Anyone coming to Autzen next year? I'll share a few tips if you'd like.
Illini Football 2024
We've reached May and Illinois still needs a veteran coach with DB/DC experience that can also bring a boost to recruiting. There is only one man for the job...
Is the zooker still ripped 15 years later? Does he have any eligibility left? What’s his NIL number? Can we do player/coaches to fill out the roster?
~3 years to make us a consistent 6-7 win team is more than fair. The roster is mostly his recruits now; really need to see the development emerge
Bret ain’t going anywhere.
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
That is the plan! Would love to hear anything you have to suggest.
BB is heading into year 4 and it's a crucial one. After 5-7 last year he needs a bowl team to start showing some program momentum. Another losing season will place him on the warm seat going into 2025 and every loss will increase the temperature. AC's will start bailing to protect themselves, recruits will follow and good players will hit the portal. BB seems to be a good coach and a good guy but he has to produce results at some point. I'm hoping he can as we just can't keep recycling coaches over and over again.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
With 7 seniors, this likely isn’t the year. In all likelihood, we take a step back from last year
Mind The Gap - Reprint
I've probably referenced "in the intro to the 2023 football preview..." at least 15 times since August. The section I called Mind The Gap. I just did it again while writing an answer to a mailbag question. I then realized that many of you don't know what I'm referencing. The
www.illiniboard.com
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
Correct. I think both BB and Josh know this, thus next year will be the really critical year. If they don't take a big step forward next season after this coming (likely) step-back one, then JW will have a decision to make.With 7 seniors, this likely isn’t the year. In all likelihood, we take a step back from last year
Mind The Gap - Reprint
I've probably referenced "in the intro to the 2023 football preview..." at least 15 times since August. The section I called Mind The Gap. I just did it again while writing an answer to a mailbag question. I then realized that many of you don't know what I'm referencing. The
I don't think he is either, and the rebuild is coming along fine.
Every school suffers recruiting losses and it's hard to put into words just how poor recruiting was at the end of Lovie's time here.
Sure he had 11 future draft picks on roster in 2020, but the outlook going forward was BLEAK.
Robert's article from I want to say end of April spells it out so well.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
The age-old Illinois Football narrative of "we're rebuilding the MAC roster left behind by the previous guy, competitive football will take time to emerge" just fundamentally, flat out does not fit the data for Bret Bielema, in both positive and negative ways.
That dog won't hunt, period.
To me that's a good thing though, as that narrative has been a cycle of disappointment and failure for this program my entire adult life, that's not a straightjacket I am eager to slip back into.
We've got problems in PortalWorld, but at least they're new and different problems.
The age-old Illinois Football narrative of "we're rebuilding the MAC roster left behind by the previous guy, competitive football will take time to emerge" just fundamentally, flat out does not fit the data for Bret Bielema, in both positive and negative ways.
That dog won't hunt, period.
To me that's a good thing though, as that narrative has been a cycle of disappointment and failure for this program my entire adult life, that's not a straightjacket I am eager to slip back into.
We've got problems in PortalWorld, but at least they're new and different problems.
Fair.
The college teams set up for success going forward are the ones that also invest into what is essentially a college football version of a General Manager. It's no longer just managing scholarships.
Bret is smart and he knows what to do. It won't always be pretty, but the work is being done.
Late October (Oct 26th) weather is typically what we would call late fall, probably mid 60s during the day mid 40s at night. This is scheduled for Saturday so that means Farmers Market and Saturday Market will still be in full swing. This means good food, music, merchants selling everything from jewelry, clothes, to water pipes. It's a good place to go the morning before the game.
Of course it's a must that you tour the U of O athletic facilities. Especially, Hayward Field where Eugene will be hosting the US Olympic Trials this summer. This will be the fifth consecutive time Eugene has hosted the Olympic track and field trials.
Getting to the game, I'd recommend taking a shuttle bus to the stadium or walking (depending on where you are staying). If you are flying in, I'd check flights to PDX and EUG, I've found PDX often to be cheaper. Of course where to stay can be an issue, the good thing is Oregon State is on the road that weekend so that helps (the schools are 42 miles apart). Autzen is typically sold out and 2024 is no exception, so you'll have to find a source for tickets. Some buckeyes have been buying Oregon season tickets just to get the Ohio St game tickets, they may be selling Illinois tickets.
Got to go for now, but I'll add more about golf, mountains, coast and fishing later. Oregon is a beautiful state that has many great nature experiences.
Autzen has no obstructed view seats, bring ear plugs. Once inside the gates you still have access to the Moshofsky Center (indoor practice facility and large sports bar on game day as well as PK Park (baseball stadium) which functions as an outdoor bar on game day. One one the West end of the stadium and the other on the East. Yes Autzen is one of the few stadiums that endzones are on the East and West ends.
JMO - Bret got away from his MO - 4 yards and cloud of dust possession football. This keeps the defense rested and minimizes turnovers.
Without Chase Brown we did not have same running game as prior year. 20/20 hind sight JMO - I would have promoted Feagin game 1. He was much more effective than McCray. We lost our running game when Feagin injured his shoulder.
Paddock saved the team in last 3 games of season. Hopefully Luke will be that effective in 24.
Without Chase Brown we did not have same running game as prior year. 20/20 hind sight JMO - I would have promoted Feagin game 1. He was much more effective than McCray. We lost our running game when Feagin injured his shoulder.
