Illinitalk

This was a tough Ron Zook-like loss. We win big one week and then turn around and are completely unfocused and lose the next. It reminds me of last year when we beat Penn State and Wisconsin and then travelled to Iowa City and laid an egg. By the way, I'm not sure I want to whoop it up too much that Michigan lost to Toledo today because that loss sure seems to take some of the shine off our performance in Ann Arbor last weekend, even though we beat them handily.

Today we had stupid mistakes early that cost us momentum and I didn't think it looked like we wanted it as bad as Minnesota did, either. We were not crisp and were outplayed by a team we clearly should have handled. It wasn't a gimme win but we should have won.

As for my feelings about the folks on the opposite sideline, this was obviously a big game for Tim Brewster coming back to play against his alma mater. If I recall correctly, Brewster was on Ron Guenther's short list for the head coaching vacancy at Illinois a couple years back. However, Guenther chose Ron Zook over Brewster so it wouldn't surprise me if Brewster wanted this one to show Guenther and the Illini Nation what he can do as a coach.

Call me unimpressed, despite the win.

Why?

The punch Gopher DE William Van De Steeg threw at Benn (ESPN showed it on replay plenty of times) and the late hit out of bounds on Juice. That kind of garbage as no place in the game. And of course the irony is that when Van De Steeg put the hit on Juice late in the game that caused the interception, Mr. Van De Steeg shouldn't have still been allowed on the field in the first place.

Despite this, Illinois should have been better prepared for this game, more focused on the field and come away with the win today. Let's hope we do better against Indiana next week.

Labels: Ron Guenther, Ron Zook, Tim Brewster, William Van De Steeg

Great observations from the game, Alma Mater. I'll look forward to hearing more about Pasadena when you get back to Illinois.

One more thing to add to my "Eight for '08" thoughts below and it has to do with speed.

I remember watching us lose to LSU in the Sugar Bowl a couple years ago and thinking, "My gosh they are crushing us in the speed department. We don't even belong on the same field."

Well, as the national media piles on this morning about how bad we got crushed (ala their love affair with USC and Pete Carroll) it's important to note that some of our freshmen-especially on defense-were able to keep up with USC's speed.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not taking anything away from USC because they could be the best team in the country right now. But I did see some serious speed from some of our guys last night.

The one play I remember the best is the broken lateral that USC's Joe McKnight turned into a big gainer. Everyone in America-especially Musberger-thought he was going to take it to the house.

Yet out of nowhere Vontae Davis comes in from behind and drags him down. See photo here.

I think Martez Wilson also had some pretty good tackles that he used his speed to make.

Again, not taking anything away from USC but it is encouraging that Zook is building a team that's got some guys who can run with the best. If his recruiting continues as it has and he keeps bringing in this caliber of talent the future will be looking very bright in a few years.

Labels: Brent Musburger, Joe McKnight, Martez Wilson, Pete Carroll, Ron Zook, Vontae Davis

My eight thoughts to start '08 after watching the game (with thoughts especially in mind for any national media thinking of piling on how Illinois didn't deserve to be here):

1. Last year we only won two games. Last I checked we only won two games the year before that as well. No one in America thought we'd be playing USC to end the season this year. There. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

2. USC is stacked with talent that could be playing in the NFL right now. We are getting stacked with talent that will be playing in the NFL in two or three years (not counting Rashard who pretty much ensured with his performance today that he will be playing on Sundays next year).

3. If Zook's recruiting continues as it has been, we are about two years away from being able to compete against the "goliaths of college football" as Herbsreit referred to USC.

4. That said, we were still in this game until we gave the ball away with some costly turnovers.

5. The defense played very well but obviously was extremely tired by the 4th quarter, hence the tackling difficulties.

6. I'm sure this will be beat to death over the next week or two but forcing our offense to run the ball over and over to start the game and for practically the entire first half didn't do our boys much good as every single USC defender pretty much played the run. Once we started to air it out at the end of the first half we got some breathing room. Not sure what Locksley and Zook were thinking there but it's sort of ironic that we kept hearing how great Locksley was this week and how he is being looked at for head coaching jobs and, in my opinion, did a pretty subpar job of calling plays at the beginning of the game.

7. No one likes a sore or arrogant winner (at least I don't). I know Illinois had its share of personal fouls (which didn't make me happy) but USC's players were beyond ridiculous when it came to taunting etc. Please. Act like you've been there before (because you have). You may have won the game big but you looked classless doing so. Congratulations.

