Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I love the hubris of some schools that they can just have literally whomever they want for everything, haha. USC taking the UCLA AD would be hilarious.
Illini Football 2023
- Status
I hear ya.
I'm also saying that it's a good thing too (lack of publicty). Keeps them grounded and wanting more. Gives them incentive. One of the reasons I thought of their 1-4 finish last year was being successful too fast and not knowing how to deal with it.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
He chose the better opportunity at the time. Don't blame him a bit. Love that he's joined the staff to commence his career.
I had the pleasure of knowing his dad for a year, when I was a senior, an RA in Scott Hall, and HG lived on the 4th floor (during what I believe was his freshman year in '87-'88). Just a splendid young man, well-mannered and friendly. I had only one problem with him all year, in around March when I was on call one Saturday night (actually, early Sunday morning.) He and his guests (including a young man named Marcus Liberty who was visiting for the weekend) got a bit out of hand. When I showed up, half-asleep and less than pleased, he was sheepish and apologized. I still remember that.
Also was in my room later that spring one early afternoon when an assistant football coach showed up at my door with a couple and their son, a QB prospect whom he was recruiting (or, I suppose, already had recruited by then). My room looked out onto Memorial Stadium and the Hall Director had sent them up because they wanted to see what a room looked like (many players lived in the Six Pack back then) and she knew I was around. I wasn't paying attention to football at the time, as the program had slipped under White, was something like 3-7-1 the previous season, and we had a new HC. Anyway, the family was very nice, as was the kid. I remembered his name: Jason. Was surprised that he seemed a bit shorter than me (I was 5'10" back then.) I'd always thought QBs were around 6'4".
He went on to perform serviceably under center for us. I guess he really liked my room and its view
My brushes with Illini gridiron greatness.
16 days to the opening kickoff!
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Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I actually think we are getting a lot of respect and more than I was expecting ... we are receiving votes preseason in both polls, and I have seen several articles where a media personality has us as either a top 25 team or a dark horse to win the West. Let's not forget that a pessimist could phrase our season last year like this:
- Started off 7-1 based on an easy schedule but lost 4 of our last 5.
- Beat up on Big Ten West opponents but lost to every single Big Ten East team we played (both of whom finished at the bottom of that division), as well as the West champion (Purdue).
- Most impressive showing was a loss at Michigan in a "trap" game for them when they were not 100% healthy.
- Lost tons of talent to graduation and the draft.
Of course, WE know there is more to the story than that. The other side of the story could of course look like this from an optimist's perspective:
- Would have been 8-0 and likely ranked near the top 10 if not for TWO blown calls at Indiana (the FG that missed and the TD that was taken away).
- Would have won at LEAST one of MSU or Purdue without outrageously bad reffing.
- Had an upset at #3 Michigan BLATANTLY taken away with a missed call that was so bad one could be forgiven for believing it was intentionally missed.
- Even ONLY giving us the Indiana "loss" back puts us in the Big Ten Championship Game vs. a Michigan team that we just took to the wire in the Big House.
- We return a very significant core of what made us good in the first place last year - the defense.
The truth is obviously going to be somewhere in the middle. Were we screwed at Indiana and at Michigan? Yes. Could we have won at least one more of our four conference losses if we had avoided our OWN mistakes? Absolutely. Did we lose a lot and yet still return a nice core plus young contributors getting a year older/wiser/better? Yes.
So, I think it is entirely fair to have us where most people have us. I think most unbiased prognosticators are acknowledging a pretty clear reality ... if our QB clicks and we can score points, there are not many sure losses on the schedule. If our offense stagnates and our secondary takes a step back, there are also a lot of games on the schedule that we can easily lose. This team is a bit of a mystery, but I am just glad we can definitely count on tough defense and fundamentally sound football. That combination keeps you in almost every game you play, and then you let the football gods give you a chance and see what happens!
- Started off 7-1 based on an easy schedule but lost 4 of our last 5.
- Beat up on Big Ten West opponents but lost to every single Big Ten East team we played (both of whom finished at the bottom of that division), as well as the West champion (Purdue).
- Most impressive showing was a loss at Michigan in a "trap" game for them when they were not 100% healthy.
- Lost tons of talent to graduation and the draft.
Of course, WE know there is more to the story than that. The other side of the story could of course look like this from an optimist's perspective:
- Would have been 8-0 and likely ranked near the top 10 if not for TWO blown calls at Indiana (the FG that missed and the TD that was taken away).
- Would have won at LEAST one of MSU or Purdue without outrageously bad reffing.
- Had an upset at #3 Michigan BLATANTLY taken away with a missed call that was so bad one could be forgiven for believing it was intentionally missed.
- Even ONLY giving us the Indiana "loss" back puts us in the Big Ten Championship Game vs. a Michigan team that we just took to the wire in the Big House.
- We return a very significant core of what made us good in the first place last year - the defense.
The truth is obviously going to be somewhere in the middle. Were we screwed at Indiana and at Michigan? Yes. Could we have won at least one more of our four conference losses if we had avoided our OWN mistakes? Absolutely. Did we lose a lot and yet still return a nice core plus young contributors getting a year older/wiser/better? Yes.
