SB Nation - Jacob Charest

The Final Word on the 2009 Fighting Illini football Season

Joe Kutsunis — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:47:49 -0000

I really did not want to write this post. This season was so bad that we have known for many weeks that there would be very little positive that could be taken from it. It was a season that will be defined by let downs, unmet expectations and uncertainty.

Like I did at the end of last year's basketball season, I have assess to what expectations I wish to hold this team. At the beginning of the season, after reading my Phil Steele and feeling about as confident as I ever have about this team, I said that this season would probably be an 8-4 year, with losses to Penn State, Ohio State, Cincinnati and one team we should not lose to. That's a bowl, a solid season and in a situation that gives you a good feeling about the future.

Phil Steele said we would finish 3rd in the conference, and that there was an outside chance we would go undefeated. If there is anyone more upset with Ron Zook right now than Phil Steele, I would like to meet him, because this 3-9 season has got to hurt his credibility.

You know what might be the worst thing about this year? That the defense by the final three weeks was completely unable to make a stop and the offense was putting up sick numbers on otherwise good teams. The polar opposite of the beginning of the year where the defense would hang tough for 3 quarters before folding from exhaustion at the end, and got no support from the vaunted offense.

That offense that finally got its feet under it in the second half of the year put Illini fans through some awfully difficult to watch games early in the year. It would move the ball down the field and then lose the ball in one disastrous way after another. Fumbles and penalties and interceptions, groan. The offense at times was literally tripping over its own feet and keeping itself from success. There were lots of problems from receivers like Fayson and Cumberland who disappointed in their production, to Arrelious Benn who just plain was not thrown to enough. (double standard maybe, but which of these 3 is getting first round money?) One of the weapons I was looking forward to seeing better used this year was Uh-oh who outside of a catch here or there was either not thrown to or was sidelined with injury.

The running game would eventually prove to be one of the bright spots of the team, but early on it too was inconsistent, and underused more than likely due to all of the talent we perceived ourselves to have a wide receiver. Mikel Leshoure needs to get the ball more next year than any of the other backs, I don't care what playing time has been promised to the others. He is your go-to back, no excuses.

As for Juice, I still feel bad the way his final season as an Illini ended up. When he is allowed to play his game, the game he excels at, the game that got him to the Rose Bowl, it can be plainly seen how much of a threat he can be to defenses. He is as classy as football players get, even through being pulled earlier this season and then being put back in without any fanfare. He is your all time offensive yards leader, he will go down as one of the most important players to this school, and I for one wish things would have gone better for him. Maybe I am biased, going to school at Illinois during the Rose Bowl run will probably tend to do that.

As for the defense many of the problems that plagued it at the beginning of the season still plagued it at the end, but to a greater degree. There are some spots on defense of real strength, most notably defensive tackle, but the weak points were never fully shored up. I suppose some of this can be blamed on injury the losses of Martez Wilson, Miami Thomas and intermittently Donsay Hardeman combined with youth and inexperience in other areas to create at best an inconsistent defense.

The season just never really got off to the start it was supposed to. The loss to Missouri I really think sent this team into a tailspin and had it under perform its own ability from then on. I believe to some degree it was not as good as advertised, but its talent level is not as bad as its record. Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State did just as some predicted and put the Illini in a hole that they were never really fully able to pull themselves out of. If the Illini take one of those three games, I don't believe they lose to either Purdue or Indiana. This team should have been at least a 6-6 team. You can blame the coaches for panicking maybe, or the players for despairing, or the AD for giving the team a schedule that seems hell bent against going to a bowl. Whatever the reason this team was not put into a position to succeed, and underperformed.

There are still some bright spots to look forward to, somewhat at least. Terry Hawthorne, whatever position he is going to play, on whatever side of the ball, is going to be one of the better players for this team. He ended up being the best defensive back after being converted to the position halfway through the season. Jacob Charest emerged as the probable starting QB for next year, with Eddie McGee moving to receiver, a position he proved better at than many established players.

For all the problems this team has had it still has talent. Right now both Jon Asamoah and Arrelious Benn are projected first round draft picks. Along with Rashard Mendenhall from two years ago and Vontae Davis last year that will make three years in a row with a first rounder. Thats not something that usually happens to consistently bad teams. But to us, it has.

I don't know what next year really holds. There are a lot of rumors of firings and transfers that will be decided in the next several week, so I could not really tell you in what direction the team will ultimately go. The two indicators we do have though are next year's schedule and recruiting, and both of those point to another losing season. See you this summer football, I hope under better circumstances.

You Disappoint Me: A Discussion

grahamfiller10 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:32:18 -0000

On the BHGP podcast last night (coming soon!), featuring an All Star lineup of Bama, Me, Hawkeye State, and OPS, we got especially animated when discussing Big Ten "disappointments" of 2009. What is it that makes us giggle like schoolgirls about the failings of others? It could be our overwhelming immaturity...or it could be the cognitive dissonance that goes with watching something happen that surprises you.

I THINK, and Phil Steele THOUGHT, Illinois was a 9-3 team, so when I see them falling apart., I get disoriented.

