Illini Football 2016
Wisconsin's stud offensive lineman, Dan Voltz just announced he is retiring from football due to injury issues. Feel terrible for him... he was a second team All-American and was likely to make an NFL team next year.
UW's remaining offensive line looks pretty weak. From what I am reading, they will be starting 4 sophomores and 1 junior up front.
Perhaps that game moves closer to the "toss up" category.
UW's remaining offensive line looks pretty weak. From what I am reading, they will be starting 4 sophomores and 1 junior up front.
Perhaps that game moves closer to the "toss up" category.
If Crouch plays a lot then we are in big trouble. Teams are going to put 8 in the box and make Lunt beat them. If Crouch is in, they'll have all 11 in the box.
If Crouch plays a lot then we are in big trouble. Teams are going to put 8 in the box and make Lunt beat them. If Crouch is in, they'll have all 11 in the box.
Crouch can throw from what I've seen it isn't as accurate as lunts but he's got strength
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Yeah, that's what I said.
They wanna be a run first team they say and play off the play action....same way mcgee did with mallet.....it worked till OSU keyed on it and it cost the the sugar bowl back in 2011....
But expect too see McGee use terms ally like DJ Hendricks from that year too..Vaughn with at least 300 carries like Nile davis
UNC 2016 (long)
saw that some of you were curious about the Tar Heels so here goes:
new starting QB is Mitch Trubisky, 2012 Mr. Ohio Football
redshirt junior 6'3', 220
last year 40 of 47, 6-TDs, 0-INTs, 555 yards
ran 16 times for 100+ yards 3-TDs, 0-fumbles
most think he is a better passer than Marquise Williams (now a rookie, Green Bay) but probably not a better runner although he is Fedora's first QB recruit and Fed only recruits dual threat QBs; his favorite target might be our starting TE Brandon Fritts, his high school teammate (Mentor, Ohio) but we also like our trio of starting WRs as much as any group in Div.1...
we are high on Trubisky, among other reasons, because three of those completions came when he had to come in cold off the bench for one play because of Williams' helmet coming off or injury; two were immediate touchdown passes (UVa, later that team in red), and the third was in the ACC champ. game against Clemson late in the second half when we were facing 3rd and 16 and he immediately completed a 20 yarder converting the first down and keeping that scoring drive alive, something I'm not sure his predecessor would have accomplished which is why even during an 11 game winning streak many felt Trubisky should have been starting...
even when you're winning the backup QB can be the most popular guy on the team...
we don't think he'll rattle easily but it will be his first time starting...
backup will be Nathan Elliott a kid from TX, son of a coach who ran and passed so well in fall camp that 4-star Caleb Henderson decided to transfer this past weekend...
no way Mitch continues to hit 85%+ of his passes but he won't need to because of our RBs
Elijah Hood 1463 yards last year (7.7 ypc)
6'1" 230 and all muscle, kind of a freak of nature
he decided to hit the weight room to improve so his squat is now 635 lbs. (he is forbidden by our weight training staff to add any more to his squat because there would be no real strength gain but he might hurt himself)...
excellent speed, great power...
y'all are gonna' have to gang tackle him as he doesn't believe one or two guys should ever be able to bring him down...
he actually likes contact and shares that with two former Tar Heels, Jimmy Hitchcock and Lawrence Taylor, so he believes he should be the one delivering the hit...
back up is also a freak, but of a different kind: TJ Logan, 6'1", 195 who runs a 4.3 40...
I know, I know, no way, right? look at his highlights on Youtube and you see player after player taking the wrong angle and then being stunned that they can't get a hand on him as he goes by, and you will see what I'm talking about...
Hood bruises the opposing D for a few series and when they get tired in comes Logan to burn them...
both must catch passes coming out of the backfield in our offense and a LB will have trouble staying with Hood, but staying with Logan is a whole
different matter...
O-line is rated top 10 in Div.1 per Athlon, and upper class dominated, many combined starts with two on pace to break the UNC record for O-Line starts (we have recruited well in this area)...
we expect our O, which averaged over 40 points a game last year, to score early and often but last season they had to since UNC had problems stopping the run...
D was most improved in Div. 1 last year statistically (although they didn't look like it in the last two games) and now that some youngsters got their feet wet last season we expect a lot more but nobody really knows...
Pro Football Focus did say we have the best pair of starting cornerbacks in the NCAA, Dez Lawrence, MJ Stewart, and one publication named Stewart a 1st team, pre-season, All American...
Safeties are veteran and good, quality backups here as well as the corners...
Front 7 may be much improved and are big, strong and athletic, with DEs being our biggest worry, two new starting LBs who played last year...
