Well the Illini are embarrassing the state...

[ClownBaby]

...trailing 17-3 at halftime to Kent State a team that went 2-10 last year and has a new coach. I know the Illini has some big time recruits but good luck keeping them.

Big ups to Sean Lewis the new Kent State coach and Richards alum.

 

[missameyer]

To a Kent State Coach from Richard's who was a TE Coach at EIU.....so still some good going on

 

[SilverHelmets]

Are you sure that isn’t Syracuse?

 

[2i Tech]

They should be sued for false advertising and fraud as they ain't " Fighting" . More like the "Fife's" as in Barney !

 

[SilverHelmets]

1-0 on the season

 

[greatgig13]

How much does Illinois pay Kent State to pencil in that one win every year?

 

[privatone]

1-0 on the season

How proud you must be.

 

[cpacmel]

How much does Illinois pay Kent State to pencil in that one win every year?

Kent State received 1.15 mil for today's gamr

 

[SilverHelmets]

How proud you must be.

Better than being 0-1. I have lived through a winless season.

 

[Lockport Dad]

Illini had six starters out for various violations but still pulled it out in the second half. If nothing else at least Lovie is enforcing the rules, can't say that about many coaches anymore.

 

[gw86]

At least they didn't schedule St. Xavier. Very disappointed in my birds for scheduling this game.

 

[greatgig13]

At least they didn't schedule St. Xavier. Very disappointed in my birds for scheduling this game.

ISU v St Xavier is about the equivalent of Illinois v Kent State. As a Redbird myself I give them a pass.

 

[gw86]

ISU v St Xavier is about the equivalent of Illinois v Kent State. As a Redbird myself I give them a pass.

I get that. The thing that concerns me is making the playoffs. A big win here maybe is a neutral for them. Luckily they’re rolling so it’s not a worry but an average showing tonight wouldn’t have looked good come selection time. The conference sos helps but after sneaking in for ‘16 and missing out last year imho just thought they could have done a little more.

 

[SilverHelmets]

ISU v St Xavier is about the equivalent of Illinois v Kent State. As a Redbird myself I give them a pass.

Not quite. Maybe the game next week against WIU since they are a lower level. Kent State is a DI team. A bad one but so is Illinois. The Kent State QB was an Auburn recruit and All american in high school

 

[greatgig13]

Not quite. Maybe the game next week against WIU since they are a lower level. Kent State is a DI team. A bad one but so is Illinois. The Kent State QB was an Auburn recruit and All american in high school

It’s funny that ISU has been elevated to high standards ever since they went to the FCS championship. In prior years they were brushed aside as not real college football. I expect more from the mighty Fighting Illini.

 

[PanthersWildcats86]

I booed the Illini this afternoon for the first time in my life...I didn't hear about the suspensions until halftime, but that wasn't why I was booing...Catching a kickoff going out of bounds at the 3 yard line? Allowing multiple punts to bounce and roll rather than fair catch them? That was the senior, Dudek, not some true freshman... And then fair catching a kickoff (although I'm still puzzled about that one, cause I didn't see a signal). Allowing the Flashes to repeatedly convert on 4th down on scoring drives in the second quarter? The Illini looked like a super-light team dominated by 6 year olds in the second quarter...Apparently Lovie was listening, they at least played like a mediocre Big 10 team the second half...

That said, at least the Illini don't have the ugliest game of the week...Penn St. overtime with App State...you would think Big 10 teams would quit scheduling App State....

 

[Voodoo Tatum 21]

Not quite. Maybe the game next week against WIU since they are a lower level. Kent State is a DI team. A bad one but so is Illinois. The Kent State QB was an Auburn recruit and All american in high school

Are we talking Saint Xaviar the NAIA school?

ISU/Xaviar is not even close to Illinois/Kent state. Major FCS team vs an NAIA team is equivalent in disparity to a bad D1 power 5 team playing a bad D1 group of 5 team? Come on - no way.

 

[greatgig13]

Are we talking Saint Xaviar the NAIA school?

