Illini Football 2022

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#126      

New Creation

N
New Creation
https://www.streakingthelawn.com/20...fighting-illini-opponent-preview-bret-bielema

For their second game of the 2022 campaign, the Virginia Cavaliers will travel to Champaign on September 10 to finish out a home-and-home series with the Illinois Fighting Illini. In their second year under head coach Bret Bielema, Illinois is seeking to build upon a season in which they came tantalizingly close to their first bowl game since 2019, finishing 5-7 with four one-score losses. With a question mark at quarterback, they’ll seek to further establish a slow-paced, run-heavy, and bruising identity.
 
#127      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
illini80 said:
He’s been described as a better version of Brandon Peters by Werner. Good Brandon was actually a pretty solid QB. Unfortunately, early season he was bad Brandon much of the time. I guess we will find out in a couple weeks!
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Peters was an elite recruit, and came to us from Michigan earlier in his career, but nonetheless his prior record had nothing anywhere near as good or as substantial as DeVito's 2019 season. Peters came in with 110 career pass attempts, DeVito has 572.

So I'd say Peters was more potentially promising, but more of a mystery.

illini0440 said:
Play calling has a lot to do with it too and I think you’ll see a play caller this year who really understands his personnel and QB
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I actually thought Petersen's play calling was often his strength and he was sometimes pretty creative in that regard, but in general I just don't think he was Big Ten level good enough as was plainly apparent from his resume and my hope and expectation is that Lunney is an improvement in just a million little subtle ways on and off the field that lifts our offensive performance without substantially changing who we are or what we do.
 
#128      

GILL-INOIS

G
GILL-INOIS
Not addressing any particular post but just some of the Brandon Peters talk. He was the #6 ranked QB in a class where I think at least 17 of the top 25 QBs ended up transferring locations. This was the 2016 class, so take some of the recruit rankings with a grain of salt. Not sure if he had a transfer rating like they do now, but he was a .9684 rating out of HS. I wish nothing but the best for the young man but he regressed during his time playing college football. Injuries, supporting cast, Covid, playcalling can play into it but so can his inconsistent play.

Michigan 8 games

Completion Percentage 52.7% 4 TD 3 INT 110 pass attempts


Illinois First 3 games against Akron, UConn and Eastern Michigan

Completion Percentage 63.2% 9TD 2 INT 95 pass attempts


Illinois Last 22 games

Completion Percentage 51.7% 19TD 10 INT 429 pass attempts


Illinois Last 22 games

5 games with 2+ TD passes

8 games with 1 TD pass

9 games with no TD pass
 
#129      

MoCoMdIllini

MoCoMdIllini
Montgomery County, Maryland
MoCoMdIllini
Illinivek23 said:
From Chargers.com - QB preview:

"Peters was signed as an undrafted free agent this spring after a strong college career that saw him play at Michigan and Indiana"

Ouch...
Click to expand...

"Oh! My first wife is from Ohio."
 
#130      

MoCoMdIllini

MoCoMdIllini
Montgomery County, Maryland
MoCoMdIllini
MoCoMdIllini said:
"Oh! My first wife is from Ohio."
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Oh I twisted it.

The scene from The Big Picture had the young writer saying he was from Ohio and the LA studio exec saying "oh really? My first wife is from Illinois."

Illinois-Indiana-Ohio is all flyover country to them.
 
#131      

GForce

GForce
GForce
illini80 said:
He’s been described as a better version of Brandon Peters by Werner. Good Brandon was actually a pretty solid QB. Unfortunately, early season he was bad Brandon much of the time. I guess we will find out in a couple weeks!
Click to expand...
With the right QB coach, I think Peters would've fared a lot better here. He never seemed comfortable, the offense and what he was asked to do were ill-suited to his strengths.
On the other hand, what little I've seen of Devito, he's a bit of a gunslinger, which goes against the type of QB Bielema seems to like (game mgr, no TOs).
 
#132      

Ransom Stoddard

Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
Ransom Stoddard
MoCoMdIllini said:
Oh I twisted it.

The scene from The Big Picture had the young writer saying he was from Ohio and the LA studio exec saying "oh really? My first wife is from Illinois."

Illinois-Indiana-Ohio is all flyover country to them.
Click to expand...
I love that movie. I watched it several months back and most of it has held up pretty well.
 
#134      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
Mr. Tibbs said:
I think QB 1, QB2, & QB3 are all going to get meaningful snaps this year, mostly due to guys getting banged up.
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I would guesstimate the median number of true QB's taking any snaps in a season at the average Power Five program is in the neighborhood of 2.5, maybe a touch higher.

But MEANINGFUL snaps, like, say, half a game's worth, would be bad news if we have to use 3 guys. That's not the baseline expectation.

I read we hadn't had the same starter the entire season since Nate Scheelhaase. That's a rotten run to be on.
 
#135      

Mr. Tibbs

Mr. Tibbs
southeast DuPage
Mr. Tibbs
ChiefGritty said:
I would guesstimate the median number of true QB's taking any snaps in a season at the average Power Five program is in the neighborhood of 2.5, maybe a touch higher.

But MEANINGFUL snaps, like, say, half a game's worth, would be bad news if we have to use 3 guys. That's not the baseline expectation.

