Well if he really was calling the offensive plays, will probably have an opportunity to coach either side of the ball if Purdue let's him go...
Illinois 50, Purdue 49 OT Postgame
I gave my flowers, ate my crow, and apologied to Aaron Henry a few weeks ago. So I need to ask...
Just how much of this bottom shelf, bass-ackwards, give you anything you want Defense is on Henry?
I suppose we prepared for Card for 12ish/14 days of the Bye.
Walters is the 1 coach who still knows a fair bit about our Defense even if we've changed some of it.
So, experts... how much of 46 points to the worst power 5 team in the second half is on Henry?
Just how much of this bottom shelf, bass-ackwards, give you anything you want Defense is on Henry?
I suppose we prepared for Card for 12ish/14 days of the Bye.
Walters is the 1 coach who still knows a fair bit about our Defense even if we've changed some of it.
So, experts... how much of 46 points to the worst power 5 team in the second half is on Henry?
Well, no more than 39 of it, since 7 of those points were scored when the defense was on the sideline.
I'm not smart enough to answer regarding the other 39 points, though.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I mean the thing with Walters is that in age, experience and just general vibe he didn't exactly scream immediate P5 HC candidate, but got elevated to that level by an extraordinary performance of a defense and secondary that - we know now but didn't really know at the time - had an extraordinary baseline talent level.
Just a weird thing that he wound up getting the HC job at a rival school. Weird hire, never felt like a great fit.
Walters will be a highly desired DC if and when his Purdue adventure ends.
Just a weird thing that he wound up getting the HC job at a rival school. Weird hire, never felt like a great fit.
Walters will be a highly desired DC if and when his Purdue adventure ends.
Fair. Luke not running for 10+ yards on 4th and 2 didn't help either
My thoughts on this game/team/season so far:
1 Our defense is solid. We had one really bad half of defensive football. I can’t explain it, but sometimes in football a defense gets flummoxed/a qb/offense gets hot and you just can’t stop them. Our fault for getting burned on a double move and then getting strip sacked to give them confidence. Michigan will likely run it down our throats but I think we see a much better effort next week.
2. Purdue’s defense is atrocious, but I’m hoping this game gave Bielema the confidence to let Lunney take the training wheels off the offense. We have 2 dudes on the outside and a QB who can get them the ball. Enough of this conservative ground and pound stuff that isn’t working well anyways. Let’s score 30.
3. We’ve been losing these games for 40 years but someone won this one! We needed a W for 5-1 and we got it. I don’t really care how. We’ve got 4 winnable games left. Split them and 7 wins is a great season against this schedule. Win 3 and/or upset Michigan (who had KU or @Nebraska as wins before the season?) and we are talking about 8-9 wins from a mostly junior led squad who will return a lot next year. Stuff we haven’t seen in Champaign in a long time. We are competent and relevant again. Don’t lose sight of it.
1 Our defense is solid. We had one really bad half of defensive football. I can’t explain it, but sometimes in football a defense gets flummoxed/a qb/offense gets hot and you just can’t stop them. Our fault for getting burned on a double move and then getting strip sacked to give them confidence. Michigan will likely run it down our throats but I think we see a much better effort next week.
2. Purdue’s defense is atrocious, but I’m hoping this game gave Bielema the confidence to let Lunney take the training wheels off the offense. We have 2 dudes on the outside and a QB who can get them the ball. Enough of this conservative ground and pound stuff that isn’t working well anyways. Let’s score 30.
3. We’ve been losing these games for 40 years but someone won this one! We needed a W for 5-1 and we got it. I don’t really care how. We’ve got 4 winnable games left. Split them and 7 wins is a great season against this schedule. Win 3 and/or upset Michigan (who had KU or @Nebraska as wins before the season?) and we are talking about 8-9 wins from a mostly junior led squad who will return a lot next year. Stuff we haven’t seen in Champaign in a long time. We are competent and relevant again. Don’t lose sight of it.
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
Are we really sure? The first section I agree with, making it tough to believe the final part. I do think he will get a DC job when he's canned at Purdue but I think he'll be at a bottom P4 program (Wake Forest) or good G5 team (Memphis). Guys like Aranda will be viewed as much more desirable.
We had a big void in our defensive scheme without our all American Xavier Scott. What a huge hole it was to play without him today. Get well, Xavier, go Illini.
Why can we not run the ball with the stable of running backs that we have?
Fun observation from the game - Reggie Love spent a lot of time wearing (what looked like) a headset while standing on the end of the sideline during Illini offensive drives, looking directly at our play callers.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
The general rule of thumb with these things is that a failed head coaching stint means basically nothing positive or negative to someone's coordinator stock.
Walters' coordinator stock was through the roof when he took the Purdue job.
Some SEC school will want him to turn their big recruits into Spoon and Quan and Sydney Brown.
Lol we had 556 yards of total offense and scored 50 points today.
21 point lead at halftime is nowhere near over.
