Michigan 42, Illinois 25 POSTGAME
Jeremy Werner@JWerner247
#illini Lovie: "We've been pretty good with penalties."
Illinois is the most penalized team in the Big Ten.
1:09 PM - Oct 12, 2019
See. Lovie just isn't getting the credit that he deserves. The Illini are leading the Big Ten in a category and all people do is complain.
I have a lot of respect for Lovie as a Bears fan and what he did taking over a program that was left a smoldering wreck of off field issues by Beckman...but this is one of the most embarrassing things i've ever read. Does this guy even care anymore or is he just here collecting a paycheck for him and his son?
Sure, they probably aren't very good, but they are beating the bad teams on their schedule. Meanwhile Illinois is still finding ways to lose non conference games that are supposed to be purchased automatic wins. PJ Fleck may be an annoying !!!! but Illinois would be 1000 times better having him at the helm.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Lovie is 2-1 against Chris Ash's Rutgers and 2-25 against everyone else. The two wins being that weird 3-9 Michigan State team where everything went wrong, and that one shining afternoon last year against Minnesota.
And you look at the 26 losses, how many of them were even close? We went to OT with Darrell Hazell's Purdue one week before he got fired in 2016, a garbage time TD got us within one score of Minny in 2017, Northwestern sat all of their starters in the second half to rest for the Big Ten Championship Game they'd already clinched last year, and then there was the Nebraska game this year.
So through 30 Big Ten games, Lovie Smith's Illinois has managed to stay within single digits of their opponent in only 8 of them, two against Ash, one against Hazell, and one against a team resting their guys for the next week's game.
Deleted member 29907
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Comment to no one in particular and maybe its a tad too obvious - but I think it's clear our optimism at the beginning of the season during practices was based on ability and talent. When you don't get to see that talent perform against anyone but yourself, it is hard to determine if, as a team, the product on the field will be any good or not.
Then, how well the team is prepared (coached to play their positions), how well the coaches can game plan/scheme and coach in a game takes over and for us, reality sets in hard. We crash and burn in a towering inferno because this team is simply not being taught, coached and enforced. Its a shame - I feel for the kids who put their trust in the adults in the room.
Let us hope we can land someone who understands the game played at the college level and who can attract a very high level of quality to teach, coach and enforce discipline on this team. Geez, winning 6 games 75% of the time (given the three up front games) should not be a miracle at Illinois.
Then, how well the team is prepared (coached to play their positions), how well the coaches can game plan/scheme and coach in a game takes over and for us, reality sets in hard. We crash and burn in a towering inferno because this team is simply not being taught, coached and enforced. Its a shame - I feel for the kids who put their trust in the adults in the room.
Let us hope we can land someone who understands the game played at the college level and who can attract a very high level of quality to teach, coach and enforce discipline on this team. Geez, winning 6 games 75% of the time (given the three up front games) should not be a miracle at Illinois.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
So Lovie is 8-for-30 in keeping games within single digits. 27%
Chris Ash was 9-for-29, 31%
Darrell Hazell was 8-for-27, 30%
Tim Beckman was 7-for-24, 29%
Lovie can and ought to improve upon those numbers in the six games he (presumably) has left. But this is the company he's keeping.
Chris Ash was 9-for-29, 31%
Darrell Hazell was 8-for-27, 30%
Tim Beckman was 7-for-24, 29%
Lovie can and ought to improve upon those numbers in the six games he (presumably) has left. But this is the company he's keeping.
Deleted member 654622
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Jeremy Werner puts it in good perspective, you pay that much money to a coach to give you an advantage, and we are not getting that.
I feel sorry for these kids too. It's such a systemic problem and obviously not just a few bad players. Someone said earlier that mid season firing would make the kids think the school is giving up on them. I hope they don't view it that way. Whether they say it aloud or not, the players must know this isn't working out under the current management. They should embrace change at this point
Deleted member 654622
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Deleted member 746623
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Interesting look here on how OC Rod Smith managed to build the confidence of QB Matt Robinson throughout his first career start vs. Michigan.
https://www.si.com/college/illinois/football/illini-film-review-matt-robinson-michigan/
https://www.si.com/college/illinois/football/illini-film-review-matt-robinson-michigan/
illini80
- Forgottonia
Is an actual gate count ever made available?
Deleted member 654622
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That is a good question
Not sure. That stat was a bit misleading. I looked back at the 2009 game when Illinois came in 1-6 and trounced Michigan unexpectedly. It listed attendance as a sold out stadium. Yeah right. There were maybe 35,000 people there that day. Fun game though. An even bigger laugh was seeing a reported 40k+ at the Fresno State game later that year (when a lineman for Fresno caught a batted ball for a 2 pointer to win it). There were maybe 15,000 people there. Pretty sad, and that season should have been the end of the Zook experiment, but Guenther decided to prolong it.
ChiefIlliniwek
- Omaha, Nebraska
Unless it's a situation where every single seat is truly occupied I'm guessing they stay pretty silent on actual gate count. Here in Nebraska the Husker's coveted "sellout" streak dating back to the 60s isn't even true gate count as there are usually empty seats up in the upper sections of the stadium I have noticed.