Illinois 21, Oregon 10 Postgame

#152      
BZuppke
I’m in NYC at my daughter’s wedding. I’m so jacked! All those of little faith. I didn’t predict a win, but I also didn’t think we were falling. We have a great head coach and OC. Don’t discount them. They outcoached Lanning and company. Old school Big Ten. Boo Rah!!!!
 
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#154      
Captain 14
Ramrod2010 said:
I know in the game thread there was a lot of trying to figure out what the Ducks were trying to do (or what they were even thinking of trying to do) on offense. And as I sit here watching the late games I think I might have an answer

View attachment 52142
(Will Stein, former Oregon OC and current Kentucky HC - who happens to be 6-1)

We obviously had/have our own DC issue this year, seems likely that Bret isn't the only coach out there that might miss on a coordinator hire.
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Lanning was asked in the post-game if he'd replace the OC. He said everything is on the table.
 
#155      
blackdog
I noticed a couple of times during the game they got the young guys more involved. Newton and Eberhart both got some snaps and a couple of the younger DBs were also involved. I like being able to mix those guys in a little bit more.
 
#156      
lstewart53x3
One more thing about today's game:

I know Oregon isn't having the season they expected to have and they're without their QB and starting receivers. But! They're still ranked #11 in SP+ and #10 in FPI. That might be the highest ranked team in the metrics that Bret's beat here so far? USC last year finished #13 in FPI. Michigan in '24 was #29. Tennessee last year was #19. South Carolina was #15 in '24.

So yeah, I think that's the best win on paper in Bret's tenure, unless I'm forgetting one.
 
#158      
zentrails
Did we give X Scott (a little bit of a tough year so far) a lot of credit for running down the Oregon guy, saving a very long, sure TD that eventually limited it 10-0 instead 0f 14-0, and we shut them out the rest of the game. Gave us a nice boost on D when we really needed it then complemented it with Aiden's TD run a little later that boosted the O

Two huge reasons we won, IMO
 
#159      
Curbelo Fanboy
Old.Edgy said:
IMHO... BB is the best program coach since Ray Eliot retired in 1959... Yes M.White was exciting and flashy, but he was not a 'sustainable program' type coach...
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As I said earlier in this thread. Or the game thread. Bret is the best coach of my lifetime and I’m 55 on Monday. No question about it. Such a good in game coach. He just seems to know how to manage the clock and the game. He is good at recognizing what his team can and can’t do and avoiding the stuff they can’t do.
 
#160      
HereSoIDontGetFined
Fun with numbers!

The 225 rushing yards Illinois put up was the most a Big Ten opponent had put up on Oregon since the 2024 Big Ten Championship win over Penn State when the Nits put up nearly three bills on the ground.

The last time Illinois passed for two touchdowns and less than 100 yards was a win over Indiana in 2007 when Juice Williams threw for 98 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT. Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 200+ that day.

I looked back at least as far as 1994 and didn't find a game where Illinois threw for 2TD and fewer yards. Someone with a media guide might be able to find an example.
 
#161      
eas23
Was it noted in the pregame that this was the first game in the Bielema era where the starting quarterback was our own high school recruit? Doesn't really mean much considering how successful DeVito and Luke were as transfers, but just a fun side note.
 
#162      
ChiefGritty
lstewart53x3 said:
One more thing about today's game:

I know Oregon isn't having the season they expected to have and they're without their QB and starting receivers. But! They're still ranked #11 in SP+ and #10 in FPI. That might be the highest ranked team in the metrics that Bret's beat here so far? USC last year finished #13 in FPI. Michigan in '24 was #29. Tennessee last year was #19. South Carolina was #15 in '24.

So yeah, I think that's the best win on paper in Bret's tenure, unless I'm forgetting one.
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I have a hard time seeing the team we watched today ending up with those metrics, but we'll see.

Hopefully Dante Moore is able to come back and have an impact, it's a shame what happened to him obviously and that has hugely impacted them.
 
#164      
therealmiket86
lstewart53x3 said:
One more thing about today's game:

I know Oregon isn't having the season they expected to have and they're without their QB and starting receivers. But! They're still ranked #11 in SP+ and #10 in FPI. That might be the highest ranked team in the metrics that Bret's beat here so far? USC last year finished #13 in FPI. Michigan in '24 was #29. Tennessee last year was #19. South Carolina was #15 in '24.

So yeah, I think that's the best win on paper in Bret's tenure, unless I'm forgetting one.
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They only played with 4 scholarship wr. With that being said it’s still a team with a ton of talent and it’s a very good win for the program.
 
#166      
Illiniguy74
Old.Edgy said:
IMHO... BB is the best program coach since Ray Eliot retired in 1959... Yes M.White was exciting and flashy, but he was not a 'sustainable program' type coach...
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Definitely agree with your first statement. Definitely disagree with your second. White had a dip after '83 but was rebounding until the NCAA and a weak kneed Illinois administration torpedoed him. Just look how successful Mackovic was with White recruits.
 
#169      
chiefini
X ran down a guy twice in the same possession. He looked like his old self, and that stop WITH ONLY 3 points, made a HUGE difference in the game. It gave the D confidence and was a turning point, imo.
 
#170      
Mr. Tibbs
wtf was up with Oregon running that stupid way off balance formation play ?

it reminded me of pop warner 7th grade
 
#172      
HereSoIDontGetFined
chiefini said:
X ran down a guy twice in the same possession. He looked like his old self, and that stop WITH ONLY 3 points, made a HUGE difference in the game. It gave the D confidence and was a turning point, imo.
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Contrast this with what looked like the Oregon defenders slowing up in the last five yards on Laughery's TD.

Illinois just wanted it more.
 
#174      
OrangeBlue98
Illinisnake said:
We have our QB, this kid is good. Freshman mistakes but he’s good.
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To honor Tom Skerritt (who passed away earlier this week) in his role as Viper in Top Gun……

“Keep sending him up!”.

He’s the guy. He’ll make mistakes, but he’s a playmaker. The rest of this season has to be all about giving him the long-term confidence to lead this team.
 
#175      
purcy51
Se Il Illini said:
My thoughts exactly. Four Ducks (I assume DBacks) trailed him into the endzone.
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I'll be honest, I did let the all talk of how athletic Oregon is affect my expectations for this game. And I didn't think we'd win. I was hopeful, but...you know the rest.
When Laughery broke that run outside I at first thought, "he's got a long way to go, they'll catch him". It's funny how one play can change your outlook on a game.
But it wasn't just that play. It was the changes on defense, finally getting into the backfield against the "mighty ducks" OL and the way our guys were flying around creating havoc. Much improvement in tackling too! It was our OL opening holes for our RBs. The way Lunney used both QBs. So much improvement over the bye week.
 
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