So, I think it is entirely fair to have us where most people have us. I think most unbiased prognosticators are acknowledging a pretty clear reality ... if our QB clicks and we can score points, there are not many sure losses on the schedule. If our offense stagnates and our secondary takes a step back, there are also a lot of games on the schedule that we can easily lose. This team is a bit of a mystery, but I am just glad we can definitely count on tough defense and fundamentally sound football. That combination keeps you in almost every game you play, and then you let the football gods give you a chance and see what happens!
Joel Goodson
- ties will be resolved
wouldn't kill me
Possible sleeper picks for Fr/redshirt contributors?
-Aidan Laughery (we really could use a speed back to emerge, injury questions aside)
-Shawn Miller (boundary receiver #3 spot is wide open, same issue reg. injuries)
-Brandon Henderson (I think staff would burn the redshirt if he can crack the top 7 on the line, we could really use an extra option at tackle)
-Jojo Hayden (Loved his film + physically ready to be a depth option)
-Saboor Kerriem (Depends on how secondary rotation plays out)
-Zach Tobe (Same questions on secondary rotation + how long Bailey is out)
-Aidan Laughery (we really could use a speed back to emerge, injury questions aside)
-Shawn Miller (boundary receiver #3 spot is wide open, same issue reg. injuries)
-Brandon Henderson (I think staff would burn the redshirt if he can crack the top 7 on the line, we could really use an extra option at tackle)
-Jojo Hayden (Loved his film + physically ready to be a depth option)
-Saboor Kerriem (Depends on how secondary rotation plays out)
-Zach Tobe (Same questions on secondary rotation + how long Bailey is out)
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Paying Mel Tucker nearly $100mm guaranteed over 10 years based on a single season in which an outlier portal transfer RB almost singlehandedly carried the team to success seems outrageously poor judgment, even by MSU standards. I hope for continued annual faceplants, though it will mean I can't enjoy the schadenfreude of them beating Michigan occasionally.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
That loss last year was so tough to take ... there was not a moment of that game where I felt like we "should" lose to MSU, even on their best day. The Indiana game was frustrating, but it was early. The Michigan game was a heartbreaker, but we knew Michigan was better. Purdue was infuriating, but they were an evenly matched team that managed to beat us on our field when a trip to Indy was on the line.
That MSU loss was just
...
He entered the portal and had the chance to transfer during BB's tenure but didn't. I may be in the minority here, but not excited at all about this hire. Would imagine that there are former players who would be eager to get into a role like this.
the national
- the Front Range
I feel like this belongs here:
Aiden has been 4th in the rotation reps wise.(McCray, Love, Anderson, Laughery)
Hank Beatty and Malik are ahead of Shawn right now based on reps in camp.
Brandon has a chance to see good minutes and crack the top 7.
JoJo is probably 5th on the depth chart at ILB.
Saboor and Tobe are corners and they could crack the top 6. The safety rotation right now without Bailey has been Miles Scott, Demetrius Hill and Nicario Harper.
Plus the literal adding insults via fake injuries on every play made the game sporadic and unwatchable.That loss last year was so tough to take ... there was not a moment of that game where I felt like we "should" lose to MSU, even on their best day. The Indiana game was frustrating, but it was early. The Michigan game was a heartbreaker, but we knew Michigan was better. Purdue was infuriating, but they were an evenly matched team that managed to beat us on our field when a trip to Indy was on the line.
That MSU loss was just
Joel Goodson
- ties will be resolved
thanks for the insight.
am pretty optimistic about our stable of RBs. having 4-5 guys who are ready to play is good.
I'm stoked about our WR corps. Night and day change under BB and McDonald. Really happy to hear that Hollins is starting to flash.
Henderson may turn out to be the best of the '23 ESL linemen. Love his trajectory
becoming a big boy program is very gratifying
Miles Scott is Kerby 2.0?
I personally would be happy with only eight overtimes. Actually, because I live in Pennsylvania, I really want a win, or at least a competitive showing. But I shouldn’t mention that, because a win is what we need. Believe!
might want to put Malik Elzy on that list
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
And neither of us have even mentioned the crazy wind affecting the game play, our biggest crowd in literal YEARS being on hand for this one and the momentary validation of the "this is why we can't have nice things" attitude our fans have adopted over the years ... it was nothing short of sickening.
As long as it doesn’t slow down our snaps this year…..
Central IL Illini
- Springfield, IL
I think that was the week after the big locker room fight with Michigan so they had guys suspended too. I remember wondering if all the negative attention that week would rally them. Backbreaking lossThat loss last year was so tough to take ... there was not a moment of that game where I felt like we "should" lose to MSU, even on their best day. The Indiana game was frustrating, but it was early. The Michigan game was a heartbreaker, but we knew Michigan was better. Purdue was infuriating, but they were an evenly matched team that managed to beat us on our field when a trip to Indy was on the line.
That MSU loss was just
Joel Goodson
- ties will be resolved
- Status