8. Speaking of taunting I had a good friend who is a Nebraska fan text me after USC went up 14-0 talking smack (you know who you are). Must I say it again? Please. Where was Nebraska playing this New Year's Day? Did they even have a winning record? Do people who live within the state lines even believe their program is heading in the same direction as the Illinois football program? Yeesh. People.

Labels: Kirk Herbstreit, Rashard Mendenhall, Ron Zook, USC

The Illini football team left for southern California Christmas night. They clearly need time to settle in and develop a routine for the week -- not an issue for the local Trojans. They've seen the sites, met legends, eaten a ridiculous amount of prime rib, made classy impressions, and buckled down in practice.

College football fans around the nation have questions about the Fighting Illini and how they got to the Rose Bowl. They are 13.5 point underdogs -- the biggest spread in any post-season event. Do they have the speed to play USC? The strength? The coaches? Will Mendenhall go pro? When will Mike Locksley get a head coaching job?

We don't have all those answers yet, but with the Zooker, senior leaders like All-American Martin O'Donnell and J Leman, and the freshman confidence of Arrelious Benn, there is plenty of reason for optimism within Illini nation. Benn believes in the Illini -- and he clearly is comfortable that he choose the 9-3 Illini over the 3-9 Irish. And after all, will the Rose Bowl be any tougher than the Ohio State game? What we do know is that Ron Zook never stops coaching or recruiting. Since the Ohio State game, the 2008 recruiting class has improved significantly, so the Illini are gearing up for much more than just one Rose Bowl appearance to cap off an unbelievable season.

I'm gearing up, as well. My tickets are in hand, travel arrangements confirmed, and bag (almost) packed. I look forward to ringing in the Illini New Year at Universal Studios Hollywood with my Illini family. And I can't wait to watch the Illini play in January! See you in Pasadena...

Go Illini!

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Illini football, J Leman, Martin O'Donnell, Ron Zook, Rose Bowl

Congratulations to Big Ten Coach of the Year Ron Zook and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Rashard Mendenhall. They helped the Illini make a statement -- not only in the Big Ten, but on the national scene.

Illinois ends the season in second place in the Big Ten, tied with Michigan (a game we could have won...), behind Ohio State (a game I am still impressed we won). And, the upset of the Buckeyes in Columbus pushed the Illini into the BCS picture, as Chief pointed out.

The Sweet Sioux Tomahawk trophy has finally returned to Champaign after 4 years. Although I didn't see all the Northwestern game, the text updates I received indicated that the Illini stayed in control. (Thanks to the Illini fan who kept me updated on both the Illini and the OSU-Michigan game from Memorial stadium while I was at the wedding -- but I did see your ESPN debut!) The Illini seniors, who have risen from the bottom of the Big Ten, inspired their team the night before the game -- and the Illini delivered.

As other conferences move into championship games, the Illini can enjoy Thanksgiving as they watch and wait for a bowl invitation. It should be a great one...

Go Illini!

Labels: Illini football, Rashard Mendenhall, Ron Zook

Great win Saturday. Juice has really matured this season. Now if we can just get Rashard back next year...

Something I never thought was even close to possible when the season started and I can't believe this is even a possibility but there are those out there who believe we will not only get a very good bowl game but could be headed to a BCS game. SI's Mandel thinks so.

If you think Zook deserves Coach of the Year honors, click here and vote.

Finally, looks like we need to start preparing for life after Ron Guenther. Hopefully the university doesn't botch this like they did the Chief.

Labels: Juice Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, Ron Guenther, Ron Zook

I've had a bit of time for this win to sink in. The Illini were in the national spotlight today, and they stepped up. Yes, they got a break, but they played this game to win. Here's what I saw:

