That's just how he runs his practices and I doubt he was the only one at the college level. It might not be ideal but there's definitely more to the issues than how hard they practice. If your guys are afraid to hit someone why they playing defense anyway?
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That's just how he runs his practices and I doubt he was the only one at the college level. It might not be ideal but there's definitely more to the issues than how hard they practice. If your guys are afraid to hit someone why they playing defense anyway?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Not in the least.
I frankly find Montgomery's continued mention among HC candidates quite baffling. It absolutely should have worked for him at ECU and it really, really did not.
I will say in Petersen's defense, to another point in your post, ECU did go at a faster tempo than Petersen has shown at other stops, so I don't think we're just importing that failed offense. But it really is shocking how bad they were with Gardner Minshew (worse still when he left, whatever that's worth)
Sometimes guys get the bug late. Brad Underwood was a Juco coach at age 43.
But who cares what he did at Wofford? He's spent 7 of the last 8 years tested against higher competition, competition of more relevance to Illinois. That's what matters.
I'm not advocating for him. That would be a weird and lightly credentialed choice, underwhelming. And yet it is a markedly stronger resume than Petersen's. That's the point.
(Amazing username btw
)I'm not sure Lincoln Riley could make a decent offense out of the parts Petersen is going to have to work with tbh. But yeah, I assume we'll be pretty bad, and I will be surprised if he's still here in two years. Far stranger things have happened than him succeeding and I hope he does, I liked his interview, he seems like a good guy, but this is a very hard level of football to have success at, which we've already seen Petersen get the business end of, in much more favorable circumstances.
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Spoke about this at length a while back
TL;DR - Montgomery forced Petersen to use his Duke offense (which was only moderately successful at Duke with Cutcliffe) that didn’t mesh with his ECU personnel. That being said, Petersen had a decent offense and the QBs were successful, even if the rest of the team was not. It was the definition of making chicken salad with chicken manure.
If you don’t practice tackling or blocking, you’re probably not going to improve at tackling/blocking.
Pros don’t really need to improve, since most of their skills have already been developed if they e reached the NFL. But college kids, especially the level we recruit at, need those live reps. Lovie never understood that. He treated guys like they were pros already.
Those were the days!!
I long for the days we get back to competitive games again and Fighting for conference championships!!
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
So, fact check.
That Montgomery had Petersen running his offense is largely true, that being an uptempo pass-heavy spread, whereas Petersen has generally been balanced if not outright run-heavy elsewhere and never anywhere near the top of the tempo rankings. Given the lack of connection between the two and the lack of success, it's honestly pretty perplexing that Petersen lasted the whole three years. Why not replace the guy you've shoehorned into your offense if it's not working?
As for it not meshing with ECU's personnel, they took over from Ruffin McNeill, a Mike Leach scion who had Lincoln Riley at OC until his last season. And of course they had Gardner Minshew at QB the first two years. The fit with the personnel was absolutely perfect. Total nonsense to say otherwise.
The offense was terrible. Using S&P that controls for tempo and opponent quality it was 80th nationally in 2016 with Gardner Minshew at QB, 77th nationally in 2017 with Gardner Minshew at QB, then 119th in 2018 having lost Minshew to transfer.
Here are Minshew's stats:
2015 in Juco: 60.8% completion, 3288 yds, 28 TD, 5 INT
2016 at ECU: 58.9% completion, 1347 yds, 8 TD, 4 INT
2017 at ECU: 57.2% completion, 2140 yds, 16 TD, 7 INT
2018 at WSU: 70.7% completion, 4776 yds, 38 TD, 9 INT
And what's even worse is that he was splitting time with a Duke transfer in his two years there putting up even weaker numbers. That's on Montgomery, no doubt, but it still boggles the mind how you have Minshew in a fun n gun spread in the AAC (not to mention playing from behind all the time!) and he's putting up pedestrian numbers.
I buy that this was not Petersen's offense. But still.
Happy New Year!
