USF 47, Illinois 23 POSTGAME

Being there in person, it seemed like we were dominated on both lines of scrimmage. Throughout the 1st quarter, in particular, USF was constantly in our backfield. Offensively, we had no chance to establish the run as we likely wanted to do.

Defensively, their backs always had the opportunity to survey the situation and then find/choose the hole they wanted to exploit. Our guys were constantly pushed back and it looked like the USF backfield had a 5 yard cushion each play.

Overall, USF looked like a "real" Division 1 Top 25 ball club. Size, Speed, Athleticism.

DragonIlliniFan said:

We will be very close to bowling this year. Next year, I really believe we spend a solid chunk of the season in the latter-part of the top 25 polls...whatever that means. We have something going here in Champland.

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I like your optimism, but I think the rebuild process will take a bit longer. A lot of young talent on the defense, but the offense will take more than one year to fix.

EfremWinters84 said:

Being there in person, it seemed like we were dominated on both lines of scrimmage. Throughout the 1st quarter, in particular, USF was constantly in our backfield. Offensively, we had no chance to establish the run as we likely wanted to do.

Defensively, their backs always had the opportunity to survey the situation and then find/choose the hole they wanted to exploit. Our guys were constantly pushed back and it looked like the USF backfield had a 5 yard cushion each play.

Overall, USF looked like a "real" Division 1 Top 25 ball club. Size, Speed, Athleticism.

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Until the O-line gets established, I don't think it matters who the QB is. JG is an interception machine and would have been sacked mercilessly had he played the whole game imo. He does have a strong arm, but I don't see him ready to lead this team.

CA Chief said:

I understand losing with many freshman. But I don't understand players that can't hold a position, avoid motion penalties, jump offside, block in the back, target and hit late OOB. With this much coaching experience this complete lack of discipline is an absolute embarrassment. What the hell are they teaching these guys all day long. Navy plays entire games with just 2 penalties. And we can't hold a stance till the snap? That's indefensible.



Crouch is a new category of QB - the ZERO threat QB. You can't run with 7 defenders in the box. And you can't put 7 defenders in the box unless you know that the QB can't throw or hit a target beyond 10 yards.



George has to be the new QB. His arm will create space for our backs to run...and grow. Our receivers can do the job if the ball is put where they can catch it.



I never miss a game and never will. But Love smith and his staff should be mortified of the lack of basics on display on national TV last night. Let's start with competence and work our way up to winning.

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Went to the game and sat on the Illini side and was really impressed by all the fans we had there were in orange. That was the good news. Tre Watson had a huge contingency sitting in front of me wearing shirts that said "Tre's Tribe". Very cool. Unfortunately I too was really concerned about the lack of discipline with these type of plays. This hopefully won't become a consistent part of this team.

CHI 1086 said:

I'm sorry, but I'm calling out the coaching staff on this one. Too many penalties goes to discipline. They had to know the make up of USF's defense. Why no miss direction running plays? Put two running backs in and use a lead blocker quickly up the middle or a fake hand off. Have we thrown a screen pass all year? What about a hurry up offense for a change of pace. I'm sorry, but the lack of imagination on offense and the questionable on field discipline, really has me concerned. I have this sick feeling that JFG May be calling the offensive plays. That said, I do see light at the end of the tunnel.

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+1. Each time we'd have a nice gain, get up to the line of scrimmage like we were going to capitalize on the momentum, it would then take 10 or more seconds to get the play in from the sideline, which would allow the defense to set up. I'd like to see us fix that.


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Illannoy said:

I don't blame the kids one bit.

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I do.
Couldn't block.
Couldn't tackle.
Couldn't run.
Couldn't pass.
I don't think the rules allow the coaches to be on the field, that's sideline interference.
What cheeses me the most is that we as Illini Nation were embarrassed in front of an ESPN audience.

hermie1985 said:

If you brought Lovie and Company in here to install their system and style of play, then that is what you let them run. This is just the prelude for better days ahead.

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Good thoughts, Mr. Turner. When your offensive system is that sound, just plug anybody in at QB, regardless of skill set, run what you believe in and it will always turn out fine.

Where are you these days, Ron? I'll admit I've kind of of lost track.

NScale said:

I do.
Couldn't block.
Couldn't tackle.
Couldn't run.
Couldn't pass.
I don't think the rules allow the coaches to be on the field, that's sideline interference.
What cheeses me the most is that we as Illini Nation were embarrassed in front of an ESPN audience.

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Yeah!!!! Add to that, half our players were playing in their 3rd game!!! They should be WAY better then this! What's up with these kids?!?!?!?!?

Fire everybody!

And get off NScale's lawn!!!

NScale said:

I do.
Couldn't block.
Couldn't tackle.
Couldn't run.
Couldn't pass.
I don't think the rules allow the coaches to be on the field, that's sideline interference.
What cheeses me the most is that we as Illini Nation were embarrassed in front of an ESPN audience.

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Probably a bit harsh for an extremely young team going on the road for the first time against a top 25 team.

If we look like that in November, then I will agree with you.

