Pregame: Illinois at Purdue, Saturday, October 4th, 11:00am CT, BTN

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#76      
chiefIlliniWek4.0
Purdue has to be feeling confident about nearly taking us down last year. They're guna give their best effort and if we don't show up instantly could be a big problem
 
#77      
chiefIlliniWek4.0
abchew2 said:
No Walters I think makes a big difference. We were his Super Bowl, not the same narrative now. I think Luke lights it up and the defense is sufficient.
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Some of those players are still there and remember. Might be a new coach but last season's easy motivational material for Odom. Can't sleep walk and act like this easy work. We've been giving up too many chunk pass plays to get confident
 
#78      
chiefIlliniWek4.0
BrownTown said:
Another game where it would be VERY hard for Odom in his first year to have acquired the kind of depth needed to hang 4 quarters with a physical and veteran football team. Establish the run offensively, then stop the run defensively. 2 keys

I think we see an even more dedicated running philosophy from Barry Lunney. This game screams Feagin 100+ yards.
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Other than USC can you say we've established a run?
 
#79      
blackdog
IlliniNash said:
Because of how high Lemon is projected I felt Heckle did great. Especially on the TD catches. He was all over Lemon. Had their QB had one of his errant throws it could’ve been bad for USC. Both perfect throws and catches.
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For everyone his name is Tanner HECKEL. I agree with your point though. He is a true sophomore getting thrown into a big role because of injuries being matched up against a guy with 1st/2nd round draft. Lemon just made two NFL caliber catches on those TDs.
 
#82      
jrichisamazing
blackdog said:
For everyone his name is Tanner HECKEL. I agree with your point though. He is a true sophomore getting thrown into a big role because of injuries being matched up against a guy with 1st/2nd round draft. Lemon just made two NFL caliber catches on those TDs.
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It's nice to be able to play a young guy with a ton of potential and watch him get beat a few times, but still be able to win the game. That's the sign of a healthy program and it will make Heckel better in the long run.
 
#83      
fatt lacosse
Considering Purdue is heading for a losing season, the vibes in their locker room seem pretty decent. They're definitely playing loose and have run some super silly stuff for touchdowns.

Mockobee has to be like....4-1 against us, right?

Man I want this one bad. Take the Cannon and we need just one more win to break The Curse
 
#84      
Retro62
Lemon reminds me of Josh Reed when he was with LSU, and he was just as effective against us. Heckel was dealing with a major talent and he just didn't demonstrate the instincts to turn to the ball when it was being delivered--which he will get much better at doing.

Also, let's not forget that USC still has a top 5 offense nationally. Yes, they scored a bunch, but they do that on everyone, and that QB has a great arm, great accuracy, and great touch.

I don't see PU hanging with us in this one at all. They may play tough for a while, but it will be at least a two TD win when it's over.
 
#87      
altgeld88
Todd99 said:
Anybody know anything about parking at Purdue? Can you get same day parking close to the stadium? There are lot of cheap tickets still available, thinking about making the trip over.
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By all means go, particularly because we will crush them this time. It's a great place to see a game. No bad seats, really, just an open, single-level horseshoe. Bring earplugs, though, because the new (as of ~ '22) gigantic video board blares the train horn incessantly.

We attended the game in Sep23. Park in the Northwestern Avenue Garage @ NW Ave and Grant Street. You can pay online in advance IIRC. It's a breeze to get from there to the game, only a 10-min walk. Just about the most convenient parking location I've found for out-of-towners at road games in the BT.

If you're looking for a good breakfast location try Town & Gown Bistro, a 15-min walk from the NW Garage down to River Road @ State. Because of the noon kickoff it may be packed early but we had a great little meal there.
 
#90      
Chukwuwumba
blackdog said:
For everyone his name is Tanner HECKEL. I agree with your point though. He is a true sophomore getting thrown into a big role because of injuries being matched up against a guy with 1st/2nd round draft. Lemon just made two NFL caliber catches on those TDs.
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Did he get hurt on one of the TDs? Maybe the last one? Looked like he was holding his forearm afterwards.
 
#91      
Curbelo Fanboy
If we play mistake free football we will be fine. If we go stupid, it could be a loss. In general Bretball leaves us in a better place in these kind of games. We are a superior roster. Just go in there & shove it down their throat offensively. A strong start & Purdue probably folds by half time. Struggling teams tend to do that. But if you do stupid stuff & let em hang around you end up needing to play 60 minutes.
 
