Pregame: Illinois at Purdue, Saturday, October 26th, 11:00am CT, BTN

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#76      

Deleted member 654622

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nc.../sp-id-10401000002127757??ocid=ocid=INSSPBD10

Here is the box score for Purdue vs Iowa.
Iowa 32 rushes for 102 rushing yards. I do think our offense is better, but I would also think if Purdue was as bad defensively as what is being painted on this board, Iowa would have been better than 3 yards a rush.
Really just execute whatever Rod calls and we will put up points, right? WR catch the ball, OLineman don't wiff, Reggie follow your blocks. Execute and #WeWillScore
 
#81      
Purdue, will game plan to stop the run (not a surprise). Can Illinois throw the ball with some consistency? Peters, has made some really good throws at times this year, but has also been very inconsistent. The poise he showed in the pocket on the throw to #9 the last TD is what i'd like to see more of. Too many plays like the one where he spun around and winged the ball with no clue where it was going on the grounding call
 
#82      
Dan beat me to it. Sucks. Hopefully we don't get similar news with Smalling or Betiku...

Smalling looked like a torn ACL or some serious knee injury. Not sure on Betiku. They had him trying to run on it before putting a boot on, and they wouldn't have had him even attempt that if it was really major. I have zero medical background if you couldn't tell by my awesome prognosis!
 
#83      
Smalling looked like a torn ACL or some serious knee injury. Not sure on Betiku. They had him trying to run on it before putting a boot on, and they wouldn't have had him even attempt that if it was really major. I have zero medical background if you couldn't tell by my awesome prognosis!
I hope Smalling recovers fully, however long it takes. Would like to see Betiku full go versus Purdue.

If the win over Wisconsin was a big F U to critics (as one player allegedly said), then I hope a victory over Purdue is a follow up F U.
 
#84      
I honestly can't think of a team with worse injury luck than us. Bobby, Mike, Ricky, Sidney, Wole (hopefully minor), and Beason hurt or out for the season. That is probably 6 of our 12 best players imo. Speaks to how much of a team win that Wisconsin game was.
 
#86      
We need better position coaches and a DC who's recently experienced in designing successful P5 defenses. DL coach Clark has promise, but he should have gone through the minors before going P5. He needs to have experience with a wide variety of player skills and personalities so that he knows how best to teach and motivate his players, and develop recruiting networks in talent rich areas. Now he's trying to coach 'em up by "trial and error" and it ain't working so well. If former Dl coach Mike Phair had this group, I think it would be dominating now.

Coach McClain just isn't a P5 quality OL coach. I think Peter Principle would put him in D1A or lower. We could have hired a former Illini OL coach Harry Hiestand quality coach, and if we had, I think we'd be getting at least half the top recruits in Illinois and play would be much more disciplined and better. Recruits see Coach McClain then see OL coaches from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon, Michigan, NW, MSU and Missou, and it's no contest. We need someone there who has at least 10 years of successful P5 OL coaching experience, and well developed OL recruiting networks. We had the money to hire someone like that, but Rod and Lovie set the bar low for some reason.

LB? the biggest problems our LBs have is missed assignments, angle and basic technique. They also are pretty horrible in their pass drops. Get a LB coach with 10 years top 25 coaching experience and it could have made a huge difference. Lovie just punted for nepotism and hired his unqualified son showing Lovie cares less about the team and fans than lining his families' pockets. The fans are paying the prices for that, not him.

Byrd and Keynodo Hudson have been disasters in recruiting and player development. Missed assignments and poor coverage and tackling by the secondary have been horrendous this year. He couldn't hold on to top players he already had on campus. Ron Hardge III was better than some that have dropped deep on the depth chart. Bennett Williams wasn't good enough for them, but apparently Oregon thought his transgressions weren't irredeemable as did Lovie. It was Byrd's job last year to birddog him to get back in the fold. If he needed to have him "escorted" to class or have a shadow to keep him out of trouble, he should've done it. Cameron Watkins would've helped, but they let him slip away to Memphis. They NEEDED top transfers this year in the backfield, but they got shut out. Recruit Thomson from Phillips had so many injury problems that he was a high risk, low payoff recruit. Beason was brought in bas an "athlete" by Hayes-stoker. Witherspoon was a lucky last minute catch, but we shouldn't have to rely on a 160# true freshman to start. What does the fact that he's starting say about the coaching of the rest of the unit? He had hardly any of their coaching and is doing better than many who did.

I really wish I knew why Lovie is doing what he's doing with staffing. If any reasonable person were in his shoes, they'd hire the best available to make the program successful. he's just hiring a bunch of unqualified cronies and longshots.

I really don't get him....

Benson was brought in as a CB, not an athlete. Yeah, they knew he could play WR as well, but he was going to be an impact CB before he got hurt. If we going to use Oregon as our guide for disciplining our players, we're in real trouble. Bennet Williams admitted he screwed up. I don't know, and I don't think you know either, what he did exactly, so I can't comment on whether he was treated too harshly or not. Once you're in college it's not up to some babysitter to get you to handle your business.
 
#87      
Benson was brought in as a CB, not an athlete. Yeah, they knew he could play WR as well, but he was going to be an impact CB before he got hurt. If we going to use Oregon as our guide for disciplining our players, we're in real trouble. Bennet Williams admitted he screwed up. I don't know, and I don't think you know either, what he did exactly, so I can't comment on whether he was treated too harshly or not. Once you're in college it's not up to some babysitter to get you to handle your business.

100% correct. This was outright stated from day one. Any assertion to the contrary is wildly inaccurate.

That said, you're quoting someone who thinks we're running a Tampa 2 defense, so it has to be taken at that value.
 
