Last year the Illini made the Rose Bowl and everyone couldn't wait for the 2008 season. Now it seems that we can't wait for basketball season. Now I will be the first to tell you not to jump off the bandwagon, but that is because I am moron when it comes to going down with the ship. Here are reasons why we lost, and you can decide if they are fixable, or if you think we are screwed, and you want to jump. At least Detroit looks pretty in this picture.
1) Lets start with the first play, the kickoff. We actually had a decent kick to the 3 yard line, and it only took the Illini 3 kickers to find one who can manage this seemingly impossible feat. Then of course you have Dustin Jefferson run right by the return man, he was untouched and all he had to do was break down, but I think he was hoping the return man would jump into him. This leads to a 35 yard return.
2) Donsay Hardemann was in on the first 4 tackles of the game. The reason that this is bad is because the first 4 plays of the game were running plays. Martez was picking wrong gaps again.
3) Secondary gets hands on balls, but can't pick them off, but we do get a fumble. Now for the offense. Britt Miller drops an interception at the end of the half that would have been a touchdown. Last Year we made big plays like these, this year we are a step behind.
4) We can't stop turning the ball over! Juice's first pick was probably the worst throw of his career, and he was god awful as a freshman. This gives Wisco great field position and they get a field goal. Then when we get the ball back, first we screw up the kickoff. When the ball is at your feet on the one yard line, just let it go out of bounds or through the end zone. When we do get out of shitty field position, we lose a first down because of Xavier Fulton not being on the line, then we get a false start on Xavier, and we have 3rd and 20. We punt. How many times has this team shot itself in the foot with penalties when we are starting to drive. It happened early against Louisiana, Minnesota, and Wisco. We don't get into a rhythm at all, and play like shit all day on offense. We are the most penalized team in the Big Ten, and most of them are holds, illegal motion, or illegal formation. Maybe we shouldn't have played 14 true freshman this year.
5) Have I mentioned special teams yet? Benn decides to channel Devin Hester and dance around after catching a punt just long enough for Dustin Jefferson to get a block in that back at our own 14 yard line. So we get to start at our own 7. We do score on a great drive. Shocking that we can score when we don't have any penalties.
6) I know that Jeff Cumberland is huge, and really fast, but does it really matter if he can't catch the ball? Cumberland, Sykes, DuValt, and Judsen all drop balls, unfortunately they usually do it on 3rd down.
7) Wisconsin gets a gift with the refs giving them a reception which creates 3rd and 1 instead of 3rd and 9, and then their QB runs in untouched from 15 yards away. Wisconsin's 2 scores come from field position in Illinois territory.
8) Rejus gives us a great return to Wisconsin's 30. Then Jeff Allen holds to cause 2nd and 17, and then another formation penalty on 3rd down negates a first down pass to Rejus to the 13. First and 10 at the 13 or 3rd and 12 from the 30, the mistakes are adding up, yet we still end up tied.
9) What the fuck is the point of having Benn only 20 yards deep on punt returns at the end of the half? Seriously somebody tell me what the logic is here. Either you bring all 11, or you bring 10 and have Benn deep. What could he possibly accomplish 20 yards deep?
10) I really have no reason to blame Pam Ward, but for some reason I really hate listening to her do football games. I really can't come up with a good reason to hate her, because in 2 games that I have listened to her, she hasn't made mistakes and really knows her shit. I guess I would much rather listen to her rather than Paul McGwire, but I have to blame somebody.
Too be honest, all of the second half is exactly the same. Turnovers, penalties, missed tackles, and poor special teams play. Basically the same thing that has plagued us all season. Give Wisconsin credit, Illinois came out and scored on their first possession of the second half, and they stuck with it and just outplayed the Illini. Wisconsin lost its great TE Travis Beckem, and faced 3rd and 17, but they convert for a touchdown and that is pretty much all she wrote. So we are exactly where we were 2 weeks ago, so now we need to pray that the Illini can pull out 2 more games so we can all enjoy lovely Detroit, Michigan.
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