Illini Football 2024

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#1      

Dan

Dan
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Dan
Welcome to the Illinois Football 2024 & college football news thread :illinois:


Schedule | Roster



2024 Illini Football (9-3, 6-3)
DateOpponentResult
Thu, Aug 29Eastern IllinoisW 45-0
Sat, Sept 7KansasW 23-17
Sat, Sept 14Central MichiganW 30-9
Fri, Sept 20@NebraskaW 31-24 OT
Sat, Sept 28@Penn StateL 7-21
Sat, Oct 12PurdueW 50-49 OT
Sat, Oct 19MichiganW 21-7
Sat, Oct 26@OregonL 9-38
Sat, Nov 2MinnesotaL 17-25
Sat, Nov 16Michigan StateW 38-16
Sat, Nov 23@RutgersW 38-31
Sat, Nov 30@NorthwesternW 38-28
Tue, Dec 31South Carolina
(Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL)		2:00pm ABC

All times CT
 
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#3      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
Fun Q to think about: what was the most disappointing effort this year?

Which of the 3? - Looking completely incompetent and clowned by Oregon? That Purdue performance, especially the 2nd half? Or the Minnesota game?
 
#5      
From the cheap seats
Hank Beatty finished the regular season as the No. 3 punt returner in the nation…and No. 1 in the B1G!
His fearless ability to return almost every punt (and averaging more than 14 yards) was key to giving the Illini good field position. That helps open up the playbook in addition to all of the other obvious effects of good field position.
 
#7      
Illini in Italy
From the cheap seats said:
Hank Beatty finished the regular season as the No. 3 punt returner in the nation…and No. 1 in the B1G!
His fearless ability to return almost every punt (and averaging more than 14 yards) was key to giving the Illini good field position. That helps open up the playbook in addition to all of the other obvious effects of good field position.
Click to expand...
And based on what he and his teammates delivered in both kick and punt returns, that's 50 yards every game the offense did not have to gain.
 
#8      
OrangeBlue98
Battle89 said:
Purdue second half and it’s not close.
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While this is probably the right answer, the Minnesota game still gnaws at me. To think that losing at home to the Walking Success Poster kept Illinois from a very real possibility at a CFP spot is still tough to swallow.

(But I do think that for the long-term future of the program at this point in time, getting practices in a bowl game situation instead of a playoff situation is more beneficial. You obviously want to win the bowl game, but getting the younger players and those who maybe didn't get a lot of reps some of that time will be invaluable.)
 
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#9      
RabidDawgClassic
Dan said:
Welcome to the Illinois Football 2024 & college football news thread :illinois:


Schedule | Roster



2024 Illini Football (9-3, 6-3)
DateOpponentResult
Thu, Aug 29Eastern IllinoisW 45-0
Sat, Sept 7KansasW 23-17
Sat, Sept 14Central MichiganW 30-9
Fri, Sept 20@NebraskaW 31-24 OT
Sat, Sept 28@Penn StateL 7-21
Sat, Oct 12PurdueW 50-49 OT
Sat, Oct 19MichiganW 21-7
Sat, Oct 26@OregonL 9-38
Sat, Nov 2MinnesotaL 17-25
Sat, Nov 16Michigan StateW 38-16
Sat, Nov 23@RutgersW 38-31
Sat, Nov 30@NorthwesternW 38-28

All times CT
Click to expand...
J Leman said at the beginning of the year that if this team scores 30 points per game, we’d win every game. He was almost right, with Oregon being the lone exception.
 
#10      
Illini2010-11
Battle89 said:
Purdue second half and it’s not close.
Click to expand...
Exactly. I have never left the stadium feeling so disgusted after a victory. It was even worse when fans rushed the field (like the fans seriously rushed the field for beating a team that ended season 1-11)! It was nearly a program setting disaster had Illinois not forced OT. Not to mention that performance was coming out of a bye.
 
#11      
RabidDawgClassic
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
Fun Q to think about: what was the most disappointing effort this year?

Which of the 3? - Looking completely incompetent and clowned by Oregon? That Purdue performance, especially the 2nd half? Or the Minnesota game?
Click to expand...
I’d say the Minnesota game. The Oregon game we greatly suspected would be brutal and, as bad as the Purdue second half was, winning curbed the disappointment. But Minnesota was a winnable game at home against an opponent who you’ve frustrated the last three years. A loss wasn’t surprising, but it was disappointing.
 
