Pregame: Illinois vs Michigan State, Saturday, November 5th, 11:00am CT, ESPNews
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Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Really can't imagine a scenario in which Illinois wins again this year. Michigan State wins easily next week. Even at 0-5 in conference they are much better than Illini.
Dan
Admin
Lovie: "Malik Turner will be OK. He's in the locker room right now."
https://twitter.com/JWernerScout/status/792449510601621504
https://twitter.com/JWernerScout/status/792449510601621504
I'm gonna guess yes on Lunt and no on Turner and guess the line at Sparty -9
I'll guess yes to both and if Lunt starts off poorly, he will be yanked and Jr will be brought in.
Just a guess.
Sparty played hard this week and still got drilled at home. That had to be there super bowl this year.
Hope for The usual let down after that.
And the return of Wes Lunt
Hope for The usual let down after that.
And the return of Wes Lunt
MSU will be without one of their QBs for the rest of the season
HoustonIllini
- Houston, TX
No pity from the "Walking Wounded Illini"
All you need to know about George vs. Lunt is Vegas' refusal to post a line without information regarding Lunt's availability.
aiwpfan
- Springfield, Il
MSU is having QB issues as well.
RedRocksIllini
- Morrison, CO
Haven't been paying much attention to Sparty. How did they go from a playoff team to a dumpster fire so quickly?
Dan
Admin
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You know if you would've asked me back in July/August how the Illini were going to be this year, I would've said decent in fact probably going to a bowl game but so far it has been anything but. Michigan State will probably handily defeat the Illini game, I'm thinking either 35 or 31-14. This season reminds me much of the 2005 Pitt Panthers when Dave Wannstedt was hired to coach them. It just hurts to think how much we have regressed since last year. I know we can say this is MAC talent but for the most part we competed in games last year. What really drives me crazy is the defensive scheme, it looks like guys are out of position, taking bad angles etc. The penalties hurt too! I would be okay if we played hard and got beat while playing a disciplined game but it just isn't happening. Some guys just cant coach in College level or in the NFL or both. I know a lot of people are saying just be patient but why be patient for every 1 good season to every 3-4 bad seasons.
After losing all the impact seniors we lost last year, I think the issue is much more related to your expectations than it is with the coaches. You are certainly not alone, there were many on here with high expectations based on nothing more than Lovie being a magic bullet.
Programs with numerous good players and bad coaches are turned around in one year. Programs with few good players and bad coaches take time.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
You're basing the future of this program on the first half+ season of a coach who inherited a dumpster fire? A Super Bowl coach at that?
OK then.
Well, that would be an improvement over the past few decades....
BZuppke
- Plainfield
If look at other programs that suffered years of less than mediocrity it took time and and the right coach. Wisconsin/Alvarez, Baylor/Briles, Va Tech/Beamer, KSU/Snyder and whoever is coaching Colorado these days. Is Lovie that right coach? Maybe he is. Will he get us where we want to go? If he's the right coach he will. We won't know for 3-5 years. We can make no judgments now. The thing that does give me faith is Josh Whitman. Each of the cases cited above involved a great AD as well. I think Josh is the guy and WeWillWin.
FT35
- Naperville
I don't know if Lovie can turn this program around. However, I have seen some improvements as the season has gone on. We're seeing less penalties and the kids are still playing hard from what I can see. This makes it easy for me to support this staff, even if Illinois ends up losing all of their remaining games. I really didn't feel this way during the 2012 season.
The staff is also holding players accountable for poor play or stupid mistakes. I don't think we saw Stanley Green after that late hit penalty. I'm not trying to single him out but this is just an example of what we've been seeing throughout the year.
Nickerson is still a question mark to me but the 40 points given up last week was obviously not all on the Defense. It's frustrating to see a team get less than 300 yards of total offense and score 40 points. There were lots of Freshmen playing last week as well. I look forward to seeing what he can do with his players.
I really like what McGee has done. He's really got very little to work with, even independent of the injuries. However, he's found creative ways to get the offense to move the ball. I can't wait to see what his offense can do with a true dual threat Quarterback and better receivers.
Some position coach changes and better recruiters will help. We'll see what happens.
The staff is also holding players accountable for poor play or stupid mistakes. I don't think we saw Stanley Green after that late hit penalty. I'm not trying to single him out but this is just an example of what we've been seeing throughout the year.
Nickerson is still a question mark to me but the 40 points given up last week was obviously not all on the Defense. It's frustrating to see a team get less than 300 yards of total offense and score 40 points. There were lots of Freshmen playing last week as well. I look forward to seeing what he can do with his players.
I really like what McGee has done. He's really got very little to work with, even independent of the injuries. However, he's found creative ways to get the offense to move the ball. I can't wait to see what his offense can do with a true dual threat Quarterback and better receivers.
