Illinois’ fledgling football juggernaut popped a flat tire just off I-80 Saturday, losing 10-6 to an inspired Iowa team that played like it was sick and tired of being whipped with a cat-of-nine-tails for losing eight straight Big Ten Conference games.
Illinois’ offense ran into a defense designed to swarm to Rashard Mendenhall. And when quarterbacks were asked to make the big plays, quarterbacks failed to deliver.
Oh, sure, there was more to it than that. The defense, despite giving up just 10 points, couldn’t keep Iowa off the field. The Hawkeyes converted 10 of 17 third-down plays and had a nine-minute edge on time of possession.
Ron Zook accepted two penalties that, in my opinion, should have been declined. And when asked about them in the post-game interview session, his explanations left you wondering whether he understood his options. In fairness, maybe he simply mis-stated his case; he wasn’t with us long enough to probe for more explanation. So we’ll leave that alone for now.
I guess it’s the whole quarterback thing I find frustrating.
I realize the program has a huge investment in quarterback Juice Williams and that they owe him a great deal for committing to their program at a time when top recruits were asked to do so on a strong measure of faith. I’m not saying to give up on him. Not at all.
But even the Illinois coaches have said they’re trying to settle him down and trying to give him a little help when they’ve brought in Eddie McGee for relief appearances. I just wish they’d give him more help and earlier help.
If they want to keep starting Juice Williams, fine. But give McGee some first-half playing time and use his strengths. I’ve seen two great downfield passes this season and McGee threw both of them. The first was a TD strike to Kyle Hudson (the forgotten man) against Missouri. The second was the 82-yard hookup with Joe Morgan at Iowa. That one was called back when Illinois was flagged for illegal receiver downfield (wideout Jacob Willis, who lined up outside tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, failed to station himself behind the line of scrimmage. That made Hoomanawanui an illegal receiver and the minute he went into a little three-yard pass route, the yellow flag flew, wiping out one of the most exciting plays of the year.)
I think Locksley has done a great job running this offense with limitations on the passing game, but I’d like to see him calling more plays with a quarterback who has a fighting chance to drop into the pocket and let the ball fly on target.
While considering the obligation to Williams, there’s also an obligation to give this offense the best chance to win and if experience is standing in McGee’s way, give him a little more each week. I have to admit, however, that he’s had some ugly turnovers (like the late interception Saturday) and he hurts his cause with wobbly ball security.
For me the bottom line is this: I want more of Eddie McGee. And, until he shows he has some command of the downfield passing game, I’m willing to accept a little less of Juice Williams. If the light clicks on for Williams in the pass offense, adjust back in his direction. Going into Saturday’s game, though, the pass offense ranked 112th out of 119 Bowl Subdivision teams.
Locksley said Saturday’s game was probably going to have to be won by the quarterback. There were plays to be made, he said, but the quarterbacks didn’t make them. Locksley took the blame, saying he hadn’t prepared them enough.
That’s a noble gesture, but when a receiver is wide open, as Brian Gamble was in the end zone early in the third quarter, and Juice throws the ball far over his head, Locksley is not to blame.
Michigan is on a roll now and despite an ankle injury to RB Mike Hart, the Wolverines are going to be tough to handle this week in Champaign. And that’s true no matter who is at QB. But I still like this Illini team and I like their chances to win two or three more games. Seven or eight victories for a team still building, still improving and still looking for consistency at quarterback is pretty good.
I just hope the quarterback situation can improve. To do it, though, I think we’ll need to see more of Eddie McGee. Not just a desperation relief role at the finish.
October 13th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
With all due respect to Iowa and their “inspiration,” this game was a give-away by the Illini…
I know the defense had some break downs, but, you can’t ask the defense to do more than to hold a B10 team, on the road, to 10 point. This game is 100% the fault of coach & offense.
We’ve given Zook tons of credit for his recruiting and coaching early on, but this was the most poorly planned & executed offensive game, and the worst managed game I’ve seen in a long time….
those 3 pathetic play calls to tap the 3rd quarter drive when we got inside Iowa’s 5-yrd just about sealed the game; not to mentioned calling the same ineffective option play over, and over, and over…
And what the heck was Zook thinking accepting two penalties that would’ve forced Iowa into 4th down.. I’m still scratching my head.
BTW, I know it seems like McGee threw the game away, but at least he was making passing plays; he showed that the deep ball was there all game long.
Juice is simply NOT a passing quarterback; we’re not going anywhere with him.
I guess we’ve used all our good karma getting those BB commits this week.
October 13th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
It is clear that Iowa was prepared to stop the run at all costs… and as soon as Illinois threw, receivers were wide open. Indiana walked through the Iowa defense using passes. It was clear Illinoi should have come out and thrown more to keep them off Mendenhall. The moment McGee came in and threw (besides the interception) Iowa could be beat deep or over the middle on nearly every play. I definately think the Illini will finish with a bowl and that is fantastic. Yet they should commit to the pass against a stacked defense.
One of the issues in this game was opportunity… and Illinois had enough to win. Yet I think you correctly state it was quarterback play that was the key to not pulling this one out. It was there for the taking. With a little more experience this one was a win. Have patience, the quarterbacks are young and the coaching staff has not exactly leveraged their strengths at the opportune moments. Like you state, McGee in the first half would be a great way to see how he operates with the game being on the line. It must be extremely challenging for McGee as he is in critical situations cold off the bench in Wisconsin and Iowa…
October 13th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
I agree the qb play was very poor. I like Isiah, but he looks indecisive running the option and makes poor throws in the passing game. McGee has potential but makes too many mistakes (interceptions). There has to be a happy medium wiyh playing time for botk qb’s. Illinois’ pass defense is bad. Iowa figured out what Penn St. & Wisconsin could not. Stop Mendenhall and throw the ball a lot and you will beat Illinois. What was Zook thinking when he did not decline that last penalty? Giving Iowa another 3rd down!! UGH! Hopefully this is a bump in the road and not a view of the rest of the season. Go ILLINI
October 13th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Interesting idea!
October 13th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
I agree with your comments on Williams- he also looks slow when running- The Illini have no passing game-our offense just kept running the option when Iowa was shutting it down- defense got tired-How could we have NO passing game? Zook continues to prove he is no game coach- frustrating!
October 13th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Why are we always dissing the folks who make it there life to rate high school players? Who spends more time looking at these guys. Scout.com scouts, bloggers, or columnists who do a story on basketball then the next one is about a local bowler or a horseshoe champion. Respect is either unversal or selective. If your selective then expect it to come back to you. (I got even money 90% of head coaches and staff use these services to know where to start recruiting!)
October 13th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
This was a trap game, and we got trapped. Plenty of blame to go around, so I won’t pile on. Suck it up and move on to Michigan.
Just 2 requests: 1) can we please ditch the option and get back to some North-South running? 2) do we really need statements like “I’ll run you off. I have that POWER!!!” on this blog? Get real.
October 13th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Most of us (Me, Brooksy and especially KYM) knew this was coming. No passing and all running is burning the candles at both ends. Pretty soon its going to catch up to you. As soon as I saw the field I knew it was going to slow us down and be a down to the wire affair. The worst thing is that even with our limitations,we still should have beat this team.
This game is a gut punch the likes of the PSU loss in basketball 2 years ago. Just when the momentum is building, national exposure is ours and we are about to take the big leap, we drop a game that should never have been in doubt in the first place.
