Purdue 31, Illinois 24 Postgame

#51      

altenberger22

South Carolina
First, the good news: We're tied with Iowa and Minnesota after the first two weeks of the season!

The even better news: Luke Fickell has Cincy at 5-0 and #7 in the nation. Midwestern (Columbus/Ohio State) roots, and excellent recruiter and a Big 10 mentality. Perhaps some of his players would also follow him given the COVID transfer rules in 2021.


Cincinnati Bearcats (American Athletic Conference) (2017–present)OverallConf.
2017Cincinnati4–82–6T–4th (East)
2018Cincinnati11–26–23rd (East)W Military
2019Cincinnati11–37–11st (East)W Birmingham
2020Cincinnati5–03–01st (East)
Cincinnati Totals31–1318-9
 
#52      

redwingillini11

North Aurora
I don’t want to be mean. But anyone thinking Luke Fickell is going to come to Illinois is delusional. He turned Michigan State down. He is in a much better situation where he currently is than he would be here. I’d you want to know what our next head coach will look like, think more along the lines of Luke Fickell’s assistants...
 
#53      
I do believe I've read that Lovie's buyout after this season is $2 million, which in the grand scheme of things, even with a budget exploded by the pandemic, is highly manageable. When Memorial Stadium opens its doors to fans in Sept. 2021 (hopefully), what is more likely to bring fans back: the optimism of a young and energetic new regime, or the sixth year of this tired script?
 
#54      
I’m glad that Coran got a chance. He’s stuck around for awhile and has never been part of the conversation as far as QB play goes and could have easily left already. He did fine, we had worse efforts last year with Matt under center (probably why he had a short leash this game) but the turnovers were the difference today and Coran was responsible for them.

I feel that many on this board have pointed the finger at our coaches instead of the players, and I agree with them. Lovie was supposed to attract top talent, and he has, yet those players are not being set up for success. Ford was more active today but when the secondary is getting burnt so badly, I would have liked to see Marquez get more work. Something has to change, but it never does with our staff. As far as I’m concerned, the Lovie era has unfortunately ended without any tangible results.
 
#55      

illini80

Forgottonia
I don’t know what you take from this game that we didn’t already know. We aren’t good and neither is Purdue but they are better. That’s not likely to change from what I can see. Bell is outstanding.

I thought Coran played well considering the situation, but I saw nothing that made me think he is the guy. Once he gets scouted I think defenses will figure him out. That side arm throw isn’t going to work over B10 linemen and he has to improve ball security or they will be attacking that. I do look forward to seeing what he can do with 1st team reps. He has speed for sure.
 
#56      
Gotta love Lovie ball. Seems like every single play they give up an extra 3-4 trying to pop the ball loose.
 
#57      
42qbcw.jpg
 
#59      

TMC999

Not Iowa
Happy for Coran. Streaky but expected. Way to step up.
Tired of seeing our DBs watch seagulls or playing tag. Not sure which. Totally lost....and they’re veterans.
Just the same old tired story because everyone knows we should be farther along than this.
I know the COVID numbers impacted the game... but big picture view in year five is... MEH.

sigh....
 
#62      
What do you expect from a first time starter QB with literally no time to prepare? Ridiculous
I'm not trying to be a jerk to Coran. I'm sure he's a very nice kid and for a first time (in game action) player, he put up some plays.
That said... again... He performed well each (and only each) time the game was out of reach, Bc the defense went soft. Experienced eyes see that.

I'm just going with eye tests...

Wisconsin's (highly rated) first time starting, redshirt QB (exactly like Coran) had all of the instincts (and that led to the performance.)
Im not expecting them to be comparable... but that's my point. They aren't. One will be a great P5 Qb.