Connie - if you don't listen to me...and marry this man...you'll disappoint me

My #1 disappointing unit is the Illinois offense. This is like beating a dead horse, but my god. OC Mike Schultz ran the same Spread formation that was run in '07 (successful, run focused) and '08 (successful, deep throw focused), but drove his unit straight into the turf via unimaginative run plays and throwing formations ill-fitted for Juice Williams. The last thing you want to do is drop Juice Williams straight back, but that's the first thing that Schultz ordered when the run game was slowed. Here are the Big Ten stats for this unit:

9 games with +300 yards, but STILL 10th in scoring offense
10th in pass offense
7th in total offense
7 games of less than 20 points scored

Realizing this team was playing below its potential, Zook made QB changes to shake things up midseason and the Illini beat Michigan and Mini with a revitalized Juice and Jacob Charest sharing duties. This ability to make changes was something that my #1 disappointing coaching staff couldn't do. Ladies and gentlemen, your Minnesota Golden Gophers coaching staff. Was there a worse idea than throwing the ball 40 times against Iowa? Who decided to ingrain a pass-heavy philosophy into a team with good run blockers and a "power run" loving OC? Why were easy-to-complete sit down routes tossed aside in favor of low percentage sideline timing routes? I was laughed at on the podcast because I complained that with all its talent, Minnesota seemed to have no idea what to do with it. Come on they said, everyone knows Brewster is an ass clown who has naked pictures of the school president keeping his job secure.

At least Brewster kept his program at a nice simmering level of mediocrity, never getting the chance to fail in a nationally relevant game. This wasn't the case for my #1 disappointing big game player, Daryll Clark. PSU fans have heard enough shit-talk and felt enough pain to really care anymore, but his deer in the headlights performances against OSU and Iowa probably shouldn't be blamed on anyone else. The normally decisive Clark, who leveled every other Big Ten opponent with crisp short throws and well thrown wheel routes, got happy feet under the bright lights. His veteran status and "#1 QB in the Big Ten" label certainly didn't show when he was confusedly throwing into triple coverage.

If you feel the need to hate on anyone else, feel free. We could have talked about Terrelle Pryor, who was on the tail end of preseason Heisman lists. We could have talked about Michigan State's pass defense or the early season performance by Corey Wootton. And tongues could have been clicked derisively towards any player/unit residing in Ann Arbor. But that's enough negativity for now.

Monopoly Piece! Monopoly Piece!

Rodger Sherman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:24:22 -0000

So, I went to Champaign yesterday. What follows is a recap of a football game, but also a recap of a metropolitan area.

