Illinois 24, Ball State 21 POSTGAME
blackdog
- Champaign
A little combo of both. Couple plays he had a defender right on him as soon he finished his drop back and had no chance to make a play. He did miss a couple of throws deep to Turner where he was pretty open. Overall accuracy wasn't terrible though.
Call me crazy but I think I'd feel better about the team and program if we switch places with Ball State in this game. One team dominated every aspect of the game, but had 2 costly turnovers. The other was completely outclassed at the line of scrimmage but came up with 2 huge turnovers and good special teams play.
IlliniRocketFan
- Rochester, IL
It funny how Crouch's problem seems to be the bad Oline, but Lunt's problem was his inability to move out of the pocket. How many times was our "mobile" QB sacked today. With the Oline play for the last few years, any QB will look sub par. I will miss hitting open receivers for big gains. It was a good thing we didn't have any 3 and outs today...whew I was tired of that the last couple of years. How about we stay on this year now.
Crouch will be fine when they can shore up the Oline and today was a good way to shake off the rust.
I'm willing to suspend judgment on Crouch for now. He started the game something like 5 for 7 and then hit a rough patch. Two more completions and he would have been over 60 percent. On the other hand, this was the worst secondary that we'll face this year. There's enough room for improvement for both the offense and the defense that it's premature to single out one or two guys for the overall quality of play. This game refocused attention that we are a young, inexperienced team. From here on out, we're the underdogs. It's going to be a messy year, but given time, there are enough bright spots to create optimism.
Can't remember a QB since Kittner that has been able to do that.
Anyways, line play hasn't exactly been stellar under Lovie. Both lines need to improve quickly for us to have a shot at another win this season.
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EfremWinters84
- S. Carolina
Got home late after watching the Clemson/Kent State game in person, so I just watched the Illini game on Tivo. Congrats to the guys on win #1 this season!!
My primary take-away after watching these two games (4 teams) over the past 8 hours is this.......
Clemson is still a clear-cut Top 10 team. The three other teams are middle-of-the-pack MAC teams. We just aren't very good. There is such an incredible difference in the talent level. Unfortunately, 2-10 still sounds pretty realistic for this season. I think we beat Rutgers and then have to come up with two upsets to surpass the 3.5 over/under.
Hope I'm wrong. Go ILLINI!!
My primary take-away after watching these two games (4 teams) over the past 8 hours is this.......
Clemson is still a clear-cut Top 10 team. The three other teams are middle-of-the-pack MAC teams. We just aren't very good. There is such an incredible difference in the talent level. Unfortunately, 2-10 still sounds pretty realistic for this season. I think we beat Rutgers and then have to come up with two upsets to surpass the 3.5 over/under.
Hope I'm wrong. Go ILLINI!!
JDHalfrack
- Springfield, IL
There is light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel is just a couple years long, though. We have SUCH a young team, but we are starting to get a team full of Lovie's guys. The right coaching does wonders.
The light is there, but the tunnel is long. Just hang in there!
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
There should be some good signs starting next year (or at the end of this year). A lot of talented freshmen + a year of experience + another group of talented freshmen + friendly 2019 schedule = 6-6 season?
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
We will not, and should not, be favored in any games the rest of the way. I hope we can pull a couple out, but I am not holding my breath.
DiLauro didn't start lovie said due to injury.
First 3 series he wasn't in. We couldn't do anything on O.
67 steps in at OT and ALL our run plays are either him pulling and lead blocking or run to his side.
67 IS the best OL guy we got.
For whoever mentioned our "OTs" were beat all day needs to rewatch the game.
Megginson is an absolute liability at OT. Barely average on the run and just bad in pass pro.
The fact that McGee wouldn't continue to run the ball until they consistently stopped us is a head scratcher. Especially with Epstein.
Whoever said " our freshman corners got abused all game" also needs to rewatch the game.