ISU/Xaviar is not even close to Illinois/Kent state. Major FCS team vs an NAIA team is equivalent in disparity to a bad D1 power 5 team playing a bad D1 group of 5 team? Come on - no way.

I guess you’re right. The Illinois of today is equivalent to lowly Kent State. If Illinois was a real D1 team then my comparison might be closer.

 

[PanthersWildcats86]

Kent State received 1.15 mil for today's gamr

Box score said attendance (ie ticket sales, not actually in stadium) was under 32,000...west main most northern section was almost completely empty....1.15 mil might have been the whole gate...sure, parking & concessions might have made money, but I'm thinking the only reason to host the game is TV revenue.

 

[Voodoo Tatum 21]

I guess you’re right. The Illinois of today is equivalent to lowly Kent State. If Illinois was a real D1 team then my comparison might be closer.

If you were talking a top 25 ranked D1 power 5 team - then MAYBE....... but I don’t think you fully grasp the huge drop from major FCS down to NAIA. From my view ISU playing a quality D2 program like university of Indianapolis might be closer to the disparity mark.

I watched a ST Xaviar game last year (NAIA) also a University of Indianapolis game (D2) and a James Madison game (FCS). Granted the sample size is small, but huge huge huge difference between James Madison and Xaviar. James Madison/Indy...Still a big difference but gap narrows quite a bit.

 

[greatgig13]

If you were talking a top 25 ranked D1 power 5 team - then MAYBE....... but I don’t think you fully grasp the huge drop from major FCS down to NAIA. From my view ISU playing a quality D2 program like university of Indianapolis might be closer to the disparity mark.

I watched a ST Xaviar game last year (NAIA) also a University of Indianapolis game (D2) and a James Madison game (FCS). Granted the sample size is small, but huge huge huge difference between James Madison and Xaviar. James Madison/Indy...Still a big difference but gap narrows quite a bit.

Since this discussion has gone from Illinois sucking to ISU scheduling small schools, let’s take another tangent. How does this differ from Huntley in the FVC? They have 3,000 kids and play 5 teams with 1,700 or less?

 

[Voodoo Tatum 21]

Since this discussion has gone from Illinois sucking to ISU scheduling small schools, let’s take another tangent. How does this differ from Huntley in the FVC? They have 3,000 kids and play 5 teams with 1,700 or less?

Huntley’s just lucky I guess.

Waubonsie has an enrollment of around 2500 kids and plays in a conference where all teams have a higher enrollment with Neuqua the biggest at around 3700 kids. It is what it is.

If Huntley were closer geographically I would say they would be a good fit with the Napers and Valleys.

 

[2i Tech]

Since this discussion has gone from Illinois sucking to ISU scheduling small schools, let’s take another tangent. How does this differ from Huntley in the FVC? They have 3,000 kids and play 5 teams with 1,700 or less?

Exactly Huntley is 8A Jacobs and DC are 7A playing in a 6A Conference and should be playing against Fremd , Conant, Schaumburg, Palatine...........

They get to play Burlington Central in league next season !

When does the Helen Keller School join ?

 

[epicbret]

Kent State will improve under Lewis, but they are not a good team now. Illini are in some trouble

 

[privatone]

Better than being 0-1. I have lived through a winless season.

Only a little bit better. Gonna be a rough year. Hope that’s not your only win. But at least we have Lovie’s beard to talk about.

 

[eagles2k3]

Considering Iowa, penn state, and Michigan state all struggled against non-con traditionally weak teams I’m not quite ready to throw in the towel. The suspensions hurt though.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

UofI is a joke of a program.

 

[eireog]

Illinois has a bipartisan history of jailed Governors and other political corruption. Whatever the Illini do on the football field pales in comparison to embarrassing our state!

 

[StateOH8]

I booed the Illini this afternoon for the first time in my life...I didn't hear about the suspensions until halftime, but that wasn't why I was booing...Catching a kickoff going out of bounds at the 3 yard line? Allowing multiple punts to bounce and roll rather than fair catch them? That was the senior, Dudek, not some true freshman... And then fair catching a kickoff (although I'm still puzzled about that one, cause I didn't see a signal). Allowing the Flashes to repeatedly convert on 4th down on scoring drives in the second quarter? The Illini looked like a super-light team dominated by 6 year olds in the second quarter...Apparently Lovie was listening, they at least played like a mediocre Big 10 team the second half...