I guess this is just a reminder to all of us to SLOW DOWN a bit. Some were taliking Rose Bowl and even canonizing zook. The facts are that depsite the opportunities being there, we just aren’t ready yet.
October 13th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Tupp, I believe your correct with giving Juice every chance to succeed with this team because of the recruiting stand point and Zook has given him every chance to succeed. But now it is McGee’s time. He has moved the offense better than Juice with what little time he has had at QB. He is a better passer and I believe he is a better runner. He is faster and quicker than Juice. With experience the turnovers will go down. I believe Illinois has a chance to beat Michigan with McGee in there but not with Williams. Illinois would have beaten Iowa by 2 or 3 TD’s with McGee in the whole game. It is time to play the better Quarterback.
October 13th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
I still would have like to be 5 and 2 right now if you had asked me in August. The biggest concern I see is this next week.
The coaching left plenty to be desired and they need to step up. Somewhere along the way Locksley should see as well as we do that option left isn’t working and option right isn’t working. Play calling was jr. high. There has to be more, no matter who is the quarterback! Eddie needs to step up and prove he can do what you think he can do. Juice needs to calm down and prove he can do it.
There is lots of work to do!
October 13th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
You get what you get. It’s long been known that Ron Zook can’t coach. One heckuva recruiter, but can’t coach a lick. The penalties today are but the latest examples. Illinois will never win a game because of coaching, so long as Zook is here.
Zook is also facing the same dilemna Ferentz faced early in his career at Iowa. He had a highly rated qb that just couldn’t play. Couldn’t catch on to the offense at all. Ferentz gave him every opportunity to show he should be the starter, but on the day before the season opener, he droped him to #3. The kid was on all of the tickets, a marketing campaign had been going- “The future is Beutjer”- can you all remember. As soon as he was dumped, he got into an altercation with his roomie, and dad pulled him and enrolled him at Illinois. He had a non-stellar 7 year career in Champaign. Iowa went on to 3 top 10 finishes in a row. It takes guts to take the future of your program, as such, and admit he just can’t play. Not for sure if he has any 200 yd passing games since he came, but I bet he’d make a heckuva tailback. Or qb at Notre Dame.
October 13th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
I just think Juice doesn’t have the feel for the passing game. He’s basically become a running back who throws occasionally. Eddie showed me that he can throw better and runs as good as Juice. Give Eddie as much playing time as Juice in a normal situation (not in a desperate situation!) we will win more games.
October 13th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Hey Tupp, it happened. They need to regroup because they need to finish the season and not give up because they can still do some great things.
October 13th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Link
This says it all for me. Rashard Mendenhall touches the ball once in the fourth quarter? Between that and accepting the two penalties on third down, Zook’s acumen on the sideline comes into question once again. I’d hoped he’d put that to bed.
October 13th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Eddie McGee: Oops, he did it again.
October 14th, 2007 at 12:37 am
Rosco- Earlier in the week you said to me “Your statement about when other teams realize how to stop us we are in trouble….baffles me. Didn’t we lead the Big10 in rushing and have continued this year. When do you think it will dawn on other teams we are a great rushing team? Oh, I know, after we lose…right?”
Care to retract? I don’t mean to single you out because you were one of many who ripped me for saying that all you had to do was stack the line to shut down our running game. And that is exactly what happened. Wisconsin and Penn State didn’t respect us. No game plan equals two losses. Iowa wasn’t so dumb.
Play McGee. End of story. Michigan will do the same thing to us. They will dare us to beat them with our QB. I know alot of you will bring up his goal line interception. You can’t just throw McGee in one series in a game and expect him to be warmed up and ready and save the day. Yes, he will get picked and fumble. He is a freshman. But he will also complete alot more passes than Juice and stop us from being so one dimensional.
And Zook with those penalty calls? Yikes.
October 14th, 2007 at 2:10 am
The QB situation is not the issue. This game was not lost by the QBs.
It was lost by the coaches. It was lost by Zook failing to decline two no-brainer penalties. It was lost by Locksley’s stubborn refusal to make any offensive adjustments when the gameplan clearly wasn’t working.
And it was lost by a defensive pass coverage scheme that has been busted since the first game against Missouri.
October 14th, 2007 at 7:04 am
Amen, Tupp. Juice Williams needs a true QB coach (hint: get Beathard out of the receivers coach position and let him work with these kids. Locksley doesn’t know a damn thing about QBing, he’s a RB coach) and please, let Eddie McGee start. He’ll only get better with snaps. Juice needs to be moved to a TB spot, and hopefully that happens next year, even if Mendenhall doesn’t bolt early for the NFL. And I’m with ya on the 2 penalties that Zook screwed up: he should have declined. His game management is still under question. So Ron Guenther, you little midget, put that extension back in your drawer. He hasn’t earned it just yet…
October 14th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Mark,
what is the rule on the first penalty that we supposedly took. It was the illegal procedure penalty, which is a dead ball foul isn’t it? The play never actually happened even though we stopped them for less than the needed yards. The 2nd one - wow. You have to take the ball, not the position. The fumble saved us on that one.
October 14th, 2007 at 7:27 am
McGee needs more reps in practice. OTOH Illinois could have run the ball at least one more time-they had two time outs left.
Games like this got RZ fired at Florida. Giving iowa two extra chances at a first down, which they got, are absolutely baffling.
Also, Mendenhall had only 15 carries. Give him the rock!
October 14th, 2007 at 7:44 am
If Eddie McGee is good enough to come in and bail the Illini out when they need it, he’s good enough to start. We have too many weapons at reveiver (whatever happened to Jeff Cumberland?) to not be able to use them. I think we’ve seen all the upside of Juice Williams we’re going to see, and as we improve the receiving corps, the more obvious that becomes.
October 14th, 2007 at 8:36 am
I didn’t know Joe Morgan was that fast. Why?? Because I have never seen him catch a ball in stride. Evidence enouh for me that McGee should start.
October 14th, 2007 at 10:04 am
what a disappointment. A game we could have and should have won, given away. I agree that when our offense is stagnant, we should have changed up from running the option wide, thrown a little more with either QB, and given Eddie McGee some touches earlier. When they called pass plays for juice in the 3rd quarter he did move the team through the air to the 2 yard line. If we rush Rashard 4 times I have to believe we get 2 yards. Juice is conservative in the pass and I believe was throwing the ball away instead of trying to force it in. Eddie forces things a lot more. Why they didn’t call more pass plays for juice is beyond me. His completion percentage wasn’t all that bad, he just didn’t throw it. Eddie clearly moves this team down the field. He simiply needs to stop forcing things, read “freshman growing pains”.
Giving Iowa additional chances instead of forcing 4th down is bewildering. We can’t stop anyone throwing the ball, and 3rd and 7 forces a pass. The strength of the defense is stopping the run. We gave them additional passing opportunities that resulted in a TD and a 29 yard play. We need to understand more of why teams throw the ball so well against us.
Definately a game we could have won. I did not expect it as we are still young and growing and this was a trap game on the road after two huge wins at home.
I find myself waking up this morning wishing things would have been different, but happy with the progress this team is showing. I have to admit, I feel good for coach Weber and the Basketball program as well.
October 14th, 2007 at 10:04 am
My two comments
1. We have the ball 1st & 10 in the shadow of our own goal. Three consecutive straight ahead runs by Mendenhall gets five yards each. From that point on it is back to the option play that Iowa spread and stopped all day.