And had about 50 rushing yards in the first half. Whether that's on the ability of our backs, O-Line, or OC is still to be determined. But Purdue's rush D wasn't exactly the iron curtain coming into this game.
I can't imagine him being the second string QB after this one. No way can they take him off the field. At 1-5, you're trying to find pieces. I think they found a big one.
Well, we scored 50, so Reggie is no Connor Stalions.
I saw that during the broadcast, thought I was delusional..
just looked at walters' wiki page. has been a coach at 8 schools since 2009. now starting to make sense to me why he hasn't lasted anywhere very long. purdue deserves all of the backlash they're getting for his shenanigans- I, and I think perhaps many others, didn't understand hiring him as their head coach when it happened
Awhile back on Saturday Sportstalk, one of the guests — I can’t remember who, but it was presumably someone credible, not a random caller — mentioned that, when Hudson Card was at Illinois on his official visit, Walter’s was waiting for him in his fancy new car outside of the football building and personally drove him to West Lafayette for a visit there. Card committed to Purdue shortly thereafter.
I was surprised, at the time, that this story didn’t get more play, especially on this board. But if true, I would imagine this is at least one item that didn’t sit well with Bret.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
Hahahahahahah!! Now how incredibly stupid does he look that he had someone in our huddle and still couldn't pull it off!!??
This probably explains at least 50-60% of the defense looking so bad. Not a full Hall Pass, but you're also not going to the Principals office.
Luke wasn't losing this one. He gets my game ball.
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Yeah, that's bush league.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
In the past two weeks, there were 11 games with top 25 teams who either lost to an unranked opponent or beat an unranked opponent by less than a touchdown:
1 Alabama: 35
Vanderbilt: 40
4 Tennessee: 14
Arkansas: 19
8 Miami: 39
California: 38
10 Michigan: 17
Washington: 27
11 USC: 17
Minnesota: 24
22 Louisville: 27
SMU: 34
25 UNLV: 41
Syracuse: 44
4 Penn St: 33
USC: 30
7 Alabama: 27
South Carolina: 25
8 Tennessee: 23
Florida: 16
22 Pittsburg: 17
California: 15
College sports are weird.
USC woke up last Saturday 3-1 as the #11 ranked team in the land and they’ll go to bed tonight unranked and 3-3.
Alabama beat #5 Georgia, then lost to unranked Vanderbilt.
Washington beat #10 Michigan, then lost 40-16 to unranked Iowa.
It’s hard to win college football games. Enjoy it.
1 Alabama: 35
Vanderbilt: 40
4 Tennessee: 14
Arkansas: 19
8 Miami: 39
California: 38
10 Michigan: 17
Washington: 27
11 USC: 17
Minnesota: 24
22 Louisville: 27
SMU: 34
25 UNLV: 41
Syracuse: 44
4 Penn St: 33
USC: 30
7 Alabama: 27
South Carolina: 25
8 Tennessee: 23
Florida: 16
22 Pittsburg: 17
California: 15
College sports are weird.
USC woke up last Saturday 3-1 as the #11 ranked team in the land and they’ll go to bed tonight unranked and 3-3.
Alabama beat #5 Georgia, then lost to unranked Vanderbilt.
Washington beat #10 Michigan, then lost 40-16 to unranked Iowa.
It’s hard to win college football games. Enjoy it.
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Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
Just got home from game. Few thoughts:
1) Embarrassing that a number of fans stormed the field after beating a terrible team. Such a bad look
2) Illini were on cruise control until a double move td from Purdue, followed by the sack, fumble td. Completely turned the game around, and the fans clearly felt it
3) Defense looked bad for stretches in first half, but tightened when needed. In the second half, it broke. So many miscues, and Purdue took advantage. 500+ yards allowed is unacceptable (at least they made one stop on last play)
4) The onside kick recovery was terrible (get the ball!). That type of recovery up the middle like that should never happen
5) Very fortunate on game tying drive. Live I thought Altmyer fumbled, the replay was very close. Glad it was called down on field, as these calls always seem to go against us
6) Altmyer and offense was mostly crisp. Wow is Bryant a beast
7)
"Forget what you saw, Illini won back the Cannon. 5-1. Beat Michigan!"
1) Embarrassing that a number of fans stormed the field after beating a terrible team. Such a bad look
2) Illini were on cruise control until a double move td from Purdue, followed by the sack, fumble td. Completely turned the game around, and the fans clearly felt it
3) Defense looked bad for stretches in first half, but tightened when needed. In the second half, it broke. So many miscues, and Purdue took advantage. 500+ yards allowed is unacceptable (at least they made one stop on last play)
4) The onside kick recovery was terrible (get the ball!). That type of recovery up the middle like that should never happen
5) Very fortunate on game tying drive. Live I thought Altmyer fumbled, the replay was very close. Glad it was called down on field, as these calls always seem to go against us
6) Altmyer and offense was mostly crisp. Wow is Bryant a beast
7)
"Forget what you saw, Illini won back the Cannon. 5-1. Beat Michigan!"