Clean showed a strong arm (a very very low line drive mechanism, which is not good)... but as a mobile Qb, if that's what you are, those abilities, far more than throwing, are natural. Running QBs come in, running.
And that was very unnatural today. Very. Hesitant. Passive.

so... yes, for who is and what he is, he played great. I won't argue that at all. But I'm also a realist, and if you have a football eye, you can see that CT doesn't have the natural instincts/abilities that translate to high level P5 Qb play.
I'd bet the farm on it.

I would be very happy to be wrong. I just don't believe I am. And I'm not trying to be a jerk to probably one hell of a good kid.
 
#63      
I was pleasantly surprised that with 2:07 to play on the Purdue 15 yard line we were driving for the game tying score with our 4th string QB and without our NFL prospect center. I wonder how many on this board, other than Michael Myers, would have been surprised at our position this point of the game.

We just should acknowledge why we were in that position... (Purdue should really, really be questioning Brohm and his decisions today.). If Purdue plays remotely decent, they win by 21 today.

Last year, we would be outplayed... and our players would make a big play (turnover) and cover the warts of game planning, play calling and clock management. It masked what will show up this year (even with a more experienced team, Bc of the simple law of averages).
I despise that what I'm saying is true.
 
#64      
I'm not trying to be a jerk to Coran. I'm sure he's a very nice kid and for a first time (in game action) player, he put up some plays.
That said... again... He performed well each (and only each) time the game was out of reach, Bc the defense went soft. Experienced eyes see that.

I'm just going with eye tests...

Wisconsin's (highly rated) first time starting, redshirt QB (exactly like Coran) had all of the instincts (and that led to the performance.)
Im not expecting them to be comparable... but that's my point. They aren't. One will be a great P5 Qb.

Clean showed a strong arm (a very very low line drive mechanism, which is not good)... but as a mobile Qb, if that's what you are, those abilities, far more than throwing, are natural. Running QBs come in, running.
And that was very unnatural today. Very. Hesitant. Passive.

so... yes, for who is and what he is, he played great. I won't argue that at all. But I'm also a realist, and if you have a football eye, you can see that CT doesn't have the natural instincts/abilities that translate to high level P5 Qb play.
I'd bet the farm on it.

I would be very happy to be wrong. I just don't believe I am. And I'm not trying to be a jerk to probably one hell of a good kid.

Gee, either you think he sucks or that he has potential which is it ????? :)_
Waffling.jpg
 
#65      
I watched the game yesterday but also recorded it. I just now watched Purdue's first offensive play. It is a perfect example of the awful Lovie defenses that we've been seeing for five seasons. Lovie had four down lineman, the cornerbacks were up on the line of scrimmage, three linebackers, and two safeties ten yards deep. The ball is snapped; the safeties immediately backpedal; Purdue is sending four receivers out; Hobbs and Eifler cover the same guy; Witherspoon gets beat off the line of scrimmage; Hansen and Tolson basically don't move; and the safeties are now 20 yards deep with three wide-open Purdue receivers in the huge gap between them and our statue-like linebackers. The Purdue quarterback tosses the ball to one of the three open receivers, one of our safeties makes the tackle, and Purdue gets an easy 12-15 yard gain in its first play. How many times have we seen this before?!?!? I'm sick of it. Lovie, Miles, and the other coaches are simply incompetent.
 