#12      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
Battle89 said:
Purdue second half and it’s not close.
Click to expand...
Illini2010-11 said:
Exactly. I have never left the stadium feeling so disgusted after a victory. It was even worse when fans rushed the field (like the fans seriously rushed the field for beating a team that ended season 1-11)! It was nearly a program setting disaster had Illinois not forced OT. Not to mention that performance was coming out of a bye.
Click to expand...
I mean, you did win the game so 🤷‍♂️
 
#13      
Mr. Tibbs
Illini2010-11 said:
Exactly. I have never left the stadium feeling so disgusted after a victory. It was even worse when fans rushed the field (like the fans seriously rushed the field for beating a team that ended season 1-11)! It was nearly a program setting disaster had Illinois not forced OT. Not to mention that performance was coming out of a bye.
Click to expand...
yup
seriously , one of the most , if not the most , disappointing victories we’ve been part of
 
#14      
Fly Illini Fly!
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
Fun Q to think about: what was the most disappointing effort this year?

Which of the 3? - Looking completely incompetent and clowned by Oregon? That Purdue performance, especially the 2nd half? Or the Minnesota game?
Click to expand...
Purdue was the worst performance. By "worst" I mean you played the worst.

But we won the game so it wasn't the most disappointing. Most disappointing was Minnesota.
 
#16      
Battle89
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
I mean, you did win the game so 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
Your question specifically mentioned effort, not results. It’s still not close.

Oregon is #1 and even a poor showing is not an embarrassment there.

Minnesota was a game against a relatively equal team and things did not go our way. Plus many here downplayed them since ‘we always beat them’, which is silly. Past performance, future results, not indicative, etc.

Purdue was an embarrassment for the effort and results of that second half. And the win was more a Purdue loss by choosing to go for two when they did not need to.
 
#19      
OskeeLoyalty
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
Fun Q to think about: what was the most disappointing effort this year?

Which of the 3? - Looking completely incompetent and clowned by Oregon? That Purdue performance, especially the 2nd half? Or the Minnesota game?
Click to expand...
For me it's definitely MN. Oregon was a bummer but the worst case scenario we had anticipated, and Purdue (as crappy as the second half was) gave me some of my favorite OT moments with the incredible Byrant TD and the sack to end it which reminded me of the Nebraska win. MN was just a winnable game.... I know they are good, but we are better and just dropped the ball in my opinion. NOT SAD AT ALL with a 9-win season, super stoked and proud of the boys, but to answer your question that is the what-if game for me.
 
#20      
squeezegame
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
Fun Q to think about: what was the most disappointing effort this year?

Which of the 3? - Looking completely incompetent and clowned by Oregon? That Purdue performance, especially the 2nd half? Or the Minnesota game?
Click to expand...
This is such an Illinois lose lose mindset. This team just won it's 9TH GAME. it's bowling. Recruits are flocking. And you want to dissect on our three losses and relive the worst?

Great year Bret! We're bowling... we're going to have NFL draft picks... what was our best win? Maybe Nebraska on the road? Maybe it was holding onto the Purdue win and saving the season. And Bielema has done this brick by brick - he didn't get a bunch of 4 or 5 star recruits when he signed on... love this year & program
 
#21      
zentrails
From the cheap seats said:
Hank Beatty finished the regular season as the No. 3 punt returner in the nation…and No. 1 in the B1G!
His fearless ability to return almost every punt (and averaging more than 14 yards) was key to giving the Illini good field position. That helps open up the playbook in addition to all of the other obvious effects of good field position.
Click to expand...
Yep, a key to the season and he didn't fumble away any of them.
 
#22      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
Not necessarily "relive the worst" - just to reflect on the year that was. I think it's okay to reflect on both the good and the bad - if you completely ignore one side you're not enough willing to recognize the totality, and therefore, make continued progress. But I do agree the good far outweighed the bad this year.

Just a rhetorical question to get you thinking. Sorry you're offended.
 
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#23      
mhuml32
Big Ten SP+ (outside of Oregon, Ohio State, & Penn State) with change from preseason:


11- Indiana (up 70)
16 - Iowa (up 8)
25 - USC (exact same)
33 - Michigan (down 26)
34 - Minnesota (up 13)
41 - Illinois (up 20)
53- Rutgers (down 4)
54 - Nebraska (down 12)
57 - Washington (down 25)
64- Wisconsin (down 28)
76- UCLA (down 39)
89 - Maryland (down 43)
92- Michigan State (down 20)
102 - Northwestern (down 27)
121 - Purdue (down 53)
 
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