Illinois 9, Iowa 6 Postgame

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#201      
bluemountain
Gritty, you could make a weekend with Alexandra Daddario sound depressing.

We could easily finish 6-6 this season. We go 3-9 next year after losing a lot of our top players and Walters. As long as Bielema is at the helm I will still be confident in the future of the program because he clearly knows what it takes to build a program and knows how to execute.
 
#203      
The Galloping Ghost
To the remaining "but we're Illinois" crowd, I hope this game treated you well. This was the game you see in your nightmares when you think about Illinois football. A primetime game against our bitter rivals as we're building momentum where we face extreme adversity. The ending seemed destined to be another heartbreaking loss justifying your hesitancy to embrace that this time it's different. Except this time, it was different. The last-second fumble was called down. The backup kicker made the kick. The good guys prevailed. There's no curse and we're not snakebitten. We've just been a bad team and now we're finally turning this thing around.
 
#204      
Fighter of the Nightman
Illiniguy13 said:
Gritty could find a $100 bill on the ground and complain it’s crinkled
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I like Gritty - great poster. I don’t think he’s TRYING to rain on any parades, and I’m sure he’s pumped we won. Probably just how he is. ;)

He’s not like the truly worst type of message board poster there is - the guy who needs to “calm us all down” and temper the optimism of us simple homers. The “only rational one,” if you will. These people get their kicks on talking down to excited fans, and they’re the worst. That ain’t Gritty, IMO.
 
#205      
Illinimobile
skyIdub said:
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Don’t like it. We don’t need to be copying stupid traditions and symbols from the Cubs.
 
#206      
Dbell1981
bluemountain said:
Gritty, you could make a weekend with Alexandra Daddario sound depressing.

We could easily finish 6-6 this season. We go 3-9 next year after losing a lot of our top players and Walters. As long as Bielema is at the helm I will still be confident in the future of the program because he clearly knows what it takes to build a program and knows how to execute.
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You know, all offseason was about how we lost so many "super seniors". Quit with the damn doom and gloom. We have a competent coach who is not gonna go 3-9 anymore I believe. Only way we go backwards is if coach B gets poached!
Had to edit as I started posting after I read the first statement. Im with you, Bielema will not let us fall to the bottom of the conference again.
 
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#207      
dbjm
Fighter of the Nightman said:
I like Gritty - great poster. I don’t think he’s TRYING to rain on any parades, and I’m sure he’s pumped we won. Probably just how he is. ;)

He’s not like the truly worst type of message board poster there is - the guy who needs to “calm us all down” and temper the optimism of us simple homers. The “only rational one,” if you will. These people get their kicks on talking down to excited fans, and they’re the worst. That ain’t Gritty,
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No, he’s trying and he has been the same life sucking, condescending poster, regardless of username changes, for years.
Your “worst poster” paragraph, described him to a T. Beach house with an honorable mention.
Sad, really sad.

Go Illini!
 
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#208      
altgeld88
The Galloping Ghost said:
To the remaining "but we're Illinois" crowd, I hope this game treated you well. This was the game you see in your nightmares when you think about Illinois football. A primetime game against our bitter rivals as we're building momentum where we face extreme adversity. The ending seemed destined to be another heartbreaking loss justifying your hesitancy to embrace that this time it's different. Except this time, it was different. The last-second fumble was called down. The backup kicker made the kick. The good guys prevailed. There's no curse and we're not snakebitten. We've just been a bad team and now we're finally turning this thing around.
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100 cocktails to you, sir. This, ^^^, my friends, is the stone cold truth IMO.

The trip will probably be bumpy, and we'll experience the occasional lurch into a ditch along the way, but I do believe BB will get us there eventually. "There" is consistent competitiveness and winning records. These sorts of games and wins will begin to generate buzz that helps prime the recruiting pump.

This view goes well beyond me listening to BB at our postgame press conferences and thinking to myself "thank goodness we don't have a fool for a head coach, or someone mailing it in." I mean, it has been 20 years since I could say that.
 
#209      
pruman91
The Galloping Ghost said:
To the remaining "but we're Illinois" crowd, I hope this game treated you well. This was the game you see in your nightmares when you think about Illinois football. A primetime game against our bitter rivals as we're building momentum where we face extreme adversity. The ending seemed destined to be another heartbreaking loss justifying your hesitancy to embrace that this time it's different. Except this time, it was different. The last-second fumble was called down. The backup kicker made the kick. The good guys prevailed. There's no curse and we're not snakebitten. We've just been a bad team and now we're finally turning this thing around.
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Wow.......your words are so poignant..........concise..............to the point..........telling , to a level of instant understanding.............period.................................case closed........................end of the story , etc etc........

