Pregame: Illinois vs Wisconsin, Saturday, October 21st, 2:30pm CT, FS1

[Fighter of the Nightman]

Here’s the original article from Robert (Champaign Room stole his topic):

What If I Told You This Offense Is Good?

illiniboard.com

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.

Thanks, I actually couldn't find the article for a second. Not firing on all cylinders today.

Also fun fact for this game ... if we were to win, it would be the first time we have beaten Wisconsin two times in a row since 2001 and 2002. Considering we have now won six straight vs. them in hoops after a previous 17-game losing streak and that before last year we had lost 10 of 12 in football, that would really be a great illustration of the revival the athletic department has experienced since 2019 or so!

 

[LFOD]

Juice Williams was a breath of fresh air with his combination of a cannon arm and his power running abilities......

Yes!

And I believe he still holds the record for offense in Michigan Stadium. May he hold it forever...

Juice Williams’ 4 TDs beat Michigan

Losses to Missouri and Penn State, both ranked in the Top 6 heading into the weekend, could be explained away. But when Illinois played at Michigan with a the possibility of falling under .500 and dr…

www.rrstar.com

 

[Epsilon]

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.

All I can say is, if this is one of our best years since 2010 on offense by any metric, that depresses me.

 

[band camp]

Nate.

 

[GILL-INOIS]

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.

#1 Defense in the nation led to our 2022 PPG being so high. Otherwise the 2022 version is sitting towards the bottom as well.

I will gladly take games like Maryland when the offense, defense and special teams play a collective B game but the offense is not good.

 

[AZILL]

Hello my fellow Illini friends! Thanks for reading my 1st post, lol. Been reading the board for a very very long time. I just bought my flight to Chitown tomorrow and will be catching the Amtrak down to Champaign. I plan on attending my first ever football game in Memorial for this game. My daughter and her BF will be attending their first Illini game with me, they are both PhD students at UI. I haven't bought tickets yet, waiting on a few people to get back to me so I know how many to procure. Having not looked anywhere yet what are my best options for 3-5 tickets? UI ticket office I know, I've never bought anything off of a secondary site. Any recommendations? Also thinking of biking to the game from their place in Urbana, I assume there is an area at the stadium to lock them up? Would love to hit up a tailgate party, Grange Grove at the very least. Look forward to some kind help, and feel free to DM me..... Thanks!

 

[Dan]

 

[Captain 14]

Good catch, Pru. I was mired in the '80s this morning. Not a bad place to be in memory, IMHO.

Remember, "the 80's belong(ed) to the Illini." Great slogan.

 

[altgeld88]

Remember, "the 80's belong(ed) to the Illini." Great slogan.

I remember it well... partly why I blanked on the brief ray of hope in 1999-2001 with Kurt.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

Hello my fellow Illini friends! Thanks for reading my 1st post, lol. Been reading the board for a very very long time. I just bought my flight to Chitown tomorrow and will be catching the Amtrak down to Champaign. I plan on attending my first ever football game in Memorial for this game. My daughter and her BF will be attending their first Illini game with me, they are both PhD students at UI. I haven't bought tickets yet, waiting on a few people to get back to me so I know how many to procure. Having not looked anywhere yet what are my best options for 3-5 tickets? UI ticket office I know, I've never bought anything off of a secondary site. Any recommendations? Also thinking of biking to the game from their place in Urbana, I assume there is an area at the stadium to lock them up? Would love to hit up a tailgate party, Grange Grove at the very least. Look forward to some kind help, and feel free to DM me..... Thanks!

As long as you do not mind that the balcony will not be full (and it might therefore detract from the atmosphere/ambiance compared to sitting somewhere else), I think buying balcony seats from the U of I website is probably the way to go. I am sure you can find some decently priced StubHub tickets, but the fees always end up killing you.

Unfortunately, I cannot be much help with locking up your bikes, but be advised that Grange Grove is BYOB! My wife and I walked around for a while before the PSU game with a couple of beers.

 

[Dkayak]

As long as you do not mind that the balcony will not be full (and it might therefore detract from the atmosphere/ambiance compared to sitting somewhere else), I think buying balcony seats from the U of I website is probably the way to go. I am sure you can find some decently priced StubHub tickets, but the fees always end up killing you.

Unfortunately, I cannot be much help with locking up your bikes, but be advised that Grange Grove is BYOB! My wife and I walked around for a while before the PSU game with a couple of beers.

We love the perspective from the balcony and there are plenty of seats in the East. However the forecast is NW winds at 22 mph, so the West balcony is more sheltered.

Sunset is about 6:20 today, pretty early. If you take bikes to the 2:30 game you’ll want to bring lights for the ride home.

 

[pvaughn8]

What is the likelihood of getting an Uber or taxi from campus to Rantoul after midnight?

 

[Illini2010-11]

Hello my fellow Illini friends! Thanks for reading my 1st post, lol. Been reading the board for a very very long time. I just bought my flight to Chitown tomorrow and will be catching the Amtrak down to Champaign. I plan on attending my first ever football game in Memorial for this game. My daughter and her BF will be attending their first Illini game with me, they are both PhD students at UI. I haven't bought tickets yet, waiting on a few people to get back to me so I know how many to procure. Having not looked anywhere yet what are my best options for 3-5 tickets? UI ticket office I know, I've never bought anything off of a secondary site. Any recommendations? Also thinking of biking to the game from their place in Urbana, I assume there is an area at the stadium to lock them up? Would love to hit up a tailgate party, Grange Grove at the very least. Look forward to some kind help, and feel free to DM me..... Thanks!

If you want the most "secure" secondary ticket options, SeatGeek is the official resale market for Illinois athletics.