Adams #6 was very very good. Hobbs #8 is the one that was getting picked on. But I wouldn't worry. Young kids. Will have grown pains. But let's not group Adams into that. He played very well.
Main take aways from Being at the game today:
Our OL will clearly dictate our wins and losses. DiLauro is our best OL and he was sealing holes and pancaking people left and right. Everyone else was "blah". Megs grade out of this game will be awful. For a "4* in state kid" everyone was going crazy about, he's not playing to the level he needs to play. Allegretti was average. Kramer did well before injury.
Our secondary when Dunlap gets healthy will be prettt good. LBs will be a solid group with Phillips progressing and stepping up.
DL against the run was almost a solid grade. Pass rush is the big issue. Crawford p, whenever he gets through his suspension will help in the pass rush.
But again our OLine will dictate how bad or well we do this year.
I cannot honestly give Crouch an assessment due to the blah OL play. If we can even improve a small amount on the OL I think Crouch has the tools and mentality to run this offense well. Until that happens, Crouch will be digging himself out of a hole.
A lot of young kids means growing pains. Still think we have a great start to the rebuild of this program. Kids getting vital experience and learning on the job.
Finally again. Only because it was so clear and obvious. Watch when 67 wasn't in the game to when he was in and you tell me who is the best OL guy we have is? Who was lead blocker or running right behind him 98% of the run plays? Cause it's not Allegretti and it surely is NOT Megs.
And just one last thing. To all the "reporters, columnists, analysts" can we please start being a little more even keel when you talk about players and our team so many fans want to hear about? I'm getting pretty tired of reading how someone thinks "name of freshman or young kid" is a "monster" or a for sure "NFL player". Let's pull it back a bit and not crown kids before they even play one snap.
First 3 series he wasn't in. We couldn't do anything on O.
67 steps in at OT and ALL our run plays are either him pulling and lead blocking or run to his side.
67 IS the best OL guy we got.
For whoever mentioned our "OTs" were beat all day needs to rewatch the game.
Megginson is an absolute liability at OT. Barely average on the run and just bad in pass pro.
The fact that McGee wouldn't continue to run the ball until they consistently stopped us is a head scratcher. Especially with Epstein.
Whoever said " our freshman corners got abused all game" also needs to rewatch the game.
Adams #6 was very very good. Hobbs #8 is the one that was getting picked on. But I wouldn't worry. Young kids. Will have grown pains. But let's not group Adams into that. He played very well.
Main take aways from Being at the game today:
Our OL will clearly dictate our wins and losses. DiLauro is our best OL and he was sealing holes and pancaking people left and right. Everyone else was "blah". Megs grade out of this game will be awful. For a "4* in state kid" everyone was going crazy about, he's not playing to the level he needs to play. Allegretti was average. Kramer did well before injury.
Our secondary when Dunlap gets healthy will be prettt good. LBs will be a solid group with Phillips progressing and stepping up.
DL against the run was almost a solid grade. Pass rush is the big issue. Crawford p, whenever he gets through his suspension will help in the pass rush.
But again our OLine will dictate how bad or well we do this year.
I cannot honestly give Crouch an assessment due to the blah OL play. If we can even improve a small amount on the OL I think Crouch has the tools and mentality to run this offense well. Until that happens, Crouch will be digging himself out of a hole.
A lot of young kids means growing pains. Still think we have a great start to the rebuild of this program. Kids getting vital experience and learning on the job.
Finally again. Only because it was so clear and obvious. Watch when 67 wasn't in the game to when he was in and you tell me who is the best OL guy we have is? Who was lead blocker or running right behind him 98% of the run plays? Cause it's not Allegretti and it surely is NOT Megs.
And just one last thing. To all the "reporters, columnists, analysts" can we please start being a little more even keel when you talk about players and our team so many fans want to hear about? I'm getting pretty tired of reading how someone thinks "name of freshman or young kid" is a "monster" or a for sure "NFL player". Let's pull it back a bit and not crown kids before they even play one snap.