2. Clearly I wish Juice could hit open receivers, but what bothers me more is his complete inability to find receivers. He never drops back and spots an open receiver ultimately scrambling, and at times making a play; yet, McGee drops back and spots the same receivers open each time. Unfortunately, Juice does not see the field.
Juice has been given ample opportunity to prove his game. I am glad that Zook stuck with him since he was forcasted as a savior (Charlie Tuna at ND really blew it over the Demetrius Jones situation). Imagine the QB situation next year if this Jacob Charest is as good as it appears.
October 14th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Straddling the fence on the QB issue is starting to become painful for me, even with a cup on. I would agree with Illini Faithful & whoever else has said it that Juice is a RB who throws occasionally. A lob pass to Gamble in the endzone would have been an easy TD. I think Juice has had his chance….now it’s McGee’s turn. I would imagine the coaches did not change the offensive game plan because of Juice’s passing limitations. The last penalty acception was the one that really astounded me. I thought it was a no-brainer to decline it & my mouth dropped open when I saw them stepping off the penalty. I hope the coaches come up with a better game plan for Mich. The Illini are still having a good season, but some adjustments need to be made. R Benn needs to get the ball anywhere beyond the LOS so he can break loose for something rather than get the ball on pitchouts & handoffs, etc.
October 14th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Hello
5-3 here we come. I think Michigan has righted its ship enough to win next week. Illinois should dominate Ball State and will win against Minnesota by a couple scores. There is no chance of beating OSU as the Bucks are the class of an otherwise mediocre league. Finally, Northwestern has enough offense to outscore the Illini. 7-5 is a definite possibility, with 8-4 likely.
However, this is a great step in the right direction. Illinois must find a QB that can throw the ball enough to gain the respect of the opponent. If it’s McGee, great. If it’s a top recruit, even better.
October 14th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Blame the coaching staff all you want. Picking out this and that is lame as it takes many more minutes and moments to win a game. Illinois is a young team and was due for a letdown after being up emotionally for two home games against top ranked competition. This was their first truly hostile away game and should help in the future. The season isn’t over and with the way some of you whine, it leaves the impression that you will only settle for an unbeaten season…it doesn’t happen overnight.
October 14th, 2007 at 11:25 am
I was just talking with a friend of mine who is a football guy, very knowledgeable, and a big Illini fan since his sons attend the university. He thinks, and I agree with him, that Juice is hurt. Witness when he was caught by the d end when he normally would have scampered for more yards. The thing that bothers me is his lack of touch. I am sure opposing coaches will see game film of how Iowa stopped us and we will need to adjust. I am not so confident that Juice at this point can pass well enough when the run is being stopped. Time to either start McGee or give him more reps. It would also allow Juice to heal.
October 14th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Remember last year when Tim Brasic was stinking up the place and Juice came in he lit up the place with immediate long downfield pass completions? So when Juice became the QB what do they do? put him in the option offense, have him do a pitchout every play and rarely let him throw beyond 10 yards. Why not use the triple option to freeze the linebackers to defend a pass instead of just having the 9 or 10 defensemen string out our plays on the line knowing we won’t pass, that it will either be Juice or Rashard with the ball? Why not play to Juice’s strength and let him air it out with some regularity, with the triple option just another threat to force the safeties to cheat in? We occasionally put two guys on a fly pattern to clear out the middle and pass on the flat–we should do that more.
People say Juice can’t pass. He can pass, he’s just a 19 year old hasn’t yet figured out a complex offense yet. Most college with top Junior or Senior quarterbacks would just now allow Juice to be getting some snaps in the game. Instead we have a sophomore starter and a freshman backup. To have him not have it all figured out yet is to be expected.
All that said, how many people are just disappointed because after beating PS and Wisky they had us running the table? That’s not realistic, especially playing Big Ten road games. I’m puzzled over the penalty calls too, but not at all panicky over the team, they’re coming along just fine, thank you. In the last 50 years, less than half the time has the Big Ten champion gone undefeated.
We had a shot to beat the hated Iowa and didn’t get the job done–OK here’s what we can take away. Like the Zooker said (reminiscent of Vince Lombardi), the players (and I think the coaches as well) should remember vividly how they felt at the end of this game and resolve never to let it happen again.
I like our chances in the friendly confines against UM (especially with an ailing Hart), Ball State, and Northwestern. If we beat Michigan we’re tied for second which as it appears now could mean a Rose Bowl appearance if OSU goes to the BCS series, because we’ll have the tiebreaker. We still have to face OSU but so does Michigan (although UM has them in the Big House and we’re on the road). I was as bummed as anyone after the game yesterday, but after some time, sleep, and perspective, I’m still jazzed about our chances to have a great year. Oskee-Wow-Wow!
October 14th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
This game is over and in the books. Hopefuly, Zook won’t make the same mistakes he did yesterday. One of which is continuing to play Juice at QB instead of tailback or running back, McGee is a better passer, and Kyle Hudson needs to be thrown to more often. McGee can find the receivers and hit them, Juice can’t
October 14th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
KyM - You are right on point again, my friend. Coaches are the main subscribers to the scouting and rating services. I know this for a fact. The coaches with the “programs” start at the top.
You also hit the nail squarely in the head with the 2QB idea. And it needs to happen soon, like now!!! After the remaining coaches on our schedule see the Iowa tape, what do you suppose we’ll see the rest of the year. I feel bad for Juice, but this is a major D-1 program, and Zook’s job will be on the line quickly if this situation is not remedied. Without a doubt, McGee gives us the best chance for remedy. To judge his performance on the last drive with the game on the line is unfair. He won the game for us with the TD pass that was called back. (And Tupps, that was always my call as an unpire. I watched the replay. It was more than a 3 yard route.) I would have called it, so I cannot criticize the umpire who did. McGee did a marvelous job putting in a position to win after losing that TD. He is a very talented kid who deserves the chance to direct this program. He also gives the defense much more to think about. Michigan is on a roll now. They are going to be very difficult to beat. they can be had, but not by a one-dimensional offense. We have to be able to exploit the weak pass defenses by these teams to give Mendenhall and the running game a chance to succeed. Holding Iowa to 10 points should have meant a 20 point win.
October 14th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Brooks - You were right on, brother. Except that Iowa really didn’t “stack the line”. Their big upfront guys stacked up the initial holes and their linebackers made huge plays - and, of course, it worked. good observation, though. Until we make a change, we are going to see this the rest of the way. I am sure that Michigan, Northwestern, et.al. do NOT want to see McGee in the line up. I think the announcers referred to that fact yesterday. Norm Parker, the defensive coordinator dd=said the same thing before the game. He did not want McGee in the game. he is too dangerous for defenses to contend with.
October 14th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
DC-IN a dead ball situation, the only thing you can decline is the distance of the penalty. I believe though, that both penalties were declineable. We could have and should have forced Iowa to punt. To hell with showing confidence in your defense. That’s stupid, stubborn ego from a defensive coach. God would have declined those penalties and forced Iowa to punt. And His defense is a little better coached.
Namber- While none of us really knows for sure, it appears that Juice is looking at the rush instead of looking for an open receiver. It is a tough habit to break. It’s like pulling your head on a golf swing. It takes a great deal of concentration and effort to stop doing it. It’s also accomplished in practice - not on Saturday. It’s time for McGee.
