Purdue 13, Illinois 9 Postgame

#151      
Don’t coaches pick who plays though? Not following this logic
My point, I guess, is we have no one to play QB, I would assume the play calling becomes limited if your QB can't throw. BP and Art have the same problem the shorter the route the worse they are. TP needs to scratch everything in the playbook that calls for a 5:to 10 yard route and just call passing plàys that are more than 15 yds or run it now that we actually have a stud at running back
 
#155      
McCray seemed to keep taking himself out of the game because he was winded. Normally I would blame the coaching staff for a lack of conditioning but considering he's a true freshman without much time in the program I'll give them a pass. I can't help but think we win this game if chase Brown is healthy because there was a big drop off after McCray at RB.
I agree, he is so tough to bring down but that means going against multiple tacklers. Not a surprise he was winded.
 
#156      
Coaches make the decisions and the team runs the plays. When Purdon't changed QBs, they moved the ball very well through the air and could have added 2 TDs except for the turnovers. BB should have accounted for the fact that Purdon't would ramp up their passing game even more to try and win the game when he punted on 4th and 2. McCray was getting good yardage on every carry but was not in the game for the 3 downs right before the punt. He was put in the game specifically for that 4th down play but BB called the TO and changed the play to a punt, so the offense was not even given the chance to get the 1st down and win the game. Instead BB willingly handed Purdon't the chance to WIN the game, and with the help of a very loose pass defense, they did just that.

The team had their 3rd loss last week against Maryland because BB used the exact same strategy with the same result. We need to try and win these games by not being so scared of losing, which we wound up doing anyway--who knows, McCray might have gotten 3 yards and a 1st down or even a touchdown. BB needs to let the team try to win. The game was Illinois to lose and they did just that.
 
#159      
The situational play calling was absolutely dismal. 3rd and 6? How about a four yard out? 3rd and 4, give me a 3yd come back. Multiple 4th and shorts inside opposing territory? Let's punt it. 1st and 10 at the opponent 20 with about a minute left? Let's throw for the end zone 3 times. Defense has looked adequate to win the last two games. We need to fix our offense.

BP stats so far 27/56, 320yds, 0 TDs, 1 INT.

GIF by The Office
 
#160      

blackdog

Champaign
I have less confidence in BB now after he was asked the question about changing QB's in the game and he said no as he was shaking his head...
that answer caused me to shake my head
all the answers about what if you don't make it shows me a culture building of meekness and no confidence in our offense.
oh wait , now I get it...b/c I have zero confidence in BP....zero..........................

McCray is a stud....a good coach will use their stud to win games , not leave him on the sidelines for 40 % of the game

how many yards did McCray have rushing today ? a bunch....i haven't heard exact # yet....i'm to pissed off at bb to look it up....
wonder if we punt next week on Charlotte's 10 yd line on 4th and 1 ?
McCray had 24 carries in this game. Coming in he had 20 carries in his career and he is a true freshman. I don't really know how many more you reasonably could expected him to have.

It really seems we have found a gem and I hope he will be a feature back going forward. I'm also hopeful he can get better in the pass game and as a blocker because some our other backs tend to get blown up blocking bigger players.
 
#165      

Dbell1981

Decatur, IL
That's the opposite of a hot take, amigo. Casual fans are going to be streaming out the doors because they think a pedigreed coaching staff should have turned this around by week 3 (4 for us) and don't realize that the kind of sustained success most programs have take a decade or more to build. And we're a solid 2 decades behind.
Yup. And the casual fan is the one sitting on his couch, not supporting the team either way. Anyone with brains knows its gonna take more than 3 weeks to turn around a team like the Illini. Keep fanning those flames tho folks.
 
#166      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Yup. And the casual fan is the one sitting on his couch, not supporting the team either way. Anyone with brains knows its gonna take more than 3 weeks to turn around a team like the Illini. Keep fanning those flames tho folks.
First off , i am not a casual fan....I've lived and died through wins and losses with all the illini teams for over 60 years......anyone with a basic understanding of sports SHOULD realize that the Illini FB program is in dire straits and has been for many years and it's going to take a while turn it around to some sort of level of production that returns it to a MEDIOCRE standing of respect.....But that ain't gonna happen with what has happened in the last 2 weeks...
I didn't think we had a great chance of winning against the terps or purdont...Doesn't mean i didn't think we could win , but my brain thought differently than my heart....needless to say, we had an excellent chance of winning both games ....period.....we were ahead in both games with the ball inside our opponents territory with a chance to secure the win....

