The main difference in the game was dropped passes. That’s my view and I’m sticking to it. More than a couple of bad play selections, more than the atrocious officiating blunders. DeVito isn’t the next Joe Montana, but he made plenty of catchable throws. Catch the f-ing ball. “But the ball was just a little bit behind the receiver a few times.” That’s ridiculous. We’re not the QB coach critiquing the timing and mechanics during practice pass drills; this is live game action. The ball hits a receiver’s hands, you catch the ball. Period. And there were plenty of dart strikes that DeVito put perfectly — perfectly — on target that were just outright dropped. This is big time college ball. I know several wildly talented receivers who never got this type of opportunity. Earn it, or step aside and let someone else play ball.
I’m red hot right now. Mostly just venting. I’m sick of watching an Illini football team play not to lose. World-class running game, stout defense, and an exasperating inability to complete a forward f-ing pass. Sound familiar? That slant pattern in the 4Q to IW for a first down brought the faithful to their feet. Why? It’s a pass completion. It shouldn’t be THAT unbelievable, THAT much of a celebration. But we all hold our breath every time Illinois throws the ball, we clap like trained seals if someone happens to catch it, and it’s been that way for decades. You know it, I know it, we all know it. That’s not normal. It’s not the 1920s anymore. Watch football with some friends who follow other programs. Other teams don’t consider the forward pass to be a trick play. The last time I felt like we knew this a guy named Kittner was under center.
If we can’t add that dimension to our offense then I’m destined to see one of two types of seasons I’ve seen all my life. The one where we have a talented RB, a stifling D, and we nurse 1-3 point leads for half a game, ultimately losing winnable games because we can’t put points on the board. And that type of season is the GOOD one. Don’t even ask me about the other type.
/vent