Illinois 45, Duke 19 Postgame

Status
Not open for further replies.
#276      
Chuck Nuggets
mini30fan said:
View attachment 43524
Click to expand...

Illinois has scored 38 points or more in 5 of those last 6 games.

Also, Illinois is 12-3 in its last 15 games. This sounds ridiculous, but I don't know if that's happened in my lifetime.

The 3 losses came from #3 Oregon, #5 Penn State (final rankings), and an 8-5 Minnesota team whose 5 losses came by an average of 6 points.

This is unprecedented football we're watching.
 
#279      
Second place is 1st loser
Hpbush said:
Genuine advice. Shut the hell up and enjoy things as they are, It’s a lot more fun.
Click to expand...
Are you new here? Advice right back at you. Never manage in business or be a parent in general. I can tell by your post that you've never managed anything or played any sports competitively because your posts screams mediocrity and lacks forward thinking.

Lets clarify the way things are.

1)Our first quarter was awful
2)Our second quarter was abysmal
3)The third quarter started the same, but two #8 jerseys extended a drive, when up 14-13
4)The end of the third quarter was good and the fourth quarter was perfection.
5)It's a W and we're all thrilled with it.
6)Week 3 starts tomorrow.

That's the way things are currently.

I'll take #4 and #5 all day long, but you can't erase 1, 2 and 3 and evaluate where the issues lie. Our cornerback situation is a problem. Embrace that fact. That's the only way to correct it. Our interior defensive linemen are a problem, which doesn't help the corner situation whatsoever. Accept that. It's ok to open up dialogue about concerns.

I want to be undefeated going into the Ohio State game. You don't get there by just ignoring 2 1/2 quarters like they didn't happen. You look at it and have to ask yourself if today's effort would beat IU on the road and USC at home. Feel free to give your opinion....if after two posts we ever hear from you again.

You have to hand it to our boys that they kept in there and capitalized on every break that got. Every one. That's a huge positive.

I do have huge concerns about our defense.

Final thought. We have NO CLUE how good Duke is. If they roll off 10 in a row, I'll feel a ton better than if they go into Tulane and get thrashed. Time will tell, but in the interim..... let's enjoy the W, but accept the issues on the horizon.
 
Last edited:
#282      
RML
jamarvelous31 said:
Burt called out that the play of the game was a coach catching the double 8s.

Given the huge swing in the 2nd half based on adjustments this felt like a coaching win..
Click to expand...
That preceding pickup of five on third and ten turned out to be massive, no? I used to question "why bother?" when throwing it short of the sticks on third down. A nice reminder of why you pick up what you can.
 
#283      
RML
Second place is 1st loser said:
Lets be honest and not Monday morning QB this one. The first half was absolutely atrocious and the final score is not indicative of how this game was played.
Click to expand...
I think the point is that playing poorly (or being outplayed) at the outset if a game isn't a basis for concluding that that team is trash and never gonna play better.
 
#284      
fuddrules
and 69 others said:
So, Jordan Anderson had the same number of carries as Josh McCray and more yards.
Click to expand...
Honestly, McCray made a good call, if rumors are true. If he got substantially more money from Georgia, good for him. He's not an NFL RB, regardless if he ended up at IL or GA. He wouldn't have been RB1 at Illinois. Take the money when you can, I suspect he can really use it.

Great win for Illinois. Illinois was reeling at the half. Watch the Bielema half-time interview walking off the field. Probably as discombobulated as I've seen him.

The second half they battled back through the Duke caused adversity and played great. That's what instills confidence both in the players themselves but also with the coaching staff. A+'s to give out all around. It was a tough task to win at Duke and Illinois pulled it off.
 
Last edited:
#285      
EyeoftheIllini
OrangeBlue98 said:
Good teams find a way to win when they aren’t playing well.

Really good teams find a way to win by multiple scores on the road against a power conference bowl team when they aren’t playing well.
Click to expand...
Don’t disagree with the sentiment, but this Duke team hasn’t proven they are a bowl team or as good as last year. Was the 2023 Illinois squad a bowl team because the 2022 team went to one?
 
#286      
Brosky
I think the whole story, not counting the turnovers, was Altmyer. Luke got the snot knocked out of him time and again in the first half. What did he do about it? He ignored it and went about his business efficiently. He kept his poise and composure and dissected Duke's defense the second half. His throws were consistently tight and accurate, even when he was under duress. Let's be honest about this guy--I don't expect a Heismen trophy, but Luke is one helluva football player. And Beatty is one of those glue guys winning teams always have. And our kicking game with Delano is solid; down the road, we'll be grateful for that more than once. Go Illini!
 
Last edited:
#288      
pruman91
blackdog said:
My wife commented during the game that she hoped BB had some sunscreen on. Sure doesn't look like it
Click to expand...
lol , that was my thought also.....hope it doesn't leave a mark.......
 
#289      
blackdog
RML said:
I think the point is that playing poorly (or being outplayed) at the outset if a game isn't a basis for concluding that that team is trash and never gonna play better.
Click to expand...

The take is almost as bad and makes as much sense as the Duke students chanting overrated after the first drive of the game.
 