Some position coach changes and better recruiters will help. We'll see what happens.
BZuppke
- Plainfield
Hey, lot's of things don't look pretty when they're in the making. I just don't think we'll know much about whether Lovie, Nickerson or anyone else for that matter is "the guy" to get us to the promised land. We have to see how recruiting goes first and foremost - as Ray Eliot said, when he had the talent we won, when others did they won. We have to wait and see, although it is possible he switches some of the holdover coaches.
I know our record said 5-7 last season so to the casual observer it may look like regression, but I would reason that we have a new coach and scheme, tougher schedule, lots of Freshmen playing on D, and no Fej or Jihad who were really valuable for us last season.
Be patient. Our guys are improving on D. Minnesota scored three TDs on short fields. Our offense is bereft of any playmakers right now. We have three average-decent running backs, zero good tight ends, and zero WRs at this point. Maybe Des Cain, but he's not a #1 WR. Our O-line hasn't gelled yet in this new scheme but they seem to be improving.
It's tough to remain patient b/c we all want instant success, but Illinois football has to build a foundation to become a program before we can attain continued success. Every successful BIG team has a program that was first built with a foundation (coach, philosophy/style, identity) Let's hope we have our coach who can implement a philosophy/style and identity. Our best teams have always had an identity on Defense. Lovie should be able to get that going. It's just going to take time.
Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern have actual programs with an identity. Nebraska has always had a good program, but are in the second year of establishing a new identity. Minnesota looks to be continuing what Jerry Kill established, and Purdue is starting over. Love Smith and the staff have a lot of work to do to catch up with our competition. But, with time and good coaching and recruiting, we can get there. Thankfully, we are in the BIG West division.
Be patient. Our guys are improving on D. Minnesota scored three TDs on short fields. Our offense is bereft of any playmakers right now. We have three average-decent running backs, zero good tight ends, and zero WRs at this point. Maybe Des Cain, but he's not a #1 WR. Our O-line hasn't gelled yet in this new scheme but they seem to be improving.
It's tough to remain patient b/c we all want instant success, but Illinois football has to build a foundation to become a program before we can attain continued success. Every successful BIG team has a program that was first built with a foundation (coach, philosophy/style, identity) Let's hope we have our coach who can implement a philosophy/style and identity. Our best teams have always had an identity on Defense. Lovie should be able to get that going. It's just going to take time.
Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern have actual programs with an identity. Nebraska has always had a good program, but are in the second year of establishing a new identity. Minnesota looks to be continuing what Jerry Kill established, and Purdue is starting over. Love Smith and the staff have a lot of work to do to catch up with our competition. But, with time and good coaching and recruiting, we can get there. Thankfully, we are in the BIG West division.
We were 5-7 last year, but we had a much easier schedule. Here's who we beat last year:
1) Kent St Golden Flashes (cupcake)
2) Western Illinois Leathernecks (cupcake)
3) Middle Tennesee State Blue Raiders (we needed a late field goal, almost lost)
4) Nebraska (we needed a bonehead call from Mike Reilly)
5) Purdue (blow out win)
If last year's team played this year's schedule, I doubt the results would have been much different with the possible exception of Purdue (a game we probably should have won). I think our overall talent was better last year too (we had guys like Fej and TJ Neal on defense).
Our recruiting really took a hit the moment that the player abuse allegations against Beckman became public (April 2015) and never had a real chance until Lovie was hired in April. We've essentially lost about 1.5 classes and its going to take time to get real D1 players in the system and trained.
I don't know if Lovie is the right guy or not (personally I think he is) but it is silly for ESPN or anyone to judge him 6 months into his tenure.
1) Kent St Golden Flashes (cupcake)
2) Western Illinois Leathernecks (cupcake)
3) Middle Tennesee State Blue Raiders (we needed a late field goal, almost lost)
4) Nebraska (we needed a bonehead call from Mike Reilly)
5) Purdue (blow out win)
If last year's team played this year's schedule, I doubt the results would have been much different with the possible exception of Purdue (a game we probably should have won). I think our overall talent was better last year too (we had guys like Fej and TJ Neal on defense).
Our recruiting really took a hit the moment that the player abuse allegations against Beckman became public (April 2015) and never had a real chance until Lovie was hired in April. We've essentially lost about 1.5 classes and its going to take time to get real D1 players in the system and trained.
I don't know if Lovie is the right guy or not (personally I think he is) but it is silly for ESPN or anyone to judge him 6 months into his tenure.
I feel like we're going to have to repeat this quite a bit this year yet... and probably the next.
Football programs aren't as agile as basketball programs when it comes rebuilding, and this fanbase has become waaaaay too quick to call for coaching changes when things don't go well. It's a nation-wide trend (carried to the extreme in the SEC), but that doesn't make it right.
Beckman, of course, was a very clear choice to can.
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