Illinois 30, Tennessee 28 Postgame

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#304      
Fly Illini Fly!
I think Valentine is in for a huge year. He got hurt against OSU (looked gruesome), and very clearly his stats plunged afterward (especially YPC):

www.espn.com

Ca'Lil Valentine 2025 Stats per Game - NCAAF - ESPN

The 2025 NCAAF season stats per game for Ca'Lil Valentine of the Illinois Fighting Illini on ESPN. Includes full stats, per opponent, for regular and postseason.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Today with 93 yards, 28 after catch, and an astounding 8.1 YPC.
 
#305      
1970 John
Dawgss4life said:
When they returned the KO for a touchdown my adult sons said ah !!!!. We’re screwed. I says hell no. Got them right where we want them they were probably gonna score so why run 4/5 minutes off then we have to scramble for a field goal. Either way I figured if the scored and left us with a minute we’d win. I told my kids we’ll either score or run the clock down and kick a field goal.
This game felt like ours the whole game. We were moving the ball. Our defeats playing as good as it had all season.
Never a doubt
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I’m still having trouble believing Bret didn’t plan that.
 
#307      
TheChief4Life
DeonThomas said:
I've been doing that math over the past half hour. Sorta looking like NOT. However, we don't know exactly where the Committee had us ranked. If we were #26, we're clearly IN. Plus, there are a few more bowl games yet to be played. We should pass USC if they lose. We're definitely ahead of all these teams:
- Tenn
- Mizz
- Tulane
- GaTech
- JMU
- Pitt
- Duke
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The committee doesn’t rank anyone anymore. Only poll that matters now is the AP poll, and we know exactly where we are in that one: 41st with 2 votes. It’s a steep hill to get into the top 25 from where we are, but a lot of teams ahead of us lost. USC losing probably makes it harder.

If we aren’t in the top 25, I imagine we’ll finish in that 26-30 range.
 
#309      
the national
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#311      
DeonThomas
TheChief4Life said:
The committee doesn’t rank anyone anymore. Only poll that matters now is the AP poll, and we know exactly where we are in that one: 41st with 2 votes. It’s a steep hill to get into the top 25 from where we are, but a lot of teams ahead of us lost. USC losing probably makes it harder.

If we aren’t in the top 25, I imagine we’ll finish in that 26-30 range.
Click to expand...
You are correct! A steep hill indeed, when Duke is already ranked higher.
 
#313      
WolfpackIllini
TheChief4Life said:
The committee doesn’t rank anyone anymore. Only poll that matters now is the AP poll, and we know exactly where we are in that one: 41st with 2 votes. It’s a steep hill to get into the top 25 from where we are, but a lot of teams ahead of us lost. USC losing probably makes it harder.

If we aren’t in the top 25, I imagine we’ll finish in that 26-30 range.
Click to expand...
Polls/Schmolls!

WE'RE #1 !!!
:cool:
 
#314      
TentakilRex
Well we just beaten a team that runs a Veer & Shoot offense.

South Carolina just hired a Veer & Shoot OC in Kendall Briles whose daddy invented the offense

Oh btw, Auburn's Alee Golesh also runs the Veer & Shoot....so.....
 
#316      
illinifan1987
#318      
lstewart53x3
What I love most about this era of Illini football is for most of my fandom my goal was just to make bowl games.

I didn’t care if we were 6-6 or 7-5. I didn’t care if we played a MAC team in Detroit. I didn’t care if we won or lost.

I just wanted to be a part of it all. Have something to look forward to all of December. Be able to watch my team play one more time over the holidays.

Bowl games are fun. You’re playing a similarly ranked out-of-conference opponent. You get a full month of anticipation and discussion leading up to it. You get trick plays and crazy finishes.

And for most of my fandom, we didn’t get to have that fun. It was reserved for other programs, but not ours.

When Lovie Smith pulled out that bowling ball after the comeback win over Michigan State, man, I was excited. And that was for an average team that later lost in the Redbox bowl to Cal.

Today, we aren’t just making bowl game, we’re making good ones. The Reliaquest, the Citrus, the Music City bowl all against SEC teams. And we aren’t just making good ones, we’re competing in them. And we aren’t just competing in them, we’re winning them!

Two in a row. Back to back bowl champions.

This is the program I’ve always wanted and now we have it. I’m just so damn happy.

Rest up, ladies and gentlemen. The transfer portal opens Friday. It’s time to gear up for a threepeat.
 
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#321      
PizzaHutParkingLot
Dawgss4life said:
When they returned the KO for a touchdown my adult sons said ah !!!!. We’re screwed. I says hell no. Got them right where we want them they were probably gonna score so why run 4/5 minutes off then we have to scramble for a field goal. Either way I figured if the scored and left us with a minute we’d win. I told my kids we’ll either score or run the clock down and kick a field goal.
This game felt like ours the whole game. We were moving the ball. Our defeats playing as good as it had all season.
Never a doubt
Click to expand...
Get Some Chicago Bears GIF

This reads like a Ben Johnson post-game speech — good, better, best!
 
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