Bill Arter- Unfortunately, handing the ball off to Benn is the only sure way to get it to him with Juice in the lineup.
Look, Juice is a talented kid with a lot of upside, and I applaud Zook and Locksley for sticking with him this long. But the coaches need to realize this is a program with a lot of years of frustration and we have tasted the spoils of victory, and they taste pretty damn good. We also do not like the flavor of defeat, especially when we could have won.
October 14th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Comment on why Illinois gives up so many yards passing- no rush. Penn State, Wisconsin and Iowa all had all day long to throw. The DBs are excllent… if they were not the opposing QBs would not have to take regular 5-7 second reads. Rarely do you see quick slants or fast reads by opposing QBs. Somehow that front four must get pressure consistently. They are tremendous at stopping the run but rarely get a serious push into the opposing backfield while the DBs have to cover for too long. Additionally Illinois gives up a lot of yards in the air because they are not there on the ground for most teams. So the opposition adjusts and knows for them to have a chance they must effectively throw the ball… sound familiar?
Lets not forget last year they did air out the ball a lot- and it was not from being consistently behind. Illinois led many games late into the second half and was not in a position they ‘had’ to throw often. Most passes came as a part of the game plan.
Agreed the TEs have dropped off the face of the earth… but running a spread option with four or five WRs makes it hard to find a spot for a TE.
October 14th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
KYM- Isn’t funny that 5 days ago, we were getting ripped for saying McGee is the better QB, Juice can’t throw with accuracy, and McGee should start. Now everyone thinks its a good idea. haha. We’re right every once in awhile.
So what do you think of the recruits? I think you got the athletic SF you have been wanting in Bertrand. He’s 6′5 now, but I bet he will grow an inch or two more. I love DJ and Paul being 6′3 & 6′4. Love the tall, athletic guards.
Yesterday proved my point about why it’s better to have a coach who can actually coach (Weber) than one who can recruit. (Zook). Zook showed yesterday that he can have great talent on the field, but he can still blow the game based on his poor game plan and decisions. Weber has proved that he can win with lesser talent and now had made adjustments to improve his recruiting. It’s easier to make up for recruiting deficiencies than knowledge and decision making.
Relax everyone. It’s one game. An 8 win season is still a huge improvement over last year. Play McGee now so we can compete for the Big Ten title and BCS bowl game next year. Go Illini!
October 14th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Samscum showed his true colors again. Was caught making too many phone calls to recruits. Lost a scholarship for next year and lost his $500,000 pay raise. Yeah!!! I wonder if Gordon regrets changing his mind now? I’m sure Gordon will be one and gone anyways. It’s sad that the NCAA lets cheaters coach in this league. Now aren’t you glad that we have a class coach who does things the right way?
October 14th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Tupp- If you are going to leave alone the 2 penalties that Zook took (instead of forcing a FG and punt) for now, fine. However, I would hope on Monday this is addressed, and hopefully, Zook gives some semblance of an answer that would make any sense. At this stage, 24 hours after the game, those were two of the dumbest decisions I have seen. In fact, it ranks right up there with Marty Mohrningwen kicking off the Bears back in 2001, even though he won the coin toss in OT.
October 14th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
I don’t think we should let Locksley off this easily (I realize many of you haven’t) You got a beast receiver and you throw into the end zone with 2 minutes left? THROW THE QUICK HITTER SLANT!!!!!! For heavens sake no one stops that pass and Been has proven he can take it in from there. This is twice that Locksley has called an endzone pattern with around two minutes left in the game. What’s the hurry? What perfect opportunity to keep the kid calm by methodically running the offense. Why give the other team the ball with time remaining? Just stupid!
Marlin - I don’t understand Tuppers logic of playing or giving Juice respect due to his ranking. I thought that stuff was created by idiots? You and I know who and how those services are used, and there better at there craft than many on here would believe.
Larry - I wondered your point also. I haven’t seen one bomb all year from Juice. Every pass is parallel to the line. As a linebacker why the hell would you ever move backwards? I disagree that the offense is complex. “Swing” patterns, and check downs are so simple we never called them playing backyard football.
Alot of great points by the bloggers regarding McGee and Juice. Fact is if you play them both equal you would have gotten two benefits. Juice would have been forced to throw more acccurately and aggressively to keep his job, and McGee would have had to take care of the ball to get the job. Would have been nice to see who rose to the occasion.
Just a thought on Webers recruits: I remember someone saying that the reason Turner ruined the program was he hated recruiting. In hating recruiting he would take anyone who would commit early regardless of talent, just to avoid recruiting. DOES THIS SOUND FAMILAR?
All these great points and no Jake or Editor Boy: Coincidence?
Shooter - Your a little behind fella!
October 14th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I wouldn’t want Juice playing any other position on the field besides FB or QB. He is too slow. No way would I want him playing Tailback especially when you have Mendenhall back there. Also Juice cannot pass. He has no touch. Why is it we don’t see any other receiver’s except for Benn(only on handoffs and screens) when Juice is in the game but when McGee is in the game then you start seeing other receivers. And no, it is not the play calling. There hasn’t been a Kyle Hudson sighting since the Missouri game. Since McGee was the QB. I think the other teams want Illinois to stick with Juice because he has limitations and they know that McGee has no limitations. I agree that Zook is in a pickle, because Juice is the face of the program now and he doesn’t want to tarnish that by sitting him out. Zooks job is to win games though so he can’t worry about that any more. I believe he has given Juice a fair shot and now he should go with McGee. Zook lost against Iowa because he didn’t play the Quarterback that gave him the best chance to win. That one loss to Iowa could be the difference between going to the Rose Bowl or going to the Independence Bowl.
October 14th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
We ran into a team that knows how to defend the option play. They simply parked a guy in its path. And we did not adjust.
This one is on the coaching staff.
October 14th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
KyM,
I gotta disagree with your last comment analogizing Weber’s acceptance of the 3 commits with Turner’s hating of recruiting to the point of taking any early commitments.
The 3 guys we got on Thursday, seem to be highly ranked kids, in a loaded 2009 class, and playing position that we have struggled mightly lately to load up on (2G and/or Wings).
2 of these guys are already top-100 in both Scout/Rivals, and the third seems to be at least top-150…. remember, if Richmond is as good as advertise, we are merely looking to setup the team around him at this point; and these 3 kids seems to form a great nucleus, with Richmond, for years to come (after 2009). Yes, we may struggle in 07/08 and 08/09, but that’s something that cannot be changed now.
Weber may be relieved that he won’t have to do much more recruiting for the 2009 class, but that does not, and should not undermine the value of the commitments.
October 14th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Anonymous - The part I access on Scout only went to 75 so they could be in the top 100. The current Illini are struggling at 2 and 3 because those guys are all players who shot up late and were either very low 100’s or not ranked. This seems to be a scenario we are looking at with these three. In fact I hear Paul doesn’t even start for his high school team! Either he is playing on a powerhouse or we should be recruiting his teammates! Richmond could easily be one and done. I think you would agree that the really hard recruiting is over the top 25 guys and unless they commit ridiculously early, Weber seems either disinterested or afraid!
Where do these recruits put us in regards to Jordan and Heads brother? What year are those guys?
Sounds like we should be pounding Indiana’s recruits.
October 14th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
As Tupper so graciously pointed out on a previous blog, it doesn’t matter what a players ranking is once they commit or for that matter have been playing for the beloved.
