Three Little Penalties October 3, 2010
We lost by 11. To the #2 team in the country. They averaged 508 yards on offense coming in – we held them to 290. Normally, I’d be ecstatic. But even this morning, I can’t seem to get past…
- Ohio State ties the game with a touchdown pass to Saine, but wait – Illinois blocks the extra point. BUT WAIT – Illinois called for defensive holding, Ohio State re-kicks, makes it. 1 point.
- Illinois is driving in the second quarter, but AJ Jenkins jumps before the snap, pushing us back 5 yards. Two plays later, Derek Dimke’s field goal attempt into the wind comes up 2 yards short. Without the penalty, that’s 3 points.
- Ohio State has third and one from our 44 with 4 minutes to go. Corey Liuget gets his beastly self in the hole, and Dan Herron is stopped short of the first down. Ohio State has to punBUT WAIT. Justin Green lined up offsides. Ohio State doesn’t punt, scores a touchdown 4 plays later, and ices the game away with those 7 points.
1 + 3 + 7 = 11 points. Three little penalties, eleven gigantic points. Liuget doesn’t hold, Jenkins doesn’t jump, Green looks in at the ball… 11 points. We’re going to overtime. Better yet, we’re getting into field goal range after the Ohio State punt with four minutes to go.
Yes, I know. We’ll never know if Dimke would have made the 36-yard field goal instead of the 41-yard field goal because he never kicked the 36 yarder. And what if Jack Ramsey muffed that Ohio State punt and they recovered it in the endzone and got their 7 points anyway. Yes, it all falls under the category of “we’ll never know”.
But that’s not helping this Sunday morning funk. Don’t hold… don’t jump… don’t line up wrong – tie game. That’s all I can see this morning. And when you throw in the rest of our penalties (Nate Bussey’s love for the facemask, Jack Ramsey’s love for the shove), I can’t help but think that we could have won this game. At home. Against the #2 team in the country. A year after going 3-9, including a 30-0 shut-out at the hands of this same team. They weren’t who I thought they were – and we let ‘em off the hook.
Quick-hitters:
+ Have I mentioned before that I think this will be a pretty good defense in 2011? I have? Let me amend. This is a pretty good defense right now. And I think it can be a fantastic defense next year. Lose Nurse, Bussey, and Bellamy, plug in Whitney the Mercilus, Ashante Williams, and Black Cat (that plug-in hopefully happens next week), and go finish top 10 in the country in total defense for 2011. I totally realize I’m getting ahead of myself. I totally don’t care. Long Live Vic Koenning.
+ So happy for Jarred Fayson to have a breakout game. 8 catches for 83 yards, a great play on special teams to pin Ohio State at the 1, and even 1-1 passing for 23 yards. Best of all, no drops. In the past, Fayson seemed to drop one ball and then disappear. Yesterday, he was the go-to guy we were all hoping he’d be when he transferred.
+ The kick the field goal/go for it on 4th down decision. Here’s why I’m in the go-for-it camp.
- We were down 7. Kick a field goal… and you still need a touchdown. Trailing by 6, maybe I kick it. Trailing by 7, no.
- The odds of getting to the Ohio State 13 yard line again are slim. Yes, we thought the D could get us the ball back. But would we be able to do anything with it once we did? We’re 13 yards away – try to punch it in.
- Life doesn’t hand you many 13-yards-away-from-tying-#2 opportunities. Find your best redzone play and give it all you’ve got.
+ Interceptions! Two of them! If you’ve been wondering why we have a guy with linebacker speed at safety, there’s your answer. Trulon showed good ball instincts last spring, in Rantoul, and yesterday. Truth be told, when I look at next year’s defense, I’m still thinking we might see Trulon move into Nate Bussey’s spot at SAM linebacker while Supo Sanni (or STEVEHULL) takes over at safety.
+ One stunning non-Illini stat I saw this morning: Denard Robinson has more rushing yards than 91 TEAMS (including Illinois, which has the #13 rusher in the country). Oh, and he’s a quarterback. Just mind boggling statistics (see also: Michigan’s defense).
