said “If a fifth year senior hasn’t figured it out by now then I think it is safe to say he doesn’t have the skills necessary.”
Take away that horrible rugby punt and Brasic’s INT, and the Illini would have gone into the locker room down 7-0 at the half. Respectable in anyone’s book vs. the #13 team in the country.
I do have one other beef, though…. How many times are we going to have to hear this, “E.B. Halsey is back to receive the punt[kickoff]… he watches it sail over his head, bounce at the 10 yard-line and roll.”
COME ON!! You’re supposed to be a football player, aren’t you? Try returning a punt for once!!! Maybe, just maybe, you might get a few blocks, find a hole, and score a quick six! Which would provide this Illini fb team with something they haven’t enjoyed in a long, long time… momentum, THE BIG MO!
Glad to see more of young Mr. Williams… one of the few decisions made by Ron Zook that I agree with.
Zoik
September 24th, 2006 at 8:28 am
You are avoiding me, Mike. That’s not like you. Are you gonna back up your mouth and take the bet or not? I get this feeling you’re all hat and no cattle!
I don’t have to look at the schedule you said. No way no how they are gonna win 20 (basketball) games you said. And I bet ya that I’d leave this blog forever if they won 19 or less and you’d have to leave forever if they won 20 games or more.
Then comes the silly smoke screen about Weber, UNC, Kentucky, homers and some more red herring jazz. Now it’s a new blog and you run here and try to hide. Shame on you, man. I’m not gonna let this one go.
You are always talking about getting a pair around here with the rest of us. Well, how about YOU? You are back pedalling on me, Mike! Come on, take it to the hoop. The shot clock is running out.
I still think you are just a plant from some other Big Ten team that came here to try and sabotage the Illinois sports programs. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so chicken about possibly losing your ability to post here. They’ve most likely run you off everywhere else.
You went too far this time and I ain’t gonna drop it ’til you make a choice… take the bet or wimp out. Personal attacks on me ain’t gonna work this time, pal. I won’t be swayed by that crap. Besides, I gotta uphold the rep I got from you…. I’m the most arrogant blogger here..you said it yourself! GO ILLINI!!
September 24th, 2006 at 8:57 am
I agree, stick with Juice and turn him loose!!! Four years from now we will be smelling roses – if we stand by our team now and support them. All of us out-of-town Illini depend on all of you back in good old Champaign (and the surrounding area) to support the team, whether they win or lose. I have two degrees from good old UIUC, and therefore I am an Illini fan come rain or shine.
I was at the bowl game in Miami and saw them kill Virginia. I was at the Sugar Bowl and saw them lose. I also lost a lot of money on the 1983 Rose Bowl debacle. Big deal – being a fan is not about winning and losing – it is about being there for a great institution and showing respect and appreciation. (I was the person who started the “Bruce Pearl sucks” cheer from the upper deck in Allstate Arena.)
These young men have got to be dying inside, and I think we should all cheer them up in whatever way we can. We need to be positive now, in the hopes that they can pick up a few more wins – Purdue, Indiana, and Northwestern…and Ohio.
I urge everyone to go to the games, and be loud and proud.
I’ll make the trek 150 miles north to Pasedena and buy you all a beer in four years. All of us San Diego alumni are very passionate fans, but we can’t be there in person.
September 24th, 2006 at 9:28 am
My vote is to stick with the rugby punt. Situational punting will become the rage. Zook just needs to learn how to properly use them. Dump the field goal attempts, they don,t work from outside the 10 yd line. From the 15 to the 30, use the rugby guy.
September 24th, 2006 at 9:36 am
I would also like to see Ky Mike’s response to Jeff Irvine’s challenge. How about strapping on a set, Mike, & quit ducking the issue that you started?
September 24th, 2006 at 10:36 am
That was a lot more like it. Year 2 of the rebuilding is supposed to be to beat the bad teams you play (we’ve missed one there already) and be competitive with the good teams. But for some strange coaching decisions (it’s called a rugby kick because its useful in rugby, not football), there was a chance that this could have been a close game well into the second half.
The other explanation for the close game, of course, could be that Iowa is as bad as they have looked in the first 4 games, and not as good as the media (which seems to love their coach) has made them out to be, ranking them in the top 15. Only time will tell about that.
September 24th, 2006 at 10:37 am
Stick with Juice.
Scrap the rugby punt.
Bring back orange pants.