• A drive to win. The Illini went into Columbus with no fear. They didn't let two quick Buckeye scores rattle them. They stuck to their game plan well.
• An "all or nothing" attitude. You need this to beat a #1 team on their home field. You have to take chances -- which Zook did with two 4th down conversions. And he took chances again keeping the ball on the ground during the final drive of the game, even on 3rd and long. The Illini had nothing to lose, and they played like it. Ohio State had a lot more on the line, no question. Tressel's conservative coaching style suits the talented #1 team, but today risks paid off.
• No turnovers. Juice and his offense protected the ball perfectly.
• Few mistakes. The first Illini penalty came in the 4th quarter. Just three weeks ago, penalties killed this team.
• Taking what's there. Ohio State had a great defensive plan for the Illini, which they appeared to borrow from Iowa: Stop Rashard Mendenhall. They executed this strategy very well, but the Illini took what was available. QB draws and passes kept many drives alive, and Juice found the open man of the moment in the endzone not once or twice, but four times. He took control of this game.
• Hard hits. Both the Illini, led by J Leman, and Ohio State, led by James Laurenitis, made offensive players earn their yards. Beanie Wells got up limping, and Russ Weil was knocked out of the game. The hit of the day belonged to Vontae Davis -- it was impressive. He just didn't need to knock himself out of the game.
• Unexpected contributions. Benn was out for the second half, and barely touched the ball, although he did affect the game. But Gamble, Wilkins, Hoomanawanui, and Willis stepped up. True freshman Marcus Thomas filled in for Vontae, tipping a pass to Antonio Steele in the end zone and a 4th quarter interception.
• A dominating O-line. The Illini got the ball with 8:09 left in the game and a 7-point lead. The offensive line closed out the game, making it possible to use the entire 8:09 with the ball on the ground. These guys allows Illinois to control the clock.
• Strong defense. Leman had 12 tackles, and was on the ball for almost every other play. Beanie Wells and Brian Robiskie were contained relatively well. Plus, the Illini grabbed 3 interceptions -- one in the end zone.
• A lucky break. You don't pull huge upsets without a few of these, and the Illini clearly took advantage of theirs. But regardless of this call, the Illini out-played the Buckeyes for 60 full minutes.
• Sweet victory. Congratulations to Ron Zook. This is the second time he's put together a team that beat Ohio State. Zook and Juice Williams both were a bit choked up during their post-game interviews. The team clearly savored this win -- and so did the Illini Nation. (Note to team: Next time, let's avoid the mid-field altercation.)
• National attention. The Illini victory/Ohio State loss led SportsCenter, and Juice earned a College GameDay Final helmet sticker. The game grabbed top sports headlines on multiple websites, as well. It's nice to be the top story. Thanks to Buckeye Kirk Herbstreit for giving the Illini credit for a well-played game on national television.

Thank you to the Florida Gators for giving Coach Zook experience that has made him a great fit for Illinois. I look forward to seeing where this team will head for post-season play.

Go Illini!

Labels: Illini football, J Leman, Juice Williams, Ron Zook

Anyone as frustrated as I was after watching us give this game to Michigan? Mike Hart is on the sideline and our defense sends Henne and Manningham to the locker room and we still can't capitalize.

Obviously the penalties and silly mistakes killed us. We gave them the game.

I can't help but wonder if it's because we're such a young team and our guys were riding on so much adrenaline. Still, it's no excuse for most of the mistakes...especially Mitchell. Can we just go ahead and give the opposing team a personal foul penalty on him to start the game and get it out of the way? Invariably he either gets too hyped up or loses his cool or both and shoves someone after the play is over or comes flying in out of no where for a late hit. Drives me nuts. The refs have him pegged.

We don't rough the punter (which even though I understand the rule I see no way you can avoid touching the guy when you're coming in for a block) and drop that punt return and we win that game. Frustrating!

In addition, I do not see the reason why Juice was taken out. He was completing passes and seemed to be in a good rhythm.

In any case, there is still a lot to look forward to as this team matures. The stadium sounded loud on TV. Musburger and Herbstreit called a great game and gave Illinois a lot of props.

Finally, the interview with Jeff Jordan was GOLD.

Labels: Brent Musburger, Chad Henne, Juice Williams, Kevin Mitchell, Kirk Herbstreit, Mario Manningham, Mike Hart, Ron Zook

The News-Gazette's Bob Asmussen reports on his blog that Ron Zook wants to retire at Illinois:

On Friday at the Illini Quarterback Club, someone asked Zook if he would look elsewhere if he got the program turned around. He got the crowd on its feet by saying he'd like to retire in C-U. He's even got his next job lined up: tent guy. He wants to put all the tents that are used for tailgating at Illinois. The village might be growing.

And it appears that comment and crowd reaction came before we beat Penn State. Tell you what, he keeps recruiting guys like this, this, and this, I don't want him to go anywhere either.

