Pregame: Illinois vs Wisconsin, Saturday, October 21st, 2:30pm CT, FS1
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@IlliniInBuckeyeState the sellout tracker will actually be fun again after beating Maryland!For everyone's reference:
2021 average: 35,347
2022 average: 43,048 (48,065 for Big Ten games)
vs. Toledo: 48,898
vs. Penn State: 49,099
vs. FAU: 53,512(apparently very inflated by giveaways?)
vs. Nebraska: 46,703 (Friday night at maybe our lowest point)
Even if there were a lot of Nebraska fans there the other week, that is a nice floor for a Friday night game after getting smacked by Purdue. Hopefully the combination of beating Maryland plus Homecoming can get the Wisconsin attendance pushing 50k.
Here's the Sellout Watch ticket tracker for Wisconsin. Several conservative assumptions baked in here. With it already showing an estimated 48,914 tickets sold (the highest number the tracker has shown all season), I'm confident announced attendance will be over 50,000.
If the Illini can keep the penalties from stopping drives and keeping Wisconsin drives going after they are tentatively stopped and Feagin can run the ball I would give the Illini a shot at pulling the upset against Bret's former team. I think the Illini will have to be almost flawless. I did see some intensity against Maryland and some big plays when they needed it on both offense and defense. I am going with the Illini in this one-Illini-24 Wisconsin 21
A team is not going to flip their entire philosophy halfway through the season. They recruited the other qbs because they felt they could run the system too.
They will still pass the ball around the same percentage they normally do.
If anything, in an air raid, you see more swing passes and wr screens vs going downfield.
DeonThomas
- South Carolina
No pins here, but wearing orange to my early morning tailgate, the FB game and the basketball exhibition on Friday nite.
Look for me.....
I remember this game well - I was painting the gym at my old grade school and we wheeled in the TV to watch the end of the game. Champaign Tony was one heck of a QBMany congrats, sir. That's a substantial deal.
As for the Illinois-Wisc tilt in 1982... a BT classic, featuring the 4Q bounce pass lateral to Al Toon, which flummoxed my eventual 1984-85 Snyder Hall next-door neighbor, Craig Swoope, that Toon (after pretending the play was dead) then chucked to his teammate for a TD that seemed to nail the Illini coffin shut.
"Wow, that's terrific Bass!"
I'll show myself out...
October 23, 1982 - Illinois @ Wisconsin
Wisconsin will face Illinois on anniversary of another memorable tilt, featuring the 'bounce pass'
The Badgers welcome the Illini to Camp Randall 38 years to the day of a memorable 'bounce pass' play that nearly set the stage for a dramatic win.www.jsonline.com
I hope the coordinators continue with the intensity they showed in the Maryland game. With more guys available on offense and defense, I am hopeful. Even looking for a pick 6.
We are beat up but if we can gut out a win and get to the bye at 4-4, I think that’s more or less where we should have been given our schedule.
Sweep the G5 games
likely losses to PSU, at KU
Split the toss up games at PU/Wisconsin
Swap the likely loss @MD with the likely win vs Neb
Then there are 4 very winnable games.
Sweep the G5 games
likely losses to PSU, at KU
Split the toss up games at PU/Wisconsin
Swap the likely loss @MD with the likely win vs Neb
Then there are 4 very winnable games.
my Wisconsin Is Gonna Be Mid theory looked like it was in trouble for a second there.
we can't take anything for granted at this point though. usually a young qb making his first start is a good situation to go against, but i bear the scars of many such starts going shockingly well against the illini.
need feagin healthy, he made a lot of our short yardage stuff work last week.
i know bielema will do anything for his coaching buddies. well now's the time to avenge his buddy paul chryst.
we can't take anything for granted at this point though. usually a young qb making his first start is a good situation to go against, but i bear the scars of many such starts going shockingly well against the illini.
need feagin healthy, he made a lot of our short yardage stuff work last week.
i know bielema will do anything for his coaching buddies. well now's the time to avenge his buddy paul chryst.
Remember Leonhard is on staff here now…..and Feagin is good to go
So true at every point for every team. Ask Maryland.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Wilson, Eason, Trudeau, George, even Verduzco. With those guys under center you always had confidence that we could drive the length of the field in under two minutes.
I'm optimistic that Luke is another one of these gems. Just needs reps and polishing.
Can one of you football experts explain why Luke can’t literally play under center? Aren’t we sometimes handicapped in that respect?
It seems like it must be either a skill issue with our center, a skill issue with Luke, or a coaching philosophy.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Please don't forget Kurt Kittner , my friend..........
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Good catch, Pru. I was mired in the '80s this morning. Not a bad place to be in memory, IMHO.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
It's BLJ's scheme, I assume. No reason he can't take a snap under center as far as I can tell. I know nothing about these things but it seems a little drop back play action or direct handoff now and again wouldn't hurt. Come to think of it, if he never practices that he can't get comfortable with it.
I was coming to post the same.
Not in the same tier, but there were some fun highlights with Johnny Johnson (lowlights too, I know) and DeVito was one of the better QBs we've had in the recent past.
Kittner was very good and very clutch.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
RE: The offense being better than any team since 2010 "statistically," I am kind of skeptical.