#291      
From the cheap seats
The Illini were on their heels for much of the first half, but some of the takes on how poorly they played and how "lucky" they were to eke out a 45-19 win remind me of some former Illini coaches who got beat that badly and then concluded "if you take away those 7 big plays (or turnovers), we'd have been right there."
There are turnovers, like the muffed punt, and then there are takeaways, like the two forced fumbles and the Heckel interception. Even the jersey snafu can be traced back to the staff's preparation and awareness. What definitely is not luck is the fact that after two games the Illini have not turned the ball over.
I'm just happy to be on the other side of the excuse-making. It's kind of fun to pick nits after a 26-point road win over a team that won 9 games last year and was picked by a lot of experts to beat the Illini.
 
#292      
FlotownIllini
Brosky said:
I think the whole story, not counting the turnovers, was Altmyer. Luke got the snot knocked out of him time and again in the first half. What did he do about it? He ignored it and went about his business efficiently. He kept his poise and composure and dissected Duke's defense the second half. His throws were consistently tight and accurate, even when he was under duress. Let's be honest about this guy--I don't expect a Heismen trophy, but Luke is one helluva football player. And Beatty is one of those glue guys winning teams always have. And our kicking game with Delano is solid; down the road, we'll be grateful for that more than once. Go Illini!
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more. Luke is an absolute gem. I was at the game and man, it was such a thrill near the end when he triumphantly pointed up at the largest pocket of Illini fans. The kid is special and he cares a lot and I couldn't be happier than to have him leading this team.

On a more general note: what a game! To have been there to witness Illini Nation basically take over an opposing team's stadium in a completely different region of the country, and for us all to celebrate together what ultimately became a victory in convincing fashion...just so awesome. What a time to be an Illini! Made baking in the heat and humidity so worth it 😁
 
#293      
HereSoIDontGetFined
RML said:
I think the point is that playing poorly (or being outplayed) at the outset if a game isn't a basis for concluding that that team is trash and never gonna play better.
Click to expand...
And if you don't agree with that idea, then it is probably important to note that Duke looked awful in the first half against Elon.

They missed a field goal and fumbled a ball away in the first half. Then started to pull away in the third quarter.
 
#294      
thehass
Great second half rebound and victory. However, weneed a better pass rush with a few more blitzes and a run game that is more than straight ahead handoffs.
 
#295      
From the cheap seats
HereSoIDontGetFined said:
And if you don't agree with that idea, then it is probably important to note that Duke looked awful in the first half against Elon.

They missed a field goal and fumbled a ball away in the first half. Then started to pull away in the third quarter.
Click to expand...
If you look around the country, the better teams starting slowly (or the underdogs coming out quickly) only to see the better team take over as the game wears on is pretty common. Clemson trailed Troy for awhile, South Carolina muddled around for awhile against South Carolina State and Georgia beat Austin Peay 28-6...after stopping the Governors on the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter and then going 99 yards -- a potential 14-point swing that helped the No. 4 team avoid a nail-biter against the 40th-ranked FCS team. Heck, the Illini in the B.B. (Before Bielema) era used to hang with mid-tier B1G teams for a quarter or two before getting clobbered.
 
#296      
jrichisamazing
We should all be big Duke fans the rest of the year. They have a tricky schedule and if they can't get things cleaned up, they might not even be a bowl team. That being said, they have the talent to win 8 games IMO. I would much rather say we beat an 8-4 Duke team instead of a 5-7 Duke team.
 
#298      
aaeismacgychel
From the cheap seats said:
The Illini were on their heels for much of the first half, but some of the takes on how poorly they played and how "lucky" they were to eke out a 45-19 win remind me of some former Illini coaches who got beat that badly and then concluded "if you take away those 7 big plays (or turnovers), we'd have been right there."
There are turnovers, like the muffed punt, and then there are takeaways, like the two forced fumbles and the Heckel interception. Even the jersey snafu can be traced back to the staff's preparation and awareness. What definitely is not luck is the fact that after two games the Illini have not turned the ball over.
I'm just happy to be on the other side of the excuse-making. It's kind of fun to pick nits after a 26-point road win over a team that won 9 games last year and was picked by a lot of experts to beat the Illini.
Click to expand...
Yep, and to add to this, while the ball/turnover luck we had in this game was extremely high (you can't expect to be +5 on turnovers, recover all 4 forced fumbles including a muffed punt), from a stats perspective it still only contributed to a +14.7 valuation.

Meaning that Duke, the football gods, etc gifted us 15pts. We still won by 26. On the road (-3 valuation). So if we add that all up +26margin-15luck+3road = 14pts better luck and venue adjusted.

So even though we didn't play well that 1st half, even though we can say we got gifted a bunch of points, the reality is that despite that, the analytics suggest we were still 2 touchdowns better than Duke today without any of that. Why? Because we basically took every mistake Duke made and every turnover we forced and put it in the endzone. That is the sign of a very very good team.

This does feel a lot like the other side of the Timmy the Clown era where he'd go up to the podium saying that boy, we were right in this game if not for the 5 turnovers and 3 personal fouls on 3rd down, and had we just scored a few more times in yet another 40pt loss. This game wasn't pretty in the 1st half but people are going wayyyyyy overboard in the other direction
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back