Normally, when you think about huge Big Ten Conference wins, you expect the opponent to be Michigan or Ohio State or Penn State. Wisconsin or Iowa, maybe.
But not Indiana.
That said, I thought Saturday’s 27-14 victory at Indiana was huge for an Illini team that is trying to establish a new identity. It opens doors that otherwise would have been closed and I’m talking about bowl games, national respect and who knows what in the still uncertain world of Big Ten football.
Rashard Mendenhall is emerging as one of the league’s best running backs after his career-best 214-yard effort against the Hoosiers. That’s three straight games of 100 yards or more and the 20 pounds he added in the off-season have given him more tackle-breaking power without seeming to have reduced any of his speed or quickness.
When Juice Williams runs the option with Mendenhall as his outside threat, defenses are in a bind.
The defense was good, very good. Then kept Kellen Lewis boxed in about as good as a team can. That kid is scary and I felt Indiana did Illinois a favor every play they failed to get Lewis to the outside as a running threat.
I’m still not convinced Juice Williams can throw the football, but I like so many things about him (toughness, running ability, option reads, charisma) that I’m trying to be extra patient. When he throws the ball downfield, it’s still an adventure and not always a pleasant one. He missed two touchdown opportunities (one to Joe Morgan, one to Brian Gamble) and I wish he’d just calm down and put the ball on target. (Yes, he had some drops, too).
All of that said, it’s nice to be able to discuss quarterback worries and at the same time discuss a three-game winning streak. That hasn’t often been the case. And I have enough confidence in Juice to realize he could very well come out and be the difference in a victory over Penn State this Saturday.
I would expect this to be the loudest buzz for an Illini home game in a long time. Fans should rightfully feel they finally have something to get excited about. Ron Zook has assembled a nice group of talented, young players (keep an eye on emerging LB Martez Wilson!) and he has a knack for bringing along young talent with an eye for their fragile psyches.
All in all, it’s an upbeat time for Illini football. And if Illinois can take out Penn State Saturday, who can say what this team might be able to accomplish this season.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Mendenhall is the real deal. I can see him being a high NFL draft pick when he becomes eligible. Our running game looks really strong but we should probably only throw the ball 10 - 15 times per game. We missed too many big plays in the passing game this week, the kind of plays that would help us beat the likes of Michigan and Ohio State. Next week against Penn State could be the toughest test our running game will face all year.
Bowl game looking more and more likely.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
You know the world is crazy when we see an Illinois team that has become pretty damn good at rushing. Seriously…we’ve had some decent running backs here and there over the last 20 yrs or so but look at what we’ve got going now. It seems pretty crazy to see an Illinois team jacking up yards like they are on the ground.
September 23rd, 2007 at 7:33 am
Don’t forget the offensive line - in some cases, there were huge holes anyone could run through. And many times the pressure on Lewis was done with just 4 defensive lineman. But Mark, you are correct, the passes we saw yesterday will cost the Illini in the next 4 games.
September 23rd, 2007 at 7:58 am
It’s good to be excited again about football. Imagine. We match up well with Penn State. They have a QB that doesn’t move well/not a great passer and the DL is the strength of the team. I think we can win. The stadium will be rocking. I think good times are ahead. Gotta stay healthy.
September 23rd, 2007 at 8:03 am
Wait a second here. Good win but after watching other Big Ten teams this weekend a 3-5 record after the next four weeks isn’t out of the question. Iowa proved it can compete with good teams with its performance against Wisconsin. Illinois has made strides but Penn State and Michigan are still much better. I’d like to be wrong on this but beating an Indiana team that roughed up cream puffs in the first three weeks of the season isn’t reason to get up and yell…not yet.
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:03 am
great win team” mattp in case you did not notice Michichagn lost to a lesser foe and Notredam is 0-4 . this is agreat win by a great team.
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:20 am
A little bit of feeling good and some hope for the future is GOOOOOD.
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:49 am
I belIeve, in year 3 of RZ, that we can & should be beating teams with less talent than us. Next week vs. Penn State will be a very good test for the players & coaching staff.
Martez-HE GOOD. Also nice to see competent punting again!
September 23rd, 2007 at 10:11 am
I watched Penn St. at Michigan. This is a good opportunity for a solid with next week. Bring them into MS. Make it loud. Jump on them early and be relentless. As the commentators mentioned over and over, Penn St. gets off to slow starts. That puts you in a hole on the road in the Big 10.
Hey folks, Michigan just isnt that good. It’s not often we get to say that and they do have a few weapons (Hart et al) Point is they are beatable, even more so in Champaign.
Lastly, the commentators went on and on about 1 Penn St. Linebacker - Collins. He is very good. What will they say when they see Leman, Miller, Wilson, Steele, Davis, etc. It’s not just one with us. The Illini just keep coming at you from all directions. Look how they contained Lewis (Ind). I’m impressed so far.
September 23rd, 2007 at 10:13 am
… Those 20 lbs added for Mendehall…all in his arms. Have you seen the guns on this kid? He has really put in the work. Kudos to the training staff!
September 23rd, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I actually saw this game! (How I can watch the Big Ten network in Houston and not in Dallas is truly amazing!)
If Tupper is not sure that Juice can pass than I am sure. He can’t!!! Let me rephrase. If the called play is to turn and throw to one and only one guy he is fabulous. Nice pace, nice accuracy. If he has to read the field (and heaven forbid throw a crossing route) it is a wind up and riffle it as hard as possible. At least he tends to throw them away from everyone (including the defense, I wonder if his passes hurt the turf?). I also am not sure what Tupper is watching when he likes the option. If it wasn’t for Mendenhall and some amazing grabs (behind him, while running, and still got big yards) we have at least two turn overs from errant pitches. Again, if Juice takes two steps and pitches early the option looks fine. But he ain’t no Jamel Holloway. Secondly if Nebraska and Oklahoma abandon the option why we use it is beyond me.
