August 31, 200817 yr To me just seems like a bad idea to face a good opponent your first game. Play a nobody team get rid of all the kinks and than week 2 face the big opponent or whatever.
August 31, 200817 yr Julio Jones is a freak of nature at WR. That and the ACC really, really sucks. Hard for me to admit. UNC barely squeeking by McNeese State right now. Also, fun stats from the Big 12, OU has given up 7 total yards through 3 quarters to Chatanooga. Texas Tech had 18 penalties for 169 yards and won today 49-24 over Eastern Washington. Graham Harrell threw for 539 yards, but the big story was the rushing attack which had over 100 yards and 5 TD's. Oh and Brandon Tate has 397 all-purpose yards for UNC. He will be the NCAA all-time leader in return yardage before this season is finished. He and Maclin are the closest thing to Hester in the return game you will see. Edited August 31, 200817 yr by Palehosefan
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (Palehosefan @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 09:45 PM) Julio Jones is a freak of nature at WR. That and the ACC really, really sucks. Hard for me to admit. UNC barely squeeking by McNeese State right now. Also, fun stats from the Big 12, OU has given up 7 total yards through 3 quarters to Chatanooga. Texas Tech had 18 penalties for 169 yards and won today 49-24 over Eastern Washington. Graham Harrell threw for 539 yards, but the big story was the rushing attack which had over 100 yards and 5 TD's. I'm getting the boring MSU/Cal game- what's he doing?
August 31, 200817 yr Oh, I didn't mean statistically. Body wise, he's got a mans bodies against kids out there. Bama doesn't need to throw the ball as they are just ramming it down Clemson's throat.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 10:22 PM) Correction, their special teams is not very good. And Maclin is a sophmore, isn't he? Correction, their head coaching is not very good. Illinois needs to stockpile recruits for another two years and then get a good gameday coach in there. They'll win 7-8 games a year b/c they'll be able to out-athlete teams.
August 31, 200817 yr This is why the SEC is so much better than everyone else. They have so many elite coaches in that conference its not even funny. Clemson has talent but Alabama is so prepared and basically shut down Clemson. Look at how many coaches in the SEC have national title rings. Saban Miles Spurrier Meyer Fulmer Then you add Richt, Tuberville, Petrino, Nutt. Unbelievable.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 09:29 PM) Yeah, well, their offense isn't much better. Their defense is good, they are just on the field too much. And yes, he is, but if he entered the draft right now, he'd be a top 10 pick. ESPN, last year, did a 2006 draft re-do and Hester went in the top 10. Now, Maclin is just as dynamic as a ST player as Hester was, plus he's a WR. Offense isn't that good? OK... Mizzou is a real good team. So hard to slow them down on offense, and we had some stupid mental problems in the secondary. After the long completion midway through the 4th, we burn a timeout, take a sack, and then Juice throws a bad pick by staring down a guy. We at least get the FG there, and it's a one score game. Not bad, considering it looked like we might get rolled in that 3rd quarter. Worst part of the game was the fact that we couldn't line up and run the ball very well at all.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 11:15 PM) Offense isn't that good? OK... Mizzou is a real good team. So hard to slow them down on offense, and we had some stupid mental problems in the secondary. After the long completion midway through the 4th, we burn a timeout, take a sack, and then Juice throws a bad pick by staring down a guy. We at least get the FG there, and it's a one score game. Not bad, considering it looked like we might get rolled in that 3rd quarter. Worst part of the game was the fact that we couldn't line up and run the ball very well at all. You said it yourself. When you guys have to face a good defense like Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, passing it all the time isn't going to work. When Mendenhall entered the draft, I knew Illinois was screwed unless they recruited some big time RB, and they didn't.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 11:21 PM) You said it yourself. When you guys have to face a good defense like Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, passing it all the time isn't going to work. When Mendenhall entered the draft, I knew Illinois was screwed unless they recruited some big time RB, and they didn't. If you watched the game, it wasn't necessarily the lack of Mendenhall that hurt us, at all And are you calling Mizzou a defense not up the caliber of Michigan, OSU, and Wisky? I sure hope you aren't.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 11:28 PM) If you watched the game, it wasn't necessarily the lack of Mendenhall that hurt us, at all And are you calling Mizzou a defense not up the caliber of Michigan, OSU, and Wisky? I sure hope you aren't. Well, you wouldn't of had to throw it practically every time, and so that might have took more time off the clock, if you still had a good RB. No, they aren't. They were the 59th best "total defense" last year, while Wisconsin by 38th, Michigan was 24th, and Ohio State was 1st. Edited August 31, 200817 yr by whitesoxbrian
