Tuesday, October 02, 2007
More Illini Buzz
If you haven't watched it already, you really need to check out the link Chief provides in his post below. It is outstanding! It is great to finally have positive results on the football field and you can sense the buzz that is continuing to build about this year's Fighting Illini football team. The Tribune has a nice story today about the players feeling this buzz on campus. The story also provides some insights from the players about the team. Meanwhile, the Sun-Times features a story on how receiver and kick returner Arrelious ''Rejus'' Benn has ignited the Illini with his electric play. Get used to reading about him--he is going to give sports writers a lot to write about as an Illini and eventually as a pro on Sundays.
Finally, this last article wasn't about the Illini but it made me smile. The headline speaks for itself--"Michigan may face forfeit." Just makes you want to shed a tear doesn't it?
Have a good day everyone and GO ILLINI!
|
Finally, this last article wasn't about the Illini but it made me smile. The headline speaks for itself--"Michigan may face forfeit." Just makes you want to shed a tear doesn't it?
Have a good day everyone and GO ILLINI!
Labels: Arrelious “Rejus” Benn, Illini football, Michigan
# posted by Good Hope Orange : 2:23 PM
Sunday, September 30, 2007
The Real Deal
My caution in assessing the 2007 Fighting Illini football team scattered with a lovely late-September breeze on Saturday. The concerns I cited still exists -- with one key exception. These boys have learned how to win! Penn State had plenty of opportunities, but the Illini somehow managed to hang on. We have a real football team that is competitive in the (admittedly weak) Big Ten. And the Illini are starting to garner some national attention. What a great weekend to be an Illini fan!
Highlights:
|
Highlights:
- Rejus Benn. He is explosive, exciting and actually living up to (or exceeding?) the high expectations set for him. I look forward to cheering for him on Sundays in the not-too-distant future, but for now, let's keep getting him the ball. Although the opening kick return was impressive and exciting, I most appreciated the multiple broken tackles after receptions.
- J Leman. A leader, determined to win, he made the difference in one late drive by Penn State, ending it with his first career interception. Our defense allows big plays, but they have managed to make critical red zone stands that make all the difference. And Leman is the heart of the defense.
- Turnovers. The Illini still have their share, and Juice could certainly improve in accuracy. But they are capitalizing on turnovers recovered by the Illini defense.
- Special teams. After dreading punts, field goals, and other special teams plays for a couple years, it's exciting to see these units make plays more often than not.
- QB options. Juice Williams is exciting to watch, but having a reliable option to bring in, even in key situations, is very reassuring.
Best of all, we already have the upset I was looking for to get us headed toward bowl eligibility. With the Big Ten beating up on each other, we have a legitimate chance in almost every game on our schedule. Wisconsin struggled against Michigan State, Indiana beat Iowa in Iowa City, and Northwestern led Michigan for much of the game. Our schedule looks a lot better now than it did last spring.
Go Illini!!
Labels: Arrelious “Rejus” Benn, Big Ten football, Illini football, J Leman, Juice Williams
# posted by Alma Mater : 11:10 PM
Thursday, April 19, 2007
In the News...
Several items of interest today:
1) Lindsey Willhite of the Daily Herald provides a nice update on the current state of Illini basketball (and don't worry--for once it is postive news)
2) I cannot wait to see Arrelious “Rejus” Benn play this fall. He is going to be a great football player for the Illini and every article like this makes me more and more excited to see him suit up this fall.
3) Coach Weber explains why the Illini recruited and signed junior college player Rodney Alexander.
4) How long does IU Coach Kelvin Sampson's NCAA mandated recruiting phone call ban last? Not sure if it has already ended or when it concludes (if he is even obeying the ban), but this latest NCAA decision to eliminate text messages to recruits can't be good for him if the ban is ongoing. It is, however, in this writer's opinion good for the recruits who get bombarded with text messages from coaches with no limitations. UPDATE: I just found this commentary by Greg Couch of the Chicago Sun-Times. He answers my question about Sampson plus had comments from Illini Football Coach Ron Zook (who is a text messaging master) on why he disagrees with the decision.
5) Question for our readers. Do any of you know if the new Big Ten Network will be carried on satellite by the Dish Network? It appears to me that at the present time it is not looking likely as Dish Network is not mentioned in this article or this article from today's papers. Since I have Dish Network, this would be a very disappointing develop and I would have to assess whether I should make a change. If anyone else out there is in the same boat, I encourage you to call Dish Network at 1-888-284-7116 and ask them to add the Big Ten Network to their channel line-up.
|
1) Lindsey Willhite of the Daily Herald provides a nice update on the current state of Illini basketball (and don't worry--for once it is postive news)
2) I cannot wait to see Arrelious “Rejus” Benn play this fall. He is going to be a great football player for the Illini and every article like this makes me more and more excited to see him suit up this fall.
3) Coach Weber explains why the Illini recruited and signed junior college player Rodney Alexander.
4) How long does IU Coach Kelvin Sampson's NCAA mandated recruiting phone call ban last? Not sure if it has already ended or when it concludes (if he is even obeying the ban), but this latest NCAA decision to eliminate text messages to recruits can't be good for him if the ban is ongoing. It is, however, in this writer's opinion good for the recruits who get bombarded with text messages from coaches with no limitations. UPDATE: I just found this commentary by Greg Couch of the Chicago Sun-Times. He answers my question about Sampson plus had comments from Illini Football Coach Ron Zook (who is a text messaging master) on why he disagrees with the decision.
5) Question for our readers. Do any of you know if the new Big Ten Network will be carried on satellite by the Dish Network? It appears to me that at the present time it is not looking likely as Dish Network is not mentioned in this article or this article from today's papers. Since I have Dish Network, this would be a very disappointing develop and I would have to assess whether I should make a change. If anyone else out there is in the same boat, I encourage you to call Dish Network at 1-888-284-7116 and ask them to add the Big Ten Network to their channel line-up.
Labels: Arrelious “Rejus” Benn, Big Ten Network, Illini basketball, Illini football, Rodney Alexander, Text Messaging
# posted by Good Hope Orange : 2:01 PM