+ It probably wasn’t as evident on television yesterday as it was in person – and watching the tape when I got home, I was surprised how little the announcers mentioned it – but the wind was a huge factor. So much so that Jim Tressel basically conceded the last 5 minutes of the third quarter. Yes, he’s normally conservative, but Ohio State started waiting for the play clock to run down to 2 before snapping the ball to run some clock. Some third quarter clock. As soon as the 4th quarter began, they stopped the stalling.
+ While we’re talking about the wind, Anthony Santella’s punt in the second quarter was easily the best punt of his career. Standing on his own goal line, punting into the teeth of a wind that had given us a fair catch at the Ohio State 36 earlier in the game, Santella boots it all the way to the Ohio State 39. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that if Santella was kicking that with the wind, the ball would have carried 85 yards in the air.
+ I’ll leave this last one up to you. Finish this sentence. Corey Liuget is the best defensive tackle at the University of Illinois since ____ _______.
Defense:
Good scheme – even on the big Pryor run, Bellamy was there, but he got his legs caught with his own guy who was getting blocked. So from a schme point of view, all the players are in position.
INT by Henry – boom/bust play – he recognized and jumped the short route and the TE (his man) ran clear. Pryor threw underneath and it was a pick. If he did not throw short, then he hits the TE for a 65 yd TD pass…Someone trying to make aply. Wish Tavon would make a play
Liguet monster game – controlled the A and B gaps
Nice sack by wilson, went for the ankles…..Hmm, which Bussey would do that. Bussey tackles so high all the time
ZERO pass rush from the DL
We blitzed a lot – if the other teams are scouting, watch for the screen play at PSU and MSU. We blitz our LB s every third down. Very susceptible to the screen.
Not sure why Mercilous was not out there in the first half. He is our best DL. Nurse, even though he got a sack (not his doing) has really been a disappointment.
Offense
Great first drive
Decent Running lanes between the A & B gaps. Nothing outside though…
Two plus field position drives and we get three points.
Ending second half with ah third and three and we pull our OL??? are you kidding me…Slow developing play at the goal line. Read otopn, with a pulling Guard….Bad call
Fayson played well. but why are all his routes under 10 yards. Curls and Digs only, with a slant every now and then….Get him on crossing routes
Leshoure ran hard
Ford ran hard
In the red zone, we played to passive. Need to throw the ball into the endzone..
We moved the ball, but we need to score points….
Special Teams
Wilson’s blocked PAT was good. There was no hold. He split the gap and made the play
ZERo punt return yards, but at least we caught the ball
gunners need to learn to break down and not run out of control towards the returner.
Dimke missed the FG by 2 yards. Tough kick into the wind.
Santella was solid
Officials were brutal..just awful
That was the first half game film review
can you think of something to ask for or say to the coaches about penalties? It’s one thing to be upset, it’s another to cause improvement (which I am not seeing). Do you think we should keep asking to hear exactly what they are doing to deal with penalties. Laps, other consequences, sit out, etc.
Third Quarter Film Review
No scoring by either team
Offense
*Three series and nine total plays
*two drop passes
*1 holding penalty – declines
*1 INT – bad read/nothing to do with arm strrngth
*1 sack
*No first downs – one drop cost ILL a first down
*Third and 18 pass play for only five yards
*Did not take advantage of the Henry INT around the 40 yard line
*Really need Becker in there to block. E Wilson can not block
*Too many guard pulling plays. Not enough of running up the gut.
*Played both Cornell and Thorton at Guard
Defense
*Bussey still tackles too high
*Bussey with facemask penalty – zook took him out and inserted Williams (too small to play OLB, can not hold the point of attack)
*Tez stuffed a play and shedded a tackle, then he gets himslef blocked and the run right past him (inconsistent)
*Thomas with good LB instincts
*Henry good read on the INT, followed to the ball and read the QBs eyes – less riskier than previous INT
*Most of the long runs by PSU were off our DE;s. Nurse did not play well. Staples is a non factor. Buchanan getting better.
ST
Santella above average
A Williams with 2 great gunner tackles
Overall, Illinois had opportunities and they just got nothing out of the offense. You need to make plays to win games and the offense killed themsleves.