I sa an awful lot of plays where we had 3 rushers against 6 blockers, both on running plays and on pass plays. . . .
Illinois 30, Toledo 28 Postgame
Ryllini
- Lombard
That was a pretty dang good Toledo team we faced last night. I've reflected and am more and more pleased with the performance last night. We were very undisciplined in the first and then clean until the Jacas play. You can take 10 points right off their top if you take away our football 101 mistakes. Games like this are good. Gets the motor going. Great to see different styles to get the boys ready for every thing. Great crowd last night. It looked good on TV, I hope it was loud there, as I think the B1G network audio isn't that great.
TheFlyingIllini1317
- Chicago, IL
I'm going to need to see a lot more from the lines to believe this is a 7 win team. Luke is a stud, one poor throw in a debut with a new offense but besides that I was super impressed.
Pat seemed like he was the only wideout to get any separation, seems like his injury was very minor. A lot to clean up but a win is a win.
Pat seemed like he was the only wideout to get any separation, seems like his injury was very minor. A lot to clean up but a win is a win.
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
I stop have no idea how Luke was able to get that pass off and how Casey was able to make the catch .
Luke’s father believes it was devine intervention . It very well may have been as I think that exact play fails 98% of the time .
The second he threw it I thought for sure it was tipped and the play and the game was over
Luke’s father believes it was devine intervention . It very well may have been as I think that exact play fails 98% of the time .
The second he threw it I thought for sure it was tipped and the play and the game was over
You hang in there too Pru!
I thought Avery was the key to the defense last year and should have received more accolades.
I checked the Big Ten Network and couldn't find anything through next Friday (although I could have missed it). If you want to pony up around 10 dollars you could probably watch it on B1G+. Pretty sure it will be replayed there but I don't know for sure. But B1G+ has done so in the past. In fact, as far as I am concerned, that is the one redeeming value of B1G+, that it replays all the games and keeps them for a pretty long time.
A few next day throughs.
(1) I hope Leonhard has some suggestions for the front seven on the two days per week he’s in the building or whatever it is because the scheme yesterday was alarmingly ill-conceived or poorly executed or both.
(2) As concerning as that performance was, we have to keep reminding ourselves that a better measure of Henry’s aptitude as DC will be less that he got pummeled in the face in his first bout but how he adapts and adjusts in his second and third bouts.
(3) Altmyer has two more years of eligibility after this. I can’t even express how thrilled I’d be to watch three consecutive seasons of dynamic and potent QB play like we saw last night. Even if our defense implodes, it will still be worth the admission price to watch Altmyer sling it like that.
(4) We need to acknowledge the receivers also. No back-breaking drops. I saw our guys running crisp routes in space. Bryant and Washington were making big time plays. And we didn’t even get Malik Elzy involved yet, which I think we will.
(1) I hope Leonhard has some suggestions for the front seven on the two days per week he’s in the building or whatever it is because the scheme yesterday was alarmingly ill-conceived or poorly executed or both.
(2) As concerning as that performance was, we have to keep reminding ourselves that a better measure of Henry’s aptitude as DC will be less that he got pummeled in the face in his first bout but how he adapts and adjusts in his second and third bouts.
(3) Altmyer has two more years of eligibility after this. I can’t even express how thrilled I’d be to watch three consecutive seasons of dynamic and potent QB play like we saw last night. Even if our defense implodes, it will still be worth the admission price to watch Altmyer sling it like that.
(4) We need to acknowledge the receivers also. No back-breaking drops. I saw our guys running crisp routes in space. Bryant and Washington were making big time plays. And we didn’t even get Malik Elzy involved yet, which I think we will.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Some of y’all need to start here
I’m not going to scroll through the game thread (I’ve had my fill of refs suck and Mullen sucks posts for the week), but seemed like there were people going well beyond wondering. I had my questions too (still do) but throwing in the towel based on 2 quarters against a good opponent when you had 9 penalties is pretty ridiculous in my book. I guess “in Bret we believe” is just a fun little slogan to throw around.