First off: the title. We won ourselves a monopoly piece. In a somewhat disappointing turn, I never actually saw any NU players with the trophy, so I'm not 100% sure the hat on wood exists. But we won it. Pat Fitzgerald's next trick will be to pull a rabbit/endless strand of cloth out of the Land of Lincoln trophy.
Second off, football: It took around 3/4 of the year for it to happen, but some players I expected to play well and some I never, ever did have turned into a cohesive football team.
Mike Kafka Not sure how it happened, but the guy turned into a complete college quarterback, even though the running skill he once showed has sort of evaporated with his hammy injury. Iron Mike hasn't thrown a pick since the Indiana game, but busted out a whole arsenal of passing skill we just haven't seen. In the beginning of the year, he was a deadeye passer on those short dinky-dunky routes. Then, yesterday, Illinois did something very difficult. They spent a whole week training, and essentially shut down Kafka's ability to nail these passes: Guarding the middle to protect against those short in routes, putting on a decent pass rush, and limiting receivers' yards after catches. Where week 3 MIke Kafka/Fitz might've tried to have him throw deep, with the operative word being "tried", and then, after realizing that wasn't going to work, would've stuck with the inefficient short passing attack with diminished results.
But now? The dude can complete long passes. He nailed - nailed! - Zeke Markshausen twice on those corner routes, hit Ebert on the same route too. He had Sid Stewart twice, got him the ball both times! Stewart failed to bring in a catch on one of them, but, it was admittedly a tough one. And of course, the 50 yarder to Brewer. Old school Mike Kafka overthrows him or throws a wobbly end-over-end joint that gets picked off. But old Mike is old MIke.
Where did our running game come from? Did last years' just get off the bus from San Antonio? Scott Concannon spend those weeks where he was supposedly out with a concussion in China training with a running back sensei? Did Arby Fields somehow get three miles per hour faster since week one? I don't know. But whatever happened, NU had an effective running game today. Concannon isn't fast, but he's just fast enough to get to the outside corner, and wiley enough to find holes that aren't there and spin out of tackles and he stays on his feet long enough to get five or six yards when he finds that hole. Arby Fields is straight up fast, and actually looked like a running back after being nonexistent for so long. We used four running backs,f five when you consider Persa was effectively being used as a Wildcat player with no option to throw, and all five of them were effective to some extent. We gained 139 yards on the ground. Tell me you thought that would ever happen four weeks ago.
Corey Wootton is absolutely catching wreck right now. This is Corey. We have him for two (two!) more games, so let's enjoy the everloving nonsense out of it. I hope NFL scouts didn't close their file sometime around the Minnesota game, because this is a completely different human being.
I can't say I was pleased with our defense. You're up 18. Cover the guy going deep. Put a safety on him, let him catch the ball and bring him down right after that. But cover him. If Illinois had a quarterback who... well, looked like Kafka did today, they win this game. Easily. Guys were open downfield, and if you can't hit em, they can't do anything for ya. I'd go so far as to say that our defensive unit played well. Wootton, as noted, is back. Q, Brian Peters, and Nate Williams were everywhere. Our defensive line held their own despite only getting one sack and giving up unfortunate amounts of rushing yardage to something called a Michael Leshoure. By all means, the reason Illinois only had 3 points after 3 quarters is because Illinois is Illinois. Dropped passes, missed targets, missed field goals, general malaise and lamentation of the women. But the defense played well enough to give us the W yesterday.
Stefan Demos is no longer the G.O.A.T. But you can't blame the guy for not pulling off a perfect season. That's asking a bit too much of any kicker, much less one also pulling punting duties.
Hunter Bates: true American hero. Now, look, folks, catching a football is hard. Arrelious Benn, as well as our kick returners, should have showed you this today. You know what else his hard? Jumping three feet into the air, getting undercut by the type of human being strong enough to play for a Big Ten football team, flipping over, landing on your back, and not dying. Bates managed to do both, with an end-over-end onside kick. Applause. Hunter, you're good in my book. I'm no longer a little bit annoyed at you for confusing me whenever I see a short white dude with black hair wearing #7 doing things and then wondering which one of y'all it is.
I'm not sure if that last play was a pick. What I'm sure of is that it was awesome.
Words of advice to the U of I PA announcer: Marks-hausen. Not Marchausen. I wouldn't be mad, but he caught the ball like 43 times, including a touchdown. His job is to catch a football while running as fast as he can and then avoiding getting tackled by strong and fast people. Your is to pronounce his name correctly. He did his, but guess which of your jobs is easier? Also, chill out with the descriptors, homie. Jacob Charest did not just "scamper" for a first down, he ran for one. Stephen Simmons wasn't tackled by "a host of Illini", it was, like, two dudes. Say their names, get it over with. Also, the enthusiastic way you yell "FIRST DOWN!" is cool, but, uh, not when your team just was the beneficiary of a penalty or they just recovered their own fumble past the first-down marker. Then you can just say "First down." Chill on the pants-crapping.
With regards to the stadium: it's weird, I go to a college, and I go to games where football is played, but after almost two seasons of being a student, I went to my first college football game. It would be cool if we could have a full stadium with loud, interested fans, all wearing the same color, all cheering, with a band I could hear 150 yards away from the other side of the field, with a student section the size of my school locking arms and bouncing around (which looks awesome, btdubs) Obviously, the fact that our school is 1/6 the size of theirs will prevent any of this from ever happening. But, uh, I'ma take some football roadtrips more often. Illinois isn't really talked about as having a spectacular football atmosphere, but it's a completely different universe from anything you can get at Ryan Field. If you don't accept this, you're wrong.
Not that I have qualms with NU's fanbase. We were audible yesterday. I wasn't sitting in the NU section, but I heard em. And if you're going to play "Hey Baby", as dozens of schools do, don't let it be against NU, because having a few hundred people yell "HEY WHAT? GO WILDCATS" is audible even in a stadium of 60,000.
About which, do any Illinois fight songs contain words? I'm pretty sure it's all just clapping. And then they spell their team name, which always sounds cool, but like every other place that resorts to mass spelling, isn't that impressive when you think about it.
While we're talking about attendance and whatnot, uh, Champaign is, well, awesome, and to some extent, this helps a lot with football games. I don't mean awesome in that Champaign is an innately enjoyable place: it's like 50,000 college students surrounded by a few hours of cornfields. (Sorry. It's true. Big ups to all my farmers out there!) But as Northwestern students, it's tough not to walk through Champaign and get jealous. Public drinking is not so much permitted as expected. You're allowed to sell and take Jagerbombs in the street. And I'm not saying that this is a good strategy because I'm a college student and therefore, yeah, bro, drinking! Sweet! I'm saying this because Evanston/Northwestern's insistence on enforcing laws most college towns turn the other way on don't seem to have any positives: I don't see how our university thinks that making getting caught drinking have major negative implications is a good thing, because I'd think the school has a vested interest in preventing students from drinking themselves to death in their dorm rooms. At U of I, if you get dangerously drunk, they take care of you first and then slap you with a $300 ticket later. And just sayin, students go to football games there. Part of this is just a size thing: with 50,000 students, there's a lot more to deal with there, and they get less nitpicky, and none of this will change until, like Illinois, NU has a quad the size of what is now south campus. (that is to say, not happening.) But having hung out with guys in the Illinois chapter of my fraternity for a few hours yesterday, and when we described the way we do things in terms of doing fun things at NU, the way I would describe their reaction is "sympathetic to our plight". I can say confidently that although I love NU, there's a lot of aspects of life here that I wish were different and shouldn't require much thought or debate to change.
Point being, I probably should just transfer to a state school. That's the life.
I mean, we had N.E.R.D for our Dillo Day concert, remember? They had Jay-Z, with Wale and N.E.R.D. opening. Wale! Damn.
Then again, apparently you have to do various forms of community service and apply to get student basketball tickets there. I show up five minutes before the game and sit front row. Some things are good.
Something that isn't good? Amtrak. The last thing that the people at the U of I chapter of the fraternity said to us was, "hey, hope your trains aren't delayed" and we thought they were joking or something. My friends and I paid for a train, but what we got was a bus that showed up a half hour after we were supposed to board the train. As a New Yorker I'm used to efficient public transportation. When I showed up in this part of the world and found friendly people, delicious pizza, and the El, uh, I was displeased. So imagine me being violently angry after having been awake for about 16 hours yesterday.
Oh, and, Illinois, people, let's get something straight. We don't have a big enough rivalry that there needs to be that much glaring when two guys in Northwestern gear walk into a bar after a game, regardless of the final outcome. We went into this really cool place on Green Street called Legends, the problem is, on the unwelcome sports fans glare-o-meter, with a 1 being "unprovoked loving embraces" and a 10 being "immediate murder upon sight", we were probably getting a 6.5-7 from the middle-aged Illinois fans we saw, which is a step below actually stepping to us and starting something. Chill out, Illinois fans. Coming from somebody who has never been in the city of Boston without wearing a Yankees hat and sweatshirt at all times, the Land of Lincoln trophy shouldn't make me feel like I'm wearing red in Crips territory.