Poor Regis Benn. Why in the ! are we giving our best receiver the ball on inside handoffs? He ain’t a running back! Nothing speaks louder regarding our Quarterbacks throwing ability than our coaches calling for run plays to get the ball to our best receiver!
Was great to see a game where I never thought we would lose. When was the last time you could say that?
If the rest of the Big Ten doesn’t put 8 in the box against us they are brain dead.
I think this conference is wide open after Ohio State. We will see what we are after these next four!
September 23rd, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Good game Illini! Especially Mendenhall and the O Line! That said, if Mr. Zook wants to keep his job, he better eliminate the interceptions, fumbles and penalties. and he better give Eddie Mcgee another look at QB. Juice is not cutting the mustard, and it’s going to come back to haunt us against the better teams. Sure Juice has a cannon arm and is a strong runner, but so was Bobby Douglas, one of the worst QBs the Bears ever had. He could have been the best FB the bears ever had, but he refused to play anything but QB. Juice may not be “that” bad, but Eddie McGee gives us the best chance nto win!I’m glad Tup brought it up first. Maybe Zook will listen when a sports editor brings it up!
September 23rd, 2007 at 10:53 pm
FRG- You said, “I belIeve, in year 3 of RZ, that we can & should be beating teams with less talent than us.”
You don’t support Weber after having the most wins of any other team in four years. Yet, this is your “high” expectations of Zook? Talk about a double-standard.
Looks like Guenther has hired 2 good coaches in Zook and Weber. And now that the women’s basketball will turn around, will you finally give Guenther a little praise? I won’t hold my breath.
September 24th, 2007 at 5:57 am
I agree with Bart ridings. Lehman is clearly the leader and watching what he did last year, and the obviouls lack of respect not being listed as one of the big10’s top linebackers is disappointing. The media may not even put him first team. I was at the PSU Illinois game last year and it was Lehman and Plusnewsky (not a good speller but that one is tough) all over the field. They dominated a defensive game.
Hopefully some of these players will be recognized for what they do on the field.
It is great to see the Illini back in the competitive hunt with the best teams in the big10.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:39 am
I can understand mattp not wanting to get too excited about the W over IU, but since we haven’t won very many conf. games lately, I think we could yell a little bit before we go back to work. I’ll agree with KYM that surely someone will soon stack up their def. line against us & force Juice to pass. Maybe he’ll rise to the occasion.
Also, to state the obvious, either Syracuse is better than they’ve shown so far, or L-ville is HIGHLY overrated.
September 24th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Brooks, did you see the lack of talent that Ron Turner left for RZ? Football is going up. Basketball is going down.
September 24th, 2007 at 9:27 am
It was a great win we needed confidence. We all finally have something to cheer about. Theres nothing like a good football team to bring the people out. Memorial stadium will rock this Saturday. We are all cautious but it still feels good. Thanks Coach Zook
September 24th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Shark: Leman is having the same problem this year that he has had up until about midway through last season - he makes a lot of tackles but most of them are 8-15 yards downfield. Now that may be because we use him A LOT in pass coverage, but I remember only one tackle for loss Saturday.
Kyle Hudson has to go. He killed our first drive short-arming the reception, fumbled the punt (that was NO kick interference), and I quit counting after that, but I know of at least one dropped pass in the second half also. Juice is erratic as hell, but our receivers are more adept at dropping passes than catching them.
The running game and Mendenhall, in particular, is awesome. This guy HAS to get some Heisman attention. I have seen no one better this year (you can probably include most pro running backs in that also). I agree with Bart about the guns, but it looks to me like he’s running on a couple of tree trunks. Of course, they are the fastest tree trunks I’ve ever seen. But when he hits the hole, he is absolutely stunning at getting through it and gone. He is the best North-South runner I have seen since Dorsett, and he reminds me of the great Jim Brown.
In addition, the O-line is spectacular. And I heard the announcers say that we used 9 Defensive lineman in that game. All of a sudden, WE HAVE DEPTH!!! WOW!!! This is fun. We are probably still a year away from contending in the B10, but this team can beat anybody (in the B10) on any Saturday. I may have to order my 2008 season tickets if we beat PSU this weekend.
Indiana could beat Michigan. Lewis is the kind of QB that will give Michigan fits. And I think we can beat both PSU and Michigan (when is the last time any of us could say that?).
KyM-Using Benn as a running back was a pleasant surprise for me. He does present a threat, and if Juice can’t get it to him any other way, then hand the damn thing to him and let him go. I thought he was effective and gave the defense one more running threat to consider. I am coming around to your idea of having McGee run 3 or 4 series each game. I would really like to see what the kid can do on a consistent basis. I think the talent is there, but you have to admit that our receivers drop a lot of Juice’s passes. I don’t care if they are bullets, these guys are major college D-1 receivers. They should catch many more than they do. Of course, Juice either overthrew or underthrew 3 TD’s Saturday.
Brooks-Please do us all a favor and stop citing Weber’s W-L record as some kind of accomplishment. We did not beat a single ranked team last year, lost our home winning streak and, as I have pointed out on many occasions here, is 19-19 against non-patsies over the last 3 years. And what Duke or anyone else does with their schedule doesn’t interest me. You have to beat a GOOD team now and then. So best won-lost pct., etc., blah, blah, blah….. We are now well behind Ohio State in B10 basketball. In fact, I will give you 4-1 on a hundred vs. Ohio State over the next 4 years (assuming Matta vs Weber) and thanks for the money.
Bill A- Syracuse is still awful, and Louisville is overrated.