I read we hadn't had the same starter the entire season since Nate Scheelhaase. That's a rotten run to be on.
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meaningful is the word . I'm not talking about 2 snaps in a given game.
I just think QB 1 or QB 2 are both going to have some time on the IR. hopefully not at the same time and not for long.
 
#136      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
Mr. Tibbs said:
meaningful is the word . I'm not talking about 2 snaps in a given game.
I just think QB 1 or QB 2 are both going to have some time on the IR. hopefully not at the same time and not for long.
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Both guys have checkered injury histories so it would hardly be shocking, but we're in big time trouble if we have to go to QB3.

Bielema-ball does tend to keep a QB relatively free of danger, doubly so if we've taken Tony Petersen's "slowest-developing play actions imaginable" page out of the playbook.
 
#137      

Mr. Tibbs

Mr. Tibbs
southeast DuPage
Mr. Tibbs
no one wants to see anyone get hurt. but guys losing time to injury is part of every sport . see White Sox , 2022
but I also know sometimes an injury or illness allows someone else to get a chance to play. see Lou Gehrig , 1925

you cant worry about it, as it doesn't help so I dont
 
#138      

Ransom Stoddard

Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
Ransom Stoddard
GILL-INOIS said:
I noticed a rotten program run that was alarming to me the other day. Since joining the Big Ten in the 1950's, Illinois has never had a head coach win 2 Bowl Games at all with this program. Time for that to change with BB at the helm!
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Illinois has been in the Big Ten since 1896. Ray Eliot won in 1946 and 1951, and we had back-to-backs in 2010-2011 with Vic coaching Zooks team in 11 (so yes, not the same coach, but same "program").
 
#139      

Ransom Stoddard

Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
Ransom Stoddard
Ransom Stoddard said:
Illinois has been in the Big Ten since 1896. Ray Eliot won in 1946 and 1951, and we had back-to-backs in 2010-2011 with Vic coaching Zooks team in 11 (so yes, not the same coach, but same "program").
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Too late to edit--I should have also added that our bowl record, as well as our number of bowl appearances, is ghastly.
 
#140      

Pennsy

P
Pennsy
Illini in Italy said:
Last year I was able to attend my first home game since 1984 (I graduated in ‘85). The one thing I’d ask for in terms of change would be to get rid of those freakin’ aluminum benches with their 12” allocation for my 24” behind! The most uncomfortable stadium seating experience I‘ve EVER had! (Yeah, I’m a little bit wider today than 38 years ago, but even back then for my 6’4” skinny behind the seats sucked! )
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Bob Blackman put those in. But replacing benches with what? Different benches? It's still up to the DIA Butt Measuring Department to do the new delineation.
 
#142      

Illinivek23

Illinivek23
Gurnee
Illinivek23
How long have Big Ten teams, other than the champion that plays the PAC-12 champ, been going to bowl games?

(Google skills are lacking tonight)
 
#143      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
Illinivek23 said:
How long have Big Ten teams, other than the champion that plays the PAC-12 champ, been going to bowl games?

(Google skills are lacking tonight)
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1975. Bo Schembechler threw a tantrum after the controversial vote to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl in 1973 (the game had been a tie) and naturally the conference did whatever he and Michigan wanted.
 
#145      

IlliniFan85

IlliniFan85
Colorado Springs, CO
IlliniFan85
Ransom Stoddard said:
Illinois has been in the Big Ten since 1896. Ray Eliot won in 1946 and 1951, and we had back-to-backs in 2010-2011 with Vic coaching Zooks team in 11 (so yes, not the same coach, but same "program").
Click to expand...
I could be wrong (happens way too often) but I believe this is also only time we have ever won back to back bowl games.
 
#146      

illiniguy

illiniguy
illiniguy
Illinivek23 said:
From Chargers.com - QB preview:

"Peters was signed as an undrafted free agent this spring after a strong college career that saw him play at Michigan and Indiana"

Ouch...
Click to expand...

Image of Looks like University of Illinois.
 
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#148      

IllinoisssssssVarsity

I
IllinoisssssssVarsity
illini0440 said:
Play calling has a lot to do with it too and I think you’ll see a play caller this year who really understands his personnel and QB
Click to expand...
2 questions

1) how much of not going for some of those 4th downs last year was BB conservative play calling preference vs not trusting TP to dial up the right play?

2) Do you mean that our new OC will actually take advantage of TDV’s mobility while also having different plays at the ready (just in case) for a qb who might be more of an in the pocket type? Because that would show competence but I don’t want to get excited and be let down.
 
#150      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
I don’t follow “the off-season” as much with football as I do for hoops, so a lot of my excitement could be blind optimism/getting caught up in the pageantry of college football being just around the corner. However, I am really intrigued to see Devito at QB. Our style won’t be reliant on some all-conference playmaker, and I love that Bret’s defensive scheme seems to keep us in most games. Just avoiding a few ill-timed, costly mistakes last year literally could have gotten us 8 wins … typing that seems ridiculous, but it’s true!

Point is, we have proven we can stay in the vast majority of games, and competent QB play is all we need for our offense. Really hoping Tommy can deliver, because if he can … we can really have a breakout season!
 
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