That's pretty much all I got. I'll have more football-y posts as the week goes on and I start thinking more about sports and less about how badly I wish we could throw actual tailgates as the week goes on.

For now, let's just rejoice: I mean, back-to-back winning seasons? This is only the second time since we started playing a 12 game slate that's happened. Think about that. We're bowl eligible for the third time in three years. Uh, same ish there. This doesn't happen very often.

So as I always say, sip with me. Let's enjoy this, and I'll see y'all in a nice, warm place in a month and a half.

The Illini lose to Northwestern, reality comes back with a vengeance

Joe Kutsunis — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:26 -0000

You probably wont be reading anything much more about the football team for a while. With the loss in the waning moments to Northwestern on Saturday, the last hope of salvaging anything from this season evaporated. I won't talk about preseason expectations, about overall performance this year or speculate on the future here, that is for another post at the end of the season. I will however take a moment to reflect on the last two weeks of the football season, two weeks that were easily the most enjoyable all year. The team was performing like a great football team and winning, really winning for the first time all year. Most of us knew that the prospect of winning out the season and making a bowl at 6-6 was a pipe dream, but until you full on mathematically eliminated, why not have fun and hold on to hope?

The NU game ended up being very close to a sell out, based almost entirely on the combination of preseason ticket sales and the fact that the team was fun to watch again. It is also proof that football fans don't need a Rose Bowl every year to get excited about their team, just a good team that's fun to watch and will at least contend for a bowl most years. Illini fans saw that in Northwestern who are bowl bound again with 7 wins, and headed to their 3rd bowl in 5 years (and were even bowl eligible in 2007) Ryan field does not draw near as many fans as Memorial Stadium, even with the Illini at a much worse 3-7. Don't ever accuse the fans of not supporting this team.

Overall, in the game itself, we saw again the manner in which the team can fall apart or storm to victory based on just a few key situations. Unfortunately the team tended towards the former. For 99% of the first half the two teams were trading blows of missed field goals and stalled drives. Jacob Charest had not played his best, but Mikel Leshoure seemed to be maintaining the offense well enough. The key play, at the very end of the first half was a Charest interception, followed almost immediately by a Northwestern touchdown. The Illini went into half not up 3-0, but down 7-3. The chain of events had already begun however, and the problems only compounded from there.

I am not one to call out a coaching decision, because all I am is some kid who sits at his computer and admittedly know less than half of what it takes to actually make these decisions. That said however, I cannot figure out why the coaches sent Eddie McGee out for not one but two disastrous series in the third quarter. It seems like having to split time between preparing as a WR and as the backup QB somewhat handcuffed the play calling, because he threw all of one pass in his time taking snaps, almost always trying for yards on designed QB draws or just plain running for whatever he could get.

You could say that the Illini were just trying for a change of pace at QB for a running threat to go with Charest's arm, in much the same way that NU used Dan Persa or Minnesota used Marqueis Gray. I thought that too, but that did not explain why Eddie was sent back out for a second series of more of the same, even after nearly losing a fumble. Zook even explained after the game that he had pulled Charest because of the INT. After these two series in which the Illini had totaled just 50 yards and no points, the third quarter was over and the Illini were well on their way to being down 21 to 3.

Charest came back in the fourth quarter and played out of his mind, especially for a RS freshman in his first start, scoring two touchdowns. The fact that the Illini were in a position to possibly win the game in the final minute of the 4th is completely a testament to Charest, and the great catches made by the wide-outs, including Eddie McGee. The Illini were under the gun of the clock in the 4th, and it just makes you wonder how different a story it would have been the coaches had allowed Charest to work through his problems in the 3rd instead. Since sticking with Juice through thick and thin for 4 years, Zook has shown a much quicker trigger finger on pulling QB's for poor performance.

One thing I will say, that even though we will see a healthy Juice for the final two games, this team already has its next QB is in place, Jacob Charest looks like he has the makings of a very good passer.

Its too bad that most people are all now going to switch to basketball or focus on next year. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

The Lazy Blogger's Illini basketball and football preview

Joe Kutsunis — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:05:33 -0000

Folks, I am a busy man, I've got alot going on in my life right now. I wont bother you with specifics, but suffice to say, looking at my computer today with the prospect of writing two game previews is much less appealing than it sounds. So I am going to take the lazy man's shortcut here and just combine the two into an unrepentant shortcut of a post.

