Illinois 14, Minnesota 6 Postgame

#152      
With the experience coming back there was hope that this could have been a solid season. Too many holes and we lost winnable games. There is a part of me that is glad that we are not 8-2 or 7-3 right now as we might see a downturn in the next couple of years until BB's recruits get here and get experience. The only wildcard is the transfer portal.
Yes, I am also thrilled that we are not 8-2 or 7-3. That would totally suck.
 
#154      
What amazes me is the defense. Same players (for the most part that Lovie had) and they are really good. Obviously we are challenged on offense. We have Brown and then some more Brown. But no question our defense is good.
I think the thing I will take away from this season is that Josh hired the right guy. We will never be tOSU, but we can for sure be competitive in the BIG West. Learning process and we for sure getting better.
Why not be better than tOSU? Is there some sort of Buckeye fairy dust? Never say never. Just hurry up because I’m getting old.
 
#156      
Two thoughts that spring to mind:

1. Holy cow, take a bow Ryan Walters. If he vs Mike Sanford today were a boxing match, the referee needs to step in and stop the fight. Masterclass, Minny had no clue.

2. It wouldn't be me if I couldn't come up with a negative, I feel like that's the first game this year, win or loss, that really felt like we were carried by the super seniors. Veteran savvy from Peters, great OL performance, Carney and especially Gay had their best performances of the year, it does make you wonder what it looks like when we lose that experience and depth in the trenches.
The newcomers will have been taught by the best instructors, their peers.
 
#158      
Had not the refs made some spurious calls, that Minn scoring drive would have stalled several times on what should have been fourth and long. This game could easily have been 14-0. Couldn’t let THAT happen, now could we.
 
#159      
Why not be better than tOSU? Is there some sort of Buckeye fairy dust? Never say never. Just hurry up because I’m getting old.
Yep that’s where I am at 60 years old and we have always been below the elite. It was fun during the Mike White years when we were competitive. BB I think can get us back to at least thar
 
#160      
I understand the mindset of not wanting to overperform the first session and set expectations too high while trying to rebuild the program but a 8+ won season would go a long way towards recruiting both high school and transfers.

I know we are losing a lot of super seniors this season but we really aren't losing that much production. Based on stats we are bringing back our top QB, top 4 RBs, 2 TEs, essentially all the receivers and 2 starting o linemen although more have been getting play time with that 7 man front. On defense we are bringing back 8 of our top 12 leading tacklers. We have some serious holes to fill in the trenches and some other weaknesses to fix (QB, receivers) but overall there shouldn't be a big drop off next year.
 
#161      
I think Walters would tell you that this defensive success is a product of a total team effort including the assistant coaches (knowledgeable, capable and cooperative), the players (dedicated, disciplined and determined) and the support staff (prepared and persistent).
And a coaching staff that's willing to look at tape, re-evaluate players and in BB's own words, not mine, we made changes that play to our strengths and we made changes that minimize our weaknesses. This is something we have not seen in a while. This approach is helping the student athletes succeed and gain confidence where maybe they haven't in the past. I think we're seeing our team evolve and adapt slowly on both sides of the ball. I think this bodes well for the future; if I were a recruit I'd take note. This staff can coach kids up and the kids get better. Other than improved recruiting, what more can you ask?
 
#162      
I understand the mindset of not wanting to overperform the first session and set expectations too high while trying to rebuild the program but a 8+ won season would go a long way towards recruiting both high school and transfers.

I know we are losing a lot of super seniors this season but we really aren't losing that much production. Based on stats we are bringing back our top QB, top 4 RBs, 2 TEs, essentially all the receivers and 2 starting o linemen although more have been getting play time with that 7 man front. On defense we are bringing back 8 of our top 12 leading tacklers. We have some serious holes to fill in the trenches and some other weaknesses to fix (QB, receivers) but overall there shouldn't be a big drop off next year.
It's the lines that I worry about most BUT I think BB will probably be great at recruiting this particular type of athlete. The big question is can JW and BB keep the staff together for four years so our student athletes don't have to learn a brand new offense/defense every year. Dear baby football Jesus, please keep this staff together for another two to four years. Thank you, amen.
 
#163      

lstewart53x3

Scottsdale, Arizona
It's the lines that I worry about most BUT I think BB will probably be great at recruiting this particular type of athlete. The big question is can JW and BB keep the staff together for four years so our student athletes don't have to learn a brand new offense/defense every year. Dear baby football Jesus, please keep this staff together for another two to four years. Thank you, amen.
I have a feeling that even if we lost a staff member on either side of the ball, our style of play would be fairly consistent with what we see now.
 
#166      

lstewart53x3

Scottsdale, Arizona
I expressly said 2 years ago. You are creating numbers that have nothing to do with my point.
You said, “2 years ago these players knew how to win.”

To disprove your point that these players knew how to win, I simply shared their career stats.

A short winning streak in one season out of their 5 year career does not show that “they know how to win”.
 
#168      

Ransom Stoddard

Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
I can't see why anyone being recruited would want to play offensively in a system like that. The O linemen are not being taught to pass block and the receivers are only allowed to block downfield. I suppose we should only recruit guys with no NFL dreams at all.
It's amazing that BP was able to complete 7/9 passes if this were the case.
 
#170      

DeonThomas

South Carolina
Why not be better than tOSU? Is there some sort of Buckeye fairy dust? Never say never. Just hurry up because I’m getting old.
If you're a bit "older" than some on here, I believe you've already experienced one such 12-year streak where we were considerably better than Ohio State. Here's the Illini record vs. the Buckeyes during a slice of the Mike White, Mackovic and early Lou Tepper regimes:
1983 W Home 17-13
1984 L Away 38-45
1985 W Home 31-28
1986 L Away 0-14
1987 L Home 6-10
1988 W Away 31-12 (Kirk H.)
1989 W Home 34-14 (Kirk H.)
1990 W Away 31-20 (Kirk H.)
1991 W Home 10-7 (Kirk H.)
1992 W Away 18-16 (Kirk H.)
1993 L Home 12-20
1994 W Away 24-10

8 Wins
4 Losses

.667 winning %

The average score over that 12-year stretch was ILLINI 21 vs. osu 17. I also noted Kirk Herbstreit's 5 year record while playing for the Buckeyes. We're all now looking for a repeat under BB!!
 
#171      
You said, “2 years ago these players knew how to win.”

To disprove your point that these players knew how to win, I simply shared their career stats.

A short winning streak in one season out of their 5 year career does not show that “they know how to win”.
1636330509802.png
 
#172      

lstewart53x3

Scottsdale, Arizona
I can't see why anyone being recruited would want to play offensively in a system like that. The O linemen are not being taught to pass block and the receivers are only allowed to block downfield. I suppose we should only recruit guys with no NFL dreams at all.
Huh? Brett Beliema has sent 42 kids to the NFL in his college coaching career.
 
#174      
What we're all going to be doing the moment the gun goes off at the end of the Northwestern game, is playing Quarterback Roulette. Artur? Ryan? Transfer? Incoming freshman? Let the opinionizing begin!

I don't know... I like to think the moment the gun goes off at the end of the Northwestern game I'll be booking my tickets to Detroit.

Save the opinionizing for after the bowl game!