This “all in” bet between Jeff Irvine and KY Mike is the most exciting thing to happen in this blog for quite some time. I’m with Jeff on this one. Twenty wins looks doable. Come on Mike, put up or shut up.
September 24th, 2006 at 11:32 am
Jeff Irvine - Is that leaving the blog forever like you did or actually leaving forever!!! Remember you were the guy saying you were gone for good! Why on earth should I believe YOU! I can’t believe you are that threatenend by me. I need you to stick around as it shows my superior intelligence. But I will put this out there. Pick the record for the season. I got one hundred to throw in the pot. Any blogger is eligible. If you got kicked off the blog you would just change your name to anonymous “by accident I’m sure” and continue to blog. Loosing money would hurt, and it would force you Homers to make a true stand. Mouth or money!!!!! Would you really pick the Illini over Ohio State with cash on the line? I bet you wouldn’t have any Realists backing down from this how about ya Homers!!!! (If a hundo hurts to bad I guess we could all put in a five spot. I realize all you Homers betting on the Illini over the years has left you cash poor and kidney damaged)
Jeff - You are right nothing says appreciation and respect like starting a “Bruce Pearl sucks chant” VERY CLASSY!!!!
September 24th, 2006 at 11:42 am
#13… seems I’ve seen that post somewhere recently… and is that Jeff from Irvine (CA… can’t be since Irvine ‘aint 150 miles from Pasadena) or Jeff Irvine? I am soooo confused. (Yeah… I do know where SD is.)
Anyway, please drop the bravado, Mr. I. I have long lurked on this site without much useful to say but can tell that KY Mike knows more about the history of Illini pigskin and hoops than most posters here. So he’s unlikely to be a plant. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. He’s often the sole reason to check out the posts here. I’d hate to see either of you depart.
KY Mike is usually a consistent voice of reason amid the conspiracy-theory embarrassment of the lynch-Guenther-ranting crowd and the head-in-sand Pollyannishness of the homers. One of the only true informed fans here, IMO, (along with you, of course) he mixes hope with realism, which is refreshing. If you dislike dissent then perhaps you should form your own blog and post a doorman. Oh… uh… never mind.
Now I’ll just shut up and go back to my scrapbook of highlights from the past 30 years of Illini football (a shamefully thin volume, mind you) until the Juice hits his stride and our D can actually defend the pass.
But please, let’s not slag KY Mike for tellin’ it like it is most of the time.
September 24th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
HOW ABOUT JUICE?
Many Illinois football fans are pumped up by the performance of Illinois freshman quarterback Juice Williams last Saturday. I am either a pessimist or a realist (I’m not sure which), but I was far more pleased by the vast improvement of the defense than the quarterbacks shaky performance.
I don’t remember an Illini quarterback ever having worse game stats than the inexperienced Williams. He completed nine of 32 passes for 162 yards. Even if you give him the five passes his receivers dropped, he still had a 43 percent completion rate. He was two of 20 until the game result was no longer in doubt.
Add in the fact that he was sacked four times, fumbled twice, and intercepted three times and you have a sad set of statistics. Williams ran the ball 17 times. The Illini offense is not set up for the quarterback to run.
In spite of the bad numbers, it is obvious Williams has talent, and given time, will make a fine quarterback. However, it may take a couple of years for him to reach his potential. He has a long way to go.
September 24th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Okruch for president! If it weren’t for the snowballing at the end of the first half, we might’ve had a shot at this one. It’s so refreshing to have a defense that can hold the other guys under 400 yards a game.
Now we just need Juice to grow up fast. We might not have all the components ready to make good drives consistently, but a few big plays are all you need to put some points on the board. And I don’t think Juice will repeat his 1995-Scott Weaver-vs.-Iowa-esque first start (please tell me someone else remembers that game?), although that doesn’t mean he’ll be completing even half his passes soon.
Still, nice to feel optimistic again about football. Try as he might, I’m not sure if Zook can prevent a team with this talented a quarterback from winning at least another game this year. And serious kudos to Okruch for forging a competitive defense out of a unit that’s looked like the French army for the last decade or so.
PS– Rich Semrau for Big Ten Freshman of the Year!
September 24th, 2006 at 5:13 pm
More smoke screening, Mike, but I THINK you said no, right? Just as I thought. Ya ain’t got what it takes to back up your less than 20 win foolishness. Enjoy the season.
September 24th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
I think we should take it easy on the wide receivers. They haven’t had a catchable ball thrown at them since Brasic took over. Now they are so confused to see a ball fly more than 10 yards that they are getting jittery.