I posted last night a similar stance that the worm has turned on the "" Illinois being Illinois "" mantra...........it's more of a fabled belief that needs to be replaced by the "" every day guys and we will win "" optimism that is so exciting to this old Illini fanatic after so many years of disappointment........

I fully expect this Illini defense to keep us in every remaining game on our schedule.......Hopefully TDV is ready to go for the rest of the games also......

A 5-1 record , that by all rational thought should be 6-0 , has me really hyped up for each and every remaining opportunity , as BB calls them , and EXPECTING to see a good performance by the beloved.......Optimistic vs. pessimistic thoughts has NEVER been a dilemma for me.......
Even in the dark days of my marriage and medical problems i always thought optimistically about the future ....just seems the right thing to do......
be happy and smile at the travails of life ....it could be a lot worse ..................trust me , I know that for a fact....................

GO ILLINI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#210      
Ander1345
Re: the I Williams hit.... I unfortunately think its up to the coaches to protect the players in that scenario. They generally won't call targeting there because it's essentially a fake designed to draw a defender weak side...

I thinkn the staff needs to teach players to run that as if *they* will be the ones tackled on the play, so they don't get blindsided.
 
#213      
STLflyinIllini
What a game. Can't remember a 9-6 game ever being so exciting.
We were moving the ball well until DeVito got hurt. This was supposed to be OUR game at home to show we're back. This was supposed to be the anti NC/Trubisky game....And our Qb1 goes out. Dark memories of 20+ years of ineptitude starting hovering around Illini nation. Hope was dwindling.
But the defense held.
We had 2 fumbles that would have historically been 14 easy points for Iowa.
But the defense held.
Art, bless his soul, throws a couple nice passes go get us inside the 10, and then throws a soul crushing INT at the 1.
But the defense held.
We get back into scoring range, and our OC, for some reason, calls a draw for our backup QB instead of just handing it to one of the best RBs in the nation to set up a FG. We fumble, and OF COURSE, Iowa runs it back for a TD. OF COURSE I get to hear all the smug Iowa fans sitting around me laugh about how we never had a chance and it was foolish to even hope we could overcome. I had faith we could pull it out even without our QB1, but that play absolutely crushed my spirit for a moment. OF COURSE we lose like this to IOWA. OF COURSE they will never get called for helmet to helmet hits against us that concuss our players. That's just how the universe works. They win and we don't.
BUT the play is reversed and the place went NUTS! What a great feeling for Illini fans who have had to endure so many decades of misery.
Our BACKUP kicker nails his 3rd FG attempt on 3 tries and we take the lead. That is not how Illinos football is supposed to go, but so it went!
But... will the defense hold?
Of course the defense held.

This team is different. This staff is different. If Devito is out for an extended time that will cap our ceiling some this season, but we are absolutely capable and we are absolutely relevant. What a time to be an Illini fan.
 
#214      
Navy_illini
Ander1345 said:
Re: the I Williams hit.... I unfortunately think its up to the coaches to protect the players in that scenario. They generally won't call targeting there because it's essentially a fake designed to draw a defender weak side...

I thinkn the staff needs to teach players to run that as if *they* will be the ones tackled on the play, so they don't get blindsided.
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True but targeting is a reviewable play. We got lucky Sidney Brown did not make contact on the sliding qb with his helmet. Have to let up on those plays. I believe the sliding qb exposes them to worst hits than just taking it. If you decide to run you need to put yourself into a position to protect yourself. Allowing qbs to slide while the defense is running full speed and only a few yards away never made sense. You should only be able to slide when no one is around you

However the hit on IW was text book targeting and I believe the Iowa player wanted IW to feel the hit and went high on him.
 
#215      
Illiniaaron
ChiefGritty said:
Credit Walters’ D of course for making all your good options seem like bad options, but Wisconsin and Iowa, two teams we’re used to playing dead solid know-your-identity football just kept making baffling decisions the last couple weeks.

There is no way they don’t have someone who gives them a better chance to be productive than Petras.
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If they did, you would probably have seen him by now.
 
#216      
3310
The Galloping Ghost said:
To the remaining "but we're Illinois" crowd, I hope this game treated you well. This was the game you see in your nightmares when you think about Illinois football. A primetime game against our bitter rivals as we're building momentum where we face extreme adversity. The ending seemed destined to be another heartbreaking loss justifying your hesitancy to embrace that this time it's different. Except this time, it was different. The last-second fumble was called down. The backup kicker made the kick. The good guys prevailed. There's no curse and we're not snakebitten. We've just been a bad team and now we're finally turning this thing around.
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Scared to like this post in case I jinx it and bring on the cursed snake bite.
 
