Illini Football 2022
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chiefini
- Rockford, Illinois
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Erik Hall
ESPN broadcaster Rece Davis and college football reporter Pete Thamel discussed the latest College Football Playoff rankings on Wednesday's episode of the "ESPN College GameDay" podcast.
The discussion included the Illinois football team, which is ranked No. 16 in the initial CFP top 25 rankings.
"If they blow through and win the west and play Michigan or Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game and sitting at 11-1, that might be the team farthest off the radar that has a relatively clear — I won't say clear path because that implies they're going to do it — a clearly defined path from being ranked that far back to get into the playoff," Davis said.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
How being on the sideline helps Illini defensive coordinator Ryan Walters make adjustments
Find out why Illinois football defensive coordinator Ryan Walters coaches from the sideline to help him make in-game adjustments.
By Anderson Kimball Decatur (Ill.) Herald & Review
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Ryan Walters was on the sideline, and once he saw Nebraska take the lead in the second quarter, he went straight to Sydney Brown.
The senior safety had been beaten on a deep catch-and-run by Nebraska tight end Travis Vokolek to go up 9-6 with 9:38 left in the second. Walters, the Illinois defensive coordinator, went to assure Brown, who the coaching staff calls a perfectionist, while also giving him a couple of pointers.
A couple tweaks were made. Brown and the defense responded.
Illinois held the Cornhuskers scoreless for the final 39:38 in a 26-9 win. Brown got an interception on the next drive that spearheaded a 20-point run. He’s helped lead the defense’s second-half surge — the Illini have held opponents scoreless after the break five times.
“I had to go and talk to Sydney,” Walters said. “It’s because he holds such a high standard of himself. He realized he let one get away there. To see him sort of log the information, snap out of it and then go play what, I think, was his best game to date ... since I’ve been here, this is the best that I’ve seen Sydney Brown play.”
Those adjustments have been a crucial piece in the Illinois defense’s season as one of the nation’s best. The No. 16 Illini have allowed 17 second-half points through eight games. That average of 2.2 points is best in the nation.
Illini_1979
- Oregon
It's always tough making those preseason predictions. This one didn't age too well. 
Go Illini!
Go Illini!
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Hi might want to consider booting the name “Gridiron Expert”It's always tough making those preseason predictions. This one didn't age too well.
Go Illini!
You could pretty much say that about every single person/website this year. Almost every one had Illinois near 11th in the BIG Ten with a record of 5-7. Anybody who said they saw this coming is lying hard.Hi might want to consider booting the name “Gridiron Expert”
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Just to say it: no one had our schedule being this weak either.
I personally was pitch black pessimistic on this season until we got the news that Palcho was coming back. That gave me a dash of hope that we weren't in just pure rebuild mode along both lines.
But yeah, Calvin Avery and TeRah Edwards (who has quietly been terrific the last couple games) giving us everything Rod Perry did, and particularly Coleman and Jacas being not a replacement but in fact a significant UPGRADE on what Gay and Carney were doing has been a huge surprise. Kendall Smith being a rough approximation of Kerby Joseph, also, big surprise.
We also had way more at WR than anyone realized. The Bielema Ball>Lunney>TDV fit has also worked out in a way that was really uncertain before the season.
It's just all gone right for us so far, not much more to say really. Make hay while the sun is shining.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
TL;DR: it's raining donuts!
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
bummer:
but this preserves a redshirt, which could/should be flippin' huge
but this preserves a redshirt, which could/should be flippin' huge
This. Really love how this has all come together, but a typical west year would have us sitting more like 5-3 and very happy with the progress.
The great news is that we're capitalizing on the opportunity. And unlike other years, I think with the transfer rules it's a bit easier to turn a ship around than in the past, i.e. it's easier to sustain success after a season like this.
Just need to take care of business .
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
This is what is surreal to me and so encouraging. Blah, blah, blah, the West is bad; we get it. But Illinois Football has taken a golden opportunity and (so far) made the absolute most of it, and looked good in doing so! Compare that to 2011, when I remember MANY fans here optimistically talking about how cool it would be that Illinois could very realistically be in the first EVER Big Ten Championship Game that year.