Right about now, who cares if Juice was a 5 star recruit as he is playing no better than a 3 star. Let him open it up a bit or sit him down. No waivering.
* Folks we knew what we were getting with Zook. The same thing most hang there hats on about Self. That being, he will never win the big one despite all the player talent he attracts because he can’t coach. We get that same type guy as our footbal coach, we start winning a bit and then everyone thinks Ron is going to change his spots. Please do your self a favor and prepare for a few heartbreaks over the years.
Speaking of years, Watch us have all the expectations in the world for the next 2 years and never get to 9 wins. Put that in the bank (as he will lose us at least 2 per year on his own).
In regards to KYM’s point on BAM, I don’t know if he committed to the 3 because he didn’t like recruiting. I think he had no other choice. Everyone that is anyone in the state already baled and he is scrambling for the scraps. Better than decent sounding scraps mind you but still a lot of mystery out there (as Paul didn’t even start for his team last year).
Hey, did any of you checkout the picture of our new 4-star QB? That guy is going to be the first ever starting QB in the history of the game who can’t get a date.
Man, I’m bitter tonight. I get that way when we throw away a game and a team called USF is ranked #2 in the nation.
October 15th, 2007 at 12:55 am
KYM- You said “Just a thought on Webers recruits: I remember someone saying that the reason Turner ruined the program was he hated recruiting. In hating recruiting he would take anyone who would commit early regardless of talent, just to avoid recruiting. DOES THIS SOUND FAMILAR?”
Are you actually serious? Give me a break. Do you honestly think Richmond, DJ, Paul, and Bertrand are not big time recruits? Recruiting has changed. You have to start recruiting these kids as freshman, maybe even junior high now. Offer the talented ones early if you want a chance. Weber learned the hard way, but he has made the changes needed to fix his lack of major recruits. There is no comparison between Turner and Weber. Give me a break.
October 15th, 2007 at 1:13 am
Zook, youare an idiot! for at least 4 weeks, I and many others have been screaming our heads off for you to play Eddie McGee. Any defensive coordinater, College or Pro, knows that to beat a good team you have to try to make them one deminsional. Only with us, you don’t have to try. With a starting QB that cant pass, we are one demensional!You guys have known that Juice wasn’t cutting the mustard in the passing department, and that Eddie is quite capable in the passing game! As far as the interception Eddie threw, that’s because a lack of playing and practice time. Get the passing game going, and the running game will open up as well. And the defense will stay off the field. The Alignment penalty that stole Eddie’s touchdown is a coaching error that shouldn’t have happened!So are you going to play Eddie early enough in the games so that it counts, or are you going to insist on using Juice and screwing the whole team’s chances of winning. Probably because in order to recruit Juice, you made him a promise that you couldn’t keep and still be true to the rest of the team!
October 15th, 2007 at 6:09 am
What is the story with Kelvin Sanctions over at Indiana? It appears he is up to his old tricks again??????
October 15th, 2007 at 8:02 am
KYM
Comparing Turner to Weber in recruiting is ignorant. Turner wrestled recruits away from such power houses as Elon, while Weber took three recruits form Fla, OSU, PU, Syr, Ky etc. These kids ar good.
October 15th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Interesting news about Sampson, but seriously, is anyone surprised. At least Knight would beat us fair and square.
Regarding the game - immediately afterwards, Zook commented he would have to get some more recruits to ensure success or something to that effect. What did he mean by that? To me, a pass Juice sent into the stands over an open receiver in the endzone, and poor play calling lost that game. (I can forgive the 2 declined penalties… Zook showed there and then he trusted his defense over his offense to gain field position). The defense did fine, except on 3rd downs. There weren’t many dropped passes… We have two D1 qb’s… so what deficiency was he wanting to overcome? Offensive Coordinator?
One other question… is there a QB rating system for college?
October 15th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Topcat - Four weeks of screaming and no results yet?!! I think Zook has not gotten your message. Maybe you should try typing a little louder.
As someone once said: Those who can’t play - coach. Those who can’t coach - blog. Those who can’t blog - post comments to blogs.
October 15th, 2007 at 9:40 am
What you saw Saturday was both sides of the argument for/against Juice and McGee. You saw both of their limitations. Juice still has trouble finding/hitting the deep receivers, and McGee still wants to give it to the other team. The way the coaches are handling this isn’t fair to either player. I said it 4 games ago, and I’ll say it again: McGee needs to be sharing time at qb, he needs in sooner, and it needs to be publicly stated before the game. As it is you’re hurting both guys’ confidence. Juice gets pulled at crunch time and starts doubting if he can ever finish a close game, and McGee gets his first reps DURING crunch time, and so far has tossed two interceptions to end scoring drives that would have won us games. I can’t imagine that’s doing much for his mental well-being.
October 15th, 2007 at 9:40 am
Xavier- I agree with you 100%, it doesn’t matter what a Scout or Rivals ranks them, it’s how they play the four years they are here. I wouldn’t consider them scraps though. You have to remember, these kids are only going to be juniors. They have 2 more years of high school left. Plenty of time to move up the ranks.
Does anyone know if Samscum will still get punished by the NCAA? The fine & loss of scholarship was placed by IU. You would think that the NCAA would come down hard on him since he was already in trouble. Always a great day to see Indiana in turmoil.
October 15th, 2007 at 9:43 am
I will agree with you, Jim, that this game was an emotional letdown after 2 big weeks of beating ranked teams. You can talk to these young men about this danger until you’re blue in the face and they can still be down even if they say they’re pumped. The Iowa 8-game B10 losing streak was bound to come to an end sometime. But this was not just a simple case of an emotional letdown costing us a game. Iowa was ready for us. Some good programs can overcome these things, but we’re not at that level yet. We need to make some adjustments, because I’m sure the rest of our opponents will try to emulate what the Hawkeyes did Sat.
I mentioned Benn getting the ball anywhere beyond the LOS, Marlin, to emphasize what I said earlier in the paragraph about it being EM’s turn. I think he is the one that has a better chance of getting Benn the ball consistently beyond the LOS.
We still have a good team & a good season going & I’m sure we’ll make it to a bowl game. We just have to be prepared to see more of what Iowa did & adjust accordingly. Sat. night against Mich. will be on ABC….you can’t get better exposure than that.
Aren’t all of you Hoosier fans proud of KS….caught cheating again?
October 15th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Brooks- You are right again. There is no comparison between Weber and Turner when it comes to recruiting. Turner recruited Mendenhall. Paul hasn’t started yet for his high school team and you think he is a “top recruit”? And the “plum”,Richardson,STILL ISN’T SIGNED, and won’t be for two more years. Until you have their name on the dotted line, YOU HAVE NOTHING!!! Cut the phony euphoria and smell the coffee. This is a desperate coach with no clue.
October 15th, 2007 at 10:36 am
KYM,
I really hate to do this, but your Turner-Weber analogy is just silly…
the 3 ‘09 commits are just solid picks no matter how you spin that (and irregardless of Weber’s motive and/or hatred of recruiting).
First, these are highly ranked kids; Bertrand is ranked 54 on both Rivals & Scout; DJ is ranked 60 on Rivals, and I believe he just missed the initial Scout 09 ranking, which means he is but certain to be on their top-100 when that comes; as for Paul; even if he doesn’t get any higher he is a solid 3* on both services; however, due to solid AAU summer, he is expected to shoot up the ranking.
