Illinois prediction

[HartfordHank]

Both teams on balance have good defenses

Really? UConn has gone from a historically bad defense to being good?

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Really? UConn has gone from a historically bad defense to being good?

Do you post as much on any BC board?

 

[huskyrob1]

Really? UConn has gone from a historically bad defense to being good?

Good? Yes, I think so, much better than last year. I think they are good enough and speedy enough to try blitzing a little bit, only problem there is Edsall plays too conservative even when he has the players. Uguak is playing good, so is Travis, Dillon Harris, Kevon, Morgan. I thought Keyshawn Paul played great, Coyle. They miss Thomas though. Spanos still has some work to do though on teaching some of the DB's how to tackle, jarring the ball loose with a helmet hit on short passes and crossing routes. They're better than last year but still need some work. I'm hoping they do well next week, as Illinois's offensive line did not impress me defending Akron's pass rush.

 

[HartfordHank]

Do you post as much on any BC board?

754 posts over 8 years, less than 100 posts per year so under two per week. Yes I post far less here.

Does my asking a question bother you? Do you think UConn has a "good" defense this year?

 

[Bobol]

UConn 7
Illinois 28

 

[weyuo]

UConn 27 Illinois 24. The Huskies win it on a late turnover. Keep in mind that Caleb Thomas should be back as well as Ardell Brown and Cameron Ross. Some of Beaudry's problem was possibly not having two of his top receivers. Timing is probably tighter with guys you've been throwing to more. And I can't see why the NCAA would want to single out Thomas for punishment once they understand what the situation is.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

754 posts over 8 years, less than 100 posts per year so under two per week. Yes I post far less here.

Does my asking a question bother you? Do you think UConn has a "good" defense this year?

No, but I think that is you only purpose in coming here and no, UConn has stunk it up for years. Enjoy your fun Hank.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

who will be the most important UConn players in the Illinois' game?

 

[06029]

Good? Yes, I think so, much better than last year. I think they are good enough and speedy enough to try blitzing a little bit, only problem there is Edsall plays too conservative even when he has the players. Uguak is playing good, so is Travis, Dillon Harris, Kevon, Morgan. I thought Keyshawn Paul played great, Coyle. They miss Thomas though. Spanos still has some work to do though on teaching some of the DB's how to tackle, jarring the ball loose with a helmet hit on short passes and crossing routes. They're better than last year but still need some work. I'm hoping they do well next week, as Illinois's offensive line did not impress me defending Akron's pass rush.

1 game in versus Wagner is not enough for me to call it good. The numbers suggest a good game but the Wagner QB was not good at all. The D gave up a 55 yard TD. Huge plays like that were common place last year. That Wagner got one is enough for me to hold off on the good declaration.

And a helmet hit will get you called for targeting. You can’t lower your head.

 

[huskyrob1]

1 game in versus Wagner is not enough for me to call it good. The numbers suggest a good game but the Wagner QB was not good at all. The D gave up a 55 yard TD. Huge plays like that were common place last year. That Wagner got one is enough for me to hold off on the good declaration.

And a helmet hit will get you called for targeting. You can’t lower your head.

Yes you can, as long as it's not helmet to helmet. If the defender first makes contact with his shoulder and gets his helmet up and under the ball, targeting will not be called.

 

[06029]

Yes you can, as long as it's not helmet to helmet. If the defender first makes contact with his shoulder and gets his helmet up and under the ball, targeting will not be called.

Leading with crown on any part of the body in targeting. First contact with shoulder is fine.

 

[Meego1963]

Uconn 27 illinois 24

 

[Travelman6]

I believe the plan is 9 safeties and one fg, which is as realistic a way to win as any for this team.

Maybe TD + 2 point conversion (8) + TD (15) + FG (18) + FG (21)?

 

[huskyrob1]

Leading with crown on any part of the body in targeting. First contact with shoulder is fine.

That's the trick, if you make contact first lower down with the left shoulder you still can use the helmet to pop the ball out when you hit him. Or just hope the ref can't tell from his angle. Lol

 

[uconnbaseball]

Illinois 38 UConn 10

Their OL looks mediocre so I think we can get a couple more sacks. Their QB runs and play action passes to their tight end will destroy us though.

 

[huskyrob1]

Illinois 38 UConn 10

Their OL looks mediocre so I think we can get a couple more sacks. Their QB runs and play action passes to their tight end will destroy us though.

My thoughts too.

 

[Guapo]

Corn-45

Cows-6

 

[uconnbill]

UConn with blue colored glasses I admit- 24 Illinois 23

Close game but a late field goal pulls the game out for the good guys.

 

[Calhoun's Court]

38-17 Illini

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Keep in mind that Caleb Thomas should be back ... And I can't see why the NCAA would want to single out Thomas for punishment once they understand what the situation is.

@weyuo What do you perceive is Thomas’ “situation”? Or, was your comment baseless with no substantive supporting facts?

 

[Glaze72]

Hello All. Illinois fan here. I don't make it a habit to go on other boards and troll the users, but I thought I might give you some insight into the five-years dumpster fire that is Illinois football.

