Thread: Illinois Fighting Illini Thread

As a Buckeye fan, I'm really down on this season. I was happy that we beat Illinois, but I tend to believe that the victory was a fluke, a freak of nature. We should have beaten Nebraska, and after QB Braxton Miller went down with a tweaked ankle, Ohio State just crumbled, and Nebraska scored like 28 unanswered points in beating us 34-27 in Lincoln. I had never seen anything like that game in my whole life, and I hope I never do again.

Don't take the losses to Ohio State and Purdue too hard, Illinois fans. You have a dynamic offense and a pretty decent defense. One thing I would be doing, however, is calling for the head of Ron Zook. He was garbage as the head coach at Florida, taking that program back a couple of big steps from where Steve Spurrier had built it up to be like from 1990-2001. Zook is horrible, and I would strongly consider looking to replace him as soon as possible if I were the university's athletic director.

What are some of your thoughts on the Ron Zook matter? I'm eager to hear about it.

Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Penn State Nittany Lions - Recap - October 29, 2011 - ESPN

Late missed field goal helps Joe Paterno break record for wins by Division I coach (Week 9)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- In bright white letters against a blue background, the electronic sign boards around Beaver Stadium took note of another milestone for Joe Paterno long after the stands had cleared.
"Congratulations Coach Paterno," the signs read. "Winningest Coach In Division I College Football."
It took all 60 minutes on a snowy, sloppy Saturday in Happy Valley, but JoePa broke Eddie Robinson's record with victory No. 409 as No. 21 Penn State defeated Illinois 10-7.

The Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten) overcame six fumbles -- losing two -- with Silas Redd's 3-yard touchdown run with 1:08 to go. Penn State's only touchdown came after Illinois corner Justin Green was whistled for pass interference while breaking up a fourth-down pass for Derek Moye in the end zone.
Illinois (6-3, 2-3) drove from its 17 to the Penn State 25 on the next drive, but Derek Dimke's 42-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right upright as time expired.
Even JoePa was nervous in the press box before Penn State's last drive. Paterno coached upstairs since he's still got a sore right leg, shoulder and pelvis following an accidental preseason hit.
"Did I have any doubts," he asked rhetorically with a chuckle. "Sure I had doubts ... but it worked out anyway."
In a common occurrence over his remarkable 46-year career, Paterno was feted again with a postgame ceremony. School president Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley presented JoePa with a plaque that read, "Joe Paterno. Educator of Men. Winningest Coaach. Division One Football."
Among all coaches, Paterno now only trails John Gagliardi, still active at Division III St. John's, Minn., with 481 victories.
"It really is something I've very proud of, to be associated with Eddie Robinson," Paterno said in a brief postgame ceremony in the media room broadcast to fans still waiting in the stands 10 minutes later. "Something like this means a lot to me, an awful lot. But there's a lot of other people I've got to thank."
Start with Redd, the budding star who had a career-high 30 carries for 137 yards for Penn State, none bigger than his late TD run.
An early-season snowstorm had fans bundled up in winter parkas and hoodies. The offenses seemed to be frozen stiff.

After struggling most of the afternoon, quarterback Matt McGloin drove Penn State from their own 20 to the Illini 32 on three long completions before the pass interference call gave the Nittany Lions a second chance.
"I thought it was a good play myself," frustrated Illini coach Ron Zook said. "But obviously (the referee) thought ... I don't know, I didn't ask him."
Redd capitalized four plays later by barreling into the end zone, the crowd erupting in delight.
Jason Ford rushed for 100 yards on 24 carries but Illinois couldn't capitalize on a slew of Penn State mistakes in a defensive slugfest.
Illlinois outgained Penn State 286-209. After a quiet start, Illinois' pass rush turned up the heat in the second half, getting 2.5 sacks combined from standout ends Michael Buchanan and Whitney Mercilus.
Still, the Illini's offense wasn't much better than Penn State, but they got just got enough in the third quarter from scrambling quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase to scratch out a 10-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Harris for a 7-0 lead.
Illinois' defense held firm from there until Penn State's late TD drive.
Moye, back after missing two games because of a left foot injury, dropped a third-down pass to groans from the crowd on the winning drive. McGloin went for Moye on fourth down with 1:31 left, and the ball bounced off the receiver's hands in the end zone -- but there was contact and the interference penalty gave Penn State another chance.
Zook could only wince on the sideline as a once-quiet Penn State crowd burst back to life.
"They were just able to find their receivers. They weren't able to do that all game, we pretty much got them all game," Buchanan said. "As a D-line, we weren't able to get pressure on the quarterback that we wanted to. So it was pretty much on us."
Illinois' struggling offense couldn't get untracked again early, going scoreless in the first half for a third straight game. They wasted opportunities deep in Penn State territory following fumbles by Redd at his own 37 in the first half, and quarterback Rob Bolden at the 29 late in the second half.
On that drive, Illinois receiver Ryan Lankford made a pretty tiptoe catch along the sideline from backup quarterback Riley O'Toole for a 12-yard gain to the 12. The play was upheld by replay -- and fans in the student section showed their displeasure by tossing snowballs on the field.
The snowballs missed the players -- much like most of the passes Saturday. McGloin was 9 of 24 for 98 yards, while Bolden missed all four of his pass attempts, all in the second quarter.
Scheelhaase finished 9 of 16 for 63 yards, and ran 14 times for 89 yards.
After the game, Paterno had one last message to the frigid fans outside before they headed to the exits in relief.
"For all the fans out there, thanks for sitting through that today," Paterno said half-jokingly, "You've got to be nuts!"