September 24th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Topcat,
You said “if Mr. Zook wants to keep his job, he better eliminate the interceptions, fumbles and penalties. and he better give Eddie Mcgee another look at QB.” What?? McGee fumbled 4 times and threw a critical INT that ended the game in week 1. It seems to me Juice has done a much better job at avoiding turnovers than McGee did. I agree that his inaccuracy is maddening at times but that can be corrected. You can’t teach experience. Something that Juice has now and McGee doesn’t.
September 24th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Sorry I forgot to sign my name on that last post.
September 24th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Marlin- How is Weber’s record not an accomplishment? Anyone can have a fluke season. He has been consistant over 4 years now. If having over 100 wins over 4 seasons is so meaningless, why don’t more teams do it? Illinois plays as tough of schedule as anyone else in the country. You act like he ran up his schedule playing 2-A schools. Lets give Motta a few more years before we put him in the coaches Hall of Fame.
FRG- Weber turned made the b-ball program into a winner. Zook is turning the f-ball team around. Both hired by Guenther. Now will you give the guy some credit?
September 24th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
J Leman is the man…he amazes me with his ability to always find the ball. I hope Rashard starts getting some recognition for his abilities too, it is great to have some players that are fun to watch again.
Sad to see Dee is going to Turkey but I know he will do well, have a great experience and the Europeans will love him!
September 24th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Brooks-you haven’t been paying attention to basketball recruiting, have you? The team barely made the NCAA last year and this year is gonna be dicey.
September 24th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
weber did not turn the b ball program into a winner. i wait to say this but self did. If weber did then recruits wouldnt be goin elsewhere: i.e. indiana
September 24th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
This game may be one of the toughest mentally for Illinois, who hasn’t won against a good Big Ten team in 3 years, who hasn’t won its opening game in a decade, and most of all… because last year, Indiana came back in the opener and beat them.
I think a lot of why Juice and the experienced receivers were a little jumpy has to do with the mental strain of getting past all of those hurdles, which we did.
Hopefully, we’ll be a little more relaxed this week, and can ramp up the intensity even more.
Marlin- regarding Hudson’s dropped punt… how can you say it wasn’t kick interference? A guy 50 lbs bigger and 6″ taller is barreling down on you, and gets in your face before the ball, and he’s supposed to catch it? That’d be like catching one of Rex Grossman’s passes into triple coverage. Impossible. That being said, I appreciate his efforts to not let a ball bounce past him, unlike the Indiana returners.
re: the Big Ten Network… did the announcers sort of suck, or was it just me? “72 had a great block!” 72??? Can’t you look at the program and give us his name?? Illinois would make a big play, and they’d say, “Well, that wasn’t the play we, er, Indiana was looking for.” OK, it wasn’t quite that bad, but it was close.
September 24th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Marlin- Anybody who thinks Leman has a “problem” isn’t watching the games. I’m still shaking my head over that Syracuse RB he decleated last week. The only time your middle linebacker is gonna have a lot of tackles for losses is if you blitz him a lot, which we don’t, because we don’t need to. Plus it’s tough for your middle LB to get many tackles for loss against spread formations that hardly ever run the ball. Kentucky Mike- Tupper didn’t say Juice threw “precision pitches” (which you’re right, he didn’t; Mendenhall saved his butt on a couple of occasions and STILL gained yardage on the play after making spectacular grabs)he said he made good “option reads” which he DID, and does most of the time. Finally, did anybody see the series where Martez was lined up at left end and on second down chased Lewis down from behind and made him fumble on the sideline? Then on third down (next play) he rotates from the end position to line up behind Lehman, and slides out to the OTHER side of the field to go into pass coverage? Lewis had no clue what was going on when he turned to look at his receiver and just chunked it into the turf. That kid is an athlete. No wonder Notre Dame threw such a fit when we got him.
September 24th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
It would be refreshing if everyone would post their thoughts and not use the blog to battle each other!!!!!!!!
September 24th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
FRG- Wait till you see McCamey and Alexander play. Of course you probably have no clue who they even are.
I’m glad to see the football team winning again, but keep in mind, these have all been teams we should have beat. Western, Syracuse, and Indiana aren’t exactly major wins. Everyone thinks they are because our program has been so miserable in the past. Beat Penn State or Wisconsin and I will feel much better about the program. I don’t know Guenther and have never met him, but I will give him praise for hiring two good coaches. I’ll ask you one last time, FRG. You want Guenther and Weber gone so badly. That’s easy to say. Now who do you hire in there place?
September 24th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Catfish - Great option quarterbacks get their butts hammered at least four times a game. Juice pitches VERY early. That works against seecond tier teams, but I’m afraid Ohio State and Penn State linebackers are going to destroy our guys one to many times.
Marlin - Reverses are fine but inside hand offs? We looked like Oklahoma and that draw play they ran with Quinten Griffin. How about a wide receiver screen? You know one of those line up wide then come down the line jobbies. Remember McGee threw for 275 in 2.5 quarters. What did Juice go for in the whole game? Somebody told me he didn’t break a hundred? Brutal!
Aaron - You can teach accuracy? I couldn’t disagree more! Chad Hutchinson could throw a ball in a garbage can from fifty yards. Come game time he was nothing but panic face and turnovers! Tiki Barber was the fumblingest running back ever. Change his arm slot and he was turnover free. One throw QB’s never succeed. Juice is on the field because he had the high school hype. Recruiting physical studs is great, but we have a throwing QB on the team. Playing the non throwing QB makes no sense. Put him on the bench so he can work on his technique. Nobody works on their sniper badge getting shot at!!
Brooks - You have got to tell me Webers big win? Just one win he got that we weren’t supposed to get! Remember we were #1 in 05. He has no surprise wins but a few holy ! losses. If Zook should win these and get no credit then name the big ones on Weber’s resume. And don’t give me the “Any win in the big ten is a good win” shad!
Topcat - Ditto!