That said, at least the Illini don't have the ugliest game of the week...Penn St. overtime with App State...you would think Big 10 teams would quit scheduling App State....

New new college rule allows a fair catch on a kickoff within the 25 yd line to be placed on the 25.

 

[PanthersWildcats86]

New new college rule allows a fair catch on a kickoff within the 25 yd line to be placed on the 25.

I know a kickoff can be fair caught...it's just that the play was directly in front of me and I saw no fair catch signal...they were flagged for a false fair catch because they returned the kick...

 

[HT345]

Illinois:
-Has the smallest percentage of upperclassmen on the roster of any D1 school in the country
-Started a new quarterback
-Broke in a new OC
-And was missing 5 projected starters(Boyd, Dorsey, Williams, Adams, Hobbs), as well as 2 more guys(Green, Oladipo) that would have saw significant time. By all accounts, 6 of those guys will be back soon, with only Boyd being redshirted for academic reasons.

I know they've been abysmal since the end of the Zook years, but yesterday wasn't exactly representative of what they hope to be the rest of the year. This is still an extremely young team, and while you may dislike Lovie, his recruits are now only true sophomores. It's going to take time to fix the mess that was the end of the Ron Zook years, the Tim Beckman joke, and the yawner of a year under Bill Cubit.

 

[Lockport Dad]

Mike Dudek suffered his third season ending knee injury during the game. Poor kid has zero luck.

 

[SilverHelmets]

That is terrible news. They need to offer him a coaching position immediately

 

[Voodoo Tatum 21]

Omg. Can he do another medical redshirt If he chooses that route? Or are there limits to those?

I would like to see him get a chance at one more full injury free season (only freshman year was injury free?) before he hangs the cleats up.

But that said...3 ACLs? - that will put you into a deperession and most people would call it a career after two,...let alone three!

Prayers out to him.

 

[epicbret]

 

[kkhawk]

Considering Iowa, penn state, and Michigan state all struggled against non-con traditionally weak teams I’m not quite ready to throw in the towel. The suspensions hurt though.

I wouldnt exactly say Iowa struggled. They struggled the 1st half but dominated the 2nd half against a highly touted NIU team predicted to win the MAC.

 

[USD24]

Tough weekend on the eyes. Sat through the Hilltopper Massacre and then punished myself by driving to Champaign to watch the lifeless Illini Saturday morning. I sure hope better things are ahead for these two programs.

 

[atrain97]

New rule, a fair catch on a kickoff is the same as a touchback.

I booed the Illini this afternoon for the first time in my life...I didn't hear about the suspensions until halftime, but that wasn't why I was booing...Catching a kickoff going out of bounds at the 3 yard line? Allowing multiple punts to bounce and roll rather than fair catch them? That was the senior, Dudek, not some true freshman... And then fair catching a kickoff (although I'm still puzzled about that one, cause I didn't see a signal). Allowing the Flashes to repeatedly convert on 4th down on scoring drives in the second quarter? The Illini looked like a super-light team dominated by 6 year olds in the second quarter...Apparently Lovie was listening, they at least played like a mediocre Big 10 team the second half...

That said, at least the Illini don't have the ugliest game of the week...Penn St. overtime with App State...you would think Big 10 teams would quit scheduling App State....

 

[PanthersWildcats86]

Illinois has a bipartisan history of jailed Governors and other political corruption. Whatever the Illini do on the football field pales in comparison to embarrassing our state!

And Kankakee County is building a memorial to the three governors from the county, all of which had legal problems as governor...

 

[greatgig13]

Illinois has a bipartisan history of jailed Governors and other political corruption. Whatever the Illini do on the football field pales in comparison to embarrassing our state!

When puppy loving JB Pritzker becomes governor, the middle class will have fairer taxes and The Illini will prosper once again.