First the football team. Lucky for me the Big Ten Network (please send me money) replays all of the football games over the course of the week, so I was able to reacquaint myself with the supreme victory over Minnesota from Saturday. Upon a second viewing, with the knowledge of how the game ultimately ended, I have had to reassess the Illini play overall. Adam Weber basically handed the Illini the game in the first half. He stayed in the pocket waaaay too long and took some very dumb sacks as well as throw passes so inaccurate that somewhere Eric Decker is weeping. He wasw much more on his game in the second half, and as a result the Illini defense looked no where near as good as earlier in the game. Basically what I am saying is, the defense is going to have to play better this week if we want to beat Northwestern. Other than Terry Hawthorne that is. That guy is all right.

On the other hand I really like the way Jacob Charest is throwing the ball lately he is hitting his receivers right in the numbers, and provided those receivers don't drop the passes again this week, the offense will move the ball. The real kudos must go to the offensive line who are opening holes for the backs and giving both Juice and Charest a lot more time to work with. You don't have a successful offense without a successful offensive line.

So as long as all that good stuff I just said keeps happening, the Illini should roll. 11am Saturday kickoff.

Now for the basketball team.

Its the big opening game of the real season, and Bruce has suggested he will go with the same starting lineup for last week's exhibition finale. Mike Tisdale, Mike Davis, Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Demetri McCamey. No Jeff Jordan for his suspension, so the primary guard sub is going to be Legion, and like the exhibition, Dominique will get alot of action at the 3. Given their loss in OT to D3 Illinois College, SIUE should not pose a legitimate threat to the Illini, but I do want to see some all around better play. The games do count now, so I hope we will see some real dominance on the floor by Mike Davis. Everyone is hoping he will make another big jump this year, and there is no time like the present

Tip Off is tonight at 7.
Once again I will be running an open thread for both games. Please come keep me company.

Thinkin Land of Lincoln

Rodger Sherman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:39:32 -0000

So you might remember all the stuff I used to do every week on this site: I used to preview the team we're playing on wednesday, then Friday I'd post Big Ten picks (and mascot death fights) and also pick the game with some analysis about how NU should/will play.

I say "used to" because I did that every week, but last week I didn't because I was really busy.

And if you do something once, and you beat Iowa, you do it the next week. Which is why for the second straight week, I haven't done those posts, but have interviewed my rival SBN blogger, which, in this case, is Joe K of Hail to the Orange.

So here goes:

Is it 100% basketball season yet in illinois, or are people still paying attention to this whole football thing?

Two weeks ago, everyone who paid any attention to Illini athletics at all was clamoring for Basketball season to start, but with the recent unlikely mini win streak the football team has enjoyed there seems to be some renewed interest. A win against you guys and we might even start feeling good about ourselves again. Of course it all dies when we play Cincinnati. Regardless by the time the ACC Big Ten Challenge rolls around football will be squarely off of the table.

Will Juice Williams be remembered around those parts for the three years he was really good, led Illinois to a Rose Bowl, or as that guy who got benched and injured in a down year for Illinois?

Juice will be remembered as a player that excited us as much as he made us cringe. It is impossible not to consider all of the rough times he has experienced here, but at the same time every one of us knows that when he put to use the right way there are few people who can do what he does. He got us to the Rose Bowl and his career isn't over just yet, and I for one am always going to be a big fan of what Juice has done for this team, given the state it was in when he got here and the heights to which he took it.

the rest... after the jump!

Land Of Lincoln or Sweet Sioux Tomahawk?

Neither. I have never been that excited about the Northwestern game, and to be honest neither has the football team (which may explain why we have lost so many games recently.) So I could do without the rivalry trophy all together, it just doesn't stand up to the others around the conference. That's why this whole Land of Lincoln Trophy (LoLTrofy) thing upsets me. Rivalries and their trophies should come about organically and through mutual hatred, not put to a committee. When that happens you get the dry and painful Land Grant Trophy, I am sure that the LoLTrofy will be no less dry and unexciting. I mean for come on, Wisconsin and Minnesota get a gigantic axe, we get a lump of wood with a hat on it?

And now, tell me what's gonna happen saturday. Anything you say can and will be jinxed against you.

Franz/Mike Kafka will have to make plays on his feet if he wants to avoid the Illini pass rush. If he can do so and make good throws the Wildcats will move the ball, if not he could suffer several broken bones.
Also a word of warning Jacob Charest is a hell of a lot better than James Vandenberg, so don't expect a Juice-less Illinois to roll over like Iowa did. We have a very strong running game now and hopefully we will be able to use it to beat you into submission.

The Obligatory Predictions Competition - Week 11

Law Buckeye — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:15:21 -0000

1. MICHIGAN at No. 20 WISCONSIN, 12:00 p.m. EST (11/14), Big Ten Network

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts WISCONSIN by 10

If John Clay begins running downhill, this game is over, because every play-action afterwards is going to result in big yards. We're all waiting for this Michigan defense to have a break out game, but we've been waiting all year.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts WISCONSIN by 10

Wisky wins its third straight home game in the series. Michigan AD Bill Martin pushes a popcorn vendor down two flights of stairs at Camp Randall on his way to the press box.