#92      
IlliniUnited
blackdog said:
For everyone his name is Tanner HECKEL. I agree with your point though. He is a true sophomore getting thrown into a big role because of injuries being matched up against a guy with 1st/2nd round draft. Lemon just made two NFL caliber catches on those TDs.
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It happens to the best of them. Devon Witherspoon gave up a similar touchdown last Thursday night. Some times the WR just makes a play.
 
#94      
Genesis
jrichisamazing said:
It's nice to be able to play a young guy with a ton of potential and watch him get beat a few times, but still be able to win the game. That's the sign of a healthy program and it will make Heckel better in the long run.
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Agreed. On the first TD, Heckel turned the wrong way, inside, instead of the outside where the receiver was. By the time he picked up the path of the ball and turned left, the play was over. On the second TD, he just didn't get a hand up in the path of the ball. Both of those are correctable. He has the athleticism. With a little more experience and coaching, I'm confident Heckel can become a great back.
 
#95      
cfp32
RabidDawgClassic said:
Yes. Absolutely.

Bonus if you can get inside Mackey Arena and look around.
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Agreed! Its way to easy not to go over and cheer for the ILLINI!!! I have been a couple of times and have stood on the floor at Mackey each time. Wish we would open up and show off more buildings around campus on gameday.
 
#97      
RabidDawgClassic
In an attempt to do my best Fighter of the Nightman, here’s a breakdown of the national rankings of the P4 teams Illinois has played and who they have left on the schedule, courtesy of ESPN stats.

PASSING

We have beaten the current #2 and #3 ranked passers nationally and lost to #21. Our next toughest passer we’ll face is #7, Athan Kaliakmanis of Rutgers.

#2 Jayden Maiava (USC)
#3 Darian Mensah (Duke)
#7 Athan Kaliakmanis (Rutgers)
# 21 Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)
#53 Malik Washington (Maryland)
#54 Ryan Browne (Purdue)
#62 Julian Sayin (Ohio State)
#68 Demond Williams (Wash)
#105 Preston Jones (N’west)
#108 Danny O’Neil (Wisconsin)

So, in theory, outside of Rutgers, we shouldn’t face as fierce of a passing attack as we have already this season.

RUSHING
Rushing wise, we’ve faced and beaten #6 and #39 and lost to the #44 and #49 tag team duo at Indiana.

#6 Waymond Jordan (USC)
#13 Antwan Raymond (Rutgers)
#17 Jonah Coleman (Wash)
#39 Nate Sheppard (Duke)
#44 Roman Hemby (Indiana)
#49 Kaelon Black (Indiana)
#80 Bo Jackson (Ohio State)
#96 Caleb Komolafe (N’west)
#117 Devin Mockobee (Purdue)
#194 CJ Donaldson (Ohio State)
#202 DeJuan Williams (Maryland)
#243 Adam Mohammad (Wash)
#254 Dillin Jones (Wisconsin)

Again, Rutgers appears to be the most threatening of the remaining bunch.

RECEIVING

Receiving wise, we’ve beaten #1 and #14. We’ve lost to #11 and #21 (both of IU)

#1 Makai Lemon (USC)
#12 KJ Duff (Rutgers)
#13 Ian Strong (Rutgers)
#14 Cooper Bartake Jr (Duke)
#18 is Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State)
#21 Elijah Sarratt (Indiana)
#53 DT Sheffield (Rutgers)
#63 Griffin Wilde (N’west)
#93 Shaleak Knotts (Maryland)
#94 Denzel Boston (Wash)
#107 Octavian Smith (Maryland)
#121 Carnell Tate (Ohio State)
#230 Nitro Tuggle (Purdue)
#235 Arhmad Branch (Purdue)
#239 Jalil Farooq (Maryland)
#250 Lance Mason (Wisconsin)

DEFENSE

No surprise. We struggled mightily against #5 and had field days against #64 and #87

1 Ohio State
5 Indiana
7 Maryland
38 Wisconsin
44 Northwestern
46 Washington
64 USC
70 Illinois
79 Rutgers
87 Duke
89 Purdue

So what does all this information mean? Just from an offensive standpoint, Rutgers appears to be the most formidable and a team that could really exploit our Achilles heel. But they’re about the same as us defensively, so expect a shootout.

Combining defense and offense, Ohio State is the most balanced and, naturally, should be the toughest team left on our schedule. All things combined, I’d rank them in this order:

Ohio State
Rutgers
Maryland
Washington
Purdue
Northwestern
Wisconsin

It is SHOCKING how far the Badgers have fallen. 😳
 
#98      
Birdus
Retro62 said:
Lemon reminds me of Josh Reed when he was with LSU, and he was just as effective against us. Heckel was dealing with a major talent and he just didn't demonstrate the instincts to turn to the ball when it was being delivered--which he will get much better at doing.