September 24th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Hey, “Anonymous”…what the Illini can do to remedy McGee’s supposed lack of experience is to get him…experience! He threw for 257 yards against a top-20-ranked Missouri team in his off-the-bench-debut, bringing us back from the brink in that game! Even with all of Juice’s “experience,” he still threw 2 interceptions last Saturday, but you don’t mention THOSE turnovers. I was not the only one who saw in McGee both a classic (more talented) drop-back passer AND a runner if need be. Let McGee QB a few series each game. McGee and Mendenhall — a great combination!
September 24th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
KYM- How about the Wake Forest game when they were #1, the Arizona game in the tourney, won at North Carolina the following season, etc. Just a few off the top of my head. Got my Maxim today and they had an article on the Worst Ten teams in college football. Syracuse and Indiana were both on there. Believe me, I am not ripping Zook. It’s nice to see us winning games we should win. I just want the next step. Lets beat Penn State or Wisconsin. I will feel much better then. Beating Western, Syracuse, and Indiana doesn’t make us a top program. McGee needs to be our QB if Zook is serious about making Illinois a top program. Juice is not the answer.
Ill- Try to write a comment with complete sentences. It’s not that hard.
We lost Gordon to Indiana because they got rid of Mike Davis. Had nothing to do with Weber. Self is a great recruiter, but an average coach. All the talent he has had over the years and not even a Final Four appearance? I like my chances with Weber any day. Look at his record so far. Take away the 05 record and he has averaged 25 wins each year. And doing so with inferior talent. Imagine how good we will be when we get “better” recruits. Recruiting doesn’t mean much if you can’t coach. Here’s hoping Howard can help us land some top recruits.
September 25th, 2007 at 7:20 am
Bring on Eddie McGee and make Juice a tight end.
Penn State 28, Illinois 10
September 25th, 2007 at 7:48 am
Brooks I hope I’m wrong but I think all of those great records can change in one year. Its pretty clear we do not have the talent this year to compete on a national level the only question is how far have we fallen. Is it all the way to the middle of the Big Ten begging for a tourney invite. Or is it all the way to 17 wins and the NIT. Illinois football can be competitive this year because the conference is way down. Lets not concede any thing and go after Penn State next week. I agree Eddie Mcgee is our future we look pretty good all over the field when he is in the game. I have watched every game and I went to the Missouri game and Lehmen does have some problems. He is small for a middle linbacker. I would run right at him. He does give up grown before he makes the tackle. Good middle linebackers make the tackle for no gain or under 2 yards advancement. If they didn’t you could march down the field on them. I went to the Wisconsin game last year and our weakness was our size and strength. We were getting blown off the ball. Watch this week because thats the key to how far we have come. Can we finally match up in the trenches.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Obviously the coaches see something in Juice that suits their game plan. Run the option effectively and wait for his passing skills to improve with expierence. If they thought McGee was the guy I just bet ya he’d be in there. If you don’t see McGee in there unless Juice is hurt or the game is in hand I think that pretty much tells ya right there. Juice has not done a thing yet to loose his starting position to anybody. You win the starting position or more playing time because youre executing the game plan. You loose it if you don’t or you get hurt..It’s just that simple. The coaches watch and evaluate these kids everyday. I don’t know how I could possibly know more than them. And believe it or not that goes the same for Weber and his staff too. Just my very humble opinion.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:25 am
I am so proud of Niles West’s Rashard Mendenhall. This young man was a good student, worked harder than anyone preparing for the season and games, and was a humble leader who impressed everyone during his time in high school. His brother, Walter, is also an outstanding student-athlete. Rashard has the talent to play on the next level, and, I am could not be happier for his success. Let’s shock the world next Saturday.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:13 am
TB- This year will be determined on how well Randle, Pruitt, and Frazier play. If they struggle early, then you take the losses and play the young guys. I am encouraged because last year was a horrible team and alot of injuries. Yet, Weber coached them to 23 wins and a tourney birth.
I hate when people say Weber should go, yet they have no idea who to replace him with. Then they say the program is in turmoil despite all of the wins. I think we are heading back towards the top.
McCamey, Alexander, Jordan, and Tisdale will contribute this year. Smith, Cole, and hopefully Watkins in next year. Hiring Howard has already got DJ Richardson to put us back on his list again. Weber has offers out to Colvin, Head, McCamey, Paul, Jordan, etc. Plus Richmond already set. 2009 and 2010 should have both programs challenging for a national championship. Yet, some on this blog want to get rid of Weber and Guenther. I just don’t understand it. Maybe I am drinking too much orange and blue kool aid.
September 25th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Brooks - Wake was #1 in AP true. But Athlons had us preseason #1 and we were at home and ranked #4 I’d call that iffy. Arizona was not ranked higher than us. Just because we played like arse for 35 minutes really shouldn’t be a positive. North Carolina? A Team that loses it’s top eight scorers from the previous year? Now way you get the last two!
Howard will help with recruiting. But it will still be tough when he has to constantly reassure recruits that Weber isn’t as boring as he seems, or Weber does think he is a good player since all he tells them is the “truth”.
Wife and I went to look at cars. Already knew want we wanted and were true to the brand. Salesman comes up to us, Barely speaks english, and has his nametag upside down (this was a reputable place case you wonder). Let’s just say we got outta there.
Point is Self’s assistant’s have personalities and the guy they give to the recruit to finish the deal (Self) has a great personality!! I’m not sure that is true in our case.
SD Runnin Red - So Rex Grossman is the Bears best option. I mean they see him every day!
September 25th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Didnt get to see the game of course thanks to the big ten network, but big win for the Illini! Speaking of seeing the game, did anyone notice that 9 of the 11 big 10 teams (seems odd to say) were able to be seen on national tv? Either ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC. Of course the 2 that were not broadcast were playing each other and 1 of them is the team we want to watch.
Send all your Thank Yous to Jim Delany.
How about instead of ranting about firing RG we start ranting about firing JD so we can see our Illini play.