Paddock saved the team in last 3 games of season. Hopefully Luke will be that effective in 24.
We were relatively depleted at the RB position.
Lost Anderson before the season started. McCray and Love early. Laughery in and out of the lineup. Feagin was the feature because he was largely the only one healthy until he too got injured.
Don't think last season was by design at all. Barry made the most of what he had, specially since the OL underperformed.
Luke was in the top half of the league and Paddock balled out. Shame we couldn't get a bowl game but we were *right* there with both the D and O underperforming and it came down to literally a handful of plays.
Mike White was the only coach we have had in modern era to get us to Bowl games by year 3 and sustained success. Biggest mistake Illini program made was firing him. Mackovic won with White's recruits but bailed for money at the first opportunity. Then the downward spiral began. If you keep Mike White and let him coach Jeff George we are good for another 10 years of winning.
The issue imo wasn't so much the RBs as the O-line, which has been nowhere near at the level and type of a Bret-sanctioned O-line. And while I generally agree with Gritty that our recruiting with Lovie was fine, the D-II level O-line recruits at the end was a glaring exception. Plus they take longer to develop, with hits and misses, than any other unit.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
I don't know, I did admire White but those last two seasons were pretty bad.
Lovie Smith would like a word with you on the latter point. As bad as Zook was (and Tepper and Beckman for that matter), when it came to player development, game prep and game day coaching, nobody was as bad as Lovie
The Oregon Coast has what is known by Oregonians as a "second summer" this typically takes place Sept through Oct. Given this game is late Oct. you might miss it. Oregon's coast is rugged, water is cold, but the beauty of mountains coming right down to the water is worth seeing. I like Yachats as community on the coast and I like Sylvia Beach Hotel. The rooms at Sylvia Beach Hotel are all theme based on famous authors. This is a place to enjoy the beach a book and simply relax.
Crater Lake is a beautiful destination, it's about 6000 ft high and Crater Lake is about 2,000 feet deep. It's some of the bluest water you'll ever see. However, given the elevation it may get snow and close for the season. It just depends on the weather, but October is often the last month it is open before winter gets there.
Of course, if you enjoy wine and especially Pinot Noir, you'll need to make a trip to one of the hundreds of wineries in the Willamette Valley. Excellent wines.
I checked a local events calendar and Oct 26th is a local Halloween Pub Crawl, if that's your thing. I'm old it's not my kind of event anymore.
Some locals refer to people from the Midwest as "flat landers" this is because they often don't know how to drive on mountain or coast roads where you might have a 100 foot drop about 6 feet from the edge of the pavement. Stay between the lines, do not cross over and get in a head on. Also, Oregon rivers and ocean waters are cold and people drown in them if they don't know what they are doing, so be safe. The rivers and mountains are beautiful, but be safe. Oregon probably has 30 mountains over 7,000 ft high they are beautiful look for them when you fly in to Oregon. By comparison, I believe the tallest point in Illinois is about 1,200 ft.
Finally, if you are a serious golfer or at least a decent golfer you need to check out Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast. It's one of the most beautiful public coarses in the US>
Last edited:
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
2023 Illinois Defense
TDs allowed in first half: 24
TDs allowed in second half: 18
Turnovers were an issue, especially were unfortunate with turnover luck on fumbles creating immediate points. I do think the interception issue was a little overplayed because the Penn State interceptions became such a public display and we had a year of being baptized by TDV never EVER turning it over. The bar was set unfairly low and we had a talented but unproven QB take over and made some mistakes to start the year.
I have an expectation that this is going to be a bad year for the Illinois defense and we likely see a new DC coming in next year. I hope I'm wrong and the staff shows improvement. That said, two years of losing elite talent and there are noticeable issues before the season has started (secondary, interior defensive line) states it's going to take an incredible offseason to even move the standard for worst units in conference to slightly below average. The program is also going to face significantly better offenses in their '24 scheduled compared to last year. It's possible that the scheme and development shows improvement but the opposing talent is increased enough that it isn't noticeable within the success. Because of that, I don't want BB to go back to grinding out yards running the ball and trying to emulate Iowa offensive strategy. This team is going to need to score points to have success. Lots of optimism surrounding the offensive line. Let's find a way to average 30 ppg and keep this team competitive.
Last edited:
Before my time, but it seems everyone hated Moeller. Predictable and conservative, ran all the time which made them bad and worse to watch from what I’ve heard. I think he was disliked so much that they went out and hired the opposite, a guy from California that liked to throw to the tune of 621 yards on one occasion, in the big 10, in 1980. Worked out pretty good. Most of the illini’s coaches have been pretty terrible in more than a few ways.
It’s still playing out, but BB I think has been pretty solid all around. Even though last year is considered a bummer, it was a blast compared to most other seasons the last 25-30 years. I’m optimistic, and think 2024 will exceed the low expectations of some here. Tellin ya, book Michigan as an upset. Johnny Johnson or Rocky Harvey 3.0
Last edited:
If can’t find a nearby place to stay, I might suggest checking out used car lots. At least back in 1980, not all car lots locked the car doors as a friend and I found out the day after Thanksgiving when we hitchhiked from Corvallis to Eugene and took refuge in two cars from a rain storm after drinking all night. I will warn you that you’ll get strange and somewhat horrified looks from people as you crawl out of the car onto the sidewalk very early the next morning.