Ok, in the terp game BB took a chance and punted instead of trying to get the first down .....I thought the %'s favored going for it , but BB is the coach....well, that backfired and we gave up 10 points in less than 5 minutes to go in the game and lost by 3 points.....i didn't agree with his decision , but as you asked , i don't coach the team , he does.....

So fast forward to yesterday......again , we have the lead with @ 9 minutes to go up by 3 points and we have a very similar circumstance being in purdont territory with a 4th and short.......Why not take a chance and be bold and go for a culture changing first down....calls timeout and decides to punt it....

great punt by our future NFL punter inside the 10 yard line.......the rest is history.......If you make difficult decisions and they backfire then own them...don't bicker about if it had been 4th and 1 instead of 4th and 2 as BB did in the presser....he punted the week before with a 4th and 1 so whats the point....

Any ardent fan of Illini FB already knows it's gonna take a good number of years to step up in status, but please don't rationalize BB's poor decisions by saying stuff about " casual fans blab blab"....Even casual fans can see BB played " not to lose " the last 2 weeks instead of " playing to win ".....

Just frustrating to see a different coach make decisions that impede wins instead of grasping the program by the horns and saying " Let's win this Mf***ing game "".....................................

JMHO.....and I am entitled to it , as others are entitled to theirs , no matter if they agree with me or not.......
 
#167      

Dbell1981

Decatur, IL
First off , i am not a casual fan....I've lived and died through wins and losses with all the illini teams for over 60 years......anyone with a basic understanding of sports SHOULD realize that the Illini FB program is in dire straits and has been for many years and it's going to take a while turn it around to some sort of level of production that returns it to a MEDIOCRE standing of respect.....But that ain't gonna happen with what has happened in the last 2 weeks...
I didn't think we had a great chance of winning against the terps or purdont...Doesn't mean i didn't think we could win , but my brain thought differently than my heart....needless to say, we had an excellent chance of winning both games ....period.....we were ahead in both games with the ball inside our opponents territory with a chance to secure the win....

Ok, in the terp game BB took a chance and punted instead of trying to get the first down .....I thought the %'s favored going for it , but BB is the coach....well, that backfired and we gave up 10 points in less than 5 minutes to go in the game and lost by 3 points.....i didn't agree with his decision , but as you asked , i don't coach the team , he does.....

So fast forward to yesterday......again , we have the lead with @ 9 minutes to go up by 3 points and we have a very similar circumstance being in purdont territory with a 4th and short.......Why not take a chance and be bold and go for a culture changing first down....calls timeout and decides to punt it....

great punt by our future NFL punter inside the 10 yard line.......the rest is history.......If you make difficult decisions and they backfire then own them...don't bicker about if it had been 4th and 1 instead of 4th and 2 as BB did in the presser....he punted the week before with a 4th and 1 so whats the point....

Any ardent fan of Illini FB already knows it's gonna take a good number of years to step up in status, but please don't rationalize BB's poor decisions by saying stuff about " casual fans blab blab"....Even casual fans can see BB played " not to lose " the last 2 weeks instead of " playing to win ".....

Just frustrating to see a different coach make decisions that impede wins instead of grasping the program by the horns and saying " Let's win this Mf***ing game "".....................................

JMHO.....and I am entitled to it , as others are entitled to theirs , no matter if they agree with me or not.......
Was not pointed at you or anyone on this board pruman. I know we are all die hards. I thought the D played a damn good game and could hold up for another drive myself. Coach B is a defensive coach at heart so i can understand the decision. Especially how erratic Peters is. Its a tough call and im sure coach didnt sleep much last night. I just think its way too early to be asking or speaking of any kind of wholesale changes to the staff. They are still in the feeling out process themselves of the roster and each other.
 
#168      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Was not pointed at you or anyone on this board pruman. I know we are all die hards. I thought the D played a damn good game and could hold up for another drive myself. Coach B is a defensive coach at heart so i can understand the decision. Especially how erratic Peters is. Its a tough call and im sure coach didnt sleep much last night. I just think its way too early to be asking or speaking of any kind of wholesale changes to the staff. They are still in the feeling out process themselves of the roster and each other.
We are cool bro....I usually agree with your posts but the last 2 weeks has been tough for me....i want , as all Illini fanatics do , for our FB team to win as many games as possible.....Just think, we COULD be 3-0 in the B1G IF and only IF we had gone for the first down both times and succeeded.....