2. NORTHWESTERN at ILLINOIS, 12:00 p.m. EST (11/14), ESPN Classic

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts NORTHWESTERN by 7

Illinois is hot! Although still nationally, regionally, and conference-wise still irrelevant, the Illini are playing spoiler to some team's bowl hopes. Their win over Minnesota was highlighted by the play of Jacob Charest, presumably the next quarterback in Champagne-Urbana. His downfield passing helped give the Illini an offensive dimension unseen since 2008. But I can't fall for this Zook-led team Saturday; Fitzy will have his troops jacked up for the in-state showdown and Kafka will be healthier than he was against Iowa.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts NORTHWESTERN by 7

Say all you want about Illinois peaking, I don't see a letdown for the Wildcats who are trying to reach the Alamo for the second year in a row.

3. MICHIGAN STATE at PURDUE, 12:00 p.m. EST (11/14), ESPN

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts MICHIGAN STATE by 7

Defense is the main worry for both teams here. MSU has proven it cannot slow a semi-cohesive passing attack. Purdue has proven it can't stop the run. I've been picking against Purdue all year and a home game after a huge win doesn't seem like an opportune time. I'm a rebel though.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts MICHIGAN STATE by 7

The Spartans need this win to become bowl eligible. I think they get it.

4. THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP: PRESENTED BY DUMB LUCK
No. 10 IOWA at No. 11 OHIO STATE, 3:30 p.m. EST (11/14), ABC

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts OHIO STATE by 17

Hopefully enough of you homers will pick Iowa to help me break this 4 way tie for second place. OSU finally found something that worked last Saturday, but it wasn't in the gameplan. Get Pryor with a deep dropback and let him spring around big time linebackers. This line is 15 points for OSU right now and I'm inclined to push it up a bit more. Backup quarterback in The Shoe doesn't sound very appealing.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts OHIO STATE by 10

Last week I was one of just two people to pick the Buckeyes to upset Penn State in Happy Valley. This week, I suspect a few more of you will be on board. Don't get me wrong. These Hawks are fighters, and they'll bring to town the best defense Ohio State has seen this season. Still, I think the previously embattled Terrelle Pryor and offensive line are hitting their stride at just the right time. On the other side of the ball, backup James Hindenburg, ahem, Vandenberg will feel the heat from the best front 7 of the Jim Tressel era. I think Ohio State puts 8 in the box and forces the rookie to beat them with his arm. The results are rosy.

5. NOTRE DAME at No. 12 PITTSBURGH, 8:00 p.m. EST (11/14), ABC

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts PITT by 7

Vegas isn't fooled by century old tradition, making the Panthers an 8 point favorite. I like it and I'm going to run with it. Pitt has a feature back, a confident quarterback, and homefield advantage. ND has suspect playcalling in the red zone (as exhibited against USC and Navy) and a defense that hasn't really slowed anyone. I won't count any team with Jimmy Clausen out, he and that "once in 10 years" arm, but Pitt's mission (BCS) is more pressing than ND's (don't lose because fan base might barbecue entire team and staff).

LAW BUCKEYE predicts NOTRE DAME by 7

Yes, you read that right. I think the Irish have the scoring offense to pull off the upset. It's too little, too late for Charlie Weis though.

The march of destruction continues: Illini over Minnesota recap

Joe Kutsunis — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:34 -0000

As I have said before, this team, win or lose, is always exciting to watch. Saturday's game against Minnesota was, of course, no exception. It had everything from INTs for TDs, blocked punts for TDs, missed field goals, injured quarterbacks, freshman heroics and an onside kick for good measure. Illini season tickets should come with a free case of TUMS.
The first half could not have gone better for the Illini (scoring-wise at least) The Illini take an early lead with an 80 yard TD drive and a pick 6 from everyone's new favorite player Terry Hawthorne. Then there is the injury to Juice, making way for the other freshman savior du jour to come in and lead the Illini to a half time lead of 28 to 7.

Jacob Charest looked really good yesterday, and for good reason. He is a very different type of QB than Juice, he is almost 0% likely to keep the ball on an end read and there is no way he will be as good as Juice in the option game. Passing however, is a different story. He showed yesterday the exact sort of poise that the offense has been lacking all year, specifically getting off an accurate pass in the face of a blitz. It was the formula that for most of the season has undone both Juice and Eddie, and made our offense look anemic. Charest found the open man in key blitzing situations (third and long) and made the Gophers pay for leaving a receiver open, to the tune of several first downs. With Eddie playing receiver (a very good receiver) or possibly at best a wildcat like position, I think its clear that Charest will be the favorite coming into next year's Camp.

If the impressive if slightly inconsistent performance by Charest didn't make you ever so slightly more confident in the offense, then the running of Jason Ford is sure to have. A week after fellow sophomore RB Mikel Leshoure had his break out game, seemingly solidifying his role as the main running threat Jason Ford responded with a team leading 82 yards on a day that was otherwise quiet on the ground. Add into the mix another TD from the very fast Justin Green and the running offense seems to be pretty solid for the next one or two years. Of course like everything else with this team there is a distinct chance that every thing could fall apart tomorrow and we are all left dumbfounded.

Speaking of, the previous liability of the defensive line has once again transformed itself into a strength for the defense, which is something that preseason projections had suggested all along. Of particular good news is the play of defensive end Clay Nurse, who once again is making the case for being the best player on the defensive line, yes, even more than the also impressive Liuget.

