Penn State Recap

The Penn State game played out pretty much as I thought it would with the exception of the TD on the kickoff return, which I will speak of later. Where does that leave the 2-2 Illini?

About where I thought we would be.

Lets face reality, we lost competative games to two of the top eight teams in the country. We are a Top 18- 25 team. Also, both of those teams have top five high octane offenses, which hurts Illinois disproportionately.

In my mind, the Illini needed to go 2-1 against the trioka of Michigan, Wisconsin, & Penn State. Right now, Penn State is the best team in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is much worse than I thought they would be, and Beilma is arguably the worst coach in the Big Ten. Michigan is about what I thought they would be, a .500 team. Both, Michigan and Wisconsin have bad offenses, which helps the Illini. Ohio State, I had chalked as an Illini loss, have the Bucks and the Lions switched places?

I still think we go 2-1 in this three game test, but Michigan is a chip on the sholder statement game for the Illini- on the road, in the Big Outhouse. Illinois needs to bring it and define themselves.

The 2008 version of the Weasels is not any where near PSU, Mizzou, or USC in terms of talent or ability. I think the Illini get it done. Let party like its 1999!!!!

5 Good Things...

Playing competatively with PSU in an amazing game day environment

Benn down the field

Dufrene and the running game played well

O Line was competative, looked much better than the first three games.

The plays are there to be had, its just time to execute!!!!

6 Bad Things

Kickoffs for TD's at a time when Big Mo is changing......WTF? Remember Big Mo is a fickle mistress. Lets kick it to guys who can take it to the house, after we have had momentum changing drives, thats a sound strategy. Instant Buzz Kill. Lets be smart about kickoffs, and if we need a few more playmakers out there, determine the risk/return of injury, but right now we are paying out huger claims on this, get playmakers on the f'in field if we need to. If need be, squib it after these big plays, it keeps momentum in check, and we live to fight on. Also, find a kicker who can get it in the endzone consistantly, everyone else seems to have one why not us?

This coverage unit needs a complete overhaul, bailout and fix, Hank Paulson style right now!!!!

Linebacker play- this unit is not working. Tez has been discussed to death. I hate to say it, but play him like Simeon Rice/ DE in passing downs and adjust the coverages? Pressure could help bail out alot. Do you move Carson to MLB, move Brit outside, and move Tez, to an area where he has less coverage responsibility, I dont know but this unit needs to figure it out real quick.

Vontae's freelancing- I am afraid he is never going to change

Cumberland's lack of touches- you have to get this guy the ball in space down the field

Defensive Scheme- if we need to run a 4-2-5 lets do it full time. This Cover 2 type bs is getting us killed against good offenses, they just gash us in the same places time and time again.

Cowboy Zook - Zook needs to stop the cowboy stuff in Q3, I know Guenther has talked to him about it, but Zook needs to have someone in this ear in the third quarter as a voice of reason because that is where a lot of his bonehead coaching moves seem to happen. Zook never seems to correctly price the downside vs. the upside risk during this point of the game.


5 Big Ten thoughts

Northwestern is the worst 5-0 team in the history of college football

Has any player in recent memory depreciated faster than Curtis Painter. He is the leading canidate for the Wagner Lester Award

Were Beilma and the Wisconsin QB channeling their inner Lou Tepper and Mark Hoekstra in A2 on Saturday. Love the one and a half step drop, nice techique there Bucky

How to beat Michigan State... Put 8 in the box to stop Ringer and pull a Bobby Conrad and put a Duracell battery on you shoulder and say to Hoyer, "I dare ya to knock it off" by beating me down the field in the verticle passing game. My guess is he wont. For all the crap regarding accuracy Juice has taken, he is Six Sigma Blackbelt compared to Hoyer.

Ohio State, Beanie is still hurt and my guess is will be all season. Terrell Prior will have a 3 to 4 turnover game. The question is it against MSU, Illinois, Wisconsin or Penn State, and the Bucks potentially lose, or does he get away with it against Purdue or Northwestern and it is a learning experience in a Bucks win.