Jeff Irvine ~ Normally I am on your side but the bet seems a bit silly to me. KY Mike is often a tool but you have to admit that more often than not his rants make the blog more fun. It’s the other tools (X, Winston, DIF, etc.) who piggyback on his honest albeit negative entries that drag everyone down.
KY Mike ~ $100 bucks for the season…I’m not buying. However maybe we should contact UFC to organize a pay-per-view Illini Homers vs. Illini Buttheads battle royale! I think the Homer’s positive energy would destroy the rest of you tools!
p.s. KY Mike, don’t listen to Jeff and leave the blog. You make this site kind of a game! When I moved to Urbana from FL two years ago I thought I would be in Illini heaven. The first time I yelled at someone “THE ILLINI ARE GREAT!” and they yelled back “I KNOW!”, I felt cheated from a good sparring match. Keep up the genuine, honest negativity…and tell the rest of the buttheads to get an original thought!
September 24th, 2006 at 7:48 pm
No, Jeff (#22), what KY Mike said quite clearly is that if you want to bet then put up cash. Otherwise… yada-cubed.
Anyway, what’s with your censorship streak? The folksy tenor of your posts is sullied by a less than respectable “If you don’t play by my rules then I’ll take my ball and go home” attitude. KY Mike’s right. You promised us you were gone for good last winter.
Free speech, hoss. If you don’t like it then go back to your own blog and take the like-minded with you. Otherwise put up some cash and give us some real entertainment.
September 24th, 2006 at 11:03 pm
$20,000 says the Illini go undefeated in basketball. I’ll tell you where to find me if I win.
September 25th, 2006 at 12:15 am
I thought the game slowed down for Juice in the second half and he got a little more touch late–A dropped TD ballin the end zone and a near miss with Hudson on the We could have won the game–Iowa is not a Toip 15 teambelieve me! GO ILLINIgame’s final play–plus the two missed field goals and you know what—
September 25th, 2006 at 3:05 am
Dave Wilson 621 #19 above… refering to us as “lynch-Guenther-ranting crowd” simply indicates that you read our notes with your brain not fully engaged. Otherwise, a more accurate description would have included “no-tolerance-for-constant-failure crowd” or “striving-for-excellence crowd” among other.
That shouldn’t be too hard to understand…or is it?
September 25th, 2006 at 7:11 am
We have a wierd mix of recievers.
Some can run but cant catch; some can run and catch but dont know where to go; some know where to go and can catch but take all day to get there; tight ends have great hype but apparently no plays; Hudson looks like our only guy with talent and guts. Sad
September 25th, 2006 at 7:14 am
I vote that everybody stays, and we get back to talking about Illinois sports, and not each other.
In that regard, I’m excited about the start of the Juiced football era. I am little worried, though, about a guy who who goes 9-31, and more worried about a guy who threw 31 passes AND ran 17 times in one game - a game where he did not even get all the snaps. Juice may be good, but that is just too much 1 on 11 football. He does have some decent running backs who could use some of those 17 carries.
Also, has anyone seen any post-visit Gordon reports? Other than his having skipped the football game, I haven’t seen anything.
September 25th, 2006 at 7:20 am
…if McPhearson catches the TD pass that he should have and Reda makes the 2 field goals that he should have… the pass to Hudson on the last play would have been for the win.
I see little to hang on Williams here. Reda has to be better. The recievers have to be better.
At least now I can see the future. Lets build off this and start suprising some people.
APPLAUSE to the Defense… Alan Ball - that hit was AWESOME!
September 25th, 2006 at 7:35 am
I haven’t had much to say since the basketball season ended, but here is what I have to say about Illini Football. We have become a NATIONAL JOKE! I am watching ESPN over the weekend and the announcer says,”Illini are playing them tough early, but it is early and it is the Illini”. How can anyone get too worked up about the Illini when the team is not even respectable? I am not going to waste too much time dissecting a team that gets dissected by its opponent EVERY WEEKEND! Get a competitive team on the field and then maybe there will be something to talk about.
September 25th, 2006 at 7:43 am
If Gordon stays committed to Illinois, so be it. If not, who cares? While he’s a very talented player, BW knows there are tons of other talent out there. Remember Illini fans, with BW: it’s the system, not the player…as far as football, I could care less if I EVER see Tim Brasic take the field again. He’s a reminder of what was wrong with Illinois football (Ron Turner…2 years, 2 long a stay…you got that, Ron Guenther?) Keep playin Juice, keep playin the youngsters…you’ll thank yourself in 2 years, Zooker!