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Have to admit not entirely sure of what goes into these ratings. What is the cutoff for having a good or better game for a player?
I often wonder this too. Although, I imagine a pick-6 is always going to get you rated pretty highly, right?
Honest question, did one season of winning football really change the perception of our fanbase to be upset about winning a football game against a decent opponent?
This is the football postgame thread, right?
Toledo returned a lot of production, were experienced, and have a winning pedigree, no way was this going to be a cakewalk.
Last season, this game was likely a loss due to all of the dumb penalties, poor line play, and you know, Toledo scoring with under three minutes to go.
Atlmyer to Washington should be remembered for a long time.
And someone brought up Gesky getting absolutely obliterated on that spin move by 56, give the kid a break, it was like his second snap. He gave Luke the perfect amount of protection, obviously.
This is the football postgame thread, right?
Toledo returned a lot of production, were experienced, and have a winning pedigree, no way was this going to be a cakewalk.
Last season, this game was likely a loss due to all of the dumb penalties, poor line play, and you know, Toledo scoring with under three minutes to go.
Atlmyer to Washington should be remembered for a long time.
And someone brought up Gesky getting absolutely obliterated on that spin move by 56, give the kid a break, it was like his second snap. He gave Luke the perfect amount of protection, obviously.
I wonder what it’s like for people who can watch their team play football without constantly and violently swinging from one emotional extreme to the other. I especially can’t imagine not doing that while posting in real time on a game thread.
The big fear is not that we were losing, rather, the perception that the reason we were losing was lack of production from what is supposed to be our two biggest strengths: OLine and DLine. Then, to top it off, we displayed some real Beckman/Lovie era lack of discipline in the first half.
Fans were well within their right to board the panic bus. I have to imagine both those issues were a cause of consternation for the coaching staff as well. They’ll get it cleaned up.
My hope is that Altmyer and the WR core plus our DB play showed that maybe purchasing tickets to the panic bus next time should be delayed.
I agree that this was quality opponent. Fans saying otherwise are creating a false narrative. And we won. Clean up the mistakes, and let’s roll into Lawerence ready to showcase the improvements.
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Long time lurker, first time poster. For years, I have found following Loyalty game threads as interesting as the games themselves. Especially when we're suffering through a first half like we did yesterday. A few random thoughts from the new guy . . .
1. I know I must sound like the old man that I am, but why can't most modern day college football teams run any plays with the QB under center? Does anyone really think Luke would not have been able to pick up that one yard with a QB sneak if he was under center? Instead, we run the same play on third and fourth down and can't pick up a yard.
2. It really is funny to read the hand-wringing on Loyalty when we're losing a football or basketball game. Our fanbase has collective PTSD from the constant beat down. You can tell very little from the first game. We lost our opener in 1983, albeit on the road at Missouri, went on to win our next ten games, and finished the regular season as the number four team in the country (I don't discuss what happened in the flowery, round stadium in Pasadena on January 2, 1984). Or what about North Carolina basketball losing to Santa Clara (a team that finished its season under .500) in its first game in 2004? We all know how that season ended. The fact is this team could finish anywhere from 9-3 to 3-9. A win's a win, and it's not like we were playing Tennessee State.
3. As we ponder what lies ahead for the rest of the season, let me offer two different scenarios: we beat a decent Toledo team on a last second field goal where the supposed strengths of our team, the O-line and the front seven of the defense, played lights out and everyone else struggled, or vice versa. Seems to me that the glass is more half full than half empty on the morning after our first game knowing that this team pulled out a victory with pleasant surprises from our question marks and head-scratching play from the parts of our team that we thought were our strengths. But I get it, we Illini fans have been punched in the gut so many times over the years, it's easier to expect the worst and pray for the best.
ILL . . .
1. I know I must sound like the old man that I am, but why can't most modern day college football teams run any plays with the QB under center? Does anyone really think Luke would not have been able to pick up that one yard with a QB sneak if he was under center? Instead, we run the same play on third and fourth down and can't pick up a yard.