The big question is now how to keep that "momentum" going. Momentum and the like are occasionally the lazy sort of reporting devices used to explain the flow of a game, but if there ever was a team to which these sports cliches applied it would be the Illini. They seem to have some momentum now, with two straight wins, but the ending of this game should give us pause, especially as we face Northwestern who they themselves have a considerable amount of momentum going now. *cough Iowa cough*

Wha Happened? Week Ten

RossWB — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:00:30 -0000

I'm told there were other games going on during and after just Northwestern successfully executed their gameplan of "knock out Iowa's best offensive player" for the second consecutive season. So Wha Happened?

Nice tune, but it needs more Caruso.

Ohio State 24, Penn State 7
Sigh. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. All Penn State needed to do to ensure that Ohio State's reign of terror atop the Big Ten over the last five years (and their accompanying pratfalls in BCS games: 1-3, including two humiliating beatdowns in National Championship Games) was truly done, to drive a stake through their cold, unfeeling, blackened hearts, to send them to a Florida bowl game... was just win this one fucking game. Alas, the Penn State offense coughed up a hairball of a performance (Daryll Clark went 12/28, 125 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 20 yards rushing, 1 TD on the ground, though he didn't get much help from his offensive line or any receivers not named Graham Zug) and the Nittany Lions just never appeared to be in sync. Maybe Clark needs Creepy Sex Offender Lion to console him.

His counterpart, the boy wonder Terrelle Pryor, contributed the sort of confounding stat line that's becoming typical of his play: 8/17, 125 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, five carries, 50 yards, 1 TD on the ground. Looking at it purely in terms of black and white numbers, it's not exactly impressive stuff. And yet... he did guide them to a decisive victory and he did make some big plays when OSU needed them -- the 62-yard bomb he threw to DeVier Posey (fast becoming one of the best big-play receiver in the Big Ten) was a key play in opening up the game. It gave Ohio State some much needed breathing room and the two-score margin seemed to make Clark press even more, with predictably disastrous results against the Buckeye defense. Still, the Ohio State win did have the effect of dramatically simplifying the Big Ten title race: whoever wins next week's Iowa-Ohio State tilt will be smelling the roses in Pasadena. So no pressure or anything in that one.

Not even Mike Barweis' brutal fitness regimens can save Michigan from the knife that is Big Ten conference play.

Purdue 38, Michigan 36
Life among the peasants sucks, doesn't it, Big Blue? It was a lot easier when you were a member of the aristocracy and teams like this just rolled over for you. Shame the peasants don't do that when you're down rolling around in the filth with them. The numbers for Michigan are grisly: losses to middling Purdue teams in back-to-back years, five consecutive Big Ten losses (which is actually worse than any losing streak they had in-conference during last year's horrorshow of a season), and eleven conference losses (and counting) over the past two years -- with games against Wisconsin (in Madison) and Ohio State (in Ann Arbor) still to come. Losses in both of those games would lead to perhaps the grisliest stat of all: a second consecutive season without a bowl game. The culprit, as it has been pretty much the entire season, was largely the GERG-led defense. The LOLverine defense conceded nearly 500 yards of offense (494, to be exact) for the second straight week, with most of the damage coming through the air: Joey Elliot went 28/39 for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns (and a pair of interceptions). RichRod may or may not be burning up on the hot seat this year, but it would be stupefying if Greg Robinson was back as defensive coordinator next year.

Meanwhile, Danny Hope's maiden voyage on the SS Boilermaker continues to be a long, strange trip. Three weeks ago, they had a season-defining upset of Ohio State in West Lafayette. A week ago, they got blanked by Wisconsin, 37-0, in a game in which virtually nothing went right. And now they go into Ann Arbor and pick up their first win there since 1966. And all this is after the crazy first part of the season, in which they lost a series of nail-biters and bizarre, turnover-filled games. Yet in spite of all the ups and downs they've endured this season, Purdue finds themselves still alive for a possible bowl game (they just need wins over Michigan State and Indiana), which would be a helluva way to cap off Danny Hope's crazy first season.

BHGP salutes Tiger Woods for his stance on gophers.

Illinois 35, Minnesota 32
Remember what we wrote about Adam Weber's offensive explosion last week?

But what to make of the TRY FIGHT WIN HEAVILY PENALIZED Gophers a week after losing their top offensive weapon (Decker) and nearly getting shut out in back-to-back games by Penn State and Ohio State (only a garbage-time touchdown against OSU's reserves prevented that ignominious fate)? Was this an aberration? A sign that the Gopher offense may not be quite as woeful as we thought? Considering that Weber hadn't thrown for a TD pass since the Wisconsin game 28 days ago and that he nearly doubled his season total for TD passes in one game, we lean towards the former explanation.

Yeah, we're gonna go with "last week was a mirage" for $1000, thanks. Weber's first half this week:

5/17, 74 yards, 0 TD, 1 fumble, 1 pick-six ("That's an interception returned for a touchdown." (c) Pat Harty).

Now that's more like the Weber we've come to know and love this season. All told, the Golden Gopher offense managed only 288 yards (just 66 on the ground) against an Illinois defense not previously known for its stopping power. Meanwhile, the Save the Zooker's Job Tour continued with... yet another win? Huh. That still doesn't sound right. Juice Williams' ankle got tweaked, but Jacob Charest proved to be an able fill-in (10/19, 195 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) and Jason Ford tacked on 82 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. With the win, the Illini retain their unlikely bid for a bowl appearance and a desire for revenge by proxy demands that this corner of BHGP will be cheering them on when they take on that other Big Ten team from Illinois next week. And, fuck, if you can't root for a mustache like this you have no soul.

