Illinois 23, Kansas 17 Postgame

#426      
Illinir1
bluemountain said:
You would have loved attending games in the 80's when the capacity was closer to 75k and MS was consistently filled. It would get insanely loud at times
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Our October 29, 1983, game vs. Michigan, that we won to all but punch our ticket to Pasadena, the crowd noise was like no other. Early in the game Michigan had to punt with their punter's heels at the back of the endzone line. I was on the field immediately behind him (press photographer). I swear, the crowd noise was like a jet engine. The punter couldn't hear his signals and looked to the referees for help (with a hands to his ears gesture). The refs motioned for him to play on. If I recall correctly, he got the punt off ok. I'll never forget the sound level on that play and that day.

I looked up attendance for that day....76,123. It was the 7th largest ever Memorial Stadium crowd. All of the Top 10 largest Memorial Stadium crowds happened in the 80's. All six of the crowds that were larger than that 10/29/83 Michigan game happened after that season, in 1984 or 1985. The 80's DID belong to the Illini.
 
#427      
and 69 others
fuddrules said:
In comparison to his peers, Feagin cuts like an aircraft carrier (e.g. he can't). His balance is also poor for a RB although he fortunately falls forward. He has his role and will get yards in spots but he's a below average B1G running back and always will be below average. IMO, and mine only, it's a disservice to play him at RB. He fits the BB mold in size and speed and that's about it. It takes more than size and speed to be a good RB.

They really need to utilize him in the passing game. What I've seen, he seems really good. He's also blocked well this year. He has a lot of talent. I can't say for certain as it's hard to know for sure with limited time seeing him but there's a chance he could be a phenomenal TE. I told my wife at then end of the 3rd Q - with only 1 Valentine run - "that Valentine is the only true RB Illinois has on the roster." The coaches had to see Feagin unable to cut to a hole. Would the coaches really want to use a true freshman RB in a unbelievable critical situation? No. I was pleading to hold onto the ball every time Valentine touched it. Illinois was forced to use him.

A portal pickup would have been ideal.

IIRC, 1st drive of the 2nd half - 3rd and (something) - a Feagin run and he misses a hole almost the size of a Mack truck. He can't cut to get there and runs right into the back of his OL. Watch it. Neal, an excellent RB, from KU, would still be running.

Illinois didn't blitz the QB to try and keep him in the pocket. Unlike last year where he was out of the pocket all of the time. You saw the result if you keep him in the pocket and let him throw vs. on the run when he's deadly.
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Reggie Love would be nice.
 
#428      
and 69 others
Fighter of the Nightman said:
I know there have been disappointing losses over the last three years (just think about the fact that there is a "lucky" universe" where we have gone 8-4, 10-2 and 8-4 the past three years and been in the Big Ten Championship Game possibly all three years, lol...), but just consider Bret's record vs. top 25 teams:

*** Takes over an Illini team that won 2 games ***
2021
W 20-18 at #7 Penn State (9 OT)
W 14-6 at #20 Minnesota
L 23-33 at #17 Iowa (Bielema not on sidelines due to COVID)

2022
L 19-17 at #3 Michigan (we all know the complete BS at the end...)
L 19-10 vs. #22 Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl (multiple stars sitting out)

2023
L 30-13 vs. #7 Penn State
L 15-13 at #16 Iowa (HAD this one until the end...)

2024
W 23-17 vs. #19 Kansas

Bielema took over a 2-win program that hadn't sniffed the top 25 in a decade, and he is 3-5 vs. ranked teams. Of the 5 losses, two of them were by less than a field goal, and another (Iowa 2021) was only extended to two possessions at the last minute. The drastic turnaround in how BASICALLY competitive and competent we are as a program is just astounding.
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I think what’s more astounding is that a school like Illinois hit such depths in our football program pre-Beliema.
 
#429      
and 69 others
Illini2010-11 said:
I just rewatched the game. When exactly did this happen with a running clock? The last offensive drive was fantastic clock management by Altmyer and company. Every snap was taken with less than 3 seconds on the play clock that I saw. They burned nearly 7 minutes, including all KU timeouts and the 2 minute warning. That is excellent!
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It happened. I posted about it when it did. There were 22 seconds left with a running clock. I wondered why they were set so quickly and couldn’t believe they snapped it without running more time down.
 
#430      
phats22
Illini2010-11 said:
I just rewatched the game. When exactly did this happen with a running clock? The last offensive drive was fantastic clock management by Altmyer and company. Every snap was taken with less than 3 seconds on the play clock that I saw. They burned nearly 7 minutes, including all KU timeouts and the 2 minute warning. That is excellent!
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the one i remembered was the first snap after the review of Zahkari's sideline toetap catch. time was 5:02 on review but the clock was wound prior to the next snap.