Following the 2011 season, Ron Zook was fired. His replacement, Tim Beckman, was in over his head almost from the beginning. Every time he went on TV he embarrassed the program. Some former players accused him of pressuring the medical staff of clearing them to play before they were ready. A week before the 2015 season he was fired and Bill Cubit (the OC) named the interim head coach.

Cubit coached 2015. After a 5-7 year, he was given a 2-YEAR contract extension. This killed recruiting, because no recruit was going to sign on with a coach who had no job security. At that time, we had a lame-duck head coach, an interim AD (since the AD was whacked in the Beckman scandal), and an interim chancellor.

March 2016. We hire Josh Whitman was hired as the new AD. He fired Cubit that day and hired Lovie Smith two days later. Lovie comes in with a 2016 recruiting class he had no hand in and the remnants of the Beckman/Cubit players. After a year playing those guys, Lovie decides to tear the program down to the foundation and completely rebuild. He spends 2017 and 2018 playing players he recruited, to the tune of a 6-18 record.

BUT

It has all been building towards this year and next. We have the recruits he likes. We have the experience he wants. If he can somehow make it succeed, then he will be a GOD in Champaign. If we have another 4-8 flameout, especially if we're giving up 40 pts/game like we were last year, he'll be out on his ass.

So here are 13 players to watch on Saturday (5 offense, 5 defense, 3 special teams)

OFFENSE:

1) Brandon Peters, QB. The QB position has been a horror show the last five years in Champaign. Cubit couldn't recruit one (despite his self-given title as an offensive guru) so we've been making do with transfers for the last few years. This year we have Peters, who comes to us as a grad-transfer from Michigan with 2 years of eligibility. Decent arm, good decision-maker, seems to have a tendency to overthrow his targets in the end zone. Can run a bit. Best pure pocket QB we've had since at least 2014.

2) Reggie Corbin, RB. Explosive. Can make you miss in a phone booth. Broke off several huge runs last year.

3) Josh Imatorbhebhe, WR. Transfer from USC, where he couldn't break the rotation. HUGE for a WR. Not fast, but freakishly strong. Watch for him to pick up hitch routes for first downs and then drag tacklers.

4) Kendrick Green, LG. Started on the d-line, moved to o-line last year. Quick feet, our OC loves to use him to pull.

5) Dre Brown, RB. Dre lost two full years with ACL injuries, but he's finally healthy as a senior. He may be our best pure RB. He can block and catch passes, and sometimes you'll see him lined up in the slot.

One aside. I saw a commenter above say our o-line is a weakness. It's not. Last year we were 2nd in the Big Ten (14?) in yards rushing, and we return 4 starters with 80 games of experience. I expect it to be a strngth again this year.

DEFENSE:

1) Oluwole Betiku, DE. Transfer from USC. Hurt by injuries while he was at USC, but he had a monster game against Akron.

2) Nate Hobbs, CB. He'll be playing on Sundays in a couple years. QBs rarely throw at him, preferring to go to the other side of the field.

3) Jamal Woods, DT. Our D-line was horrible last year. Woods was a bright spot until he got hurt against Penn State. This year we're hoping depth can make up for a lack of star quality, and the early returns against Akron were promising.

4) Milo Eifler, LB. If i met Milo in a dark alley, i would crap my pants. The man is just ridiculouly built. A transfer from Washington, he had to sit out last year. But he can lay the wood if you don't block him.

5) Jake Hansen, LB. One of Cubit's pick-ups from the island of misfit toys, he's a sure tackler but questionable in pass-coverage.

The defense was out and out horrible last year. If Lovie (serving as his own DC) can't fix it, he's going to be out of a job.

SPECIAL TEAMS

1) Blake Hayes, P. He's Australian! And he has a HUGE leg. 2nd all time in net punting at the U of I.

2) James McCourt. Most people thought Caleb Griffin had won the kicking job. But then Lovie ran McCourt out against Akron, where he promptly shanked his only field goal try.

3) Kyron Cumby, Returns. He is TINY, but god can he run!


MY PREDICTION:

Illinois is better than last year. But the defense could hardly be worse. But we haven't won a road non-conference game since 2007, if you can believe that. My heart says we win fairly easily. My brain is terrified.

ILLINOIS 34, UCONN 26

 

[CTBasketball]

How is the line +20

 

[freescooter]

1 game in versus Wagner is not enough for me to call it good. The numbers suggest a good game but the Wagner QB was not good at all. The D gave up a 55 yard TD. Huge plays like that were common place last year. That Wagner got one is enough for me to hold off on the good declaration.