September 25th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
In 2003-04 Cincinnati was ranked will above us. Until Weber we never beat a better seeded team in the NCAA.
I suppose, as much as I don’t like it, Grossman is better than Griese and that is why he starts. We never see anyone in practice only in the game. Until a Juice led team loses there is no reason to change QBs. MCGee might end up being the starter but that will only occur when we lose and it can be placed on Juice’s performance. “The most popular person in sport is the backup QB.” Why is it so easy for people on the outside, who know absolutely nothing about the inside, to pontificate as though they are an expert based upon being the assistant manager in high school? Enjoy the ride folks.
September 25th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Brooks, come bball season, you better not go runnin away… son you simply make me cringe with your nieve outlook on our dilemma (i.e. lack of any talent coming to the U. either this year or so far ‘08). However you want to type all this crap about Weber’s ability to coach Bail’s players, this and that, yet his motion has had zero motion since ‘05. I, for sure, am not calling for his dismissal, but at what point will you break from this irrational consistency of overlooking the everpresent truths that the talent is no longer there.
September 25th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
FYI on Dee, he’s headed to Turkey instead of trying to fight for a spot on the Jazz this year.
September 25th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
I’ll help out Brooks: 25 wins and a Sweet 16 berth this year. You heard it here first. Write it down, memorize it, tattoo it to your heiny.
If anyone wants to see Illinois play on tv, get Dish Network or Direct TV. You can see any game you want. And they’ve got spillover channels in case there are 2-3 on at the same time. Just the other night I watched a replay of Illinois/Penn State from Penn State’s undefeated national championship season a few years back. I was there and it was fun reliving it. Big Ten Network is the best thing they’ve ever done. If you don’t want to spend the $50/month on satellite, cheer up little campers, the Wisconsin game is on ESPN. Somebody is taking notice that we’re better…
September 25th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Our spread option offense is going to get a real test against Penn St. We’ll see how good we really are. Those third and longs might force us to throw more than we like to. But we are going to have to throw effectively to keep em honest. Juice needs a break out game in the passing department. Nothing brilliant but just solid.The receivers need to catch his slightly off but catchable passes. Thats not asking too much is it? “GO ILLINI” as long as we win I don’t care how we do it.
September 25th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Brooks: You are not drinking too much orange & blue kool-aid. You are just a true orange and blue Illini, and I respect you for it. I am just telling you not to get too wrapped up in Weber’s “success”. IMO, he really hasn’t done much yet, other than take Self’s kids and almost win a NC. Now, that’s a lot, I admit, but since then…, a hundred wins or 200 wins, doesn’t make any difference when over half of them are against non-contenders. Give me a .500 season against ranked teams, and I’ll start to come around. Fair enough?? You are even hedging your bet saying if Randle, Pruitt and Frazier struggle early, play the kids and take your lumps. If Weber is the coach you say he is, then R,P&F shouldn’t struggle.
KyM: I kinda liked the inside hand-offs to Benn. I had never seen that before. I’ll go for a couple end-arounds, too. And a screen, if they get too much pressure on Juice. The problem is, we may never know whether Juice can throw under pressure because he’s off and running before the pressure ever gets there!~!
Catfish: Your middle linebacker should not be making tackles 10-15 yards downfield. Last time I checked that’s still a first down. Go back to last year’s tapes and you;ll see exactly what I’m talking about. I know what and where your MLB should be, if he is not in pass coverage, and Leman is not there. In fact, Our defense started to turn around last year when Leman started getting up into the “hole” and meeting the runner instead of waiting on him. He’s got to make that adjustment again this year, if we are to be consistenly successful. Listen to Buffone talk on the SCORE about a linebacker’s first move is TOWARD the LOS not away from it. And I’m sorry, but spread offenses run the ball quite often - our spread offense certainly does, and Indiana’s ran the ball A LOT on Saturday. We should be better against PSU’s more traditional offense. Ill-20, PSU-12
September 25th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
This is my first time to offer a couple of comments. I have visited this blog site many times. I have followed the Fighting Illini since the early 50’s through thick and thin. I am mighty proud of Coach Weber and I am very impressed with the strides being made with the football program. Coach Zook just received a commitment from a four-star quarterback from Charlotte. Saw some film on this ked and he looks like the real deal.
It is amusing to read some of the outrageous comments made by the “experts” on this blog. Some of you folks need to get a life. Let the football coaches decide when it is time to play McGee. I really think that they know just a tad more about coaching football than some of you!!
Illini 51
September 25th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Come on Bryce Sides. I am fully qualified to comment on football because my dad knew Red Grange.
September 25th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
It’s great to hear that the campus is buzzing about football again. I think we have a good shot this weekend with the running game and some pressure on Morelli like we had on Lewis. A couple of thoughts:
The option frankly scared me against Indiana. As several of you have already posted, it looked like several tosses could have easily become turnovers if not for Rashard’s sure hands grabbing balls that were tossed behind him. I think Penn State will be ready for it and will expect Juice to be quick to pitch it.
2. It was great to see Rashard crack 200 yards. He had a lot of carries, but he deserved it and deserves a lot more publicity. I hope that Zook has more sense than Lloyd Carr and does not expect Mendenhall to carry the ball the ball 44 times as Carr did with Hart. If Carr keeps that up, Hart’s knees are going to turn to Spam by the time Michigan plays Illinois.
3. Looks like we should beat Northwester FINALLY this year, but who scheduled Ball State!!! They should have beaten Nebraska.
September 25th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Bryce - I would NEVER!, NEVER! do that punt thing we tried last year! So yes put me in the non expert/moron column!
Point is Grossman gets yanked. Is he a great practicer? Is Lovie not putting Griese in to avoid a QB controversy? Who knows but quarterbacks have been yanked midseason (even veterans) because what you saw in practice doesn’t happen in the game.