Illini seek answers on bye week - Chicago Colleges Blog - ESPN Chicago

Illini seek answers on bye week (Week 10)

The good news for Illinois is this: its three-game losing streak won't reach four this week.

Of course, that's a mere technicality since the Illini have a bye in Week 10. The time off could help them figure out why they waved goodbye to such a promising start.

Head coach Ron Zook's challenge is salvaging a season that began with a 6-0 record before devolving into this current three-game slide. Should he change things up this week in an effort to lift his players' spirits and shake them out of their funk? Or should he just let them clear their heads?

"I've talked to a lot of people about what you do and don't do," Zook said.

Zook has decided to give his players a couple of days off, because "they do need to get away from it." As they return to practice the latter part of this week, the focus will be on fundamentals. Zook said there isn't one area that is to blame for the losing streak but rather a combination.

"I wish it was one thing, because that would be easier to fix," he said. "We're going to get back to basics and the little things. We're concerned about blocking and tackling and holding onto the football and protecting the kicks and all those things. We hope to get back to that this week. ... If you look at all three of the games, everybody had a hand in it, and everybody could have done some things differently to change it."

The offense, though, must shoulder a large portion of the responsibility. The Illini averaged 34.7 points per game in their first six contests, albeit against a few lousy defenses. In the three games since, Illinois has scored a total of 28 points.

The Illini have also had a punt blocked in each of the past two games, both of which were ultimately decided by one score. They excelled in many of the little areas like that earlier in the season when they won three straight games by three points each. Now they're finding themselves on the other side because of costly mistakes.

Illinois has basically been eliminated from the Leaders Division race because of losses to Ohio State and Penn State. But the team can still improve its bowl positioning and perhaps even play spoiler in the Big Ten race for teams like Michigan, which visits Champaign after the bye week.

"It's important to these guys to be able to win after starting off the season like we did," Zook said. "The teams that handle adversity the best are usually going to be successful."

Originally Posted by Dagan81

As a Buckeye fan, I'm really down on this season. I was happy that we beat Illinois, but I tend to believe that the victory was a fluke, a freak of nature. We should have beaten Nebraska, and after QB Braxton Miller went down with a tweaked ankle, Ohio State just crumbled, and Nebraska scored like 28 unanswered points in beating us 34-27 in Lincoln. I had never seen anything like that game in my whole life, and I hope I never do again.

Don't take the losses to Ohio State and Purdue too hard, Illinois fans. You have a dynamic offense and a pretty decent defense. One thing I would be doing, however, is calling for the head of Ron Zook. He was garbage as the head coach at Florida, taking that program back a couple of big steps from where Steve Spurrier had built it up to be like from 1990-2001. Zook is horrible, and I would strongly consider looking to replace him as soon as possible if I were the university's athletic director.

What are some of your thoughts on the Ron Zook matter? I'm eager to hear about it.

I would just say that Illini went out and hired a decent OC and DC this year. That's probably why they started 6-0. ;-)

Here's Ron Zook's coaching record at Illinois:

2005 2-9
2006 2-10
2007 9-4
2008 5-7
2009 3-9
2010 7-6
2011 ?

He has not exactly burned it up. If you look back at the previous coaches career at Ill, it was very similar to Zooks, though. I am not real sure we can think that many coaches would have a great record there. Illinois has a solid team this year. Definitely have some talent but they had a nice schedule to start the year.

Unfortunately lots of folks round here are saying they might not win another game till they play Minnesota.