Second, regardless of the rankings, these kids are 3 of the top in-state kids in their class, can play either of two positions that we were going to have huge holes in after Brock/Jamar/Trent… are done playing. With Richmond coming in, there will be, surrounding him, a solid rotation at the 2/3, solid rotation upfront (Carlwell/Tisdale/Davis/Semrau/Cole & whoever else we pick the next couple of years), McCamey-I would be senior, and we’ll have a PG coming in ‘10 (we’ve gotta get at least one of AJ/Head/McCamey).
Yes, I’d love to have a team composed entirely of top-25 prospects year-in-year-out, but the way the team is shaping up from ‘09 onwards is nothing to grief about it. We may struggle the next couple years, and have have some heart-wrenching losses, but it seems the ship is righting.
Now, tf any one renegade on their verbals between now and signing day, that’s a different story.
October 15th, 2007 at 10:49 am
I personally don’t believe every team left on the schedual is going to successfully stack the line on us. But there is no doubt we are very one dimensional with Juice in there when the run isn’t working. What little I seen of Iowa before the Illini game I could see then that they had a strong veteran D-line and linebackers and that they would be tough against the run. I heard Zook on radio show this a.m. and he said then that Juice is his starter against Michigan. He also mentioned recuiting in his conversation about shoreing up deficiencies. I love it when he says that. We are still young so give it time. What do you do about the Q.B situation I don’t know, there are people who’s jobs are on the line to make that decision.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Ezekiel 25 — instead of taking off on someone because he’s trying to get his point of view out there, let’s hear what YOU think the Illini should do. That’s the fun of posting, IMO.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Powerful One,
The national recruiting websites put very little effort into rating sophomores because so much can change as kids are still maturing. Check out the write ups on local sites like chicagogoops or ilprepsbullseye. These kids are shooting up the rankings, but it’s not late. They still have two years of HS and AAU remaining. Weber beat everybody to the punch on the two front runners for the top player in illinois for 2009. That’s not settling.
Head’s 2010, don’t you want players before then? There’s not even evidence that he’d be any better than ANY of the combo guards we got in 2009.
I predicted that the Powerful One would complain about any recruits and any record we got. It’s something we can count on.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Erik Alexander: the game was lost by the QB’s, the coaches and everyone else that made the trip to Kinnick Stadium, and the QB issue is HUGE. If Zook and staff don’t take care, they’re gonna have a full-blown QB controversey on their hands, at a time when their team can’t afford any internal distractions.
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Fire Ron Guenther: heck yeah give more practice reps to “ET” McGee. This is one time I just can’t agree with Tupps: Zook and Co. owe Juice no more than any other kid on the team, and his status as a starter should have to be earned, just like everyone else’s. There isn’t a kid on the team that didn’t commit to Illinois on a “strong measure of faith” as Tupper says.
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And you’re right… giving Mendenall only 15 carries is not an indication that the coaching staff knows how to play to the team’s strengths. Very frustrating.
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Dave Jordan: zat you, Flash?
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Marlin: what Iowa DID stack was the odds. They were simply better prepared, and that’s all on the coaches. To his credit (I guess), the Zooker said prior to the game that Iowa was the toughest test his team has faced all year, but in retrospect I wonder if he wasn’t guilty of looking ahead to Michigan. If he WAS, he sure as heck better beat ‘em (Michigan, I mean!).
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Brooks Taylor: don’t break your arm patting yourself and KY Mike on the back. We’d all like to see more of McGee and he’s definitely earned more PT, but no way has he proven himself a better QB than Juice. One interception for every seven completions, as Tupps pointed out, is “wobbly ball security.”
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And how ’bout that recruit robber baron Kelvin Sampson: “We’ve been dealing with sanctions from May 25 to May 25, and when it was over, we were confident that we had followed all of the rules other than one call. I was not aware the three-way calls were three-way calls other than one.”
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Is it just me, or does that sound alot like saying “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is?”
Link
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I’m here, KY Mike… had to start using up some vacation days, hence time for a break from reality to visit you here in your element…
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Anonymous, Brooks and Namber: it’s skating on thin ice to get too excited about any recruits, no matter how highly ranked they are, until they’ve signed on the dotted line. Hopefully the latest sanctions will keep Sampson away from our verbals… meanwhile I’m starting to like KY Mike’s idea of BAM doing some recruiting in Hoosierland…
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Xavier: WHAT? YOU? BITTER?!? Surely not!!! But me too, and if there’s one shred of consolation, it’s that there have been several other upsets of teams ranked a whole lot higher than ours. Is that a sign that “parity” has at long last been achieved in D-1 football? Or does it mean the pollsters can’t find their fannies with both hands? Either way, going another year of Zook being winless over Iowa is indeed a bitter pill.
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Topcat: you claim McGee is “quite capable in the passing game,” yet his interception-to-completion ratio is more twice that of Juice’s. You call that capable? Right now neither one of them deserves being referred to as “capable,” and if that doesn’t change soon, Zook might just have to turn on his charm and get another QB prospect in the pipeline…
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Ezekiel you are crackin’ me UP…
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Finally, say what you want about pink shirts, but hats off to Weber for being a deserving recipient of the 2007 Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award:
Link
October 15th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Topcat, who knows if anyone’s listening, but let’s keep beating the drum for EM! In his defense, McGee got bumped as he threw that interception, or else he would have sent it farther into the back of the end zone and into Rashard’s hands. I’m happy to see that EM is tucking in the ball and is beginning to take care of it better when he runs — he’s listening to his coaches.
I don’t see how Zook’s penalty calls can be defended. That is NOT how you show confidence in your defense! Standard procedure is to force Iowa to play a 4th down. As a coach you help your defense by doing that — especially in the 2nd half when our D was getting tired from being on the field for so long.
Let’s not get into the political mind game of “what we owe Juice for signing early,” etc. What Zook owes the team and the university is to play the best players at all positions. Besides, Juice can take it. I admire how he supports McGee. So let’s make who Juice calls “The Closer” into “the Opener.” I have seen the future, and his name is McGee.
October 15th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Brooks, I definitely think the NCAA adds a layer onto IUs penalties for Sampson. Maybe some more restrictions he can ignore. The Gordons must be so proud as they are people of similar values.
October 15th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
It’s getting painfully obvious that neither QB is being put in a situation that is condusive to them succeeding. I think that they either need to make Eddie the starter or rotate him in more throughout the game. At least then defenses will be so keyed up for the run while Juice is in there that he might be able to hit Benn or Morgan on a deep ball. But Mcgee looks to be the more skilled player at QB. The sad thing about this is that Both QBs are being given the opportunity to win the job it’s just that Eddie has to always come in at the most dire of times after the offense has been struggling for 2 qtrs and he has performed everytime. To come off the bench and throw a perfect pump and go to a streaking WR in stride after sitting for 2 and a half hours shows some serious poise and talent. He was hit in the back on the INT and they shouldn’t have been passing anyway. With Mendenhall you would think they would run him in the redzone everyonce in a while but they had 2 trips inside the 15 and didn’t get him enough touches. Let your best players make plays. And stop complaining about the D. They gave up 10pts and were on the field for the whole game. They played their hearts out.
October 15th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Zook has another Q.B. recruit in the “08″ pipeline a four star named Jacob Charest out of North Carolina. I think Zook is a little frustrated with his core of recievers too. If this Charest kid is the real deal we might have even more Q.B. competition next year.
