Duke 31, Illinois 27 Postgame

#327      
Battle89
Fly Illini Fly! said:
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Would it have really mattered...
 
#329      
mhuml32
ChiefGritty said:
I think very, very highly of Barry Lunney, who is not the one who chose the change in philosophy, but between that new philosophy and the strengths of his new quarterback, he needs to chug a Red Bull and embrace his inner Dana Holgorsen.

We kept trying to run an immaculate, clock-absorbing, classic game winning balanced drive. Those aren't the circumstances anymore. Pedal to the metal go get as many points as you can.
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I have no insider information but my priors assumed that Bielema was influencing the offensive pace late in the game because of how he wanted the end-game to play out (Werner seemed to either also have the same thought or got insider information confirming that).
 
#330      
RabidDawgClassic
Dkayak said:
It’s inexplicable. With 277 passing yards and 111 rushing yards, we call four rushing plays to gain just 8 yards and turn it over on downs at our end of the field. Can someone please explain why we didn’t rely on what was working instead of betting the game on what wasn’t?

The game was still winnable until we chose to run out the clock for Duke.
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I’m guessing Bielema wanted to do what we did at the end of the Tennessee bowl game and drain the clock all the way down and win at the gun. That’s a great plan IF you can execute. Not so great when you don’t.

Most people point to the fake punt as the game changer, but I would argue the trim momentum changer came at the end of the first half. Illinois was methodically driving and was milking the clock successfully. It appeared they were going to play for the last score of the half and have a two score lead going into the break. But then we scored too early, leaving Duke just under two minutes to score.. which they did. The Blue Devils then took the second half kickoff and took the lead. That momentum shift turned the tide.
 
#336      
Fly Illini Fly!
mhuml32 said:
I have no insider information but my priors assumed that Bielema was influencing the offensive pace late in the game because of how he wanted the end-game to play out (Werner seemed to either also have the same thought or got insider information confirming that).
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I do get this more than most people…. but I wonder why the runs had to come at that exact moment. You could’ve prioritized picking up the 1st down, and then run the ball the next series, to dictate end of game.

….

End of game absolutely matters. I’d be extremely pissed if one of our games played out like this:

IMB_jK0rcw.gif


The OSU defenders work so hard to effectively kill their chances at a victory. If they had let him go, I fully believe they would’ve won this game, with 1 timeout and 1:30 on the clock.

Perhaps we will eventually see a loss like this. It’d just drive me nuts.

So, end of game absolutely matters IMO. We’ve actually been really good at it — the Duke game was just a matter of managing end of game AND getting the first down (and yes, the first down is the most important factor).
 
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#337      
Dan
I thought there was a chance WR Collin Dixon (11 receptions, 166 yards, 3 TDs vs a P4 team) received co-offensive player of the week from the league (I didn't check the stats of the other 16 teams), but alas it was not to be.

If Big Ten teams are not allowed to have their players win weekly honors after a non-conference loss I have no problems with that, I just think the league should make that an official rule around Big Ten Media Days for clarity. Go Illini


https://twitter.com/x/status/2099638080844059042
 
#338      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
Fly Illini Fly! said:
I do get this more than most people…. but I wonder why the runs had to come at that exact moment. You could’ve prioritized picking up the 1st down, and then run the ball the next series, to dictate end of game.

….

End of game absolutely matters. I’d be extremely pissed if one of our games played out like this:

View attachment 51666

The OSU defenders work so hard to effectively kill their chances at a victory. If they had let him go, I fully believe they would’ve won this game, with 1 timeout and 1:30 on the clock.

Perhaps we will eventually see a loss like this. It’d just drive me nuts.

So, end of game absolutely matters IMO. We’ve actually been really good at it — the Duke game was just a matter of managing end of game AND getting the first down (and yes, the first down is the most important factor).
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We ran the ball against USC, but the difference is we picked up the 1st down so nobody cared.

But THREE STRAIGHT: 1st down (which was a successful run), 2nd down (not successful run), 3rd down (not successful run) seems way too many when you have a quarterback that good.
 
#342      
fuddrules
mhuml32 said:
I have no insider information but my priors assumed that Bielema was influencing the offensive pace late in the game because of how he wanted the end-game to play out (Werner seemed to either also have the same thought or got insider information confirming that).
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Yep and I thought it before they ran the first play. You knew what was coming....so did Duke.
 
#343      
FloridaMan
Oracle21 said:
Interesting quote. Before Bielema was all “NIL has leveled the playing field”. Now he’s changed his tune 180 degrees
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He's been beating the drum since the beginning of spring camp. Hopefully Josh and potential mega donors are hearing the message. I don't see BB operating under the current situation long term, and that would be a shame.
 
#344      
Dkayak
Oracle21 said:
Interesting quote. Before Bielema was all “NIL has leveled the playing field”. Now he’s changed his tune 180 degrees
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Both statements are true. At first NIL did level the field. Then it exploded to create the have’s and the have not’s, tilting the field to the greatest extend we’ve seen (yet).

Stay tuned. It could get worse before it gets better. Some sort of effective salary cap would truly level things.
 
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