Special teams are solid,
Logan returns kickoffs and is always a threat
Ryan Switzer (starting slot receiver) returns punts and the next one he takes to the house will tie the NCAA career record for punts returned for touchdowns...
new Australian punter - Tom Sheldon, formerly Aussie Rules Football...
I'm sure there are topics I haven't covered and I will stop by later if there are questions but we have a big game one week earlier in Atlanta against UGa which will be televised so you will be able to see for yourselves unless it is the same time as your home game on 9/3...
I'll be watching that game in the parking lot of Qualcomm as I tailgate with my son a recent SDSU grad (we are Aztec season ticket holders) and we expect those Aztecs to be very good this year...
this is just my opinion, to beat UNC your offense is gonna' have to move the ball a lot which will keep our O off the field and add to your score, but if you start going 3 and out it's going to be a very long day for the Illini; last year the Heels were #1 in the NCAA in yards per play and most of us actually expect the offense to be better but this is an early season game so who knows...
saw that some of you were curious about the Tar Heels so here goes:
new starting QB is Mitch Trubisky, 2012 Mr. Ohio Football
redshirt junior 6'3', 220
last year 40 of 47, 6-TDs, 0-INTs, 555 yards
ran 16 times for 100+ yards 3-TDs, 0-fumbles
most think he is a better passer than Marquise Williams (now a rookie, Green Bay) but probably not a better runner although he is Fedora's first QB recruit and Fed only recruits dual threat QBs; his favorite target might be our starting TE Brandon Fritts, his high school teammate (Mentor, Ohio) but we also like our trio of starting WRs as much as any group in Div.1...
we are high on Trubisky, among other reasons, because three of those completions came when he had to come in cold off the bench for one play because of Williams' helmet coming off or injury; two were immediate touchdown passes (UVa, later that team in red), and the third was in the ACC champ. game against Clemson late in the second half when we were facing 3rd and 16 and he immediately completed a 20 yarder converting the first down and keeping that scoring drive alive, something I'm not sure his predecessor would have accomplished which is why even during an 11 game winning streak many felt Trubisky should have been starting...
even when you're winning the backup QB can be the most popular guy on the team...
we don't think he'll rattle easily but it will be his first time starting...
backup will be Nathan Elliott a kid from TX, son of a coach who ran and passed so well in fall camp that 4-star Caleb Henderson decided to transfer this past weekend...
no way Mitch continues to hit 85%+ of his passes but he won't need to because of our RBs
Elijah Hood 1463 yards last year (7.7 ypc)
6'1" 230 and all muscle, kind of a freak of nature
he decided to hit the weight room to improve so his squat is now 635 lbs. (he is forbidden by our weight training staff to add any more to his squat because there would be no real strength gain but he might hurt himself)...
excellent speed, great power...
y'all are gonna' have to gang tackle him as he doesn't believe one or two guys should ever be able to bring him down...
he actually likes contact and shares that with two former Tar Heels, Jimmy Hitchcock and Lawrence Taylor, so he believes he should be the one delivering the hit...
back up is also a freak, but of a different kind: TJ Logan, 6'1", 195 who runs a 4.3 40...
I know, I know, no way, right? look at his highlights on Youtube and you see player after player taking the wrong angle and then being stunned that they can't get a hand on him as he goes by, and you will see what I'm talking about...
Hood bruises the opposing D for a few series and when they get tired in comes Logan to burn them...
both must catch passes coming out of the backfield in our offense and a LB will have trouble staying with Hood, but staying with Logan is a whole
different matter...
O-line is rated top 10 in Div.1 per Athlon, and upper class dominated, many combined starts with two on pace to break the UNC record for O-Line starts (we have recruited well in this area)...
we expect our O, which averaged over 40 points a game last year, to score early and often but last season they had to since UNC had problems stopping the run...
D was most improved in Div. 1 last year statistically (although they didn't look like it in the last two games) and now that some youngsters got their feet wet last season we expect a lot more but nobody really knows...
Pro Football Focus did say we have the best pair of starting cornerbacks in the NCAA, Dez Lawrence, MJ Stewart, and one publication named Stewart a 1st team, pre-season, All American...
Safeties are veteran and good, quality backups here as well as the corners...
Front 7 may be much improved and are big, strong and athletic, with DEs being our biggest worry, two new starting LBs who played last year...
Special teams are solid,
Logan returns kickoffs and is always a threat
Ryan Switzer (starting slot receiver) returns punts and the next one he takes to the house will tie the NCAA career record for punts returned for touchdowns...
new Australian punter - Tom Sheldon, formerly Aussie Rules Football...
I'm sure there are topics I haven't covered and I will stop by later if there are questions but we have a big game one week earlier in Atlanta against UGa which will be televised so you will be able to see for yourselves unless it is the same time as your home game on 9/3...
