Illinitalk: Not A Ragin' Vicotry, But Still a "W"

Monday, September 15, 2008

Not A Ragin' Vicotry, But Still a "W"

The Ragin' Cajuns came uncomfortably close to tying or beating the Illini on Saturday. Ron Zook and his team may not be happy about Saturday's game, but it's still a win. The Illini are 2-1, with the loss against a team currently ranked #5. And the Illini even moved up in the polls.

I heard a few things to be excited about:

Brit Miller stripping the ball from the QB and turning the created turnover into a TD
More tackles from expected defensive leaders Martez Wilson and Vontae Davis
Strong runs by Daniel Dufrene, who had 126 yards rushing
Good receptions -- and a great game from Hoomanawanui (it's even fun to type his name)
A relatively reliable kicking game (it was windy, and that first field goal was a long one)

And I heard a few things that I hope we will see improvements on when the Illini head to Happy Valley in a couple weeks:

Missed tackles -- especially late in the game; basic mistakes like these are part of what allowed the Cajuns back into the game in the 4th quarter
Penalties -- flags seemed to fly quite a bit, and the Illini gave up great field position or allowed Lousiana-Lafayette to resuscitate drives that should have ended
Converting on 3rd (or 4th) and short more consistently
Sustaining offensive drives, and eating up the clock, like they did at the Horseshoe last year

Hopefully Saturday's game served as a wake-up call, and the team will put in the hard work needed to consistently win in the Big Ten. But a win is still a win, putting a number in the column that will get the Illini closer to a bowl game. Let's build on it.

Labels: Illini football

# posted by Alma Mater : 9:02 PM

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Monday, September 15, 2008

Not A Ragin' Vicotry, But Still a "W"

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