D'oh!

Originally Posted by little bear

I would just say that Illini went out and hired a decent OC and DC this year. That's probably why they started 6-0. ;-)

Here's Ron Zook's coaching record at Illinois:

2005 2-9
2006 2-10
2007 9-4
2008 5-7
2009 3-9
2010 7-6
2011 ?

He has not exactly burned it up. If you look back at the previous coaches career at Ill, it was very similar to Zooks, though. I am not real sure we can think that many coaches would have a great record there. Illinois has a solid team this year. Definitely have some talent but they had a nice schedule to start the year.

Unfortunately lots of folks round here are saying they might not win another game till they play Minnesota.

D'oh!

To me, the model for what Illinois needs to follow in order to become as competitive as they possibly can be is the one Wisconsin has followed since the early 1990s when Barry Alvarez took the job. In the Big Ten, the key to winning is a power running attack couple with situational passing (i.e. - play action passes). Wisconsin used to be a barren place to go play major college football, and, unlike the state of Illinois because of the strategic recruiting grounds around the Chicagoland area, does not have a rich bed laden with talent like the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois do. Granted, Wisconsin gets almost all of their offensive linemen from in-state, but their skill position players come from other areas. For a school that has produced as many great NFL talented players as Illinois has, it has grossly underachieved throughout its history (after all, you did crank out Dick Butkus, Red Grange, Ray Nietsche, Simeon Rice, and whoever else I am forgetting at the moment). Illinois could be great, but I think the school has chosen to invest most of its assets in basketball rather than football. Correct me if I'm wrong on that one, little bear.

I mean no disrespect to Illini fans, it's just that I think there is so much potential for building big, powerful teams from within the state that I find it curious as to why Northwestern has spent more time winning conference championships over the past sixteen years than UI has. Outside of this season, Illinois has been bad under Zook. I still stand by what I said: he should be fired, and a new coach with a plan should be immediately found to replace him.

Michigan Wolverines vs. Illinois Fighting Illini - Recap - November 12, 2011 - ESPN

Denard Robinson knocked out of Michigan's victory over Illinois (Week 11)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- By halftime Michigan had eight times as many yards as Illinois. Deep into the second half the Wolverine defense still hadn't let the Illini cross midfield.
Yet as the clock wound down on the third quarter, all that had gotten the Wolverines (No. 24 BCS, No. 22 AP) was a 10-point lead on an Illinois team starting to piece together a rally.
Cornerback J.T. Floyd provided the missing piece, picking off Nathan Scheelhaase's pass and returning it 43 yards to set up a decisive touchdown, giving Michigan a 31-14 win that Michigan's coaches credited in large part to their defense.