In 2010, we had a fairly promising 7-6 season capped off with a beatdown of Baylor in our bowl game in Houston. Highlights included playing #2 Ohio State relatively tough in Champaign and the beatdown of #25 Northwestern at Wrigley, and three VERY winnable losses to Michigan (65-67 in 3OT), Minnesota (34-38) and an Fresno State (23-25) were all that stood between us and a 9-3 regular season.
Fast forward to 2011, where the only team expected to be THAT good in the "Leaders Division" was Wisconsin, with the rest wide open (plus we got Wisconsin in Champaign that year). We were standing at 6-0 (2-0) and ranked #16 ... even after the OSU loss, we were 6-1 (2-1) and playing at Purdue, while Wisconsin was at MSU (a game they'd lose). We completely folded with the spotlight on us and - as we all know - lost six in a row after being 6-0 for the first time in NCAA history.
It has been amazing, besides the IU travesty of a game, just ... go our way for once. I'll never apologize for a weak schedule or a lucky break here or there; we deserve it!
Plus, without even overlooking MSU or Purdue, we will have a MASSIVE opportunity in Ann Arbor to shut up any and all critics.wow... one player took you out of "pitch-black pessimistic mode"?? could you say more?
When did the freshman of the year award become named after Shaun Alexander? And why? My mind doesn’t go to him when I think of great freshmen. Looked up his freshmen year stats and they are good, but not incredible. He had the huge 290 yard game against LSU, but only had 589 yards and 6 TDs for the season. Seems like there has to be much more impressive freshmen years out there for whom the award could be named. Just seems an odd
Our weak schedule hasn't mattered one bit -- we dominated Wiscy, Gophers and Huskers, and probably would have Iowa as well if DiVito plays the whole game.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Sure.
If our offensive line play drops below a certain level we don't have a competitive team anymore. That's BielemaBall. Even with a great defense, if we're just punting all the time because we can't move the ball we're finished.
Our year 1 OL had some players who were recruited to a different system and in some cases didn't have ideal BielemaBall size and length, but were very, almost unprecedentedly because of the Covid rules, experienced and played quite well. And we faced the prospect of replacing a ton and bringing back very little experience.
I foresaw an offensive line that just wasn't capable of what we needed, and was probably going to be stuck playing a lot of unready players, maybe with bright futures, but who were going to be overmatched in 2022. Think Vederian Lowe as a freshman, or Kendrick Green as a freshman. I thought we were going to be forced into a step back in 2022 to build forward for 2023.
The way OL's work is that you add one good player, especially a tackle, and all of a sudden all 5 positions look better. Isaiah Adams is suddenly a guard. The mystery box of Zy Crisler now has Jordyn Slaughter for cover. The true freshmen are suddenly off the two deep. And so on.
The return of Palcho made me feel like we had a meaningful chance to play real football and to do the things Bielema wants to do. That 2022 could involve progression rather than just taking our lumps in the name of "development". And while it's hard to say he's the difference between 7-1 and 1-7, I do feel like that has made a big big difference and had that cascading effect across the line and across our run game.
Credit also to Crisler who was a way overweight mystery Juco with no offers at the same time Palcho was a projected undrafted NFL free agent. Those have been two of our five best offensive players, arguably.
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Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
That we did. But if our divisional opponents weren't down, perhaps things would be different.
Mind you, I'm not complaining.
That picture of Bret is from his time at Arkansas
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
agree
he's the real deal
I've shared on here before that Im of dutch heritage. Bielema is of dutch heritage. Prophetstown is a dutch communnity . Many such towns exist all over the midwest states. His resemblance to my dad (r.i.p. 2-1-2020 at age 88) and about 1/2 my cousins is uncanny. Same face, same barrel chested body type. I laugh to myself all the time about this.
So glad hes on our sideline and in the head coach's office at the Smith Center. The perfect hire for us, in December 2020. Seriously
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
TIMING in life, and comedy , is EVERYTHING.
I was told that by a super smart jewish partner at Arthur Andersen in 1983 in my first year there.
I really hadnt been told that by anyone until then.
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