They said “it’s winning time” once, maybe twice, but didn’t add “for Wisconsin.” I interpreted it to mean that it was winning time for both teams, either for Wisconsin on offense or for Illinois to make a stand on defense. But people often hear what they wanna hear.
Wisconsin 25, Illinois 21 Postgame
I’m really disappointed with the decision to defer to the second half, but not choose to go with the wind in the fourth quarter. Yes, I know you end up giving your opponent the ball at the beginning of both halves, but big picture, you’re setting yourself up for one of two lousy outcomes:
1. You’ve either got to come from behind late into the wind, affecting passing and kicking or…
2. You’ve got to try to nurse a lead in the fourth quarter, affecting passing and effectively making your offense one dimensional.
We succumbed to the latter today. Just as we did last year at Michigan against a stiff fourth quarter wind. In the fourth quarter last year against Michigan State we had to try to come from behind against a swirling fourth quarter wind.
How do these coaches not get that the wind to your back is imperative in these situations?
1. You’ve either got to come from behind late into the wind, affecting passing and kicking or…
2. You’ve got to try to nurse a lead in the fourth quarter, affecting passing and effectively making your offense one dimensional.
We succumbed to the latter today. Just as we did last year at Michigan against a stiff fourth quarter wind. In the fourth quarter last year against Michigan State we had to try to come from behind against a swirling fourth quarter wind.
How do these coaches not get that the wind to your back is imperative in these situations?
BZuppke
- Plainfield
Interesting take. My Wisconsin friend at the game - yes he’s a friend - made this point before the game started. He said he thought having the wind at your back in the 4th qtr would be important
One other comment on the targeting call. It may have been technically the correct call, but we see this rule enforced so inconsistently it feels like getting jobbed anytime they actually call it unless it's really egregious. I still remember Brandon Peters literally being knocked unconscious by an Iowa defender from a blindside helmet to helmet that was ruled NOT targeting after review. Newtons hit by comparison was two hand touch
It's a nice dream. The NCAA has a process for 2nd-half targeting ejections to be appealed. The CONFERENCE makes that appeal to the NCAA. So, if you could kindly point me to the universe where the BigTen would ever go out of its way (and against its own officials?) to help Illinois, I'll hop over there and consider holding my breath.
blackdog
- Champaign
Because it's obviously more important to have an extra possession and not give that to the other team? That's basically committing a turnover on purpose because you don't like what direction your team is facing.
blackdog
- Champaign
While this game was incredibly frustrating one thing we aren't talking about is how lost the players look on both ends. We've seen huge improvement on the defensive side of the ball and the oline with keep Luke from getting pulverized as quickly (still not great but definitely better.) The guys out there are starting to look like they know what they are doing more often than not (that last TD especially hurt).
That’s small picture thinking, though. Just like going for two down eight in the first quarter to tie the game. Against a strong wind, you’re giving away three-to-four possessions during a quarter where possessions are shortened and urgency is intensified. We lost today in part because of this disadvantage combined with staff’s natural tendency to play ultra-conservative with a lead.
You've got to at least TRY to throw passes against the wind once in a while. Wisconsin's second string QB did.
We can still make a bowl. Let’s do it!
Not that simple at all, dude. He saw with his eyes the flag being thrown at him. I question why he wasn't looking down for the ball, but could you be more specific?
In truth, it was a bad call. At best, the call could be technically correct to a sloppy reading of the rule, which makes it technically incorrect. I don't see anybody arguing 'spirit of the rule' - it's all technical this-or-that. But replay shows that he didn't LEAD with the helmet when lowering his head and the contact at the crown was not forcible.
It shouldn't fit the rule, and doesn't.
8 games into what is basically his freshman year. We have no chance in that game without him and that’s one thing he has to work on.
I agree. I feel like that was the dagger. It never should have happened.
If that was a good call, they could just put contact sensors in all helmets and automatically eject every defensive player whose helmet ever touches that of an offensive player. Ridiculous but at least consistent.
The term “targeting“ itself speaks to intent. This was a tiny incidental bump during a crushing sack. The intent was clearly revealed by Newton’s hands, which transmitted virtually all of the energy felt by the QB.
I'm at the point where this doesn't even upset me anymore. I'm just numb to the losing year after year. We have a decent year once a decade; otherwise, this is what we should expect.
Last edited:
Well said.
Even the student section was filled for a good portion of the game.
Isn't that the Kelvin timeline, but Kelvin is not longer the Commissioner.
I know many of you follow Robert, and in general I consider myself a fan as well. It can be nice to get a relentless positive fan perspective in a sea of bitterness that this football team provides us with year after year.
But his "from the stands" podcast last night really irked me. He loves playing the "it's me against the world, no one is as good of a fan as I am" card. I got the impression that he was saying if you ever, at any time, say 1 negative word about the players or coaches you can't be a "real" fan, or that you're a troll.
Players, okay, I get the logic there. They're young adults trying their best and putting their safety on the line for our enjoyment and who were, until very recently did so for free. But I think he thinks we take pleasure when certain players screw up, like we're just waiting for Xavier Scott to commit a 15 yard penalty, then drop a sure pick, then later miss a key tackle. He did all these things today and I did curse his name a few times, but doing so doesn't mean I want it to happen. I want all of our players to be All Americans. I want them to make the big plays and root for that to happen every single down. But when you see the same mistakes over and over you aren't a bad fan for pointing it out.