Don't pretend you care about this game.

Wisconsin 31, Indiana 28
John Clay ran wild in the first half (15 carries, 134 yards, 1 TD), but got concussed; freshman Montee Ball came in and picked up right were Clay left off (27 carries, 115 yards, 2 TD), including the game-icing touchdown with eight minutes to go in the game. It was classic Wisconsin football: 294 punishing yards on the ground and just enough passing (194 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) to keep the opposing defense honest. The only difference between this week and last is that the defense was a bit looser and let Indiana get enough points to keep it interesting. Indiana is now in "win or stay home during bowl season" mode for the final two games; sadly next week involves a trip to Happy Valley to play a pissed-off Penn State team. Ouch.

Your recommended daily dose of surreality.

Michigan State 49, Western Michigan 14
Sparty jumped out to an early 21-0 lead and never looked back, ensuring that Western Michigan wouldn't add a Big Ten scalp to their collection for a third straight year. WMU had no answers for the Spartan offense -- Kirk Cousins dissected their pass defense (22/25, 353 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT), while Ashton Leggett gashed them on the ground (14 carries, 110 yards, 4 TD); all told, Sparty rolled up 602 yards of offense. With the win, MSU moves to 5-5, needing just one more win to get to bowl eligibility. A difficult game with Penn State awaits at the end of the season, so next week's game at Purdue could be a virtual elimination game for bowl contention.

Illinois stiff-arms the Gophers behind freshman back up QB, Jacob Charest

GopherNation — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:24:28 -0000

Illini QB, Juice Williams went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter. At the time Illinois held a 7-0 lead, which soon grew to 14-0 before redshirt freshman Jacob Charest took over and led the Illini offense to a 35-25 win over the Gophers. Charest was poised and elusive making a handful of clutch plays when Illinois most needed them.

Ron Zook on his freshman QB - "He was 10/19 and 185 yards. I think he managed the offense extremely well. At teh end, a lot of people may take it for granted, but I thought his clock management was good. Usually for a young quarterback the clock management issue is the last thing that comes. I thought for him to be able to go in that kind of environment with that kind of situation of the momentum shifting a little bit, for him to be able to manage the clock the way he did was excellent."

On the other side of the ball, Adam Weber returned to his 2009 form going 5/17 in the first half for 74 yards and a pick-6. In typical Weber fashion he managed to play well at times going 9/14 in the second half for 147 yards and a TD. Along with improved accuracy he converted a 3rd & 19 and a 3rd & 24. But playing well (not great, but well) for 2 quarters isn't going to get it done.

Asked about Weber's slow start Brewster had this to say...

It's hard to say. The other 10 guys on offense do their job and we do a good job protecting Adam and our receivers do a good job running routes, Adam's a good football player. When they don't it's hard for him to be as effective as he'd like to be.When you look at the quarterback's play, obviously the support of the other 10 guys is goes a long way to determine what type of game he's going to have. He did a lot of good things today and there were some plays there that were not so good.

There is some truth to that and later Brewster talked about his receiver's lack of ability to separate and really be open. The first half, though Weber was missing guys who were in fact open. He ignored guys underneath on a regular basis opting for a big downfield play. In the second half he had less time and from the press box perch it was obvious that receivers were not as open down field and when he checked down his completion percentage went up, the offense moved and scored 25 second half point.

The Gopher's version of the Triangle Offense was in full effect today. Despite poor play from the QB the game was still winable but it was severely hampered by questionable play calling. The key play of the second half came on the Gopher's opening drive of the half. 2nd and 1, inside the 1 yard line and the play called was a play-action rollout. The right side of the OL let two guys through and they sacked Weber for an 8 yard loss before he had a chance to turn around.

We thought we had a really good play pass in that situation, we thought we had a really good play pass for exactly the type of front defensively they were going to play. They played two edge rushers, instead of one so tehre was a free guy on teh QB in that situation what we'd like to be able to do is throw teh ball 5 rows into teh bleachers and not take a sack in that situation. Unfortunately we took a sack and had to kick a field goal.

Maybe it was a great play on paper, but for a team that wants to pound the rock you run the ball hoping you can get 3 feet for 6 points. Once again the lack of commitment to the run hurt this offense and the team's chances of winning.

Kevin Whaley - 5.1 per carry average
DeLeon Eskridge - 4.3 per carry average
Duane Bennett - 3.75 per carry average

Those are not amazing numbers but they are good enough to give these guys more than 8, 9 and 4 carries respectively. Even in the first half the run was abandoned early. Back to back first downs running the ball is followed by a pass play that was picked for 6. That pick is certainly on Weber, but run the ball especially when it is working so well for you.

A frustrating loss for the Gophers who really played well in the second half but stunk on many levels in the first. With two games left this team is likely on a path to a bowl game, but the destination may not be as exciting as the .500 achievement.

Likes and dislikes after the break...

What did I like?

Only 3 penalties
25 second half points
Da'Jon McKnight - the sophomore is really taking advantage of his opportunity in Decker's absence. Not bad for the 2-star throw in who completed the Skyline-4.
Iowa lost!

What I didn't like

Two kickoffs out of bounds.
Weber's inconsistency and reluctance to complete the 5-yard play, opting for a downfield incompletion.
Play-calling! RUN THE DAMN BALL