#67      
I am not sure which is worse: the offense or the defense.
I have watched only half of the first game (I just couldn’t take the Madden like score just before the half) and all of this game.
Let’s start with the defense. I know the late scratches of some players certainly affected the offense so I will cut them a little slack.
The defense:
The safety (#30 Brown).really needs to go to the bottom of the depth chart. The safety is the last line of defense. And whether he is staring in the backfield, taking bad angles, or is just to slow. He is outmatched and honestly shouldn’t remotely be starting in the big ten. Giving up 21 points before half in the first game in a matter of a few plays should have been enough, somehow it wasn’t. So yesterday we watched more of the same. Grade F-(again)
The DB’s were also pretty bad. Missed tackles and not turning around to atleast see the ball coming is fairly basic. But the ease of which completions are made is troubling.
The linebacker play was, not great but not as bad as the secondary. The secondary is terrible. Defensive line had a few bright spots, but they cannot stop the run.
The offense:
Given it was a fourth string qb the expectations need to be tempered, but it looks like there is something to work with there. The offensive line just can not block. The run game was terrible for the most part. The wide receivers seem to not fight to get open. Run a route and stop. Even with eight in the box they couldn’t shake one on one.
The made it closer than I thought, but this team is bad. Really bad. I had legitimate hope before the season started. A big ten team should have some “next man,” up players chomping at the bit to get out there. This team severely drops off from starter to backup. I am not sure this season will produce more than a win or two with no cream puff non conference games to pad the stats. The confidence level will be hard to bring up if the losing continues. I am baffled why Illinois can not attract talent or groom talent like other programs. My only hope this year is that get one upset and keep things close. This is a weird year with COVID-19. I am just keeping hope alive for a season in the future that Illinois can have a great season. After two games and what I have seen, realistically, (and this is not me poo-pooing them) they just aren’t a good team. Fact is fact. I would love for them to be, but they just aren’t. I will continue to watch as I do every year. But it’s just embarrassing after awhile. Northwestern has won more games this last decade than Illinois! I mean, come on.
 
#68      
What do you expect from a first time starter QB with literally no time to prepare? Ridiculous

It’s not ridiculous to expect sound fundamentals from a Big10 caliber football player. You cannot be a mobile dual-threat QB at this level and not properly secure the football. 3 points of contact is something that’s taught day 1. You also can’t force a play if it isn’t there. Throw the ball away instead of forcing it into a tight window or taking a sack. I’m not trying to pick on the kid, but many of the poor plays from Taylor had nothing to do with a lack of preparation.
 
#70      

illini80

Forgottonia
Amen. We have good athletes, most of our opponents seems to have a little better athletes With occasional exceptions this seems to be an pretty consistent pattern.
First let me say I’m glad for all the transfers we have. Without them we would barely be competitive in DII. But while they have athleticism it’s clear why they transferred. Whether it’s dropped passes, poor decisions, or an inability to stay healthy, there’s a reason they came to Illinois. They couldn’t play at better programs. It is what it is.
 
#71      
#72      

illini80

Forgottonia
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/big-ten/coaches.html
If Coach Smith goes 2 and 6 this year, he is putting himself in position in have one of the lowest winning percentages in the history of Big 10 coaches.
Adios. Ciao. Bon voyage. Au Revoir. Sayonara!!!!
I’ll believe it when I see it. If Whitman can nail down the replacement he really wants then it’s possible but he will have to raise some serious money to pull it off. $2M buyout plus a really nice package for the new coach will not be an easy sell unless he can prove he can pay all the other bills.
 
#73      
So, who's starting a GoFundMe page for the buyout? Let me know the details. I may contribute.

I'd also like to buy Coran lunch, but that's probably an NCAA violation.........
 
#75      
I had a crazy week with traveling and school work, so I actually had no idea we had players out until I flipped on the game. So, here are my novice fan thoughts after a day of reflection:

- When I tuned in, we looked like crap, and I thought to myself ... probably time to move on after this year, because I'm sick of seeing players who are "pumped up" but at the same time seemingly going through the motions and ignoring basic fundamentals.
- When I realized we had so many players out, I kind of adjusted my expectations. Going into the mini comeback, I actually was feeling a little better - something like, "hey, we might win another game or two!"
- After seeing Taylor try to engineer that comeback, I came away actually pretty optimistic. That kid can play, and I loved watching him compete! (PEORIA, represent!) A mistake or two due to inexperience might have literally been the difference.

I think we have a real shot against Minnesota, honestly. However, we would have to fix some holes, for sure. No! More! Slow! Starts! That MSU comeback last year was enough "coming back" for me for a while, haha.