PXL_20240910_032802367_exported_1753_1725939003524.jpg


ball was snapped with 20sec on the play clock.

this is the only one i remember, but as a good sign of how traumatized ive been as an illini fan 🤣, i immediately feared that extra 20 seconds would come back to bite us. thankfully it didnt but hopefully this is picked up when they review the game film

im not a coach but i would hope someone's job would be to tell Luke the clock will wind with the whistle and to run the play clock down next time
either way, amazing win and glad this didnt hurt us
 
#431      
Illini2010-11
and 69 others said:
It happened. I posted about it when it did. There were 22 seconds left with a running clock. I wondered why they were set so quickly and couldn’t believe they snapped it without running more time down.
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I reviewed again. There were two snaps with double digit on the clock. One was with 19 seconds after the large catch for first down around midfield, and then 14 seconds on a key 3rd down with 2:30 left in game. Neither of these bother me, especially the last one given the motion used (needed to convert). Anytime a team can burn 7 minutes of game action is good to me.
 
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#432      
Tre11
Illini2010-11 said:
I reviewed again. There were two snaps with double digit on the clock. One was with 19 seconds after the large catch for first down around midfield, and then 14 seconds on a key 3rd down with 2:30 left in game. Neither of these bother me, especially the last one given the motion used (needed to convert). Anytime a team can burn 7 minutes of game action is good to me.
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The first one was after the review of Franklin's catch on the sideline, so maybe they didn't realize the clock would start back up. The second time you listed was after a Kansas timeout so the clock wasn't running then.
 
#433      
Fly Illini Fly!
Illini2010-11 said:
I reviewed again. There were two snaps with double digit on the clock. One was with 19 seconds after the large catch for first down around midfield, and then 14 seconds on a key 3rd down with 2:30 left in game. Neither of these bother me, especially the last one given the motion used (needed to convert). Anytime a team can burn 7 minutes of game action is good to me.
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The one after Franklin's catch - yes.

That one - no - clock was not running on Valentine's 3rd and 6 play.
 
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#434      
1970 John
MoCoMdIllini said:
Doesn't Gene Honda let out an I-L-L now? I don't recall that from last year.
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After first downs. It’s great addition.
Illinir1 said:
The answer to your question is IFund $$$. The IFund seating chart below shows that the students old location in Sec 106 of the East Main, and where it is suggested they be returned to, is a "Prime C" seating location. This identifies the IFund donation amount required to sit in that section. If the students go there, IFund loses a "Prime" seating area and the donations required to sit there.

View attachment 36215
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Back in the 60s. I was in East Block I, on the 40 yard line of East Main. It was the home side, and l remember that all the “old people” were on the West. There was another Block I on West Balcony.

I’m not sure where all the students were but I know some were in East Balcony because first downs would bring streamers of toilet paper coming down from up there.

Speaking of Block I, just kill the card section now. This may sound cheesy, but we had pride in turning out a good product. We were required to come to a practice session where we learned the proper way to raise and lower the cards, how to hold them. Not today.

Then on Saturday, the cards had been passed out when Xavier Scott made his pick-6. And the cards started flying in the air. So if the kids doing card stunts don’t care, then kill it. Yeah, it was something Illinois started, but what it has become is an embarrassment. Kill it now.
 
#435      
AZILL
I think some of you are harping on this "there was time left on the play clock, OMG!!!!" thing without giving rational consideration as to why...... I voiced several times to the group I was with watching the game at the bar where I was pleading 'Hike the damned ball !!!" The defenses were not set, and I wanted our offense to take advantage. I know I've heard several times in the past couple of months, not sure if it was Bielema, Lunney, or Altmeyer, that as an offense we wanted to work on having some quick-hit plays to try and catch opposing defenses off-guard. Sprint from the huddle to the line, get set quickly and hike the ball immediately. I think this is what may have been happening.
 
#437      
IlliniInBuckeyeState
Illini2010-11 said:
I reviewed again. There were two snaps with double digit on the clock. One was with 19 seconds after the large catch for first down around midfield, and then 14 seconds on a key 3rd down with 2:30 left in game. Neither of these bother me, especially the last one given the motion used (needed to convert). Anytime a team can burn 7 minutes of game action is good to me.
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The one with 2:30 on the game clock didn’t matter because it was going to be the final play before the two minute timeout regardless. Didn’t matter if the ball was snapped at 2:30 or 2:16, the clock was going to stop at 2:00. I assume that was intentional, but who knows.