August 31, 200817 yr Can't be too upset as an Illini fan. That is no doubt the best offense we play this year. Secondary was my big concern coming into the season especially at safety losing Harrison and Mitchell. Too many big plays given up on defense and special teams. Surprised we could not run at all in the first half. The good...Juice looks like a lot better passer this year just needs to relax and not throw as hard as he can like he does sometimes. He made some nice touch passes that really show some potential. He's got a few options to throw to at wideout now nice to see Duvalt and Judson step up. Good to see the team not give up in the 3rd after falling behind 25. We got EIU and ULL coming up the next 2 weeks.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 11:30 PM) Well, you wouldn't of had to throw it practically every time, and so that might have took more time off the clock, if you still had a good RB. No, they aren't. They were the 59th best "total defense" last year, while Wisconsin by 38th, Michigan was 24th, and Ohio State was 1st. Did you watch the game? It's hard to run when a defender already has you wrapped up right when you get the ball.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 11:30 PM) Well, you wouldn't of had to throw it practically every time, and so that might have took more time off the clock, if you still had a good RB. No, they aren't. They were the 59th best "total defense" last year, while Wisconsin by 38th, Michigan was 24th, and Ohio State was 1st. Played in different conferences last year. One full of offense, the other full of s***. The last game they played was against an SEC team in the Cotton Bowl, and that went pretty well. Plus, this is a different year, and they have 11 starters back. They are and will be a solid defense, and showed many flashes tonight. QUOTE (The Bones @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 11:34 PM) Did you watch the game? It's hard to run when a defender already has you wrapped up right when you get the ball. We've been over this, it's easy for him to point at the Illini and say 'no Mendenhall they are screwed' and leave it at that.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 11:38 PM) Played in different conferences last year. One full of offense, the other full of s***. The last game they played was against an SEC team in the Cotton Bowl, and that went pretty well. Plus, this is a different year, and they have 11 starters back. They are and will be a solid defense, and showed many flashes tonight. We've been over this, it's easy for him to point at the Illini and say 'no Mendenhall they are screwed' and leave it at that. Yeah, like when they allowed those 35+ points. Leaving 2 guys wide open for down-the-field passes really showed me. We'll just agree to disagree. I don't think Missouri's defense is that good nor do I think the Illinois offense is that good. They will probably lose 2 more games this year, which should get them to a solid bowl game (Capital One?). Edited August 31, 200817 yr by whitesoxbrian
August 31, 200817 yr giving up 42 points is not a sign of a good defense. Mizzou's defense will be the reason OU will win the Big 12 this season.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 11:43 PM) Yeah, like when they allowed those 35+ points. Leaving 2 guys wide open for down-the-field passes really showed me. We'll just agree to disagree. I don't think Missouri's defense is that good nor do I think the Illinois offense is that good. They will probably lose 2 more games this year, which should get them to a solid bowl game (Capital One?). QUOTE (zenryan @ Aug 31, 2008 -> 12:23 AM) giving up 42 points is not a sign of a good defense. Mizzou's defense will be the reason OU will win the Big 12 this season. Missouri held Texas Tech, one of the highest scoring offenses last year and of all-time to 10 points. They are a better defense this year than last year. By the end of the year, they will be in top notch shape. It's too hard to judge much from the first game because teams get so much better or worse as the season goes on. Missouri's D is very solid and anyone who watches college football would know that. Two first round type players on the D and other draft worthy.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (zenryan @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 09:20 PM) Correction, their head coaching is not very good. Illinois needs to stockpile recruits for another two years and then get a good gameday coach in there. They'll win 7-8 games a year b/c they'll be able to out-athlete teams. Their coach wasn't the problem today. Their offense was not the problem. Heck their defense wasn't the problem. Their special teams was big time. If Zook sucked so much, he wouldn't have been able to beat OSU at the horseshoe last year.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Aug 31, 2008 -> 02:26 AM) Their coach wasn't the problem today. Their offense was not the problem. Heck their defense wasn't the problem. Their special teams was big time. If Zook sucked so much, he wouldn't have been able to beat OSU at the horseshoe last year. Ron Zook is suppose to be a special teams guru though. He isnt a good gameday coach. I dont want to say the win over OSU was luck but even a bad coach will win a few games he shouldnt. And youre kidding yourself if you think of Zook as being a good coach. He is an awesome recruiter though and that will get him to a bowl game every year.