"We talk about it all the time, but there's a standard at Michigan, and you have to live up to that, and you're judged by it," defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said. "We (hadn't) come to that final point where you win a game on defense, and we said that this is our last away trip to do it. I couldn't be more proud of a group of guys."
While the defense was dominant, Fitzgerald Toussaint ran for 192 yards and a touchdown while backup quarterback Devin Gardner, in relief of the injured Denard Robinson, threw that key fourth-quarter TD pass, finding Martavious Odoms in the end zone for a 24-7 lead just after Illinois scored
Robinson scored two rushing touchdowns, but didn't play after a big third-quarter hit bruised his wrist. Michigan (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) was up just 14-0 at the time and head coach Brady Hoke said he could have returned, but the coach didn't feel like he needed to.
"Devin was doing some good things," Hoke said. "I thought he made a really nice play when he stepped up in the pocket to Martavious and threw that touchdown pass."
The Illini (6-4, 2-4) for the fourth week in a row didn't score in the first half and, after opening 6-0, have lost four straight.
"We are in a funk for some reason and it is something, particularly on the offensive side of the football, that we have not seen since I have been here," Illini coach Ron Zook said.
The game, even at halftime, felt like a blowout. Illinois had 30 yards of offense at the half, including minus-12 on the ground, and not one point on the board. They didn't move the ball into Wolverines territory until late in the third quarter.
And still, thanks to their defense, a missed field goal by Michigan goal and a touchdown by Robinson called back by the officials, the Illini were in the game at 17-0 when Scheelhaase drove them deep into Michigan territory late in the third quarter.
Scheelhaase gave Illinois life it might not have deserved, running in from the 14 with 19 seconds left in the quarter. Scheelhaase sold a strong fake that gave him room to run outside and, at 17-7, Illinois had its first points and a shot.
But the Wolverines responded.
After a quick stop by Illinois' defense, Floyd picked Scheelhaase off. From the nine, Gardner found Odoms and the margin was back to 17.
Ilinois answered with an 18-play drive that took 6:08 off the clock, capped by Jason Ford's 1-yard run with 3:50 to play. Michigan answered with a score of its own 40 seconds later, when Toussaint ran it in from 27 yards out following a failed onside kick.
Then, it was finally over. Michigan missed plenty of chances to put the game away early, while Illinois responded with mistakes of its own.
Each team had three turnovers, and two came in the final six minutes of the first half, during a quick series of possessions that ultimately went nowhere.
Robinson, after hitting Kevin Koger on a 40-yard pass, ran for what the officials initially ruled was an 8-yard touchdown. But replays showed Robinson stepped out near the 2-yard line and the officials called it back.
On fourth and 1, a low snap appeared to slow Robinson in the backfield and Michael Buchanan dragged him down for a loss.
But Ford dropped the ball on the next play and Michigan's Thomas Gordon recovered it at the Illini 13.
Three plays later, Whitney Mercilus sacked Robinson and knocked the ball loose. Tavon Wilson recovered it with 3:55 left in the first half, in the process giving the Illini their best field position of the game to that point at their own 32.
Ford appeared to fumble again inside his own 20 with 14 seconds left in the first half, a ball Courtney Avery grabbed and ran into the end zone. But replays showed Ford's elbow hit the ground before the ball came out, and the officials overturned that call, too, sparing Illinois yet again.
With 1:05 left before halftime, Michigan kicker Brendan Gibbons missed a field goal from 36 yards with a stiff wind at his back.
He atoned for it early in the third quarter, after Ryan Lankford dropped a third-quarter punt that Michigan's John McColgan fell on. This time, Gibbons converted on a 26-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead with 4:31 to play in the quarter.
With the missed field goal and other blown chances, Hoke said his team left points on the field.
"It's frustrating. Everybody gets frustrated," he said. "The kids are giving great effort and are working their tails off. They want to score touchdowns."
As erratic as both teams were, Toussaint was a rock.
He had 121 yards by the end of the first quarter, and set the tone for the game early.
The 195-pound sophomore burst through the middle of the Illinois defense for 65 yards on the game's second play from scrimmage. Toussaint was tackled from behind at the Illinois 15 by Wilson but two plays later Robinson weaved his way through the Illini and into the end zone from the nine for a 7-0 lead.
"It gave me confidence and it gave the whole offense confidence," Toussaint said of the fast start. "If we do that early, we help everyone out."
Illinois ended the day with just 37 yards on the ground. Scheelhaase was 16-31 for 170 yards in the air with one interception, but he was sacked four times.
"We played hard, we played physical and I don't think they ran the ball too well against us," Wolverine defensive end Ryan Van Bergen said. "Those are staples of a Michigan defense."

Illinois Fighting Illini's Trulon Henry shot in the hand, done for season - ESPN Chicago

Trulon Henry (hand) done for season

ST. LOUIS -- Illinois linebacker Trulon Henry will miss the rest of the regular season after he was shot in the hand during a shooting at a large house party near campus hours.
Coach Ron Zook said on Sunday the incident happened after the slumping Illini lost their fourth game in a row.

Henry had surgery Sunday to repair the injury.
Urbana police said two thers were wounded in the shooting that occurred before 3:30 a.m. Sunday, just across the street from the campus health center and a student dorm near some of the school's Greek organizations.
Zook said several Illinois players -- largely underclassmen who weren't immediately publicly identified -- were at the party before the gunfire that police said followed a fight. None of the other Illini was hurt by the gunfire or took part in the dustup that preceded it.
Henry was not attending the gathering but -- "being the leader that he is" -- only went to there to clear out the other players after learning the get-together was "getting a little crazy," Zook said.
The loss of Henry -- a 27-year-old senior and two-year starter who last year played safety -- could compound the troubles for Illinois (6-4, 2-4 Big Ten). The Illini lost 31-14 to Michigan on Saturday.
Henry's possible availability for a bowl game appears unclear, Zook said.
Henry, who last season earned all-Big 10 honorable mention after leading the Illini with three interceptions and forced two fumbles, is ninth on the team in tackles and has two interceptions. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior had a solo tackle and an assisted one Saturday against the Wolverines.
Henry, a Washington D.C., native who's married and has a daughter, is the older brother of Arrelious Benn, a former Illini standout wide receiver now playing with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The injury of Henry, who once served time in prison for a grocery store robbery before his 2007 release, marks the second time in recent years an Illini player has been injured trying to help teammates.
In December 2008, linebacker Martez Wilson -- now with the New Orleans Saints -- survived being stabbed in the back while reportedly aiding a former teammate who was outnumbered and being beaten outside a Champaign bar.
Police never made an arrest.