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I hear what you are saying but I’m not counting the ECU stuff against Petersen. The blame there goes on Montgomery in my opinion because their struggles weren’t just on offense. Their defense got significantly worse and was worst in the country in 2017 I believe. To me that points to an organizational issue which points to Montgomery not being ready for that position or that level in my opinion!
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Lotta that going around
Thoughts on Charlie Strong?
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No shocked to see zero likes on this post....
That would be a heck of a hire. Hell of a recruiter with a good track record as a DC. He is doing his Saban glamour rehad and can likely do way better than us of he wants to. He is probably a year away from being a HC again and might just wait it out in Alabama.
i read an article that bielema wants to go to the spread offense, any truth to this??
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Name value and the persona sounds great. Been at Alabama as an analyst. But he runs a 3-3-5 defense. I have a hard time thinking a B1G team can be successful with that little meat on the field. And if we are going to run something more realistic, I would prefer someone more experienced with that style. So I am a no
Considering who he brought in for OC in Tony Petersen that is the direction we are going. My guess is it isn't going to be a tempo throw it all overt the place type spread but more of the power ball control spread kinda similar to what we had under Zook with Juice and Mendenhall.
thanks! at least we will have some balance in the offense, also read he's gonna recruit illinois real hard! keep our players here!
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Let's just bring in Will Muschamp as DC
If this were going to happen, wouldn't it have happened by now?
Illinir1
- Camdenton, MO
As a 40 year season ticket holder, the worst Illinois OC in my time was Paul Schudel (Lou Tepper) of the 1995 & '96 seasons. Terrible play calling, heavy run centric when we couldn't run the ball (2.9 yd/carry 1995 avg.)(a Bo Schembechler protege). Statistically, Illinois 1995 had the fewest first downs (163) of any Illinois team in my time. It was dreadful watching his play calling because you knew it was going to be off tackle or draw play on 3rd and long every time.
That said, McGee's 2017 offense stats were arguably worse.
1995 Schudel 163 first downs 17.6 pts/game 5W-5L-1T overall 3W-4L-1T B1G (Tepper's defense only gave up 177 first downs, 18.0 pts/game)
2017 McGee 174 first downs 15.4 pts/game 2W-10L overall 0W-8L B1G (Lovie's defense gave up 269 first downs, 31.5 pts/game)
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
"Spread" hardly means anything anymore now that essentially every team in college football is running something more similar to Urban Meyer's offense from 2004 than Barry Alvarez or Glen Mason's. The debate of whether you need to challenge the defense in space sideline-to-sideline is over, and Bielema described his evolution in exactly those terms.
Having said that, Bielema is talking about ball control and clock control and Petersen said he expects to be mainly in 11 and 12 personnel (one back, one/two tight ends) and mixing shotgun with under center, so by the standards of 2021 college football, we will be running a pretty traditional offense. And that fits our personnel, we do not have the WR corps to play an air raid type offense, and Lovie's OL recruiting was more in the big brawler direction.
If I could go back and change one sports thing in history, it would be firing Tepper after '95. I believe deep in my bones that Illinois is a radically different program today if the absolutely head-smacking obvious decision is made in that moment. I was too young to really be following the details of the Greg Landry/Chris Redman stuff, but holy cow I cannot believe Tepper survived that and then the garbage of the '95 season. Ron Guenther, man.
Yes. It ain't happening. I would say Partridge or Ash. Could also be someone we have nit heard much about. Pretty sure Robinson ship has sailed too.
altenberger22
- South Carolina
Point taken. Let's not hire McGee, Schudel, their family members nor anyone from their coaching trees.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Mike Schultz had a whole different toolkit to work with than Petrino.
The attempt to turn Juice into an NFL passer was such a disaster.
2008 I can make my peace with, sort of a championship hangover, the schedule was absolutely brutal, Guenther's Folly, etc. How is 2009 even possible with the talent we had on that team?
So does anyone feel confident in any dc options thrown out there? After the games today should some names start appearing? Guess I’m in dire need for some new Illinois football news lol
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