Labels: Ron Zook

Since when does Illinois football get press like this? Since Ron Zook recruited a bunch of studs, many of them from Washington, DC of all places, to come play in Champaign.

Ron Guenther, are you paying attention? It takes talent to compete at this level. Please remember that as it relates to our hoops program. Please.

Labels: Illini football, Ron Guenther, Ron Zook

Those are the words of one Regus Benn, star wide receiver and kick returner for the Illini. But they could sum up what to me looked like the entire team's attitude yesterday. Click here for video highlights.

Illinois football is back, baby! And now the question is, just how good is this team?

We will find out a lot next Saturday against Wisconsin. I certainly didn't expect us to win yesterday. As a matter of fact, I didn't expect us to win any of the games in this stretch against Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa or Michigan.

But the factor I didn't take into account is that three out of four of them are at home. Penn State is a good football team so my thinking is the sky's the limit on this season.

It's great to have awesome talent on the field again. And I will enjoy this fall to its fullest because I have a feeling the hoops program is going in the opposite direction.

As for the QB "controversy," I think Zook needs to start Juice next weekend. He showed great progress with his passing in the first half yesterday and if he can adjust as Wisconsin adjusts, it'll be even more progress. Give the guy the start but use McGee if you need to.

What do you think?

Labels: Juice Williams, Regus Benn, Ron Zook

Over on the other Illinitalk (we were named that first btw) John Supinie has an interesting comparison between Juice Williams and former Penn State QB Michael Robinson.

I can see Supinie's point. However, I'm still not convinced we can hang with and have a chance to beat Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan or even Iowa in Iowa City unless Juice's completion percentage starts to go up.

I'm not asking for Peyton Manning. All Juice has to do is complete about 5-6 more passes a game and it'll make a huge difference. Steady improvement should be the goal and so far that's been happening. The offense is already clicking much better than last year. Once Juice and his class become upperclassmen I think we'll really notice a difference.

Anyway, Supinie also has some quotes from Zook on Joe Pa. My favorite:

Zook doesn’t expect to hang in there as long as the 80-year-old Paterno.

“I just hope I’m living at 80,” Zook said.

Labels: Joe Paterno, Juice Williams, Peyton Manning, Ron Zook

Yet more evidence of things wrong in South Bend.

All former Irish QB Demetrius Jones wants to do is transfer to Northern Illinois.

Who can blaim him?

He lost his starting job to this guy under, according to Jones, some not-so-cool circumstances.

The Irish are 0-3.

They have no offensive touchdowns through three weeks.

They are stuck at the top (or bottom depending on how you look at it) of ESPN's Bottom 10.

And the list goes on....

Probably not the best time for Charlie Weis to be treating is players, I mean former players, like dirt. But that's ok.

All those guys Notre Dame is trying to recruit can come to Illinois and play for someone who understands his players.

Labels: Charlie Weis, Notre Dame, Ron Zook

Mark Tupper has all the latest here on Ron Zook and Bruce Weber's whistlestop tour after they stopped in Decatur. Looks like Zook is hitting the recruiting trail hard while Weber enjoyed a colonoscopy that he said was "a pain in the butt." At least he didn't pull a Katie Couric and do it live on WCIA.

Labels: Bruce Weber, colonoscopy, Katie Couric, Ron Zook

Ron Zook did the rounds with the Chicago media yesterday. Meanwhile, Charlie Weis was unreachable. Could it be because just about every sports commentator out there, save Jim Rome, said the NY Times story that slammed Illinois on signing day wasn't worth the paper is was printed on and therefore they knew the source? I think one prominent TV personality even went as far as to say that he wouldn't use the story to wrap dead fish in. Classic.

MAJOR SIDENOTE: Consensus in the papers today seems to be that Notre Dame is the source of the mud being thrown at Zook. If that is the case, Notre Dame is actually hurting Benn and Tez even more than Zook.

First of all, the Domers look like sore losers.

Second, and most importantly, they are basically saying Benn and Tez can be bought. Way to try and destroy the character of a couple of young teenagers.

And finally, if all of this is true, Notre Dame lost a bidding war to Illinois? Wow. How pathetic.

But all that seems to be Notre Dame values today.