2. It really is funny to read the hand-wringing on Loyalty when we're losing a football or basketball game. Our fanbase has collective PTSD from the constant beat down. You can tell very little from the first game. We lost our opener in 1983, albeit on the road at Missouri, went on to win our next ten games, and finished the regular season as the number four team in the country (I don't discuss what happened in the flowery, round stadium in Pasadena on January 2, 1984). Or what about North Carolina basketball losing to Santa Clara (a team that finished its season under .500) in its first game in 2004? We all know how that season ended. The fact is this team could finish anywhere from 9-3 to 3-9. A win's a win, and it's not like we were playing Tennessee State.
3. As we ponder what lies ahead for the rest of the season, let me offer two different scenarios: we beat a decent Toledo team on a last second field goal where the supposed strengths of our team, the O-line and the front seven of the defense, played lights out and everyone else struggled, or vice versa. Seems to me that the glass is more half full than half empty on the morning after our first game knowing that this team pulled out a victory with pleasant surprises from our question marks and head-scratching play from the parts of our team that we thought were our strengths. But I get it, we Illini fans have been punched in the gut so many times over the years, it's easier to expect the worst and pray for the best.
ILL . . .
With Newton and Randolph being tied up most of the game by double teams our linebackers should have had a field day. I can't remember them doing much of anything. While our dbacks were outstanding our linebackers were nonexistent.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Take a chill pill, buddy … yes. Yes, it is MUCH better.
To me the #1 takeaway, and #2, and #3 is that we have a legit QB.
We had a nationally good defense last year, a nation leading RB, and we lost games because the QB and offense couldn't get it done. We've got a guy for probably the next 2-3 seasons that is going to be able to score points. Everything else will come with experience. But I'm not worried about losing a boring 21-17 game anymore.
I may be worried we'll lose a 35-28 game, but at least those are more entertaining to watch.
We had a nationally good defense last year, a nation leading RB, and we lost games because the QB and offense couldn't get it done. We've got a guy for probably the next 2-3 seasons that is going to be able to score points. Everything else will come with experience. But I'm not worried about losing a boring 21-17 game anymore.
I may be worried we'll lose a 35-28 game, but at least those are more entertaining to watch.
Wait — you don’t record every game to watch again later?
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I've been an Illini football fan / watching games for 40 seasons. When Luke dropped that dime to Casey a split second before he got leveled by that freight train of a lineman I thought to myself: "We just witnessed a truly historic Illini offensive play." Not to exaggerate but it reminded me of watching Jeff George take us down the field in the Coliseum to beat #5 USC on Labor Day evening 1989. LA has the chops to move the ball like no one we've had under center in a long while.
A lot to clean up after Week 1. The difference c/w prior seasons is that BB is in charge and I have faith that he and his staff can adjust, inculcate and inspire the players. I'm rooting for Aaron. That's a heavy load he's carrying as DC and father of twin newborns.
Ever heard the phrase "mid-season form". It's a real thing because, you know, early in the season you're still working through things.
We've got a solid staff. I'm more optimistic about this year after the game than I was going in. The good parts entering the season I expect to be good. The biggest question mark ,QB, I now believe will be solid at least.
We've got a solid staff. I'm more optimistic about this year after the game than I was going in. The good parts entering the season I expect to be good. The biggest question mark ,QB, I now believe will be solid at least.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Advanced stats: toss up
National media: toss up
Vegas: toss up
Illinois fans: even though we’ve had one back to back bowl season in 3 decades, we should win by 30!
Enjoy the win my friends
National media: toss up
Vegas: toss up
Illinois fans: even though we’ve had one back to back bowl season in 3 decades, we should win by 30!
Enjoy the win my friends
agree with all of your points but really agree with #4. we probably lose this game last year (and for sure years previous) due to drops on catchable balls. it was good to see Tip Reiman involved and sure handed. i hope we can consistently integrate our TEs this year. last year, we were so anchored on Chase that we were almost 1 dimensional at times.
i think we have enough talent across the board to effectively use WRs, TEs and RBs (and QB runs) to keep defenses off balance; the first drive was a great example, just need to continue that strategy through the game.