2010: 32.54 PPG (7-6)
2013: 29.67 PPG (4-8)
2019: 26.69 PPG (6-7)
2018: 26.00 PPG (4-8)
2014: 25.92 PPG (6-7)
2022: 24.23 PPG (8-5)
2015: 22.67 PPG (5-7)
2011: 22.62 PPG (7-6)
2023: 20.29 PPG (3-4 so far)
2021: 20.17 PPG (5-7)
2020: 20.13 PPG (2-6) [COVID year]
2016: 19.67 PPG (3-9)
2012: 16.67 PPG (2-10)
2017: 15.42 PPG (2-10)
I know more goes into such a consideration than just the stats that I provided ... but at a certain point, an offense's job is to score points. Then again, an example of a variable I did not really analyze is early season blowouts - we might have won our home opener 52-3 in years past but then would lose to a Michigan 49-0 or something. It seems Bret's offenses have a tighter range, with some exceptions (e.g., always demolishing Northwestern!).
Even just comparing to last year, though, I think our offense was probably a bit better last year. It had some of the same problems (great drives not turning into 7 points or even 3 points for one reason or another), but we also had a better defense that dictated more low-scoring games ... the ultimately hilarious example being our team defeating an elite Iowa defense 9-6! Either way, not a huge deal, and I loved the improvements on offense we saw at Maryland.
2010: 32.54 PPG (7-6)
2013: 29.67 PPG (4-8)
2019: 26.69 PPG (6-7)
2018: 26.00 PPG (4-8)
2014: 25.92 PPG (6-7)
2022: 24.23 PPG (8-5)
2015: 22.67 PPG (5-7)
2011: 22.62 PPG (7-6)
2023: 20.29 PPG (3-4 so far)
2021: 20.17 PPG (5-7)
2020: 20.13 PPG (2-6) [COVID year]
2016: 19.67 PPG (3-9)
2012: 16.67 PPG (2-10)
2017: 15.42 PPG (2-10)
I know more goes into such a consideration than just the stats that I provided ... but at a certain point, an offense's job is to score points. Then again, an example of a variable I did not really analyze is early season blowouts - we might have won our home opener 52-3 in years past but then would lose to a Michigan 49-0 or something. It seems Bret's offenses have a tighter range, with some exceptions (e.g., always demolishing Northwestern!).
Even just comparing to last year, though, I think our offense was probably a bit better last year. It had some of the same problems (great drives not turning into 7 points or even 3 points for one reason or another), but we also had a better defense that dictated more low-scoring games ... the ultimately hilarious example being our team defeating an elite Iowa defense 9-6!
Either way, not a huge deal, and I loved the improvements on offense we saw at Maryland.pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
When I feel down and out I conjure up my late 60's and 70's memories...........Air was crisp , sun shined brightly and the ladies were pleasant and in magnificent abundance with smiles galore...........It really really really really was a great time to be alive (not withstanding the Viet Nam war ).............................
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Here’s the original article from Robert (Champaign Room stole his topic):RE: The offense being better than any team since 2010 "statistically," I am kind of skeptical.
2010: 32.54 PPG (7-6)
2013: 29.67 PPG (4-8)
2019: 26.69 PPG (6-7)
2018: 26.00 PPG (4-8)
2014: 25.92 PPG (6-7)
2022: 24.23 PPG (8-5)
2015: 22.67 PPG (5-7)
2011: 22.62 PPG (7-6)
2023: 20.29 PPG (3-4 so far)
2021: 20.17 PPG (5-7)
2020: 20.13 PPG (2-6) [COVID year]
2016: 19.67 PPG (3-9)
2012: 16.67 PPG (2-10)
2017: 15.42 PPG (2-10)
I know more goes into such a consideration than just the stats that I provided ... but at a certain point, an offense's job is to score points. Then again, an example of a variable I did not really analyze is early season blowouts - we might have won our home opener 52-3 in years past but then would lose to a Michigan 49-0 or something. It seems Bret's offenses have a tighter range, with some exceptions (e.g., always demolishing Northwestern!).
Even just comparing to last year, though, I think our offense was probably a bit better last year. It had some of the same problems (great drives not turning into 7 points or even 3 points for one reason or another), but we also had a better defense that dictated more low-scoring games ... the ultimately hilarious example being our team defeating an elite Iowa defense 9-6!
What If I Told You This Offense Is Good?
Robert‘s basing it solely on success rate (yards per play). Scoring is still a crucial part of offense and we haven’t been very good at that so far this year. Robert’s last 3-4 articles explain why that is.
I was totally prepared to part ways with my newly purchased season tickets before the Maryland game. Four days later, that same brain, tells me we can win the west. 
Me and the fellas will be there this weekend and I hope my "post Maryland game" brain is still fully functioning at 6pm on Saturday.
Me and the fellas will be there this weekend and I hope my "post Maryland game" brain is still fully functioning at 6pm on Saturday.pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Juice Williams was a breath of fresh air with his combination of a cannon arm and his power running abilities......I was coming to post the same.
Not in the same tier, but there were some fun highlights with Johnny Johnson (lowlights too, I know) and DeVito was one of the better QBs we've had in the recent past.
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