August 31, 200817 yr Just got back from the game. Don't know how people could blame it on Zook. Our offense is just so good. Maclin please god let you not be too injured. At the very least thank god it wasn't your knee. Coffman is awesome, glad he's back to being a primary though it was fun with Rucker last year. Our defense was fine if literally not for our one cornerback who sucked so much I hope he gets cut. Weatherspoon showed why he is an absolute beast and Willy Mo racked up the tackles. Overall, we got much better on defense as the season progressed last year and I see the same this year. Illinois is probably the fastest team we'll play the rest of the year so I'm glad we beat them. That last TD was garbage anyway. Scary to face a good team to start out but even as it got close it wasn't ever that close. Lookin forward to a nice blowout next week though, that's for sure. Football sure makes it feel like the school season is here.
August 31, 200817 yr Author QUOTE (bmags @ Aug 31, 2008 -> 02:27 AM) Just got back from the game. Don't know how people could blame it on Zook. Our offense is just so good. Maclin please god let you not be too injured. At the very least thank god it wasn't your knee. Coffman is awesome, glad he's back to being a primary though it was fun with Rucker last year. Our defense was fine if literally not for our one cornerback who sucked so much I hope he gets cut. Weatherspoon showed why he is an absolute beast and Willy Mo racked up the tackles. Overall, we got much better on defense as the season progressed last year and I see the same this year. Illinois is probably the fastest team we'll play the rest of the year so I'm glad we beat them. That last TD was garbage anyway. Scary to face a good team to start out but even as it got close it wasn't ever that close. Lookin forward to a nice blowout next week though, that's for sure. Football sure makes it feel like the school season is here. It'd be neat to beat you guys. Jack Trice does weird things to Mizzou. I'm not jaded enough to think we have evenn a quarter of the talent that you guys do, but I'd like to think this worlds just crazy enough for me to be able to throw s*** at dan.
August 31, 200817 yr for all that talent, I don't think we've ever had a recruiting class as high as some of yours the past years. Just a great coach who finds players who work in his system. Derrick Washington is going to be reeeallly good this year, however. And Weatherspoon and Willy Moore are just fantastic players. If we lose Maclin, please please please just let it be a 4 week injury, we can bear without him during that time especially if danario can come back
August 31, 200817 yr Is the Illinois defense really that bad?Last year they pulled it together as the year went on and I hope they do the same this year because Daniel and that Mizzou offense didnt even play close to what they are capable and still ripped them apart.
August 31, 200817 yr So UNC was to have a flyover before the game and a parachuter drop in to bring the game ball. The plane never showed up, and later UNC learned that the plane mistakenly flew over Dukes stadium instead and dropped in with UNC parachutes and gameball to the Duke-James Madison game. Nice.
August 31, 200817 yr QUOTE (zenryan @ Aug 30, 2008 -> 10:27 PM) This is why the SEC is so much better than everyone else. They have so many elite coaches in that conference its not even funny. Clemson has talent but Alabama is so prepared and basically shut down Clemson. Look at how many coaches in the SEC have national title rings. Saban Miles Spurrier Meyer Fulmer Then you add Richt, Tuberville, Petrino, Nutt. Unbelievable. heh and bobby johnson was a D-1AA legend at Furman before vandy...which actually really means nothing Edited August 31, 200817 yr by daa84
August 31, 200817 yr Obligatory post about Minnesota beating NIU, 31-27. Our defense still sucks and can't tackle, but at least the Weber/Decker combo looks awesome. Edited August 31, 200817 yr by Felix
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.