Below is a summary of some of the great stories out there today with key excerpts from each:

Orlando Sentinel:

Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, the man who hired and fired Zook at UF, has seen this sort of thing before when Gators basketball coach and recruiting dynamo Billy Donovan first began luring top-caliber recruits to downtrodden UF.

"Ron and I may have had our differences, but not for one second do I think he cheats," Foley said. "These are the same sort of knee-jerk accusations they made about Billy at first. They didn't take into consideration that maybe Billy was a great recruiter for a great university in a great league with great facilities and great weather. They just said he must be cheating."

Foley was speaking of established coaches such as Roy Williams (then at Kansas) who began to complain about cheating only after being out-recruited by the young, hard-charging Donovan. According to those close to the Illinois program, it is Notre Dame officials who are leaking negative information about Zook.

This is typical Golden Dome arrogance. How could high-and-mighty Notre Dame lose a recruit to those lowly bumpkins in Illinois?

As somebody who once went on a recruiting trip with Zook, I can tell you how: Because the guy works harder and cares more. I still remember that 13-day span during the May recruiting period before his first UF season when Zook jumped in a car and visited 71 high schools in the state (an average of almost six per day) and gave speeches to 12 Gator Clubs. I'm just guessing Charlie Weis isn't driving alone at midnight through the back roads of Indiana, gulping down convenience-store coffee to try to stay awake.

That's what Ron Zook once did at Florida, and it's what he's doing now at Illinois.

Chicago Sun-Times:

Wilson's father, Michael Whitehead, told the Sun-Times he was shocked when a Notre Dame assistant coach got into a shouting match with a Simeon assistant at their home. The discussion centered on what Illinois football would accomplish during Wilson's time there.
'
'It was like we weren't even in the room,'' said Whitehead, who was taken aback by the argument.

Chicago Tribune:

Zook saw where Irish coach Charlie Weis said the word "commitment" needs to be redefined in recruiting.

It is believed Hughes gave Illinois a "silent" commitment before settling on Notre Dame.

Zook wouldn't confirm that but did say of Weis, "One of those kids that committed to him committed to me before he committed to him. Do I cry about that?"

Through a university spokesman, Weis could not be reached for comment.

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Charlie Weis, Martez Wilson, Notre Dame, Ron Zook

I'm excited about Illini football -- and it's February! Signing Day is usually a small blip on my radar that pops up in the middle of basketball season.

But today, Ron Zook sold me on the idea that Illini football has a football. At the same time, he got significant national attention as a master salesman from the likes of SI and ESPN.

The national take strikes me as a bit harsh -- why would it be hard to convince a bunch of 17-year-olds that Champaign is the place to be, even if they are very talented? (I chose Illinois at 17, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.) I'm confident these young men will feel the same.

Florida is still giddy over the recruits Zook brought in for them, and although I don't expect to compete for a national championship in the next year or two, I do expect to compete in the Big Ten. Definitely a step in the right direction for the football team.

Go Illini!

Labels: Illini football, Ron Zook

• You can follow all the signing day action LIVE on the Fighting Illini Athletic Department's blog here. NOTE: Martez and Brent are in the house baby!
• Apparently some folks are really bitter about Zook's haul today. NY Times has a huge story with a couple folks insinuating that we're dirty. One of them is former MSU coach John L. Smith. You know...the guy who slapped himself after we beat them this year and then later was fired. What a bitter man. NOTE: Whoever planted this story needs to buy a clue. If we're dirty, Bruce Weber sure is a terrible cheater.
• I somewhat disagree with Alma Mater. Although injuries make is difficult to gauge where this team should really be and all programs go through down years for one reason or another, after our championship run two years ago, the basketball program should be expected to be a constant in the Top 25 and consistently challenge for the Big Ten title and make a Final Four run every three to four years or so. When the norm becomes the middle of the pack, then we are in trouble because we aren't improving. Maybe my expectations are too high. Discuss.
  

Labels: Bruce Weber, John L. Smith, Josh Brent, Martez Wilson, Ron Zook

Thursday is going to be a huge day for Illini football fans who have yearned to see the program turn around. Bob Asmussen will have all the coverage here throughout the week. We expect Zook to sign a top class.

Btw, Ron Guenther will be relieved if this happens because otherwise he's taking a lot of heat for moving the students to the north end zone.

Um, Ron, hello? Why do you think the basketball team has such a great home-court advantage?

Labels: Illini football, Ron Guenther, Ron Zook