Pregame: Illinois at Wisconsin, Saturday, October 1st, 11:00am CT, BTN

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#251      

illini80

Forgottonia
Guenther took a football program that had gone to 4 straight bowls and absolutely obliterated it. Thomas took over a train wreck, and did nothing to improve it.

Both sucked. But, only one of them took a program in decent shape and set it on fire. But enough of those 2 incompetent fools.

The good thing is Illinois is going to be 4-1 after this weekend and trending up. And it really feels like an actual program with an actual competent college football staff is being built vs one fluke year every 7-10 years.
I don’t want to re-discuss the Zook years once again, but calling it a program on fire is simply not accurate.
 
#252      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
Guenther took a football program that had gone to 4 straight bowls and absolutely obliterated it. Thomas took over a train wreck, and did nothing to improve it.
Just by virtue of having been at the helm for 19 years rather than 4, Guenther was a much more consequential figure in our history.

Thomas only did three things wrong, though very important things. The first is that he really chapped the hide of a ton of our major donors, which is a "problem" that was "solved" the day they successfully executed a coup against him.

And then two and three were the very bad hiring processes for Beckman and Groce. You can't put everything that happens with a coach at the foot of the AD, a distinction people have accurately made with Whitman and Lovie. You judge the process, and both of those processes were badly flawed, when hiring a revenue sport head coach is the single most important thing an AD does. But those were short-term hits.

The effects of Guenther's two decades in charge, during a transitional period for college sports as a business, is much deeper and longer lasting. We transitioned away from being a mass entertainment product and something that belongs to the fanbase in a way that there's no good way to undo.
 
#254      
Illinois became a basketball school in 1966/67 after the "slush fund". Pete Elliott had rebuilt the football program and bb was doing well prior to the slush fund. Basketball recovered fairly quickly under Harve Schmitt, however football has never recovered. I was at UIUC from 65-68 and saw it.
Lucky you got out when you did. My senior year was 1969. What a dreadful season. We celebrated first downs like they were touchdowns. Anyone who doesn’t know what a bad, really bad season should find the records for that season and, as an Illini, weep.

But it was still a time when football was a thing to do. You went to games because “everyone” did, not just hardcore football fans…who would have abandoned the team, though it just wasn’t done then. You didn’t leave early. Or was that just my impression?
 
#255      
When do you think Illinois went from a football school to a basketball school?

We have a lot of football history. Great players and national championships
'88/89. For whatever reason, in spite of his success, Mackovic never generated the enthusiasm White did. And that was followed that winter by the flying Illini. And from then on, basketball was the dominant sport at the UofI.

Having been in school during the first half of the 80's, i can tell you first hand that while basketball generated a lot of excitement, football was king. It was a great time to be an Illini fan!
 
#256      
Since we have a lot of grizzled veterans milling around today: is this correct?

Mackovic left for Texas and we were then without both a coach and an AD.

Guenther was working in a senior role at the DIA at the time, was he the face of the decision promoting Tepper? Was it his call? Was he the interim AD until his permanent hiring the next year?

It's never been clear to me exactly how that went down and the internet has not been helpful shedding light on it.

In any event, Tepper was a big, big part of Mackovic's success, as well as Bill McCartney's at Colorado before that and elevating him to HC is probably the decision most schools would have made, and probably the right one in some objective sense. I don't think the idea that we "settled" for Tepper is accurate.
In the absence of an AD, Morton Weir made the call to promote Tepper. He was a well regarded DC and a heckuva recruiter - he had several top 20 recruiting classes at Illinois. As someone else said here though, his teams were soft and he got too involved in offensive game planning. Gary Barnett, who was the OC at Colorado when Tepper was the DC there, got the NW HC job the same year Tepper got the Illinois job. I was at the game in '92 when NW beat us and quickly came to the realization we hired the wrong guy.
 
#257      
So we're not talking about the game this Saturday? This could be our OC's coming out party. I see this as a must win for Wisc though. We're going to get their very best game I should think. If we beat them at home that seat is going to get awfully warm awfully fast. They just can't lose to us at home or their season is probably toast. Those Bagers have to feel their backs against the wall. I don't know if we can match that kind of urgency. Do we use the pass to help establish the run or does Wisc stack the box all game long regardless? Can we bully WIsci's DL? I think there are just too many if's stacking up. We gots to win two of the next four games though. I'd just assume get the first two wins out of the way early and then beat Nebraska too.
 