#218      
pruman91
STLflyinIllini said:
What a game. Can't remember a 9-6 game ever being so exciting.
We were moving the ball well until DeVito got hurt. This was supposed to be OUR game at home to show we're back. This was supposed to be the anti NC/Trubisky game....And our Qb1 goes out. Dark memories of 20+ years of ineptitude starting hovering around Illini nation. Hope was dwindling.
But the defense held.
We had 2 fumbles that would have historically been 14 easy points for Iowa.
But the defense held.
Art, bless his soul, throws a couple nice passes go get us inside the 10, and then throws a soul crushing INT at the 1.
But the defense held.
We get back into scoring range, and our OC, for some reason, calls a draw for our backup QB instead of just handing it to one of the best RBs in the nation to set up a FG. We fumble, and OF COURSE, Iowa runs it back for a TD. OF COURSE I get to hear all the smug Iowa fans sitting around me laugh about how we never had a chance and it was foolish to even hope we could overcome. I had faith we could pull it out even without our QB1, but that play absolutely crushed my spirit for a moment. OF COURSE we lose like this to IOWA. OF COURSE they will never get called for helmet to helmet hits against us that concuss our players. That's just how the universe works. They win and we don't.
BUT the play is reversed and the place went NUTS! What a great feeling for Illini fans who have had to endure so many decades of misery.
Our BACKUP kicker nails his 3rd FG attempt on 3 tries and we take the lead. That is not how Illinos football is supposed to go, but so it went!
But... will the defense hold?
Of course the defense held.

This team is different. This staff is different. If Devito is out for an extended time that will cap our ceiling some this season, but we are absolutely capable and we are absolutely relevant. What a time to be an Illini fan.
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Such an inspiring rendition of the events last night with your excellent use of nouns , pronouns and adjectives to weave a metaphorically speaking call to arms for all Illini fanatics to embrace the joyous path of this years Illini.......I have stated before that all the pundits and spin doctors had us regressing this year with such an unproven amount of players on the squad........

we are seeing great coaches doing what they do best , and that is instilling a confidence in each other....many illini were giving Art pats on the back on the sidelines after a mishap on the field............... I imagine Art had a lot of pressure on his shoulders replacing TDV as I know I would have , especially in front of a big home crowd and tv viewers..........................
He was far from perfect and I really hope TDV is ready to go for next week.......

Our defense won the game for us and the offense did JUST enough to score more points than the idiots....................

ag06.gif


H*lls Yeah ...................The Illini beat the squwaks ................................They really really did.........................Lockbox baby , lockbox.........................
 
#219      
3310
Navy_illini said:
True but targeting is a reviewable play. We got lucky Sidney Brown did not make contact on the sliding qb with his helmet. Have to let up on those plays. I believe the sliding qb exposes them to worst hits than just taking it. If you decide to run you need to put yourself into a position to protect yourself. Allowing qbs to slide while the defense is running full speed and only a few yards away never made sense. You should only be able to slide when no one is around you

However the hit on IW was text book targeting and I believe the Iowa player wanted IW to feel the hit and went high on him.
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Sidney Brown plays with so much positive emotion, but on the punt and penalty leading to that series he was super pissed about the mistake on the fair-catch roughing, and I though oh oh, we might be losing some composure here this could be a tough drive and back breaker if they score a touchdown. We really dodged a bullet there and it even helped us. Waiting for the review scared the crap out of Brown, the leader of our D, and the rest of the D, and they really refocused, got the good news when it wasn't targeting (also saving our leader for the next game), caught their breath, brought back the positive emotion, and then snuffed out the drive.

That was huge, seems like we usually lose those breaks and don't "weather the storm" or "put out the fire" as Bielema likes to say.
 
#221      
Champaign88
Was at the game, pretty good atmosphere but the crowd needs some training on when to get loud and not. I.e. don’t get loud when the offense has a critical play but do get loud on defense.

Overall very happy with the performance. My only complaint is that Lunney needs to realize time, score, and situation a bit better. We had three very questionable calls in my opinion based on not having QB1 in the game, that should not have been made. 1) that crazy throw back across the field that easily could have been a pick six at the end of the third quarter. We were moving the ball pretty well with runs and quick passes. 2) the decision to throw the ball from the 4 yard line when we were running well and points were at a premium. 3) the QB draw that nearly cost the game when again we needed to protect the ball and score points.

I think Lunney has been great so far this year but the time to get cute is not late in the game with a backup QB in a 6-6 game against Iowa.
 
#222      
RML
So, if the D can do it again against Minny, I'm noodling that we can start referring to our end zone as "the undiscovered continent, to whose bourne no visiting team is admitted...".

I'm sure others can do better. (Pruman...?)
 
#223      
EyeoftheIllini
Great win. Ugly, but great win.

Haven’t read through this thread yet, but skimmed the game thread. Best thing I did last night was stop reading the game thread after first half. The negativity and whining was too much to take. Was hard enough some of the time to just watch the game.

And congrats to those who attended the game. Crowd looked and sounded great.
 
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