Also, let's not forget that USC still has a top 5 offense nationally. Yes, they scored a bunch, but they do that on everyone, and that QB has a great arm, great accuracy, and great touch.

I don't see PU hanging with us in this one at all. They may play tough for a while, but it will be at least a two TD win when it's over.
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We will win. If we come out like we did yesterday, we will be fine. We should have beaten SC by some more.
 
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#99      
thefalcon5
Genesis said:
Agreed. On the first TD, Heckel turned the wrong way, inside, instead of the outside where the receiver was. By the time he picked up the path of the ball and turned left, the play was over. On the second TD, he just didn't get a hand up in the path of the ball. Both of those are correctable. He has the athleticism. With a little more experience and coaching, I'm confident Heckel can become a great back.
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Also on the second TD, after the play Heckel was holding his wrist. Seemed like he might have tweaked it a bit during the play. Not an excuse, but could’ve been a factor in him not getting his hands up.

I think he’ll be fine and frankly won’t see a slot guy like Lemon again all year.
 
#100      
skyIdub
RabidDawgClassic said:
In an attempt to do my best Fighter of the Nightman, here’s a breakdown of the national rankings of the P4 teams Illinois has played and who they have left on the schedule, courtesy of ESPN stats.

PASSING

We have beaten the current #2 and #3 ranked passers nationally and lost to #21. Our next toughest passer we’ll face is #7, Athan Kaliakmanis of Rutgers.

#2 Jayden Maiava (USC)
#3 Darian Mensah (Duke)
#7 Athan Kaliakmanis (Rutgers)
# 21 Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)
#53 Malik Washington (Maryland)
#54 Ryan Browne (Purdue)
#62 Julian Sayin (Ohio State)
#68 Demond Williams (Wash)
#105 Preston Jones (N’west)
#108 Danny O’Neil (Wisconsin)

So, in theory, outside of Rutgers, we shouldn’t face as fierce of a passing attack as we have already this season.

RUSHING
Rushing wise, we’ve faced and beaten #6 and #39 and lost to the #44 and #49 tag team duo at Indiana.

#6 Waymond Jordan (USC)
#13 Antwan Raymond (Rutgers)
#17 Jonah Coleman (Wash)
#39 Nate Sheppard (Duke)
#44 Roman Hemby (Indiana)
#49 Kaelon Black (Indiana)
#80 Bo Jackson (Ohio State)
#96 Caleb Komolafe (N’west)
#117 Devin Mockobee (Purdue)
#194 CJ Donaldson (Ohio State)
#202 DeJuan Williams (Maryland)
#243 Adam Mohammad (Wash)
#254 Dillin Jones (Wisconsin)

Again, Rutgers appears to be the most threatening of the remaining bunch.

RECEIVING

Receiving wise, we’ve beaten #1 and #14. We’ve lost to #11 and #21 (both of IU)

#1 Makai Lemon (USC)
#12 KJ Duff (Rutgers)
#13 Ian Strong (Rutgers)
#14 Cooper Bartake Jr (Duke)
#18 is Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State)
#21 Elijah Sarratt (Indiana)
#53 DT Sheffield (Rutgers)
#63 Griffin Wilde (N’west)
#93 Shaleak Knotts (Maryland)
#94 Denzel Boston (Wash)
#107 Octavian Smith (Maryland)
#121 Carnell Tate (Ohio State)
#230 Nitro Tuggle (Purdue)
#235 Arhmad Branch (Purdue)
#239 Jalil Farooq (Maryland)
#250 Lance Mason (Wisconsin)

DEFENSE

No surprise. We struggled mightily against #5 and had field days against #64 and #87

1 Ohio State
5 Indiana
7 Maryland
38 Wisconsin
44 Northwestern
46 Washington
64 USC
70 Illinois
79 Rutgers
87 Duke
89 Purdue

So what does all this information mean? Just from an offensive standpoint, Rutgers appears to be the most formidable and a team that could really exploit our Achilles heel. But they’re about the same as us defensively, so expect a shootout.

Combining defense and offense, Ohio State is the most balanced and, naturally, should be the toughest team left on our schedule. All things combined, I’d rank them in this order:

Ohio State
Rutgers
Maryland
Washington
Purdue
Northwestern
Wisconsin

It is SHOCKING how far the Badgers have fallen. 😳
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FOTNM please blink twice if you’ve been kidnapped by RabidDawgClassic.

We will meet any demands he has.
 
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