If Catfish is going to tattoo that ridiculous prediction then put me down for this. McGee will pass for more yards in a game than Juice in 2/3 the time! Oh wait that already happened! Try this: McGee will have twice the 300 yard passing games of Juice!
September 25th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Namber - Check out Juices stats for Mizzo game, then McGee’s. They were playing the same team. Who was more productive?
September 25th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Crap one more: Could Tupper ask Zook about McGee. Does Juice practice that much better? Why not alternate series? Why Juice? I’m really curious about this.
September 25th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Ccoreleone- Not your son, thank God. Been posting here for two years so I would hardly run away from someone like you. How can you say the talent isn’t there when you haven’t even seen them play yet? And who is coach Bali? Don’t drink while you post.
Marlin- A compliment from you? Still in shock though, but I do appreciate it. I truly believe Weber’s best year was last year. Not the 05 season. He lost Carlwell, Smith, and Semerau for most the year. Randle & Chester were always banged up. McBride launching 35 ft threes. Not enough players to even practice. All that and he had 23 wins? How can you not feel optimistic about Weber? The recruiting will come around. Imagine how good he will be with better talent.
Bryce- Have you watched a game this year? You don’t have to be a genius to realize that McGee is a better QB than Juice. A strong arm means nothing if you don’t have accuracy and touch. McGee was playing in his first college game. He almost brought us all the way back. I can live with the turnovers because he was being aggressive. He’s not Rex Grossman.
Catfish- Wow. Too much kool aid. If Jamar & Watkins were playing, I might agree with you. I hate preseason ranking and predictions. No way of knowing anything until we see them play.
KYM- I think pride keeps coaches from admiting they chose the wrong QB. Look at the Bears, watching Grossman fumbling the ball in preseason was obvious that he isn’t any better. And still, it took 3 games to bench him. Grossman is too short and has two small of hands to ever be a consistant QB. Unless Illinois loses a few, we won’t see McGee much until next year. That sucks.
September 26th, 2007 at 8:13 am
For you guys who can’t stand it when anyone pushes McGee forward: no, we’re not experts, but neither are we blind! We SAW McGee in action - and not just against Mizzou — and we saw a lot more upside from McGee as a passer than we have ever SEEN from Juice. If Juice could show us that he is a good, dependable passer, than the issue dies right there! I’ve been reading this blog often enough to know this: if Brooks Taylor and KY Mike agree on anything, it bears looking into.
September 26th, 2007 at 9:46 am
KYM McGee numbers against Missouri is not that significant. In the end when all counted he threw the interception. Say what you want about Juice, but when he was needed in the 2 minute drill vs. IU he was flawless. Using Grossman and Griese as an example is meaningless because Grossman loses games and Juice does not. When and if we begin to lose because of Juice I will toot your horn as a genius. OTOH, if the team still wins in spite of unimpressive numbers in the passing department you have to admit wins supersede statistics. Last year we had all of the numbers against PSU and still lost. Come to think of it even last year if we caught one key pass and had one less fumble in the PSU and Wisc game we would have won both. Further, similar fewer errors might have beaten OSU and had we won two of three of these games we might well have beaten either PU or NW. My point is that Juice is being held to a standard in statistics without recognizing the wins.
September 26th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Brooks-Your last 2 sentences in your post to me make my point. Just saying the recruiting will come around, won’t make it so. Frankly, the addition of Howard should have been some “icing” on the recruiting cake. Instead, many of us are hoping (and praying) that Howard can make a big difference in Illini bkb recruiting. That is an admission that under Weber, recruiting is a crap shoot. And, “Imagine how good he will be with better talent”… My point is he should have had better talent coming off a FF and NC game year. Recruiting should have been a whole lot easier. And it hasn’t been. I will still contend that the man has no stomach for recruiting in today’s world. I don’t care how much you can coach ‘em up, if you don’t have the horses, you’re not in the race. 24 wins last year was an AVERAGE job of coaching, given that nearly half of those wins were vs. teams that would have trouble with a good high school club! And we struggled with a number of those until we finally put them away late in the game. We need to be back in the Elite 8 this year or next or we should be looking to fill a head coaching position - and I don’t see the talent at a level to take us there.
September 26th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Namber and Bryce - My dad heard of Red Grange!
September 26th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Illinirev- This blog does make for strange bedfellows, i.e. Brooks and KyM! I’m still chuckling over that one. Keep ‘em coming. (Hell, I even gave
Brooks a compliment - and meant it!!)
September 26th, 2007 at 10:33 am
Namber - Perhaps I am giving Juice too much of a doubtful benefit, but I keep believing I see Hudson, et. al. dropping a lot of passes that should be caught. Juice does overthrow and underthrow too many times, but he hasn’t unleashed many intercepts. Still, McGee’s performance in the Mizzou game cannot go unnoticed. I don’t envy Zook in choosing a QB. Nice problem to have, though.
PS-Juice IS a threat to run (whether he needs to or not).
September 26th, 2007 at 10:58 am
We keep comparing McGee’s performance at Mizzou to Juice’s performance at the other three games. To be blunt, we’re comparing the performance of a quarterback who lost IL’s only game so to a quarterback who has led IL to victory three times in a row. McGee turned the ball over how many times in that game? Verses how many times has Juice turned the ball over? Tell me again why we’re having this conversation?
I was in intrigued why IL opened up against Indiana with a couple of long-distance bombs (asking to be picked off). It reminds me of a basketball player. Do you start the game with a 3 pointer, or do you go for some easy buckets to get your confidence up before launching your long-range game? Against Syracuse, Juice had some easy passes before throwing some downfield. I can see passing some to loosen things up before going to the running game, but turning the ball over on the 2nd or 3rd play of the game could have been fatal.
