Pregame: Illinois vs Wisconsin, Saturday, October 9th, 2:30pm CT, BTN

Point-Illinois said:

Chase brown has rushed for almost the same amount of yards (379) as BP and has missed roughly the same amount of time.

Yowza

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the juiceman cometh said:

Sadly that fact is less surprising to me than the fact these two have only combined for 2 picks. Sitkowski's #s are better than what I would have guessed based on the eye test. I hereby revise my position from "doesn't matter, they both suck" to "may as well give Sitkowski an extended look, what harm can it do".

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Pennsy said:

With regard to the post above about Cooper and Beason, I submit that I. Williams has been ineffective. As a passer, witness how he overthrew a wide open Peters in the last game. As a receiver, his promise was that he was a jitterbug and elusive. And fast, but not fast down field like Tyreek Hill. Well, he gets thrown to in short and possession passes. I haven't seen him elude anybody.

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EyeoftheIllini said:

I’ll give you that I was surprised how bad his pass to Peters looked, but to say IW has been ineffective as a WR is crazy. He has 28 receptions. I believe all other Illini WRs combined have 32 receptions. He’s also been playing WR for what, 4 or 5 months. Given the QBs he has throwing to him, the other WRs on the field with him, and some less than perfect playing calling, and I think IW has been quite effective. Also have to remember the above numbers don’t include plays when he’s open and the QBs don’t get him the ball (several of those in Charlotte game alone). IW is by no means a finished product (but ineffective?) and he will get better. I just hope we can say the same about the QBs, other WRs, and play calling going forward this year and beyond.

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Lincster27 said:

Not sure if this is the correct place for this, but I have to get it off my chest. I hate the sequence when the team takes the field. Big time programs have big time intros, and ours is anemic. There is really nothing to get the fans going and excited, because the whole thing takes too long. I love "Thunderstruck," and I think it would be great if the team ran out during the heavy portion of that. Instead, that plays for almost the entire song, with the team standing in the smoking tunnel, then some rap thing starts up, and they come running out. It's disjointed, and long enough that the fans lose interest in even clapping along. For an absolute clinic on getting the fans fired up and ready to scream, witness Virginia Tech's "Enter Sandman" intro:

I'm not saying Illinois should copy this, but it's a pretty great template.

Next, who's idea was it to have a young lady trying to lead the ILL-INI chant over the PA? The volume is so loud that all I can hear is her yelling "ILL-INI," and nothing of the crowd. We all know what to do, and we don't need anyone leading that cheer. The cheerleaders do a perfectly fine job of holding up signs at the appropriate time for each side to do its part. Please take the microphone away from her.

Third, we don't really seem to have any in-game traditions. I was at Purdue a couple of weeks ago, and it seemed like their band was much more active during the breaks, in terms of getting onto the field and keeping the crowd entertained. I love the Marching Illini, and they do a great job during the game. It would be fun to see even small groups of them out on the field a few times a game doing something different than playing the William Tell Overture. Nebraska just started a new tradition for night games at the end of the third quarter and leading into the fourth. Set to the dulcet tones of "Thunderstruck."

Even in a boring game, like most of Nebraska's have been, this gets the fans fired up and re-engaged.

I like the team walk through Grange Grove, especially when the band is there to greet them. But please, Bret, tell your guys to take the headphones off of their ears and engage with the crowd.

Hopefully, there's something in the works for Homecoming that will get the fans out of their seats. I'd love to see some creativity out of the marketing folks. Judging by the videos and other productions that are shown on the scoreboard during the games, there's a lot of talent there that could be unleashed.

OK. I'm finished. Thanks for reading. I feel better.

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Dan said:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1445399637305798664

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blackdog said:

I think some context is needed talking Wisconsins offense because they have played Penn State, Michigan, and Notre Dame. I would be terrified to see our numbers against those teams.

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Pennsy said:

With regard to the post above about Cooper and Beason, I submit that I. Williams has been ineffective. As a passer, witness how he overthrew a wide open Peters in the last game. As a receiver, his promise was that he was a jitterbug and elusive. And fast, but not fast down field like Tyreek Hill. Well, he gets thrown to in short and possession passes. I haven't seen him elude anybody.

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Point-Illinois said:

Chase brown has rushed for almost the same amount of yards (379) as BP and has missed roughly the same amount of time.

Yowza

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Ranking the 10 Best Running Backs in College Football So Far in 2021

As we approach the mid-point of the 2021 college football season, the lack of dominant individual running backs is readily apparent...

bleacherreport.com

pruman91 said:

Barker breaks Illinois record for most touchdowns by a tight end

He has 10 TDs in his college career, breaking a tie with Ken Dilger.

www.stltoday.com

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Daniel Barker made history Saturday in Illinois’ 24-14 win over Charlotte, and on any other day he would’ve been in the spotlight. It just so happens that his teammate, Chase Brown, stole the show with a record-setting performance of his own.
The fourth-year running back Brown rushed for 257 yards — the fourth-most in a single game in program history — highlighted by an 80-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter.
Brown was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, and deservedly so, but Barker wasn’t too shabby either. His 10-yard TD reception in the second quarter set a new record for the most touchdowns by a tight end in Illini history. Barker, a junior, now has 10 TDs in his college career, breaking a tie with former tight end and eventual Super Bowl champion Ken Dilger, who played at the university from 1991-94.

“I was pretty surprised. When I (saw) it I was like, ‘Wow, man, I got the most touchdowns in Illinois history,’” Barker said. “Records are meant to be broken. That’s what I kind of came to Illinois for, to break records. I didn’t have (any) idea, but I went out there and gave it a 110%.


“I want to continue that and push the bar higher for the next one.”

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good read , especially later in the article when his teammates talk about him..........................

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IlliniShelt said:

Thanks for pointing this out. I know we aren't tight end U, (although it doesn't seem like that long ago that Jeff Cumberland and Michael H were in the NFL) but does anyone else seem surprised that no tight end has ever caught ten touchdowns in a career?

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IlliniShelt said:

Thanks for pointing this out. I know we aren't tight end U, (although it doesn't seem like that long ago that Jeff Cumberland and Michael H were in the NFL) but does anyone else seem surprised that no tight end has ever caught ten touchdowns in a career?

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IlliniShelt said:

Thanks for pointing this out. I know we aren't tight end U, (although it doesn't seem like that long ago that Jeff Cumberland and Michael H were in the NFL) but does anyone else seem surprised that no tight end has ever caught ten touchdowns in a career?

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Ransom Stoddard said:

I'm very surprised, I would have thought Ken Dilger had more than that, but he had 9. 6 of those were his senior year (1994).

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blackdog said:

I think some context is needed talking Wisconsins offense because they have played Penn State, Michigan, and Notre Dame. I would be terrified to see our numbers against those teams.

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ILL_INI said:

I need to see a stat for "should have been picked." My gut tells me that's why they are sticking with BP.

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Saint Tampa said:

We don’t have an answer at QB on the roster.

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