October 15th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Illinirev: I like the way Juice and ET McGee seem to be getting along too, but neither of them are consistent enough in the present to be considered “the future.”
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They’re both too quick to start rushing the ball instead of keeping the kind of cool head it takes to pick out an open receiver, and any QB that can rush like these guys should also be able to SCRAMBLE.
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Who knows… maybe Zook’s on to something here, sending in a “relief” QB to pitch cleanup for the starter. Or maybe he should just play Juice for all running plays and McGee for all passing plays.
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Regardless of what the future holds, where Illini football is concerned, the present is sure a whole lot more fun than the past.
October 15th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Marlin- Desperate coach with no clue? Come on now. Weber finally realized that you can’t wait till these kids are seniors to offer. I have never put alot of stock in the so called “rankings” of players. I like that we have 3 guys coming in that are 6′3, 6′4, and 6′5 and are all very athletic. I would hardly consider these kids a desperate option. Name one progam that wouldn’t want any of these three on there roster. We know Weber can coach. Now he is finally getting the talent. I think you are just mad because you have nothing to criticize Weber about. haha.
RPIC- I thought you weren’t coming back? Thanks for your two cents. The only verbal commitment we lost was Gordon. It wasn’t even Weber’s fault. I think it’s funny that just being a verbal is the only bad thing you Weber haters have on Weber any more.
Also, KYM and I have been saying start McGee since the Mizzou game. I don’t want them to split time. McGee should start. It’s obvious McGee is a more accurate passer than Juice. Sure, McGee is going to have some turnovers, he’s a FRESHMAN who sees limited playing time. He’s also shown us that he is poised and makes big plays. Get rid of the option and start McGee.
Jake- I agree with you. Illinoishsbasketball.com has an updated rankings for the state. They have Paul at #2 ahead of DJ and Bertrand. I’m sure when Weber wins a NC in 2010, their will still be people criticizing him.
October 15th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Editor boy,
What games are you watching? McGee is a better passer and runner. When was the last time Juice had a 53 yard run? I would take McGee over most of the QB’s in Div. 1. He has put up more passing yards in the only true game he has played(which was only 3 quarters) than Juice has in 1 1/2 years. You give him more experience and the turnovers will go down. And he was hit as he threw that last interception. Also Illinois would have been no where near the goal line if Juice had been in the game. The only thing I hope for is that Zook starts Juice for the first series then takes him out and puts in McGee for the rest of the game just so Michigan will plan for Juice. I can only hope.
Does anybody notice that when McGee is in the game, then Benn catches the ball downfield with room to run. It would be alot better on his shoulder to catch the ball downfield behind the linebackers than along the line of scrimmage in front of the linebackers. This is proof enough for me that McGee needs to start. And don’t say it is the play calling because they call the same plays for both Qb’s. McGee is the better Qb plain and simple.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Hate to break it to you Brooks, but Illinois runs an option offense, and they’re gonna run an option offense no matter who’s playing quarterback (and they’ll run it successfully with either guy). Right now I think Juice makes better reads and decisions than McGee. Doesn’t have the breakaway speed. I’d love to jump on the “McGee is our savior” bandwagon, but he’s gonna have to quit handing the ball to the other team before I’m convinced. I think they both are going to get better than we’re seeing now. Question is, who has the bigger up-side? Juice has a stronger arm, right now McGee appears more accurate (if you ignore the INT’s). Still would love to see them rotate, and even line up with both of them in the backfield every once in a while.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Okay ladies you can put the hairshirts away! I don’t know how Weber will ever get along making a Mill plus a year taking all this extraordinary heat! Fact is Kentucky and Carolina are listed by forty of the top 100 names every class that comes out. Did they want our guys? Maybe! Did our guys add Kentucky and Carolina to their list to peak interest, Possibly!. Fact is Kentucky won’t give out 40 scholarships so most likely they cross them of a list of guys they barely contacted and move on ( and up!). But guards seldom help you until they are at minimum Sophomores and if it takes this class until they are Juniors then too late. The massive 07 vacum leaves you a ton of newbies to train. Letting 08 slip by without any high quality gets is another chapter written in the Illini history, all titled “If only”. Brooks you have said countless times that you want to recruit out of state as well. If the pros at Scout tell me Bertrand is 54 (which makes me happy) and a local site is saying a guy who doesn’t start is higher than him then I got four options. The local guys are clueless. Scout is clueless. 09 instate talent may not be very good. There all so great one guy is 54 the other 150 but their all equal?? (Very confusing) Which one am I supposed to like best. Remember Weber is the guy who told me I would be “suprised” at how good Chester Frazier was. I mistakenly thought that meant he was going to be better than his non ranking! C.J multi sport star, Calvin rocketing up the charts. The only guys to really produce under Weber were all top 75 or better (sans preacher). That looks to me like a trend. So when these guys get in the top 75 then I party. Other than that your just cheering. And doesn’t that really devalue the guys who accomplished something?
October 15th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
RPIC- “Who knows… maybe Zook’s on to something here, sending in a “relief” QB to pitch cleanup for the starter. Or maybe he should just play Juice for all running plays and McGee for all passing plays.”
Nice strategy. That won’t make us predictable now will it? How can you say the EM is not the future? He’s shown alot of poise and accuracy in the limited minutes he’s had. Zook throws him in at the end of the game with the game on the line. How fair is that? How about putting him in a position to succeed? If not for the penalty on the TE, he had a nice throw for the touchdown. He’s a freshman. He’s going to have turnovers. You act like it is rare for a freshman to do that. Would you bench Clausen at ND? Juice has a strong arm, but what good is it w/o accuracy? We know what Juice can do. He’s not much better than he was last year. Let McGee start a game or two and lets see what happens.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
KYM, Marlin, XD…Several have already made excellent points concerning the recent BB verbals. Consensus top 0f 2009 Illinois class, at least 2 of 3 at present. Stock went up for all this summer. Scraps? Some fans y’all are. It’s fun for some to begin comparisons to the DW, DB, LH trio, but I hope they create a special name for themselves. I’m excited. Brooks…you know I love your enthusiasm and love of Weber, but dang, he does not walk on water when it comes to coaching. It was his job to check the clock at the end of the Penn St loss, was it not? He could have, should have, taken Warren out of the NCAA game to settle him down or keep him from literally throwing away the game 3x in a row late in the game. I can come up with other examples, but you get my point. Coaches get too much credit for victories, too much blame for defeat. They can draw up a brillient play, if the players execute it and win, they’re a genius, if not, a dunderhead. A bit simplistic I know, but true nontheless. Peace Brothers
October 15th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Editor Boy: Thanks for your comments, in general. But you lumped McGee in with Williams, saying that both only think about running, and cannot scramble. Too true about Isaiah. But if you look again at McGee’s last drive, we were at the Illini 31 with 2:20 to play, and it was 2nd and 8. McGee went back to pass and had to scramble to make a play, which he did. He moved to his right, out of the pocket, could have kept running on his own, but instead on the dead run he passed to Benn on the right sideline for a 28 yard gain. It was a beautiful play that wowed the ESPN announcers. It showed that EM has great arm strength, too, plus accuracy. I’ve never seen Juice do that on the run. That’s something from the present that bodes well for the future.
