Let me preface all that I write in the following paragraphs that I am a huge Illini fan. In fact, if B.C. took a knife to me (which, he might do, he gets defensive) I would probably bleed orange and blue. But yet, I have to voice my opinions on what I fear about my favorite football team.
Let me preface all that I write in the following paragraphs that I am a huge Illini fan. In fact, if B.C. took a knife to me (which, he might do, he gets defensive) I would probably bleed orange and blue. But yet, I have to voice my opinions on what I fear about my favorite football team.
I was there. I was at Memorial Stadium on the unusually warm Saturday afternoon this weekend as my Illini took on the junior college, I mean, 1-AA Florida A&M Rattlers. I understand that we scored 52 points. I understand that we didn’t give up any points until the fourth string defense was in. But I still have doubts. I have huge doubts.
My first concern is Jon Beutjer. The Illini field general, who is eligible to join AARP before the Rose Bowl, leaves me with severe worries. One of the knocks on him when he began as a fighting yellow chicken in Iowa City two decades ago was his inconsistency. A different college, sixteen injuries, and four presidential administrations later, he’s still inconsistent. He may have been 16-18 with about a half a mile of passing yards, but he was saved. Beutj was saved on at least four bad throws by amazing catches from Kendrick Jones and Ade Adeyemo. Let’s all bask in his awesomely awesome name: Ade Adeyemo. Ok, moving on. His throws were never completely on target, and the 52 yard completion to Jones was an acrobatic gift from God. I am not sold on Jon Beutjer.
Another concern, along the same line as the Beutj, is his offensive line. They did a pitiful job of pass protection, and the holes they were forming for E.B. Halsey were almost non existent. And this was against a 1-AA defense. Wait for UCLA. Wait for Purdue. Wait for Fichigan. Wait for the real teams.
The defense was also very disturbing. Again, we’re going to have to put up with this “bend-and-not-break†ideology, but against good teams, it will break consistently. The Illinois defense gave up 21 first downs to FAMU. Twenty-one, (21), however you phrase it, it still looks awful. Just triple that and we may have the Fichigan game. Mike Sinclair was one of the few bright spots on the orange-clad defense. He was everywhere. In fact, I felt at times that he was the only defender legitimately trying to make a tackle. I do think that Morris Virgil’s switch to defense will eventually pay off, but he’s going to have to learn before the Big Ten season. Kelvin Hayden did also look pretty good, but I think we need to face it, he picked two lame ducks, do that on some real coverage routes, and I’m a happy man.
I hope and pray that this Illini team gets its act together and turns this season around. I think the first true barometer of this team will be next week when the smog sucking Bruins come to visit a whiff of the South Farms. Oh, I pray for a northerly wind. Win or lose (UIUC students still booze) oops…I’ll still be one of the suckers sitting inside of Memorial Stadium. Let’s just hope the beverages afterwards are victory related, and not sorrow related.
Since it wasn’t on TV…most of us never saw any of it anyway.
Then again, Notre Dame was on TV and I have the scars from where I stuck a screwdriver in my eye to prove it.
The Bears are going to be scrappy, but bad, so if the Cubs flame out it’s going to be a long fall around here.
Luckily, Illinois has a good chance in all of it’s preseason games. While, we’re not gonna be real good this year, we should be able to pick off at least 2 Big 10 teams and maybe get to one of the crappy bowls.
Notre Dame was a disaster, at least from an offensive standpoint. Brady Quinn absolutely sucks.
That first paragraph was so good, I was happy to see it again.
I predict that this year Northwestern will defeat Illinois by a score of 133-132.
The October 2nd game at Camp Randall should destroy any and all hope you harbor for your team.
Hey look! My Hoosiers are undefeated! : )
Granted I know they’ll get killed next week but I can enjoy it now.
I might have been one of the bright spots on the Illinois defense, except that I don’t exist.
Maybe it was Mike O’Brien or Matt Sinclair that excelled on defense?
twenty-one
vank-eh-uh
pontoon
black jack
Remember when you had the trade graphic on top of the page?
Remember when people were chanting "Hee Seop Choi"?
I rule.
AHHHH HOUSTON!!!
RF Ben Grieve left game due to injured head.
Hmmm….
And I put my favorite former San Francisco guy Tom Goodwin in right, have fun rotting on the bench, Dubois! I wouldn’t play you if my life depended on it!
BC with another low-grade article.
If it was unreadable than how were you able to deduce that it was drivel?
#13, I rag on B.C. pretty harsh myself, but are you aware that he didn’t actually write today’s article?
"Harshly." I rag on B.C. pretty harshly myself.
This is what I get for posting without caffeine…
This just in, bricks hurt.
You’re good Derrek, but I’m better. Remember when everybody wanted to trade for Mike Lowell?
I roomed with Little Johnny during his freshman year at Iowa and yes Patrick, he was indeed a Fighting. Yellow. Chicken.
See you this fall in Champaign, Little Johnny.
I may be paranoid, but I am NOT defensive!
If I were defensive, you would see me ramble on about how I’m not this and I’m not that. It would be like I had to rationalize every single statement I have ever made (Man, that sounds too simplistic. Why in the world did I do that? Oops, sorry…).
who cares….sorry i even read that article….
Dear Maam’s,
I love des cuntry, ahhnd I love Illini fightin footballers. I also know dat only hoops be good in Illini school. Da footballers are no good theefs and streo stealers…no very good like Meechegan.
I give shout out to Perry Range..
SHOUT!
Ewe.
We’re going to kill those damn Illini!
What?
Oh, we shouldn’t talk aboutkilling students?
Bad form…?
Oh, right!
Well, then, we’re going to leave them gasping for air, and…
No? Oh, I give up!
Huh?
We might even have to throw a pass in the second half to beat the Illini this season.
Let’s just hope we don’t have to kick any field goals to win. Sigh.
test
illini jerseys are the fave in the gay community because of their cool colors. I have several. my boys like it when I wear one when I am catching.
go illini, go orange, go gay!
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