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#88      
My deal with Peters pulling the ball down is he gets 10+ yards the rare times he does, and we always seem to score on the drive that he does it. I do not know that to be true but that is what I feel. Example from this Sat, Peters runs, next play Corbin goes 40+ for a TD. It is an impactful part of this scheme that does not get utilized, thus weakening its overall effectiveness. Everyone just flows to where the RB is going and gives us worse odds.
And I find the odds of Brandon getting some yards on a run play better then him hanging in the pocket long enough to throw deep. He has the arm, Bebe has the talent and I want/we need to see him take those shots. But that pocket has to be clean. Because that dude can't recognize a blitz if it busted through his RG and head locks him.....cause it has

I think those are strong observations. Obviously I don;t know what's running through a kid;s mind when he's out there, I can only speak to how Jim Leonhard approached us schematically. From that stand point, Peters moving the football on the ground didn't phase him. It was our 2 almost huge shots to Bhebe that shook him up and caused him to start making changes.

I would agree with the second half of your post wholeheartedly. I trust Brandon to consistent pick up 6-10 yards on the ground far more than I would through the air, which is very odd for a QB with his skillset. His ability to quickly process what the defense is showing is essentially non-existent.
 
#89      
I honestly can't think of a team with worse injury luck than us. Bobby, Mike, Ricky, Sidney, Wole (hopefully minor), and Beason hurt or out for the season. That is probably 6 of our 12 best players imo. Speaks to how much of a team win that Wisconsin game was.

I think it's a big, big stretch to call Sidney one of our 12 best players. WR is also arguably our 2nd deepest positional group, so the affect this actually has on our offense/overall team is a bit overstated.

The hurt we should feel is for Sidney himself, as an individual. The kid has busted his tail to make good on a second chance. Hate to see an injury derail that. Wish him the best in his recovery.
 
#90      
I'm going to just try to enjoy the epic upset of Wisconsin for the rest of the week ... but MAN, a win here would actually have me excited for the remainder of the season. If we can beat Purdue on the road and not have a letdown after that big upset, I mean ... there isn't a game left I go into "not expecting anything" anymore. And isn't that all we've really wanted for over a decade now? I'll pick with my heart:

Illinois 31
Purdue 28

(FIELD GOAL U!)
 
#91      

Deleted member 654622

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I think those are strong observations. Obviously I don;t know what's running through a kid;s mind when he's out there, I can only speak to how Jim Leonhard approached us schematically. From that stand point, Peters moving the football on the ground didn't phase him. It was our 2 almost huge shots to Bhebe that shook him up and caused him to start making changes.

I would agree with the second half of your post wholeheartedly. I trust Brandon to consistent pick up 6-10 yards on the ground far more than I would through the air, which is very odd for a QB with his skillset. His ability to quickly process what the defense is showing is essentially non-existent.
I do not think we are disagreeing. We both are stating the field needs to be stretched for our offense to max its potential correct? And we all know that the pass sets up the run and the run sets up the pass. I am only saying that the QB keep makes our running plays more productive.
 
#92      

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Purdue, will game plan to stop the run (not a surprise). Can Illinois throw the ball with some consistency? Peters, has made some really good throws at times this year, but has also been very inconsistent. The poise he showed in the pocket on the throw to #9 the last TD is what i'd like to see more of. Too many plays like the one where he spun around and winged the ball with no clue where it was going on the grounding call
We should be Barkering up the middle of the field as much as we possibly can... and BheBhe over the top
 
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#93      
I do not think we are disagreeing. We both are stating the field needs to be stretched for our offense to max its potential correct? And we all know that the pass sets up the run and the run sets up the pass. I am only saying that the QB keep makes our running plays more productive.

No, I think we're saying much of the same things for the most part. I would probably lean more towards your original comment though, of Peters run effectiveness. I think Brandon being more effective running the football than in the short passing game is a bigger factor for us than how opposing defenses will adjust to it. Good job of pointing that out, something that I probably haven't pondered enough.
 
#97      
I did not realize Purdue whooped Maryland. This is probably a fairly even match up. If the Illini can run up the score early, I think we win this more comfortably than expected. The final score will probably make it look closer than it was. If we struggle to get the offense going we're doomed. The team hasn't given up in the second half all year, so even if we're pounding them going into the half, I want that score ran up.

I'll go with 27-20 the beloved.
 
#98      
That doesn’t disqualify him from being granted a medical redshirt. He’d have a tough case though.
What you are describing is usually called a medical hardship waiver, or 6th year of eligibility. He would have to apply for that after next year, his 5th year. As you mentioned, he would have a tough case. Those are typically granted to players who have been unable to play for two or more seasons due to injury or other circumstances outside of their control, or for some extraordinary hardship. Illinois fans might remember Corey Lewis getting a sixth year of eligibility after missing two years due to tearing his ACL multiple times.
 
#99      

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I did not realize Purdue whooped Maryland. This is probably a fairly even match up. If the Illini can run up the score early, I think we win this more comfortably than expected. The final score will probably make it look closer than it was. If we struggle to get the offense going we're doomed. The team hasn't given up in the second half all year, so even if we're pounding them going into the half, I want that score ran up.

I'll go with 27-20 the beloved.
Pretty sure Josh Jackson has been injured...
 
#100      

Illinir1

Camdenton, MO
Saturday was obviously one of the biggest wins in many, many years. How we come out and perform against Purdue is huge. A road game win would convince me that the program is actually turning a corner.
Too many times in the past my beloved Illini have followed up a big win with a total bust (not this team though.....this is their first measurable situation). Get us excited for the future......don't lay an egg at Purdue.
 
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