#258      
So we're not talking about the game this Saturday? This could be our OC's coming out party. I see this as a must win for Wisc though. We're going to get their very best game I should think. If we beat them at home that seat is going to get awfully warm awfully fast. They just can't lose to us at home or their season is probably toast. Those Bagers have to feel their backs against the wall. I don't know if we can match that kind of urgency. Do we use the pass to help establish the run or does Wisc stack the box all game long regardless? Can we bully WIsci's DL? I think there are just too many if's stacking up. We gots to win two of the next four games though. I'd just assume get the first two wins out of the way early and then beat Nebraska too.
If BLJ composes a blowout of the Wiscy D this weekend he won't be here long. Leonhard is one of the top DC in the nation and runs the "IT" defense in both the NFL and NCAA. BLJ has a lot of respect on his names but I'll be happy with a competent offense that's just a bit better than Wisconsin.

That being said I think if you are going for the kill so to speak you come out and go deep to Pat Bryant and then go heavy RPO with some creative wrinkles to make Wisconsin ignore the run so to speak and then end it with a dominant performance by Chase.
 
#259      
Cannot let them get momentum at home Saturday. That will be a key to the game. Get them to do a couple three and out will help. I still think taking the crowd out of the game will be helpful. We need this win big time. Go ILLINI and I will be watching. at home. We win it will I believe boost us into the top 25.
 
#260      

POWURR

From Downtown
Ready Player One

On My Way Running GIF by Rainbow Six Siege
 
#261      
Decent little article about O-line. I have spring game on dvr and thought Crysler and Adam's, Wow. I was worried about hiring coach B, especially after current old school Oline coach and Now Head Coach of Arkansas coach Pittman left him.
He left and Arkansas and coach B went down hill rapidly! Well learning opportunity. coach B in NFL and new ways of learning have paid off!!!
I loved his press conference on this board about the forgotten 2nd down and what he learned in NFL. Folks, I truly believe we have a keeper in coach! Special teams terrifying punter and field goals. But who cares, gonna exceed my expectations for this year. Onward and Upward! I L L I N I
 
#263      

the national

the Front Range
Phil Fulmer and Johnny Majors at Tennessee a million years ago is the only example of that ever happening before I can think of, am I missing anything obvious?
Can you expound on the Johnny majors thing? As an Iowa state grad, they often talk of him fondly but I don’t know much about him post ISU.
 
#264      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

By Anderson Kimball Decatur (Ill.) Herald & Review

CHAMPAIGN — When Isaiah Adams gets on the bus before a game, he enters a different gear.
At first, he can seem personable and easy-going, and that’s the impression the Illinois coaching staff got from him. But they got an introduction to a new side of him when the season got underway.
“He’s locked in, headphones on; he’s a different person,” tackle Julian Pearl said. “Not this person off the field.”

Illinois coach Bret Bielema noticed the same thing.
“I will tell you that I have learned: Mr. Adams is a very nice, soft-spoken, kind individual, but on Saturdays, he is a big (jerk),” Bielema said Sept. 13 after the team’s game against Indiana.
It was a description Adams was a little surprised by. He got the news after being sent a tweet about Bielema’s description from his mother.
“At first, I didn’t know what to take from it, and then I talked to some guys on the team just told me keep doing what you’re doing,” Adams said. “So I took it as a good thing. I’m cool with it. As long as he’s happy with my play, that can be whatever he wants. I’ll just execute.”
Adams has had a passion for football since he got hooked playing in Canada. That brought him through the ranks there and through junior college. Now, he’s taken that on-field aggression to the Big Ten.
 
#265      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Illinois is going to win, and it's going to be a comfortable win where the outcome was evident early in the game. The Illinois DL is going to dominate this game and Mertz is going to have at least 2 turnovers.

31-10 heading in to 4th, WI puts up a patented 12 play 80 yard 8 minute TD drive in the 4th down 21, game ends 31-17, Illini.

I'll have what you're having.
 
#268      

altgeld88

Arlington, Virginia
Same. I think this is going to be a junkyard dog fight and come down to a couple of key plays.
The fact that we're discussing the mere possibility of winning in Madison, though Wisc may not be quite what it was even 3-4 seasons ago, seems cause for rejoicing. Seems to me we have a long way to go but I like most of what I see on the field so far. If we can be competitive on the road against solid teams that's a substantial improvement for the program. Get 'er done, boys! :illinois:
 
#269      

Illinivek23

Gurnee
Huge game for our OL. Hope to see them continue to make strides. Could Jordan Anderson possibly be a contributor as a big back option?
 