The 55 yard run is one of those plays that happens sometimes. Not really indicative of the game. We had a few over the last few years with Mensah and the qb. It wasn’t like they were pounding us and finally broke one. This was more of a fluke. Everything went perfect for them on that one play. Other than that they averaged around 2 .3 ypc. I think only 2 other runs over 5 yards. 103 total. It isn’t what you want to see, obviously. But it didn’t mean much

 

[06029]

The 55 yard run is one of those plays that happens sometimes. Not really indicative of the game. We had a few over the last few years with Mensah and the qb. It wasn’t like they were pounding us and finally broke one. This was more of a fluke. Everything went perfect for them on that one play. Other than that they averaged around 2 .3 ypc. I think only 2 other runs over 5 yards. 103 total. It isn’t what you want to see, obviously. But it didn’t mean much

But it was WAGNER. As in the 255th ranked, 4-7 best win in 2018 was versus Bryant, FCS Wagner. They have a bad QB by any FCS standard let alone versus a FBS team. Not a believer after 1 game against WAGNER that this is a vastly improved D.

 

[06029]

Hello All. Illinois fan here. I don't make it a habit to go on other boards and troll the users, but I thought I might give you some insight into the five-years dumpster fire that is Illinois football.

Following the 2011 season, Ron Zook was fired. His replacement, Tim Beckman, was in over his head almost from the beginning. Every time he went on TV he embarrassed the program. Some former players accused him of pressuring the medical staff of clearing them to play before they were ready. A week before the 2015 season he was fired and Bill Cubit (the OC) named the interim head coach.

Cubit coached 2015. After a 5-7 year, he was given a 2-YEAR contract extension. This killed recruiting, because no recruit was going to sign on with a coach who had no job security. At that time, we had a lame-duck head coach, an interim AD (since the AD was whacked in the Beckman scandal), and an interim chancellor.

March 2016. We hire Josh Whitman was hired as the new AD. He fired Cubit that day and hired Lovie Smith two days later. Lovie comes in with a 2016 recruiting class he had no hand in and the remnants of the Beckman/Cubit players. After a year playing those guys, Lovie decides to tear the program down to the foundation and completely rebuild. He spends 2017 and 2018 playing players he recruited, to the tune of a 6-18 record.

BUT

It has all been building towards this year and next. We have the recruits he likes. We have the experience he wants. If he can somehow make it succeed, then he will be a GOD in Champaign. If we have another 4-8 flameout, especially if we're giving up 40 pts/game like we were last year, he'll be out on his ass.

So here are 13 players to watch on Saturday (5 offense, 5 defense, 3 special teams)

OFFENSE:

1) Brandon Peters, QB. The QB position has been a horror show the last five years in Champaign. Cubit couldn't recruit one (despite his self-given title as an offensive guru) so we've been making do with transfers for the last few years. This year we have Peters, who comes to us as a grad-transfer from Michigan with 2 years of eligibility. Decent arm, good decision-maker, seems to have a tendency to overthrow his targets in the end zone. Can run a bit. Best pure pocket QB we've had since at least 2014.

2) Reggie Corbin, RB. Explosive. Can make you miss in a phone booth. Broke off several huge runs last year.

3) Josh Imatorbhebhe, WR. Transfer from USC, where he couldn't break the rotation. HUGE for a WR. Not fast, but freakishly strong. Watch for him to pick up hitch routes for first downs and then drag tacklers.

4) Kendrick Green, LG. Started on the d-line, moved to o-line last year. Quick feet, our OC loves to use him to pull.

5) Dre Brown, RB. Dre lost two full years with ACL injuries, but he's finally healthy as a senior. He may be our best pure RB. He can block and catch passes, and sometimes you'll see him lined up in the slot.

One aside. I saw a commenter above say our o-line is a weakness. It's not. Last year we were 2nd in the Big Ten (14?) in yards rushing, and we return 4 starters with 80 games of experience. I expect it to be a strngth again this year.

DEFENSE:

1) Oluwole Betiku, DE. Transfer from USC. Hurt by injuries while he was at USC, but he had a monster game against Akron.

2) Nate Hobbs, CB. He'll be playing on Sundays in a couple years. QBs rarely throw at him, preferring to go to the other side of the field.

3) Jamal Woods, DT. Our D-line was horrible last year. Woods was a bright spot until he got hurt against Penn State. This year we're hoping depth can make up for a lack of star quality, and the early returns against Akron were promising.

4) Milo Eifler, LB. If i met Milo in a dark alley, i would crap my pants. The man is just ridiculouly built. A transfer from Washington, he had to sit out last year. But he can lay the wood if you don't block him.

5) Jake Hansen, LB. One of Cubit's pick-ups from the island of misfit toys, he's a sure tackler but questionable in pass-coverage.

The defense was out and out horrible last year. If Lovie (serving as his own DC) can't fix it, he's going to be out of a job.

SPECIAL TEAMS

1) Blake Hayes, P. He's Australian! And he has a HUGE leg. 2nd all time in net punting at the U of I.

2) James McCourt. Most people thought Caleb Griffin had won the kicking job. But then Lovie ran McCourt out against Akron, where he promptly shanked his only field goal try.

3) Kyron Cumby, Returns. He is TINY, but god can he run!


MY PREDICTION:

Illinois is better than last year. But the defense could hardly be worse. But we haven't won a road non-conference game since 2007, if you can believe that. My heart says we win fairly easily. My brain is terrified.

ILLINOIS 34, UCONN 26

Thanks for some insight.