FT35
- Naperville
Just my takes from the stands.....
I am happy for the win, the nice weather and the fact that they no longer put the visiting team's band in front of the horseshoe! They are much less distracting to me when they are in Section 109.
Special teams was great with the exception of that first attempt at a two point conversion (wtf?) and the missed FG by McLaughlin. Hayes is the real deal and worthy of a scholarship! I was shocked when I saw Dudek out there returning punts but it paid off in the end. He is just flat out amazing and fun to watch when he's got a little space. I also liked Epstein as a KR.
The defense was okay although that Third Quarter was painful to watch. How many third and longs did Ball St. convert? I heard on the post game show that they converted 12 out of their first 16 third downs? They ended up 12 for 21. I was also surprised to see Roundtree starting but found out after the game that Crawford was held out for disciplinary reasons? I was also shocked that Gay ended up playing. I had to look at the roster to find out who #92 was. I remember reading an interview with him shortly after he committed in which he said that the reason he chose Illinois is because they said that he would get early playing time. He said that even Elon was telling him that he would need to be red shirted. According to his bio he was born in December of 1999 so he will be 17 for the entire season. He looked a little bit bigger than 215 lbs but I was expecting to see Carney instead of him. I was also surprised to see Abercrombie out there as well. It was also interesting to see lower rated guys like Williams, Knight and Hobbs out there while higher rated defensive recruits like Carney, Green and Oladipo didn't play at all. I know it's more about what positons they play and depth but it was pretty much the opposite of what you would expect. For better or worse, this is what our defense will look like in 2018 (plus Avery and Hansen) since I believe not one Senior played a snap on defense today with Dunlap injured, Crawford held out and Hayes not playing (I think). Watson, Phillips and Oliver also played well today. We need to get some pressure on the QB though.
I have to say I was hoping for a little more from the offense. You have two great receivers in Dudek and Turner but getting the ball in their hands is going to be a challenge unless we see improvement from the QB and the OL. I was also disappointed that Smalling wasn't targeted once. Crouch did not look like he did against Purdue. His throws were ugly and he looks much slower than I remember. Hopefully it was just a bad day for him. Not to be rude, but how did he have such a high recruiting ranking? His composite ranking according to 247 was .8571 which would be second highest in the Class of 2018, slightly ahead of Myers. I just didn't see a solid B1G dual threat QB today. I still think he's the best option by far so hopefully he improves. If not, I hope Thomas is ready next year or they find a 5th year Senior to take over in 2018. Foster also looked off today. Hopefully Corbin is ready to play soon. Epstein was amazing and I would expect him to be the #1 RB by the end of the year, if he isn't already. That OL is a major problem. I'm not sure how much that can be improved as the year goes on or even through recruiting, at least in the near future. Yeah, I expect Boyd and Palchewski to get better but are we going to have to plug in true Freshmen next year as well? There really isn't much talent there once you get past the top 7 OL and now Kramer is injured. Dorsey looks very thin but what a catch he made! Now just bulk up and learn to block.
We also won the turnover battle and only had three penalties. On the flip side, our time of possession was horrible and we only converted 2 out of 10 third downs.
This is pretty much what I expected though so I'm certainly not unhappy or frustrated. I came into the season expecting 2 wins and that's probably what we'll end up with. I'm really excited about the potential of this defense.
I am happy for the win, the nice weather and the fact that they no longer put the visiting team's band in front of the horseshoe! They are much less distracting to me when they are in Section 109.
Special teams was great with the exception of that first attempt at a two point conversion (wtf?) and the missed FG by McLaughlin. Hayes is the real deal and worthy of a scholarship! I was shocked when I saw Dudek out there returning punts but it paid off in the end. He is just flat out amazing and fun to watch when he's got a little space. I also liked Epstein as a KR.