Hayes is a future pro as a punter...probably the best in Illini history and yes the D played an inspired game yesterday, but, with an inept QB incapable of leading a comeback why don't we go for it when the cards are stacked in our favor .....And McCray was lights out , especially after contact yesterday....

the mantra of "" playing not to lose "" is a burden that we now have 2 weeks of proof that it doesn't work.....to change the losing culture requires bold decisions and since we were ahead in both games at the time of the 4th and whatever's , why not LEAD the team to a victory instead of backing off and HOPING for a win .......

I stand by my assertion that the last 2 losses are on BB and staff with considerable input from BP as he looks like he doesn't give a crap about winning ....I know he does but his demeanor and play is not inspiring at all.......being a 6 yr player you would think he would have a better grasp on what it takes to win a game....

The debate about BP or AS is this.......Art has won a game and kept us in the UTSA game ....BP has done nothing to give us a chance to win...

yesterday the Illini defense handed a win to the offensive side of our team and poor decisions and execution frittered away another possible win..... losses in very winnable games let's the masses voice their displeasure and I don't blame them one bit.....I have voiced mine and will continue to speak up when we pi*s away games that we should win given the moment....

BP is NOT the answer ....Is AS the answer ???????

Put him in and let's find out .....We are 1-4 and BP is not coming back next year....I believe AS has 3 years left (I'm not 100 % sure ) but he didn't embarrass himself with play as BP has....truly inept play and lack of spirit by BP....I;ve had enough of BP ...Why does the staff think he is the best hope for a win ????

I would like to know .. I really really would .......................

Again , JMHO
 
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#172      
There is nothing in the world easier than being an armchair quarterback. When you are the guy who has to decide whether to put your opponent on the six yard line, and making them drive 94 yards against your defense that has only allowed two field goals for the entire game OR perhaps missing a field goal and giving the opponent a much shorter field - well that's a tough decision. Sitting on a couch and making these calls is easy. JMHO
 
#173      

Dbell1981

Decatur, IL
We are cool bro....I usually agree with your posts but the last 2 weeks has been tough for me....i want , as all Illini fanatics do , for our FB team to win as many games as possible.....Just think, we COULD be 3-0 in the B1G IF and only IF we had gone for the first down both times and succeeded.....

Hayes is a future pro as a punter...probably the best in Illini history and yes the D played an inspired game yesterday, but, with an inept QB incapable of leading a comeback why don't we go for it when the cards are stacked in our favor .....And McCray was lights out , especially after contact yesterday....

the mantra of "" playing not to lose "" is a burden that we now have 2 weeks of proof that it doesn't work.....to change the losing culture requires bold decisions and since we were ahead in both games at the time of the 4th and whatever's , why not LEAD the team to a victory instead of backing off and HOPING for a win .......

I stand by my assertion that the last 2 losses are on BB and staff with considerable input from BP as he looks like he doesn't give a crap about winning ....I know he does but his demeanor and play is not inspiring at all.......being a 6 yr player you would think he would have a better grasp on what it takes to win a game....

The debate about BP or AS is this.......Art has won a game and kept us in the UTSA game ....BP has done nothing to give us a chance to win...

yesterday the Illini defense handed a win to the offensive side of our team and poor decisions and execution frittered away another possible win..... losses in very winnable games let's the masses voice their displeasure and I don't blame them one bit.....I have voiced mine and will continue to speak up when we pi*s away games that we should win given the moment....

BP is NOT the answer ....Is AS the answer ???????

Put him in and let's find out .....We are 1-4 and BP is not coming back next year....I believe AS has 3 years left (I'm not 100 % sure ) but he didn't embarrass himself with play as BP has....truly inept play and lack of spirit by BP....I;ve had enough of BP ...Why does the staff think he is the best hope for a win ????

I would like to know .. I really really would .......................

Again , JMHO
Im all for giving Art the team for the season. Peters is not going to the league and he just isnt the answer for us. I would have loved to see coach go for it on 4th both games as well. If AS really is not a deep threat at all I can see them really pushing for a transfer. Hopefully Leary is the real deal for the future. Im just trying to be optimistic about what looks like a very tough season to deal with. The staff has proven with McCray and Coleman that they will play younger players and bench the upperclassmen so lets hope we see AS from here on out. I completely get the frustration bro, thats why i didnt post until a.m.😃
 
#175      
I like Peters because he seems to be a good kid, seems to be a good teammate and handles himself well off of the field. That being said he shouldn’t be a starter for a B1G program at this point. He holds on to the ball too long and has poor football IQ. He’s got zero touch on his throws. We all complain about the lack of short throws through the middle - I don’t think BP can make them. It seems like he has trouble making accurate throws to moving receivers and more often than not he throws high causing the receivers to get hit going for the ball.