The earlier one may have been an oversight, and was especially unique since they had stopped play to review the catch. Still need to be aware the game clock will wind there.

Overall I thought the clock management was very good and people are a little too up in arms about it.
 
#440      
IllinoisssssssVarsity
illini0440 said:
Week 1 we blitzed 45% of the time.
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Is that all Henry or is that part of Bret’s overall defensive philosophy?

I’d find it interesting if it’s Bret, because he’s a little more conservative offensively, but would then be significantly more aggressive defensively. And we know what can happen if those blitzes don’t get home.
 
#441      
IlliniKat91
Illini2010-11 said:
I reviewed again. There were two snaps with double digit on the clock. One was with 19 seconds after the large catch for first down around midfield, and then 14 seconds on a key 3rd down with 2:30 left in game. Neither of these bother me, especially the last one given the motion used (needed to convert). Anytime a team can burn 7 minutes of game action is good to me.
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Could the hurry up then have been to keep Kansas from challenging the ruling of a catch? The commentators said as much for the Pat Bryant one that looked close. It might have been a calculated risk of leaving some time on the clock vs. ending a drive prematurely
 
#442      
DeonThomas
Fly Illini Fly! said:
The one after Franklin's catch - yes.

That one - no - clock was not running on Valentine's 3rd and 6 play.
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So I just re-watched the final 14 Illini plays in the drive that started at 7:58 (we had the 20-17 lead in the game and we had the ball) and ended with Olano's FG at 1:03. Altmyer nailed it! He had just five plays with a running clock and he averaged just over 2 seconds remaining on the play clock. Masterful!!! All of the other plays were after incompletions, out of bounds, 3 KU timeouts, 1 ILL timeout, or the 2-min warning.

DRIVE #1:
Play 1: 1st down - Dead clock after punt
Play 2: 2nd down - 5 sec on play clock
Play 3: 3rd down - Dead clock (after incompletion)
Play 4: 1st down - 4 sec on play clock
Play 5: 2nd down - Time-out called as play clock expired, so a Dead clock
Play 6: 3rd down - Dead clock (after incompletion) Franklin's sideline catch for a first down!
Play 7: 1st down - Dead clock
Play 8: 2nd down - 1 sec left on clock Valentine runs for a first down!
Play 9: 1st down - 1 sec left on clock
Play 10: 2nd down - 1 sec left on clock
Play 11: 3rd down - Dead clock after KU timeout #1 Valentine runs for a first down!
Play 12: 1st down - Dead clock after 2 minute warning
Play 13: 2nd down - Dead clock after KU timeout #2
Play 14: 3rd down - Dead clock after KU timeout #3 Olano FG is good!
 
#443      
Bucktown
1970 John said:
After first downs. It’s great addition.

Back in the 60s. I was in East Block I, on the 40 yard line of East Main. It was the home side, and l remember that all the “old people” were on the West. There was another Block I on West Balcony.

I’m not sure where all the students were but I know some were in East Balcony because first downs would bring streamers of toilet paper coming down from up there.

Speaking of Block I, just kill the card section now. This may sound cheesy, but we had pride in turning out a good product. We were required to come to a practice session where we learned the proper way to raise and lower the cards, how to hold them. Not today.

Then on Saturday, the cards had been passed out when Xavier Scott made his pick-6. And the cards started flying in the air. So if the kids doing card stunts don’t care, then kill it. Yeah, it was something Illinois started, but what it has become is an embarrassment. Kill it now.
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It only works if there is an incentive to for the students participate--good, assigned seats. When it was in East Main on the 40 they were guaranteed good seats.

Do the students even have assigned seats now in the NEZ?
 
#444      
Ill in Cols
Illinir1 said:
Our October 29, 1983, game vs. Michigan, that we won to all but punch our ticket to Pasadena, the crowd noise was like no other. Early in the game Michigan had to punt with their punter's heels at the back of the endzone line. I was on the field immediately behind him (press photographer). I swear, the crowd noise was like a jet engine. The punter couldn't hear his signals and looked to the referees for help (with a hands to his ears gesture). The refs motioned for him to play on. If I recall correctly, he got the punt off ok. I'll never forget the sound level on that play and that day.