NJILLINI said:

Good thoughts, Mr. Turner. When your offensive system is that sound, just plug anybody in at QB, regardless of skill set, run what you believe in and it will always turn out fine.

Where are you these days, Ron? I'll admit I've kind of of lost track.

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Sorry you don't buy in but we aren't recruiting drop back pocket passers. I get the feeling some really believe this group might win now. This is going to take a little longer than 1 1/2 seasons.

blmillini said:

I'm not completely sure I agree with all the criticism of the play calling. It is true that we were struggling mightily on offense and part of that is on the OC. However, we simply had less talent and speed in this game. At the beginning we were unable to run the ball in any way because their defensive line was getting so much penetration and doing it quickly. So, to counter that we attempted screens and bubble screens that were also shut down completely because they covered those well. So, the only real option was to get the ball down the field a bit more to open up other plays and unfortunately, Crouch was unable to find open receivers and hit them as quickly as he needed to in order to complete those passes and even when he did, we seemed to either drop the ball or get another penalty. George was far better at being able to make the quick decision and throw a more accurate pass and when he started hitting those passes, it started to open up a few more things. I believe we learned last night that we are going to have to pick our QB based upon what the opponents defense is going to give us and Crouch is probably going to struggle to complete passes until our very young line can start protecting him enough to give him the kind of time he requires to make a throw. With what the defense was giving us, we probably could have made some better calls but they were probably also not going to work until we got George in game. For whatever reason, I am not concerned with the coaching staff failing to adjust. We will be fine but we are still really really young.

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Thank you. Great post! Agree 100%.

hermie1985 said:

Sorry you don't buy in but we aren't recruiting drop back pocket passers. I get the feeling some really believe this group might win now. This is going to take a little longer than 1 1/2 seasons.

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I don't necessarily disagree with how long it will take. But if you believe that your offense requires a certain type of QB to run it right, you don't have that QB now AND that QB will ultimately be somebody not on the roster currently, why would you run that type of offense this year? At least for last year and this, try and stay competitive by playing to the strengths of what you do have. Give your team the best chance to win now. It is important to the players, fans and alumni.

FT35 said:

BENCH KITTNER!

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NJILLINI said:

I don't necessarily disagree with how long it will take. But if you believe that your offense requires a certain type of QB to run it right, you don't have that QB now AND that QB will ultimately be somebody not on the roster currently, why would you run that type of offense this year? At least for last year and this, try and stay competitive by playing to the strengths of what you do have. Give your team the best chance to win now. It is important to the players, fans and alumni.

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NJILLINI... how many fall practices did you attend? In practice, almost every single day, Crouch threw INT's to our young D, failed to make short to medium throws, and looked very good running the ball. Crouch has some pro's and some con's. When your QB's con is that he doesn't throw the ball consistently well, then that MIGHT be a problem. It's not that he's the wrong QB, he's just not great at throwing the ball. USF gave everyone playing us going forward the way to beat us. Spy the QB, put 6-7 players in the running box and don't give the QB time to make a read/throw. Done deal. We don't have the size/experience to protect our QB and we don't have the size/experience to dictate that we'll run the ball well regardless. We're going to have to play youth, hit the weight room, get older, get more experienced, and get bigger/faster/meaner. We'll be better next year than we are this year. In the fall of 2019 we should be experienced and mean as hell. It's OUR job, to support the staff and these kids while they put in all the hard work and take their lumps on the field. Those kids didn't give up when they were down in the second half of the first game, they fought. Why are Illini fans such wussies that they start whining and crying at the first sign of hard work? The kids deserve better fans.

tyrannosaurus scorus said:

I like your optimism, but I think the rebuild process will take a bit longer. A lot of young talent on the defense, but the offense will take more than one year to fix.

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I agree. We are in the very early stages of rebuilding.

Defensively did anyone notice how many times our guys were looking around confused and trying to make adjustments as the ball was snapped? I know USF was doing a lot of no huddle but even when they weren't, guys we're not in position.

Secondly, our defensive backs were playing so far off the line it was child's play for the QB to hit those inside slants. Over and over again. I knew before the snap exactly where the ball was going.

I like our young guys on defense but I didn't understand the scheme. At all.

lexwaldez said:

NJILLINI... how many fall practices did you attend? In practice, almost every single day, Crouch threw INT's to our young D, failed to make short to medium throws, and looked very good running the ball.

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So, if your QB can't throw, why did he, as others pointed out, throw so many times consecutively? And in a "hurry up," huddle-less offense that played right into what USF wanted to do --keep our defense on the field and wear them out? Why not huddle, run the clock, run the ball more with Epstein, read option with Crouch and then screen/slant/safe routes off of play action? Wanna throw and throw and throw? Not a good plan if CC is behind center.

And how many Fall practices did I attend? Wow...is that the new standard to be able to critique this team? Didn't realize being a jock sniffer in Champaign made you more qualified than the rest of us.

NScale said:

I do.
Couldn't block.
Couldn't tackle.
Couldn't run.
Couldn't pass.
I don't think the rules allow the coaches to be on the field, that's sideline interference.
What cheeses me the most is that we as Illini Nation were embarrassed in front of an ESPN audience.

