Been a while since I've been at Kinnick. Thoughts:
1. After the game, the Iowa announcers were talking about good the (our)defense was, and that it was the hardest hitting game that had seen since some game in 2012.
2. I concur with how hard hitting the game was, and that Illini D played tough. When they hit the RB behind the line ....
3. As for the game overall, the Illini offense was effective even though the only receiver who ever got separation was GMO, with the exception of some plays with Turner. Lunt did a great job in not throwing a interception.
4. If we had Dudek, Hardee and Ferguson, we would have one this game.
5. Illinois did a decent job on pass protection, but was overwhelmed by the Iowa Dline in the running game. Very few holes, and when there was some light, Vaughn missed them.
6. Lack of speed at CB; would like to see Dunlap out there more. Iowa was without their fastest receiver, but the WR's still got some separation.
7. Great Defensive plan coming in; illini were blitzing, and it was working. The 75 yard run was initially to be a run right into the teeth of the blitz; Beatherd called the audible. Smart kid.
8. I was upset about the run and fumble at the end; the sped up offensive passing scheme was giving Iowa fits. There were no holes, and the handoff was to a guy who had just been crushed on the Iowa sideline.
9. All that being said; I was extremely proud of this team. They gave 100% on every play. They did not collapse when something bad happened. They went toe to toe with Iowa, and could have won this game. I still firmly believe that Lunt takes down the field passing, and we are up 27-26 with little time on the clock without the one play call. Pretty amazing when you consider we did not have Dudek or Ferguson.
10 Our DL are quick and athletic. Iowas fans around me were amazed with the speed of Ward, Smoot and Clements. BTW, was it just me or was Ward lining up all over the place?
11. If we get Ferguson back, we can beat Wisconsin.
And finally, while a couple of the playcalls seemed bizarre to me, the team was flying around with reckless abandon the entire game. I don't know if this translated to TV, but I honestly cannot recall when UI played that hard for the entire game.
I'm proud of this team, and proud to be an Illini.
1. After the game, the Iowa announcers were talking about good the (our)defense was, and that it was the hardest hitting game that had seen since some game in 2012.
2. I concur with how hard hitting the game was, and that Illini D played tough. When they hit the RB behind the line ....
3. As for the game overall, the Illini offense was effective even though the only receiver who ever got separation was GMO, with the exception of some plays with Turner. Lunt did a great job in not throwing a interception.
4. If we had Dudek, Hardee and Ferguson, we would have one this game.
5. Illinois did a decent job on pass protection, but was overwhelmed by the Iowa Dline in the running game. Very few holes, and when there was some light, Vaughn missed them.
6. Lack of speed at CB; would like to see Dunlap out there more. Iowa was without their fastest receiver, but the WR's still got some separation.
7. Great Defensive plan coming in; illini were blitzing, and it was working. The 75 yard run was initially to be a run right into the teeth of the blitz; Beatherd called the audible. Smart kid.
8. I was upset about the run and fumble at the end; the sped up offensive passing scheme was giving Iowa fits. There were no holes, and the handoff was to a guy who had just been crushed on the Iowa sideline.
9. All that being said; I was extremely proud of this team. They gave 100% on every play. They did not collapse when something bad happened. They went toe to toe with Iowa, and could have won this game. I still firmly believe that Lunt takes down the field passing, and we are up 27-26 with little time on the clock without the one play call. Pretty amazing when you consider we did not have Dudek or Ferguson.
10 Our DL are quick and athletic. Iowas fans around me were amazed with the speed of Ward, Smoot and Clements. BTW, was it just me or was Ward lining up all over the place?
11. If we get Ferguson back, we can beat Wisconsin.
And finally, while a couple of the playcalls seemed bizarre to me, the team was flying around with reckless abandon the entire game. I don't know if this translated to TV, but I honestly cannot recall when UI played that hard for the entire game.
I'm proud of this team, and proud to be an Illini.