As for the coaches... What? How does someone who has followed Illinois football since the early 90s (meaning Robert not myself) think that if you criticize a coach you aren't a true blue fan? We all want what's best for the team and that includes calling a spade a spade. Tepper, Turner, Zook, Beckman, Cubit, Lovie. These are all the coaches of my Illini fan lifetime. That's WHOLE lot of ineptitude. But when they were all hired they had my full support (I was very, very dubious of the Beckman hire, but I still wanted him to succeed). But to take the stance that you are rooting for coaches and Illinois to fail because you are critical of playcalls and recruiting of grown men being paid hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars is ludicrous. I personally think Aaron Henry is in over his head, I said so since day 1. Does that mean I've been secretly hoping he'd fail just so I could crow about it? No, I always want Illinois to prove my skepticism wrong. Maybe Henry will get better (or maybe it's not even him and he's just doing what Bret tells him to do), but that prevent, weak !!! defense at then of the first half and basically the entire 4th Q was awful. We've gotten no pressure on the QB all year, and most of the time it's because we're always only rushing 3 guys. And even when we drop 8 into coverage we still give up big first downs because every opposing offense seems to always know where the weak spots in our zone are because we never play man to man because we apparently don't have the athletes to be able to do that.
This may not have been the place for this rant but Alioneye just got to me this morning with his holier than thou schtick. We all care, that's why we waste our time on these forums. Don't tell other fans (especially with a team like this who needs every butt in the seat and poster on a message board it can get) that they aren't real fans. I take Illinois football losses harder than most and yeah, I get mad at coaches and players when they screw up, it's human nature when you care this deeply about something.
But his "from the stands" podcast last night really irked me. He loves playing the "it's me against the world, no one is as good of a fan as I am" card. I got the impression that he was saying if you ever, at any time, say 1 negative word about the players or coaches you can't be a "real" fan, or that you're a troll.
Players, okay, I get the logic there. They're young adults trying their best and putting their safety on the line for our enjoyment and who were, until very recently did so for free. But I think he thinks we take pleasure when certain players screw up, like we're just waiting for Xavier Scott to commit a 15 yard penalty, then drop a sure pick, then later miss a key tackle. He did all these things today and I did curse his name a few times, but doing so doesn't mean I want it to happen. I want all of our players to be All Americans. I want them to make the big plays and root for that to happen every single down. But when you see the same mistakes over and over you aren't a bad fan for pointing it out.
As for the coaches... What? How does someone who has followed Illinois football since the early 90s (meaning Robert not myself) think that if you criticize a coach you aren't a true blue fan? We all want what's best for the team and that includes calling a spade a spade. Tepper, Turner, Zook, Beckman, Cubit, Lovie. These are all the coaches of my Illini fan lifetime. That's WHOLE lot of ineptitude. But when they were all hired they had my full support (I was very, very dubious of the Beckman hire, but I still wanted him to succeed). But to take the stance that you are rooting for coaches and Illinois to fail because you are critical of playcalls and recruiting of grown men being paid hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars is ludicrous. I personally think Aaron Henry is in over his head, I said so since day 1. Does that mean I've been secretly hoping he'd fail just so I could crow about it? No, I always want Illinois to prove my skepticism wrong. Maybe Henry will get better (or maybe it's not even him and he's just doing what Bret tells him to do), but that prevent, weak !!! defense at then of the first half and basically the entire 4th Q was awful. We've gotten no pressure on the QB all year, and most of the time it's because we're always only rushing 3 guys. And even when we drop 8 into coverage we still give up big first downs because every opposing offense seems to always know where the weak spots in our zone are because we never play man to man because we apparently don't have the athletes to be able to do that.
This may not have been the place for this rant but Alioneye just got to me this morning with his holier than thou schtick. We all care, that's why we waste our time on these forums. Don't tell other fans (especially with a team like this who needs every butt in the seat and poster on a message board it can get) that they aren't real fans. I take Illinois football losses harder than most and yeah, I get mad at coaches and players when they screw up, it's human nature when you care this deeply about something.
This time it is legitimate however. The targeting call was just egregiously bad and it cost us the game. No team can withstand the loss of 2 interior linemen the quality of Randolph and Newton.
Bear Alexander picks up costly targeting penalty late against Utah
USC star defensive lineman Bear Alexander picks up a costly targeting penalty late against Utah, as the Utes stun the Trojans
We are not the only fan base upset about targeting. If you want to keep the rule as written I’m ok with it as long as the kid receiving the hit has to be taken out of the game to check for concussion. If the kid taking the hit doesn’t need to be checked out ref or team’s call then there is no forcible contact. I am saying if you aren’t concerned about a head injury then it was not targeting. The penalty needs to be reserved for the bad hits where the helmet is used as a weapon. Also repeat offenders need harsher punishment
I watched the Newton replay a few times in slow motion. Here is how I see it. He lead with hands and helmet. However when he makes contact with the QB it is primarily with his body and his eyes looking up.
The QB head doesn’t look like it took a hit because it is his body that gets pushed away. There is no head movement.
I don’t think Newton lead with his head
That play if no targeting was called would have been 2 and 18 on the 20 instead it was a first down on the 43.
We played well enough to win unlike the 2nd half of the PU game or the entire Nebraska game
But it is because Bielema has not focused on portal as much as he should, with the notable exception of the QBs. He has concentrated on greatly improving Illinois' relationship with high school coaches, which is important, but today the portal is equally or more important in building a strong roster with some depth. How many key players on this team arrived via the portal other than Altmyer?
And I cringe at some here who criticized Altmyer, who was our star of the game, coming through several times for key runs to sustain drives and throwing three TD passes. Our offense is limited because of a shaky line, injuries to three of our top four running backs and no reliable receivers other than Williams and perhaps Washington. Did any of our supposedly young, promising receivers play in this game? Why do they rarely play? How will they develop if not given some PT?
Good teams find a way to overcome losses like those two players. As far as the list of things that cost the Illini the game, the officiating is pretty low on the list.