The defense was okay although that Third Quarter was painful to watch. How many third and longs did Ball St. convert? I heard on the post game show that they converted 12 out of their first 16 third downs? They ended up 12 for 21. I was also surprised to see Roundtree starting but found out after the game that Crawford was held out for disciplinary reasons? I was also shocked that Gay ended up playing. I had to look at the roster to find out who #92 was. I remember reading an interview with him shortly after he committed in which he said that the reason he chose Illinois is because they said that he would get early playing time. He said that even Elon was telling him that he would need to be red shirted. According to his bio he was born in December of 1999 so he will be 17 for the entire season. He looked a little bit bigger than 215 lbs but I was expecting to see Carney instead of him. I was also surprised to see Abercrombie out there as well. It was also interesting to see lower rated guys like Williams, Knight and Hobbs out there while higher rated defensive recruits like Carney, Green and Oladipo didn't play at all. I know it's more about what positons they play and depth but it was pretty much the opposite of what you would expect. For better or worse, this is what our defense will look like in 2018 (plus Avery and Hansen) since I believe not one Senior played a snap on defense today with Dunlap injured, Crawford held out and Hayes not playing (I think). Watson, Phillips and Oliver also played well today. We need to get some pressure on the QB though.
I have to say I was hoping for a little more from the offense. You have two great receivers in Dudek and Turner but getting the ball in their hands is going to be a challenge unless we see improvement from the QB and the OL. I was also disappointed that Smalling wasn't targeted once. Crouch did not look like he did against Purdue. His throws were ugly and he looks much slower than I remember. Hopefully it was just a bad day for him. Not to be rude, but how did he have such a high recruiting ranking? His composite ranking according to 247 was .8571 which would be second highest in the Class of 2018, slightly ahead of Myers. I just didn't see a solid B1G dual threat QB today. I still think he's the best option by far so hopefully he improves. If not, I hope Thomas is ready next year or they find a 5th year Senior to take over in 2018. Foster also looked off today. Hopefully Corbin is ready to play soon. Epstein was amazing and I would expect him to be the #1 RB by the end of the year, if he isn't already. That OL is a major problem. I'm not sure how much that can be improved as the year goes on or even through recruiting, at least in the near future. Yeah, I expect Boyd and Palchewski to get better but are we going to have to plug in true Freshmen next year as well? There really isn't much talent there once you get past the top 7 OL and now Kramer is injured. Dorsey looks very thin but what a catch he made! Now just bulk up and learn to block.
We also won the turnover battle and only had three penalties. On the flip side, our time of possession was horrible and we only converted 2 out of 10 third downs.
This is pretty much what I expected though so I'm certainly not unhappy or frustrated. I came into the season expecting 2 wins and that's probably what we'll end up with. I'm really excited about the potential of this defense.
It's a win! Lots of improvement needed by coaches and players. DBs struggled, OL looked weak. Stay focused and improve is key rest of the way.
If anyone gets impatient with this young team, here is a reminder of how we got to this point. Even if we go 3-9 this year...things will get better. Surely, they will never again be THIS bad.
630 × 420 - leitch.tumblr.com
630 × 420 - leitch.tumblr.com 
Why wouldn't you think we'd be where we are at? Just about everyone has us pegged at two wins. We're the most inexperienced team in college football. Both lines are super young and we lack depth. The entire game depends on the lines and it's the weakest part of our team on both sides of the ball, imho.
This game underscores the challenges we face over the next two years. The light at the end of the tunnel is the second half of next season with a STRONG 2019 campaign.
We have a long, difficult season ahead. Our kids have a lot of hard work ahead of them before we start seeing the payoff. Our fans are going to have to dig in for the duration and show some grit as well. The staff are doing a great job. The kids played hard and never gave up. We can't ask any more from anyone. The only problem I had with today's effort was some weird play calling but there was probably a madness to the method. I think we have to remember with so many young/new players playing... the coaches are figuring this out as they go too.