Turns out, against Western, Syracuse and Indiana, we didn’t really need the passing game, so again, why would you go with an inexperienced qb when you have Juice, who looks quite a more and more confident and capable than last year!!
September 26th, 2007 at 11:36 am
I sure hate to see Pollard go down for the season. He was becoming a vital part of our running game. Quality depth at that position can dissipate quickly. Dufrain has been banged up too, bad ankle. I’m not likeing this development at all. Could put more pressure on the other part of the offense that we’re all not real thrilled with. It’s all part of the game though, you just have to deal with it. “HAIL TO THE ORANGE HAIL TO THE BLUE”
September 26th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Woops, sorry about that, it’s spelled h a l e not h a i l. I don’t want frozen rain or whatever it is to fall on them. GEEZ
September 26th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Now that Bruce Weber has been here 4 years he’s completely replaced all of his original roster with his own recruits. (well, there’s Brian Randle, but bear with me) In replacing all of those scholarships he has gotten 3 top 100 players. In the same period, here’s what our nearest Big Ten competition have done.
Illinois: 3 top 100’s (Pruitt, Carlwell, McCamey)
Ohio State: 9 top 100’s (Koufos, Turner, Diebler, Lauderdale, Oden, Cook, Conley, Lighty, Butler)
Michigan State: 8 top 100’s(Summers, Lucas, Allen, Morgan, Herzog, Dahlman, Gray, Neitzel)
Wisconsin: 6 top 100’s (Leuer, Bohannon, Hughes, Krabbenhoft, Williams, Steimsma)
Indiana: 7 top 100’s (Gordon, McGee, Holman, White, Vaden, Ratliff, Hardy)
That pretty much says it all in my opinion
September 26th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
the on-court results for that particular block of recruiting results start right now. Obviously there are going to be impact players in the next classes that will affect things, but for the most part, those are going to be the major players in the conference over the next three years. And the teams with the talent have the advantage. If you want to talk about the results SO FAR in the Weber era, you need to look at the previous block of recruiting results. Since I have nothing better to do: Here’s the same lists for the 2000-2003 classes
Illinois: 8 top 100’s (McBride, Randle, Brown, Williams, Augustine, Spears, Powell, Smith)
Michigan State: 9 top 100’s (Brown, Cotton, Naymick, Davis, Trannon, Ager, Torbert, Randolph, Taylor)
Ohio State: 4 top 100’s (Harris, Billings, Sylvester, Fuss-Cheatham)
Wisconsin: 2 top 100’s (Butch, Wade)
Indiana: 5 top 100’s (Ewing Jr, Wright, Strickland, Jeffries, Moye)
from 2001-2006 Illinois and MSU were clearly the class of the Big Ten, since then, Illinois has fallen and Ohio State and Wisconsin (and to a lesser extent Indiana) have risen to replace us.
This stuff aint rocket science.
September 26th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
I don’t care who the Bears put at QB, they still have the biggest nothing in the NFL in Ron the 1970’s offensive coordernator Turner. Payton Manning couldn’t win in this outdated offense. Turner almose destroyed the Illini program and he has done the same to the Bears offense. The three QB’S on the Bears are like clones, slow drop back 70’s type Qb’s. Is the shotgun offense to hard for Turner to learn. Where would Brady, Manning and Farve be if they only ran from behind the center. Get rid of this outdated Joke of an offensive coordenator and bring in someone who knows 21st century football. Orton, Greise and Grossman were shot gun qb”s in college. Why because they were’nt mobile and below average speed.
September 26th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Marlin- You and I are on the same page believe it or not. I want Illinois to win it all and recruiting is definitely a concern. The Gordon fiasco set Weber back. It sucks that Gordon changed his mind, but doing it at the last minute ruined our recruiting. Weber let alot of other good players go because he was holding that scholarship for him. It also killed the 05 momentum we had. That and there is a huge difference between recruiting SIU and IU.
I’m just not ready to give up yet. The 09 & 10 class will decide if he stays or not. Howard can only help. I only wish McClain would be gone. We need fresh blood. Weber cannot lose Richmond and he’s got to land a couple of these guys: Paul, DJ, Bertrand, McCamey, Head, Colvin, Jordan, etc. I think Weber can recruit, he’s just had alot to over come in four years. If we don’t land these guys, then I will be calling for his head too. But then again, a coaching change sets you back atleast 2 years, and then who do you hire? Ugh
KYM & Marlin- I feel like the planets are aligning and we need a big, group hug. haha
September 26th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Question. How many B-ball scholarships do we actually have for “08″? We have 4 or 5 offers out there for some decent looking guards and small forwards. I know we’ve had some disapointments but it’s far far from over.
September 26th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
For those of you guys asking who would be the Illinois coach after Weber is fired, I would nominate Mike Kryschewski after he retires from Duke, since he is from Chicago and he could do it on a voluntary basis since he has already all the money he needs. With that money saved, we could hire Dee Brown and bring him back from Turkey to do the recruiting.
September 26th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Great Idea j.k. He should be impressed that Illinois is the only state to celebrate Pulaski Day.
September 27th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Look for Illinois to pull the upset on saturday’s game vs penn state
September 27th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Brooks: I don’t believe it. We agree! And on football, too!!! But watch that group hug thingie, don’t want any rumors starting. I’m beginning to believe that Guenther has roughly the same timetable for results. It used to be that an Illinois coaching was the safest job in the world, but the world has changed. It’s all about the money. Here’s to an Illini victory over Paterno U on Saturday. Go Zookies!!
September 27th, 2007 at 9:46 am
tb - re. Leman. Thank you. I’ve been saying it for 2 years now. This year he should be making those tackles within a yard or so of the line because of increased strength and quickness on the D-line. Making 100 tackles a game doesn’t mean much if they are all 10+ yds. downfield.