Also, my 2 cents on the Illini defense: the Hawkeye runners kept cutting back and found yardage that way. We tend to overrun the play, and have no weakside help. We were well-scouted. We were outcoached on both sides of the line at Iowa City, sorry to say.
BTW, Zook might take more care with his “we need more recruits” comments. All the great recruiting in the world cannot coverrup mistakes by a coaching staff that maybe wasn’t ready Saturday.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Another signing- Just announced Stan Simpson is coming to Illinois next year. Big 6-9 big man to replace Pruitt. Official press conference tonight. Another piece to the puzzle.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Brooks: Me? A Weber hater? Surely you jest.
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I have consistently been one of Weber’s biggest proponents, both in real life and on this blog, since long before you made your first post. Ask anybody here, including the Lemon Krush.
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And you misunderstood my comment about verbal commitments. Sure, Gordon is the only verbal we’ve ever lost.
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So far.
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But we’re talking about 16 and 17-year-old kids, often surrounded by coaches, friends, relatives and interlopers, bombarding them with offers, advice, (and sometimes more phone calls than allowed by the NCAA), making important decisions about what they’re going to do in 2 years.
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Bruce Weber, along with all of Illini Nation, took the Gordon family’s word for it that their verbal commitment was something we could count on. I realize that doesn’t mean we should question the word of future recruits.
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But as long as there are coaches like Sampson and parents like the Gordons in the wide world of sports, there are no guarantees.
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One last thing: you say “It’s obvious McGee is a more accurate passer than Juice.”
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Yeah, if you count interceptions. And he looked more inconsolable than poised after the Iowa game.
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It might even be possible that McGee IS a more accurate passer, but that simply does not make him a better quarterback. In the meantime, I haven’t seen enough of him to pass judgement, which is why I’d like to see more of him.
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Coaching from your keyboard makes it too easy to forget that Juice and the option are largely responsible for the Illini tallying more wins this year than the last 2 years combined.
October 15th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Brooks,it’s OK if you single me out. My point was that we have been a good/great running team for awhile so I don’t agree with your “no respect” reason for beating PS and Whisky. I agree that a more balanced attack would keep our opponents more off guard but disagree that it will take XXX yards per game to do it. Peace brothers
October 15th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Who is Stan Simpson?
October 15th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
The Powerful One does not deal well with ambiguity. Can we get a consensus on how good these recruits are? And not qualitatively, they need rankings darn it! Until we know their true ranking, we know nothing. If we know nothing, we must assumed they’re bad.
October 15th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Please tell me I missed this Stan Simpson on all the ratings boards. I would actually feel better if it was my old age and poor vision not more of the same.
Flighty one - Show me the guy Weber got who you would keep! The guy who you would want to repeat his output from his time at Illinois. (Let’s just keep it to guys you’ve actually seen play) This does not mean guys he inherited.
While your at it show me the Big Man who has improved under his guidance!
As for Gordon let it go folks! Or are you the guys still stalking the first girl who said the would be your girlfriend. Things change! Only a fool thought that the Gordon thing was a done deal. Anybody with a brain could see that Gordon didn’t like Davis not Indiana. Unless your married to the first girl you said you would love forever get a grip. No salesman worth his salt cashes the check until it hits the bank. Fact is Weber still had scholarships to give even if Gordon commits and he couldn’t give em away. Thanks goodness he can now?
October 15th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
I suppose there is something to be said for letting McGee be an understudy for a year, let his self-confidence develop during the present season. For example, when you compare Rex Grossman to Tony Romo, Romo surely benefited from his 3 years as an understudy.
On the other, hand I personally think that if Eddie McGee develops and refines his current level of talent over the next 3 years, he could be a definite Heisman candidate. I think he compares favorably to the best quarterback we have seen at Illinois in the last 25 years.
October 15th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
The IA game was my third straight game that I tarveled all the way from east coast to watch the game in person…and while I’ll continue to support coach Zook and his rebuilding of our football progarm (much better than the garbage we had before), I must admit that I am baffled and surprised that the QB situation hasn’t improved seventh game into the season. It has actually got worse and that can only be blamed on the coaches. that said, I really doubt this Juice williams would ever do it for this team…I’d bench him and let the McGee kid start a game…particularly if williams starts the MI game and doesn’t deliver because, If they play smart football, this ILLINI team should be able to beat MI on our field…let’s hope they’ll do that and I’ll be there to cheer them up.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
RPIC- Guess I have only seen your Rip and Runaway for two months posts over the last two years I have been here. All I hear from you is NEGATIVE. Actually, you and KYM are sounding more and more alike. Scary.
Be mad at Samscum and Gordon’s parents. Hardly Weber’s fault. One bad example doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again. Lets move on. It’s been a year now. Let it go.
Alot of guys have strong arms, but accuracy will get you to the NFL. You greatly under value that. Yes, McGee has had some picks, but he’s a freshman and hasn’t even played an entire game yet. After a year and a half, we know what Juice can do. McGee has showed that he can throw the ball. If you don’t see it, you are blind. And we have won this year despite of Juice. Rashard, Benn, and the defense have won us games. Michigan is going to attack us the same way Iowa did because they know that Juice can’t throw the ball. Play McGee!!!!!!!!!!
October 16th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Brooks-I have finally found someone in greater denial than my ex-wife! 6-4, 6-5, 6-6 I can find on ANY NAIA team in the country. (In fact, Siena Heights College in Adrian, Michigan (NAIA) routinely has All-State players ON THE BENCH because they cannot crack the starting lineup!) I can also find the same thing on most high schools teams now. It doesn’t make you competitive, nor does it automatically assure that these guys are athletic. It seems to me that Jackson, Randle, Frazier and Pruitt were all supposed to be “athletic”, but Jackson is playing football, this blog consistently calls for benching Randle and Frazier, and Pruit will foul out of more games than he finishes this year. Yes, this is a desperate move by a clueless coach.
Even if you are right about the players, you say Weber has finally found out you have to offer these kids early? Where the hell has he been. He has coached AND recruited in the B10 and D-1 for 20+ years and he’s JUST NOW FINDING THIS OUT? You’re drinking the Kool-Aid again, aren’t you?
Here’s how I see our future 3 years AFTER a NC appearance: We have virtually nothing for the next 2-3 years. If, God forbid, we have a losing record in any of those years, these kids could very well bolt - especially with the likes of Sampson and a few other unscrupulous rats around. That means it will be well into 2011-2015 before this program starts to turn around again. And, my wager offer still stands. It’s interesting you have made no comment on that. It only points out that you are, in truth, as concerned about our success as I am.
October 16th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Jake-I also predicted that you wouldn’t have a clue.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Memo to Topcat and anyone else who feels that the coaches or the Tight End was at fault on the TD play called back last Saturday: The error was by the wide receiver. He was supposed to be off the LS. Instead he moved up on the line and covered the TE who never knew he was there. Actually, the WR may have gotten incorrect info from the line judge. Usually the WR’s will ask the official on their sideline if they are on or off the line, to make sure they are where they should be. Either that didn’t happen, the info was bad or the WR didn’t know where he was supposed to be. But he should be able to look in, see the TE on the line, know that he is covering and back off. A young team mistake. But a costly one.
October 16th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Marlin,
Does Weber recruit better players to Illinois than he did at SIU? How many losing seasons did he have at SIU? How many times did he make the NCAA tournament at SIU? I think you and KYM overrate coaching way too much.
October 16th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Oops, I meant you guys under rate coaching.