#270      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
The fact that we're discussing the mere possibility of winning in Madison, though Wisc may not be quite what it was even 3-4 seasons ago, seems cause for rejoicing. Seems to me we have a long way to go but I like most of what I see on the field so far. If we can be competitive on the road against solid teams that's a substantial improvement for the program. Get 'er done, boys! :illinois:
I really get the feel that BB is here and in it for the long haul.........Firing his initial choice for OC after only one season showed me he is taking the bull by the horns and is going to confront whatever it is that will prevent the Illini from making positive strides every season back to the top of the conference......

Just the effort him and his staff have done to gain footing with the HS in Illinois is such a major first step to repairing the relationship's that suffered from lazy Lovie's lack of effort on recruiting Illinois is so refreshing.........Every time I see an interview with him

he always ends the interview with an I L L.........

Whether we ever regain success and titles it still is a great achievement to even be mentioned as a program on the rise ......The horrible loss to punchface loosiers still pis*es me off and will be a burden to bear for a bowl game , as that game was within our grasp and the deadly prevent defense approach caused the only blemish on our record this year .....just let that sink in...................We could be 4-0 with our eyes on only 2 more wins to be bowl eligible.......

I don't think the game against wisky will be easy but I have faith in both the offense and defense to play with an all out effort and we have very capable coaches , that both patrol the sidelines every game ....

Game days , for me , are now something to plan for and anticipate a victory .......we have come a long ways from those dismal days of losing games by the horrible scores of 63-0 and whatever else the score's were....i try to forget those days but it's our history and I hate it........


I look forward to tomorrow and can't wait for the kick off to see the beloved in action ......i predicted 34-10 and am going to stick with it .........Doubt I would have even entertained that thought during the Lovie or lasagna boy days.............

giphy (14).gif


Let's go Illini.............................kick some badger buttocks....................BTW , tomorrow's menu will be a breakfast slanted tasty choice of food's .........
 
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#271      
If we go 3-0 versus Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, I would assume that would make us a top 15 team. I get the one game at a time thing, but dangit I'm excited for the next few weeks!!!
 
#272      

the national

the Front Range
I don't think we settle for the disaster that was Thomas without the prolonged mediocrity of the Guenther years. Not that it ultimately matters who was worse. They were both abject failures that kneecapped our athletic department, whose sins we're still trying to get out from under.
Mike Thomas was terrible. I blame him for the lost decade.
 
#273      
If we go 3-0 versus Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, I would assume that would make us a top 15 team. I get the one game at a time thing, but dangit I'm excited for the next few weeks!!!
Would depend on what other teams in poll do over that span — especially Minny — but I think top 15 might be a stretch. Currently only Minn is ranked (#21) with neither WI or Iowa even receiving votes. Minn debuted in rankings this week, but had received 48 pts last week. Illini have not received any votes yet. Beating WI and Iowa might not even put the Illini in top 25, though that would garner them some points. So even if Minny makes it into top 15 by the time the Illini play them, unlikely a win would propel Illinois into top 15. But even seeing the Illini in the poll anywhere would be great. Been over 10 years since that happened and would show good things are happening with program.
 
#274      

Illini92and96

Austin, TX
And Mackovic was destroying the program - recruiting and the winning record were declining. He had player revolts at Arizona and Kansas City (and a player told me at least one at Illinois that wasn’t public). Mackovic’s strength was his play calling - very good in game coach. Horrible in PR.

We were a football school as well as BB in the 1980s and early 1990s. Had 28 or so sellouts at Memorial.

As to Tepper - we were the second winningest program in the B1G over a 12 year period prior and could have/should have conducted a national search. There were sitting head coaches campaigning for the job. Instead we promoted Tepper who was a great coordinator but not a head coach.
I didn't believe this so I had to check. Between 81 and 90 we were 55-26 in the Big Ten. Wow! We didn't do as well non conference so the overall records were not as impressive.
 
#275      

Like I said with P. Bryant. One of our guys is on here at least once a week now. Today, Chase Brown.

“Honestly, I thought it would feel better,” Brown said in an exclusive with PFF. “It felt good, it was always a goal of mine to be a 1,000-yard rusher, but once I achieved that, I just wanted to do more.”
 
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