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We were not embarrassed at all, we got beat by a much older, much more experienced team , that is rated in the top 25 for a reason. We didn't play well at all but, I seriously doubt anyone thought we would go 3-0 to start the year, and I would say few thought we would go 2-1. If we come out and get blow away by NEB cause the team gives up then you can be embarrassed but lets give these guys a chance to get some time on the field before we start giving up. I mean seriously we have very few guys playing who have played 2 years on the field not going by what grade they are

BMo79 said:

We were not embarrassed at all, we got beat by a much older, much more experienced team , that is rated in the top 25 for a reason. We didn't play well at all but, I seriously doubt anyone thought we would go 3-0 to start the year, and I would say few thought we would go 2-1. If we come out and get blow away by NEB cause the team gives up then you can be embarrassed but lets give these guys a chance to get some time on the field before we start giving up. I mean seriously we have very few guys playing who have played 2 years on the field not going by what grade they are

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Man I'm happy there are still some people with some sense around here.

Yes there were some weird playcalls. Yes, we got outclassed. But I was also there in person, and I have to say that we were not embarrassed in the slightest. On the contrary, I left sad about the game yet proud and optimistic for the future. Here are some reasons why:

-USF came away with no points on the first drive after matching down the field. The defense buckled down and did not take their lack of momentum as a sign to stop trying on that drive. Then, they stopped them entirely because....
-Special teams are a focus, not a sloppy afterthought. We blocked two kicks (at least one of which was by Isaiah Gay, a SEVENTEEN year old), and Nate Hobbs returned one of them for two points. That play was the peak of the fun for us Illinois fans there, rivaled only by...
-Epstein scoring a long touchdown two minutes before the half. The past few years, if we went down, we rarely punched back. These Young Illini stood tall and answered the bell. Unfortunately we gave up a touchdown right before the half which made any comeback hopes unlikely, but the Epstein drive was hope inspiring.
-Jeff George Jr. can throw the ball with some zip, and maybe more importantly he knows where he wants to go with it way quicker than Crouch.
-Our young DBs are going to be really good. Particularly Adams and Hobbs. Adams' interception was textbook coverage and was during a part of the game when we still had a legitimate shot at winning.
-Our young DEs are incredible for their age, and I really think one will be a freshman All-American.
-Our defenders are, for the first team since the start of the Beckman era, able to tackle players with enough power and technique to drive them backwards. It only happened a few times at USF, but against WKU it was more common. I missed that sort of Martez Wilson or Justin Harrison type hit.
-Lovie, Hardy, and McGee just flat out exude calmness and confidence. Watching warmups is a joy with this group. This team will be properly coached up.
-Underrated point: we actually had a respectable amount of fans show up to a game several states away. Us Florida Illini loved that.

When we were walking out of the stadium, most Illini fans were in agreement that the future is bright and that we just need to wait a year to see some fruits of this rebuild. Our Young Illini fight and make opportunistic plays, and if you cannot appreciate and enjoy this team, that's on you and not them.

+1 on the outside contain. I guess that happens when your 2 DE are both freshmen and playing very aggresively. /

Drunk Big Bertha Driver said:

Outside contain needs to improve. USF dominated inside running game by just being bigger and stronger. But DE's need to be more disciplined on outside contain. George gotta be starter from now on I assume. Crouch a situation QB. I'm happy to finish non con 2-1. Bowl possibility looks brighter with George at QB.

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We are all looking to win but if we put it in perspective we are +1 in wins from projections for us. We have one Lovie recruited class and half of our starters are from that class. We have some excellent skilled players at running backs, receivers, CB's, and DE's. We don't however the skilled quarterback to utilize the skills nor the mature OL but some important pieces here and more coming. Just need some patience.

Was glad to read what Coach had to say:

"One of the things that happens in the run game against multitudes of stunts, pressures, is you have to just keep calling it. Sometimes the tendency is to get away from it when you get stopped for one or two or three yards." Unfortunately, this wasn't one of Illinois' coaches, but Duke coach David Cutcliffe. "But what will also happen is what we saw Shaun Wilson do.''

Wilson rushed for 176 yards and scored on runs of 50 and 65 yards.

I agree with many others questioning the play calling when you have a quarterback who won't beat anyone with his arm. I think they've gone too far trying to protect him that they've neutralized him as the threat he can be.

Delighted the Illini are 2-1. We knew USF could score and that offense is not Illinois' strength in 2017. Time to regroup. Nebraska is beatable.

chief2007 said:

What progress did you see in the last game? offense bad, defense bad and way too many penalties.

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Solid effort against a team that totally outclassed us? No one quit on this team, at any point during the game? Is it really so hard to Accept this team for what it is? We have a bunch of underclassmen with little to no experience yet you can see the effort. Not to mention that several of them are showing huge promise with their play.

All this just in 3 games!?!? Darn right I see progress!! Progress doesn't always result in wins, nor is it always blatantly obvious.

Honest question because I only saw snippets of the game. Regarding penalties, I see it was 15 to 16. So how much was poor discipline, youth or whatever, v refs seemingly calling everything?