September 27th, 2007 at 9:54 am
S.D. Runnin’ Red: I prefer to believe that Penn State’s defense is going to get a test from our spread-option offense. Of course, if it’s me, I go man on the wideouts and blitz the hell out of Juice. But time will tell.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:36 am
J.K.- Coach K would never come here. Lets be realistic.
Doug- McGee had 3 turnovers in his first college game. They were all aggressive plays, not a Grossman bonehead play. He was diving for the end zone and fumbled. I can live with that. There is no way that Juice makes that td pass to Hudson in the end zone. Juice is a runner and has a cannon for an arm, but he has no touch. You don’t have to be a genius to see that McGee is a better, pure passer. Imagine the possibilities with McGee at QB and Juice in the backfield. So much you could do with the offense. The Bears lost a Super Bowl because they wouldn’t start the best quarterback on there roster.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:47 am
S.D.- Assuming that CJ’s scholarship went to Mike Davis, we have two definite scholarships open in Randle & Pruitt. Then, you have Watkins and Jamar who are uncertain for next year. I know Trent only gets a scholly if there is an unused one. My only question is on Steve Holdrem. Is he the same way? I believe so.
Next year: McCamey/Frazier/Jamar/ Alexander/Brock/Cole/Tisdale/ Carlwell/ Semerau/Davis on scholarship. Two open scholarship. Jordan/Meachem/Holdrem as walk ons. Watkins is 50/50. I am coming up with 13 scholarships if Watkins does come back. Someone check my math.
Mario Little is suppose to visit us next weekend. He would be a huge steal if we can get him from Self. Juco player. It always amazes me when schools offer scholarships when they technically don’t have one available. Maybe Weber is starting to recruit like the big boys do. Lets hope so.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Juice’s would be replacement turned the ball over 4 times in 3 quarters of the Mizz game. Keep up the good work, ye arm chair coaches. You’re making good rants out of the visual evidence provided.
Wait, Wisconsin won the Big ten in 2002 and 2003 with only 2 top 100 players? Corleone, you are obviously no rocket scientist, but how does this fit into your thoery?
P.S. Add Calvin Brock to your list of top 100 recruits (Scout #87 in 2004).
Newsflash to all the prognasticators (especially the miserable pessimistic ones): They are going to play the games. You don’t have to guess what the results are going to be. You don’t have to derive a computer program to hand out post-season awards based on recruiting.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Marlin, I am not sure they risk man defense on Regis. He is too hard to stay with and even with inaccurate passes he is likely to come up with the ball. Further, without double coverage all he needs to do is brake one tackle and it is good bye.
September 27th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Jake. point taken on Wisky in 02 and 03… like I said before, winning with Weber won’t be a problem if he has the players, but you can’t continue to allow the big fish to get away. Since when hasn’t recruiting been important, should everyone act as if each failure and mistep the Weber regime entrenches the program within is cool? …real quick a friend who was being recuited by Weber (when at SIU) had a campus visit that got off to a tremendous start… you know hangin out with the players, coaches, girls, yada, yada, yada… until he had a chance to meet Bruce Almighty. Bruce was a nice enough guy, but just every conversation, article, or even interview, there is something missing. Maybe something that just doesn’t turn the engine on and make you want to leave on the floor for this guy. Please don’t go off about such storytelling because I’m not trying downgrade coach any further than national and local pundits already do. But when BAM was hired, I told my guy how excited I was about such a great person and coach coming to my alma mater, but just like most from the inside… one warning. Recruiting.
September 27th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Books,
You’re talkin crazy here. McGee MAY be a better QB than Juice. He’s played barely a game and gave up 4 scoring opportunities with “agressive play” turnovers in that short amount of time. So let’s not crown him yet.
Bears fans (I am not one) have a selective memory. The vaunted defense gave up 191 yards rushing to the Colts. That had something to do with the super bowl loss as well.
Good luck with Brian Griese. Maybe he’ll play like he did in 2000 OR maybe he’ll play like he did in the other 7 years of his career.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:11 am
Ccorleone- Gee, thanks for the great story about Weber. (Insert sarcasm) He was a nice guy, but something was missing? Wow, that cleared everything up. You really made your point. (End sarcasm) Weber got off to a bad start with the whole Gordon mess and under estimating the difference between recruiting at SIU and Illinois. Mario Little is coming in this weekend. McLaughlin has us in his top 3 and is coming to March Madness. Those two would be great additions. Self is doing everything possible to get Little to sign and call off his UI visit. Must be something good there, huh?
Give Weber a break. Give him through the 09 class. We have a great chance of landing some great players. DJ, Bertrand, Head, McCamey, Diamond, etc. And Richmond will be here in 2010. We already know he can coach. I still have faith.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:20 am
Jakey- McGee was playing his first college game ever…..and it’s not like he had time to prepare. Cut him some slack. He threw for 257 yards. Almost brought us back. Yes, he made some mistakes, but they weren’t the bonehead mistakes you scream at the tv about. He has a better arm, with accuracy, than Juice does. Juice is Tommy Frazier. He would rather run than throw the ball. He throws a good deep ball, but doesn’t have the touch for the short and mid-range passes. Watch some game tape. It doesn’t take a genius.
The Bears defense gave up all those yards because they were tired. They were on the field alot because Grossman couldn’t hang onto the ball. The Colts owned the time of possession and that was the killer. Grossman played great to start the season and then was horrible. If either Griese or Orton would have started, we would have won. Plus, you have me all wrong. If I were coach, Orton would be starting this week and for the rest of the season. Not Griese.
September 28th, 2007 at 8:05 am
Brooks. the Tommy Frazier-Juice comparison is right on… and what your eluding to is how many minutes the Bears defense was on the field in the Super Bowl. Just Sunday night against ‘dem Cowboys, the D can’t sustain such holds for close to forty minutes a game. The offense has to make up some gametime. Jake, you seem to wanna stick with Rex, why and is Turner the problem?