When is the last time we had 12 Fr play meaningful minutes in a close game or with us behind to come out with a win? Did we really play 12 Fr? I really hope Kramer is okay and we get some people coming back healthy soon. Great day tho! Great game! Stayed for the entire game, enjoyed tailgating after, and was glad to see so many stay late into the evening. Great day!
illinifan87
- The Windy City
Our lines are so bad. Crouch is gonna get killed. Excited about the skill guys on offense though.
Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Thanks BigStan and FT35. Nice solid reviews and perspective. It is interesting about DiLauro. Glad that he's good, but what about Megginson and Allegretti? They should be playing about as well as 67. Coaching? First game of the season?
I was blaming poor play calling for the troubles at the start of the game. Maybe not.
Let's hope there is a big improvement this week on the OL. Now is the time for the coaches to step it up.
As an aside and somewhat personal note, I don't dare tell my cardiologist that I watch Illinois football. He might just forbid it.
I was blaming poor play calling for the troubles at the start of the game. Maybe not.
Let's hope there is a big improvement this week on the OL. Now is the time for the coaches to step it up.
As an aside and somewhat personal note, I don't dare tell my cardiologist that I watch Illinois football. He might just forbid it.
Illiini
- In the land of the Nittany Lion
Any chance some-any-of this is first-game, oh, jitters? OK, just trying to come up with some sort of reason for any kind of optimism for the short run, seeing how even the Orange Koolaid is pretty thin gruel. All I got to see is just the highlights.
I wonder what the locker room was like after that win.
Also, I just want to point out how much Lovie has said so much depends on turnovers and field position. We have here Exhibit A.
I wonder what the locker room was like after that win.
Also, I just want to point out how much Lovie has said so much depends on turnovers and field position. We have here Exhibit A.
Did anyone feel that the play action was too slow of a developing play?? It looked awful but as I was telling my friend at the game, Illinois should've started the game with a screen because I think the defensive line would be too fixed on getting to the quarterback and not realize what just happened, then BOOM!
EfremWinters84
- S. Carolina
Thanks to Stan and FT for those great analyses. Based on viewing from my living room couch I agree with most/all of your collective comments about QB and OL.
I made this comment a few weeks ago, and I now stand by it after seeing game #1 ---I'm disillusioned that our strongest position group is Wide Receiver. It's a shame to have so much talent there when it appears we're only going to give them 10-12 chances per game. Our offensive plays seem to be so "jammed up" at the line of scrimmage, and all of the action takes place within 10 yards on either side of the l-o-s. Let's spread the field. Show me some 20-30 yard pass plays!! But will Chase actually be able to successfully make that throw -- ever, this year?
I made this comment a few weeks ago, and I now stand by it after seeing game #1 ---I'm disillusioned that our strongest position group is Wide Receiver. It's a shame to have so much talent there when it appears we're only going to give them 10-12 chances per game. Our offensive plays seem to be so "jammed up" at the line of scrimmage, and all of the action takes place within 10 yards on either side of the l-o-s. Let's spread the field. Show me some 20-30 yard pass plays!! But will Chase actually be able to successfully make that throw -- ever, this year?
Deleted member 29907
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Chayce made more than a few nice throws yesterday - one dropped in the endzone, drag to MD for quite a few yards, and scrambled away from pressure multiple times to salvage something and get a first down in the first half. Even the TD to Dudek was where it pretty much had to be given another defender taking away some of the line of sight. Watching the game again this morning - I think he did ok for his first game back and not much experience. He seemed to give the read rather than keep it a few times I thought he could have had 15+ yards if he had pulled the ball from the back - i am guessing the staff told him to be conservative on running the ball.
I read a bunch of articles this morning. Pretty much the same take--great return for Dudek and Epstein was impressive. Otherwise, there was no sentimentality. The media take: this is a bad team. For me, the focus turns to improvement. For starters: (1) better pass protection; and (2) third down containment. I'm setting aside all expectations on wins.