I'll be watching that game in the parking lot of Qualcomm as I tailgate with my son a recent SDSU grad (we are Aztec season ticket holders) and we expect those Aztecs to be very good this year...
this is just my opinion, to beat UNC your offense is gonna' have to move the ball a lot which will keep our O off the field and add to your score, but if you start going 3 and out it's going to be a very long day for the Illini; last year the Heels were #1 in the NCAA in yards per play and most of us actually expect the offense to be better but this is an early season game so who knows...
Long is an understatement.
Just kidding, thanks for the post. Like you said, in an early season game who knows. That's why I don't read too much into the result.
But one battle I will be playing close attention to is your O-line vs our D-line. That sounds like it will be a good matchup.
Just kidding, thanks for the post. Like you said, in an early season game who knows. That's why I don't read too much into the result.
But one battle I will be playing close attention to is your O-line vs our D-line. That sounds like it will be a good matchup.
I was not a Marquise Williams fan, I can buy UNC improving with a new QB.
Going to be a very, very tough test. I can't decide whether I'd rather they beat Georgia and come in hot and overconfident, or lose to Georgia and come in angry but with the wheels twitching on the season.
Going to be a very, very tough test. I can't decide whether I'd rather they beat Georgia and come in hot and overconfident, or lose to Georgia and come in angry but with the wheels twitching on the season.
The future is very bright. I am very impressed with Lovie and his staff so far. I have to remind myself to temper expectations the first couple years, but I think they will get the job done in the medium-long term.
S n C, there are many Tar Heels who agree with you about Marquise especially when it comes to throwing the ball, but he's really big (for a QB), not so much tall as filled out, and a powerful runner so he may switch to TE or FB in the pros...
he has a really strong arm but a lot of Heel fans felt he never developed "touch" which affected play selection and I've lost count of how many times he has overthrown a wide open receiver, no matter how far downfield...
also forgot, our OC Seth Littrell was hired away (as a HC) and our O-Line coach Chris Kapilovic was promoted to OC although he is going to remain down on the field during games so dnk what impact that will have on our offense...
Kapilovic was with Fedora at So. Miss. before he came to UNC, but never an OC before and I've always thought an OC should be up in the box from which he can see the entire field...
also they said they were gonna' share play calling duties which raises the spectre of that age old problem too many chiefs and not enough Indians; if anyone can appreciate the importance of having one chief I imagine the Illini can...
count me among the nervous until I see how this works...
thankfully, the defensive staff remains the same...
he has a really strong arm but a lot of Heel fans felt he never developed "touch" which affected play selection and I've lost count of how many times he has overthrown a wide open receiver, no matter how far downfield...
also forgot, our OC Seth Littrell was hired away (as a HC) and our O-Line coach Chris Kapilovic was promoted to OC although he is going to remain down on the field during games so dnk what impact that will have on our offense...
Kapilovic was with Fedora at So. Miss. before he came to UNC, but never an OC before and I've always thought an OC should be up in the box from which he can see the entire field...
also they said they were gonna' share play calling duties which raises the spectre of that age old problem too many chiefs and not enough Indians; if anyone can appreciate the importance of having one chief I imagine the Illini can
...count me among the nervous until I see how this works...
thankfully, the defensive staff remains the same...
blackdog
- Champaign
He was basically Juice Williams for you guys. Exact same skill set.
I'm going to go with a win against Iowa. I wasn't impressed with them last year, even though we lost. I thought we had a chance all the way to the end. And that was on the road.
I'm with you. I've been counting that as a win all along.
I'm not sure what our record will be. I am excited to have an improving defense and an experienced quarterback. The real difference will obviously be coaching. I expect to win the games we are supposed to and have a fighting chance in toss ups. The real turn around begins when we knock off someone. Just glad there is some optimism in Illini football!
I understand we're underdogs, but if we beat UNC I'll cry like a child.
Probably a bit early in the process to expect it but I'd love it!
I'm hoping for a Cincinnati-like outcome from a few years back. Had absolutely no expectations for a win heading in, but end up dominating. Just hope the rest of the season turns out better.
I believe if our dline shuts down their rb and force them to win by throwing I believe we can compete in this game and win it big
It's gonna take a lot to shut their RB. If we do it's gonna be because we allocated a lot of resources his way. That opens up the QB run as we all know. That is the scary part, as it still keeps their offense balanced.
Hardy Nickerson Jr.
If Hardy can keep the QB in check with the running game that might be the key.
orangeswarm76
- hastings Nebraska
Watched btn show last night I give props to McGee for throwing the whole Wes Lunt never getting the publicity and nobody talks about him. I sat back and smirked the whole time.