You would think on a four game losing streak they wouldn't be partying. Oh well...

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313230356

Wisconsin's Montee Ball scores 30th TD in win over Illini (Week 12)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Wisconsin's offense was sputtering and pesky Illinois looked primed to end its losing streak when Badgers coach Bret Bielema made his team a bold locker room promise.
"I told them at halftime, this is going to be one of the greatest memories you'll ever have because you were in such an adverse situation, and then come up and be triumphant," he said.
That was enough to fire up Wisconsin (No. 17 BCS, No. 15 AP), which scored three unanswered touchdowns during the second half of a 28-17 victory Saturday. Montee Ball led the charge, rushing for 164 yards and scoring two of his three touchdowns after the break.

"We started off pretty slow," said Ball, who finished with 224 yards on 38 carries. "We did a great job of overcoming adversity, coming in and working our X's and O's at halftime and making sure we capitalize on their mistakes."
Wisconsin (9-2, 5-2 Big Ten) forced four turnovers to remain in position to meet Michigan State in the first Big Ten championship game. The Badgers host Penn State next weekend in their final regular-season game.
Donovonn Young rushed for two TDs for Illinois (6-5, 2-5), which has lost five straight. Ron Zook's job security has come into question during the slide, and Michael Buchanan exchanged words with one fan clamoring for the coach's ouster as the defensive end left the field.
"As soon as we turned it over the first time on offense, then it seems like they began to think and we went back into the old mood," Zook said.
Illinois outgained Wisconsin 301-285, but the turnovers -- a fumble and three interceptions -- combined with special teams mistakes doomed the Illini.
The Badgers scored on drives of 44, 39, 30 and 2 yards. Their first 14 points were set up by an Illinois turnover and a badly botched punt.
Wisconsin trailed 14-0 before Illinois punter Justin Duvernois dropped a snap at his own 2-yard line, setting up a 1-yard run by Ball with 2:55 left in the first half.
Derek Dimke kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 17-7 at halftime, but it was all Wisconsin from there.
Badgers linebacker Chris Borland hit receiver Darius Millines on the Illini's first possession of the third quarter, forcing a fumble. Wisconsin needed 7 minutes, 11 seconds and 12 plays to go 30 yards, but Ball finally capped the drive with a 5-yard TD reception.
Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus said the short field hurt but was no excuse for giving up the scores that let the Badgers back in the game.
"It can wear on you a little bit," said Mercilus, who now has 13½ sacks. "We can't think internally about ourselves, though, and how tired we are. Adversity is going to happen."
The Badgers' go-ahead touchdown came courtesy of an Illini mistake, too.
Illinois' Terry Hawthorne let a punt sail over his head and toward his end zone. The 74-yarder finally stopped at the 3.
After a fast three-and-out, the Badgers took over at the Illini 44. Four plays later, Wilson faked an inside handoff to Ball and trotted around the left side to make it 21-17 as the third quarter ended.
Illinois opened the final period with another costly turnover on freshman quarterback Reilly O'Toole's interception. Ball capped the ensuing drive with a 17-yard run for his 30th touchdown of the season, extending his conference record.
Alternating quarterbacks, Illinois got off to a fast start and scored a pair of first-half touchdowns, one with each quarterback.
Nathan Scheelhaase was behind center for the first score, Young's 12-yard run early in the second quarter.
Defensive end Whitney Mercilus set up O'Toole later in the period.
With the wind finally at their backs, the Badgers offense started to move. Wilson hit Nick Toon for two quick, deep passes and Wisconsin was suddenly at the Illini 36.
When Wilson dropped back again, Mercilus hit him hard, forcing the ball loose. Illinois linebacker Jonathan Brown grabbed it and returned it to the Wisconsin 36.
O'Toole and the Illini drove to the Badgers 1, where Young punched the ball in again. Young finished with 43 yards on eight carries before leaving in the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle.
The Illini had another second-quarter touchdown called back, a 15-yard pass from O'Toole to Jenkins. Officials flagged tight end Jon Davis for pass interference, a call that Illinois offensive coordinator Paul Petrino criticized in a tense locker room after the game.
"It's a joke," he said.

Yep. It's definitely time to cut ties with Ron Zook. The guy was garbage at Florida and he is even worse at Illinois.