September 25th, 2006 at 7:51 am
Ky Mike(18)I have the $100 to put up for your challenge, more if you’d like to. You already picked the record…..19 wins or under for you & 20 wins or over for me. If you or anyone else can come up with a way to put up the cash before the season starts, my wallet will be wide open. This is not brash talk, Mike, but a legitimate acceptance of your challenge. I’ll be waiting patiently for your response.
September 25th, 2006 at 7:53 am
Yea Paul I agree , I love ya Juice but no one is going to get any sleep until we here about Gordon. Anyone have anything?
September 25th, 2006 at 7:57 am
KY Mike, Jeff Irvine & Dave Wilson 621…why don’t you all shut the hell up. Nobody cares that you can’t play nice together. Grow up & blog somewhere else. This is about Illini sports, not you 3 idiots!
September 25th, 2006 at 8:49 am
DIF - (#27) - Who said I was referring to you? Or to grounded criticism of RG for that matter? I was referring to those who habitually (insert active verb for projecting bodily fluid) into the wind. And there are a lot of those about here. Ya think that applies to you?
September 25th, 2006 at 9:22 am
Todd (#35) - So blog about Illini sports instead of us, sugar.
We’ve fairly well covered the high points of the Iowa loss in a day-and-a-half. I’m optimistic that the Farmers’ spirit may be broken enough after that ND debacle that we can actually score during the first half in East Lansing. How ’bout you, Todd?
And, let’s see… what else? How’s volleyball going?
September 25th, 2006 at 9:34 am
Pistol Pete (#33) - Kudos for the taking the challenge. Unless you, KY Mike and the Herald & Review are currently resident in Belize, however, I believe there’s some sort of telecommunications racketeering law that you might want to read up on. Or not; just a nagging hunch.
September 25th, 2006 at 11:24 am
I have been extremely critical of Alan Ball and I still think he is a pansy, but I have to give him credit for a lucky stick Saturday. If he can do that once a game or even once every other game he will go from being my least favorite Illini to my favorite…for whatever that is worth.
September 25th, 2006 at 11:52 am
Dave Wilson, 621–I am with DIF as objecting to being referred to as the “lynch-Guenther crowd. Its just that I prefer to set the bar higher than many of you. Its really a sad day when bloggers are saying we looked pretty good Saturday. After all, we only lost 24-7 to Iowa. Yes, the defense was better, but we are still a long way away from having a competitively consistent Big Ten Football team. For that, Ron Guenther must accept criticism–it justified and reasonable. He hired Ron Turner–a great guy with no big-time recruitng experience or recruiting skills. Should he be “lynched” to use your rhetoric. No, just sent of to retirement. I don’t enjoy being negative about someone, but in this case this is not unjust or undue criticisjm. Those who defend him blindly need to remove their heads from the sand.
September 25th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Pistol Pete might be a hardened criminal, but he’s no fool. Anyone who’s looked at the schedule for this year would be hard-pressed to find enough losses to keep us under 20 wins. We have the best possible schedule in the Big Ten — the two places we don’t have to visit are Ohio State and Wisconsin — and we should be healthy favorites in all but two of our 15 non-conference games (all except at Arizona and at Xavier). Just looking at how weak the pack will be in the conference, I see us winning close to 25 games in the regular season alone. The opportunity is ripe to compete for a conference crown if we can just field a team as good as last year’s.
September 25th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
well said Gerry T. As long as Kentucky Mike is making bets, I still want to bet RPIC Editor Boy regarding how Marcus Arnold plays this year.
September 25th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
I agree that it is sad to be picking positives out of a loss to Iowa. At least it wasn’t a complete 49-7 blowout, like a number of games we saw last year. Don’t know that I am a homer or a realist because I enjoy posts as diverse as RPIC and Jeff Irvine to X and Ky Mike, don’t always agree with everything anybody posts. But I think you have to hold the AD responsible for what has happened to Illinois FB. Yes, we have had wonderful success in the other revenue sport BB. But other ADs experienced success in BB in the past, as well as FB. Personally, I think success can be defined as year in and year out fielding a top 15 or 20 team, with the occassional breaking into the nation’s elite 5 or 6 with a BCS or final four appearance every now and then. I would also love to see Illinois win it all sometime. But bottom line the AD should be held accountable for the state of Illinois football and in my opinion, it out-weighs the recent success in basketball.
Tom B.