As mentioned, you will want lights if you are biking. Since the stadium will likely be crowded, I would suggest locking your bike at the Six Pack (or whatever it is called now) and walking the last block to the stadium.

When it comes to seats, I like the east balcony (front few rows). My season tickets are in section 202, front row. I think this beats any of the back rows under the balcony (where half the field gets cut off).

I would be there shouting my head off, but my wife and myself are making the strategic decision to take our 8 month old to the Blackhawks home opener instead...I know tough decisions.

 

[LFOD]

I'm expecting Wisky's backup QB to have a good game Saturday. I'm hoping we don't provide the infamous coming out party opportunity for him.

He was recruited by Leach at MS State for this offense, and looks to be the future at QB for Wisconsin.

Here's an old article from April:

Why Braedyn Locke leads Nick Evers as Wisconsin QBs battle to back up Tanner Mordecai

Knowledge of the new Wisconsin offense has given Locke, a Mississippi State transfer, the edge in the race for the No. 2 quarterback job.

theathletic.com

 

[FloridaMan]

I'm expecting Wisky's backup QB to have a good game Saturday. I'm hoping we don't provide the infamous coming out party opportunity for him.

He was recruited by Leach at MS State for this offense, and looks to be the future at QB for Wisconsin.

Here's an old article from April:

Why Braedyn Locke leads Nick Evers as Wisconsin QBs battle to back up Tanner Mordecai

Knowledge of the new Wisconsin offense has given Locke, a Mississippi State transfer, the edge in the race for the No. 2 quarterback job.

theathletic.com

Same expectation for me. I'll never forget when we turned a Fr Graham Mertz into a Heisman candidate in a single game. Not hoping for a repeat.

 

[altgeld88]

Hello my fellow Illini friends! Thanks for reading my 1st post, lol. Been reading the board for a very very long time. I just bought my flight to Chitown tomorrow and will be catching the Amtrak down to Champaign. I plan on attending my first ever football game in Memorial for this game. My daughter and her BF will be attending their first Illini game with me, they are both PhD students at UI. I haven't bought tickets yet, waiting on a few people to get back to me so I know how many to procure. Having not looked anywhere yet what are my best options for 3-5 tickets? UI ticket office I know, I've never bought anything off of a secondary site. Any recommendations? Also thinking of biking to the game from their place in Urbana, I assume there is an area at the stadium to lock them up? Would love to hit up a tailgate party, Grange Grove at the very least. Look forward to some kind help, and feel free to DM me..... Thanks!

Regarding bikes, I have no idea about racks around the stadium. However, am sure you can find some having capacity around the ARC on Peabody and definitely across Peabody Drive in the Peabody Drive/Gregory Drive (or whatever it's called now) res hall complex.

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

the history of Wiscy qb’s having really good coming out parties vs us is legendary in their favor .

I can recall a few in the last 10 -12 years

 

[illini0440]

What is the likelihood of getting an Uber or taxi from campus to Rantoul after midnight?

Should be fairly easy

 

[Dkayak]

Regarding bikes, I have no idea about racks around the stadium. However, am sure you can find some having capacity around the ARC on Peabody and definitely across Peabody Drive in the Peabody Drive/Gregory Drive (or whatever it's called now) res hall complex.

Your bike solution sounds like fun but concerns me. I’m no wimp, actually heading into the woods this evening for a night mountain bike ride on technical trails (lights on handlebars and helmets). We’re lifetime road riders too. However, I’d personally be pretty hesitant to ride amid post-game traffic after dark. Be very careful, sticking to sidewalks and bike paths as much as possible. Or enjoy a long walk? Uber in one direction maybe?

 

[Dan]

 

[BRucks]

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.

which we defended very poorly vs. Maryland.

 

[GILL-INOIS]

Wisconsin is still a balanced team running the Air Raid. Right now 186 Rushing Yards/Game and 206 Passing Yards/Game. It is more about the yards gained than the passing/rushing attempts. If Wisconsin can get away with running the ball, throwing screens/short passes for gains than Wisconsin will look to exploit it and take some shots to keep the D honest.

 

[altgeld88]

Your bike solution sounds like fun but concerns me. I’m no wimp, actually heading into the woods this evening for a night mountain bike ride on technical trails (lights on handlebars and helmets). We’re lifetime road riders too. However, I’d personally be pretty hesitant to ride amid post-game traffic after dark. Be very careful, sticking to sidewalks and bike paths as much as possible. Or enjoy a long walk? Uber in one direction maybe?

Good point but the clearly-marked bike paths running across campus form those Peabody Drive dorms to Lincoln Avenue will get them over there on well-lit paths far away from traffic. Once over in Urbana, however, I wouldn't want to be riding on the street after dark, with or without a light. Depends how far they have to go once off campus.

 

[illiniguy]

My wife and I walked around for a while before the PSU game with a couple of beers.

Isn’t your wife pregnant?…Did you get her to carry an extra beer for you?

 

[OrangeAndBlueBlooded]

We love the perspective from the balcony and there are plenty of seats in the East. However the forecast is NW winds at 22 mph, so the West balcony is more sheltered.

Sunset is about 6:20 today, pretty early. If you take bikes to the 2:30 game you’ll want to bring lights for the ride home.

Another benefit of sitting on the west side is not having to look into the sun. The west stands will also be shaded most, if not all, of the game. Whether that is a positive or a negative will depend on the temperature on Saturday (mid to high 50s forecasted).

If you do end up on the east side, avoid section 109 as that is where they seat the opposing fans. Wisconsin travels well so I wouldn't be surprised to see them spill over some into the adjacent sections and possibly up into the balcony in 209.