I looked up attendance for that day....76,123. It was the 7th largest ever Memorial Stadium crowd. All of the Top 10 largest Memorial Stadium crowds happened in the 80's. All six of the crowds that were larger than that 10/29/83 Michigan game happened after that season, in 1984 or 1985. The 80's DID belong to the Illini.
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Loudest crowd I ever heard was the same year, when Thomas Rooks scored the go ahead TD against anOSU. I was in the east lower seats just under the balcony. The sound was truly ear splitting. I've heard artillery in and out, up close to military jets, but nothing compares to that.
 
#445      
phats22
DeonThomas said:
So I just re-watched the final 14 Illini plays in the drive that started at 7:58 (we had the 20-17 lead in the game and we had the ball) and ended with Olano's FG at 1:03. Altmyer nailed it! He had just five plays with a running clock and he averaged just over 2 seconds remaining on the play clock. Masterful!!! All of the other plays were after incompletions, out of bounds, 3 KU timeouts, 1 ILL timeout, or the 2-min warning.

DRIVE #1:
Play 1: 1st down - Dead clock after punt
Play 2: 2nd down - 5 sec on play clock
Play 3: 3rd down - Dead clock (after incompletion)
Play 4: 1st down - 4 sec on play clock
Play 5: 2nd down - Time-out called as play clock expired, so a Dead clock
Play 6: 3rd down - Dead clock (after incompletion) Franklin's sideline catch for a first down!
Play 7: 1st down - Dead clock
Play 8: 2nd down - 1 sec left on clock Valentine runs for a first down!
Play 9: 1st down - 1 sec left on clock
Play 10: 2nd down - 1 sec left on clock
Play 11: 3rd down - Dead clock after KU timeout #1 Valentine runs for a first down!
Play 12: 1st down - Dead clock after 2 minute warning
Play 13: 2nd down - Dead clock after KU timeout #2
Play 14: 3rd down - Dead clock after KU timeout #3 Olano FG is good!
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first, i wholeheartedly agree with the thought that 4th quarter clock management was overall stellar. as i reflected on that drive, it gave me some Juice vs tOSU vibes in the way we dominated the 4th.

that said, on what you have listed as play 7, the clock was running on the officials whistle. it was at 5:02 after the ZF catch/review, ball was hiked at 457 with 19 on the clock as below.

PXL_20240910_032802367_exported_1753_1725939003524~2.jpg


we won the game, it was a huge victory, and clearly everyone is much more excited about this season now than they were a few weeks ago.

but historically, these types of moments seemingly came back to bite us in games. maybe The fact that this didn't matter this is as much of a credit to current team being better coached and not self-defeating than anything else

I L L
 
#446      
RIP_Chief_2003
AZILL said:
I think some of you are harping on this "there was time left on the play clock, OMG!!!!" thing without giving rational consideration as to why...... I voiced several times to the group I was with watching the game at the bar where I was pleading 'Hike the damned ball !!!" The defenses were not set, and I wanted our offense to take advantage. I know I've heard several times in the past couple of months, not sure if it was Bielema, Lunney, or Altmeyer, that as an offense we wanted to work on having some quick-hit plays to try and catch opposing defenses off-guard. Sprint from the huddle to the line, get set quickly and hike the ball immediately. I think this is what may have been happening.
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yeah and how did that work out the entire game? If that was their rationale, then do it much earlier in the play clock. Also, if they didnt learn from their mistakes of getting stuffed trying this earlier in the game, then shame on them.
 
#447      
LFOD
IlliniKat91 said:
Could the hurry up then have been to keep Kansas from challenging the ruling of a catch? The commentators said as much for the Pat Bryant one that looked close. It might have been a calculated risk of leaving some time on the clock vs. ending a drive prematurely
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I was thinking the same, watching the game.
 
#448      
HereSoIDontGetFined
IlliniKat91 said:
Could the hurry up then have been to keep Kansas from challenging the ruling of a catch? The commentators said as much for the Pat Bryant one that looked close. It might have been a calculated risk of leaving some time on the clock vs. ending a drive prematurely
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Yes, that's for sure what it was. The hurried way in which Bryant sprung up and spun the ball out of bounds made it look like he didn't complete the catch. KU's sideline apparently didn't notice it because there didn't appear to be a push to challenge the play. They might have gotten it overturned or at least disrupted the offensive flow.
 
#449      
illini0440
IllinoisssssssVarsity said:
Is that all Henry or is that part of Bret’s overall defensive philosophy?

I’d find it interesting if it’s Bret, because he’s a little more conservative offensively, but would then be significantly more aggressive defensively. And we know what can happen if those blitzes don’t get home.
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Think it's just a week to week game plan/matchup thing. We won't blitz mobile QBs as much
 
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