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I realize that by now most people have
long since jumped off the Illini football bandwagon. And, yes, I
remember that Illinois was an ugly 1-10 last season and that they
were about as hard to watch as any time ever. However, loyalty
demands more than just giving up on a ballclub, and I just can't
resign myself to doing that with this team. Saturday showed me some
signs that if we as fans get behind this group, maybe some good
things can happen.
First, I was impressed with the new
look of our defense. It is quite apparent that someone has gotten
through to these guys with an urgent message. They displayed some
all-out good tackling techniques and drilled people to the turf. Now
I realize they were tackling our own guys and some of them do not
have breakaway speed, but honing the fundamentals is a great start
for this defensive unit. I also liked the more smothering coverage
in the passing lanes. It seems we've been content to live with big
cushions and just let good passing teams chew up yardage against us.
That "bend but don't break" football doesn't do much for me. I liked
the attacking D that we witnessed on Saturday.
On the offensive side of the ball, you
have to be impressed with our running game. E.B. Halsey is trying to
live up to all the great things that Greg Taylor said about him. I
think that Greg was right about this kid; he looks pretty special to
me. Our run blocking gave me more confidence in our offensive line,
as they did a good job engaging the defense enough that Halsey and
other backs could pick their holes. Pierre Thomas also made some
very nice runs. I think he played for both the White and the Blue
teams Saturday, but fatigue did not slow him down. Marcus Mason was
also impressive running out of Illinois' backfield. Also, Jason
Davis had a nice showing from the fullback's slot. He had some nice
runs and did haul in a 36-yard pass for a touchdown.
I guess you may be wondering what was
seen as the bad news. Well, there are still some concerns. Like once
again we had a very slow start, and it didn't matter if you were
cheering for the Blue or the White team. You might be able to get
away with that when you play a I-AA team, but when you play a Big
Ten opponent you may be out of it before you are ever into it!
Quarterback Jon Beutjer, who was
granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, was an especially
slow starter this weekend. He did come back to throw for nearly 300
yards and three touchdowns, but like I said, against a quality
opponent we don't have that much time to come back. Beutjer was
pretty good late and certainly has experience in his corner. But
don't underestimate the emergence of quality quarterbacks Chris
Pazan, Tim Brasic and others in the bullpen. Pazan and Brasic were
especially impressive, as they had good poise and command of the
offensive units.
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Probably the biggest concern with our
passing game is the protection by our pass blockers; it will have to
improve for us to have a great season. Our wideouts are coming
along, but I would relish even more speed and more tough catches in
traffic. Perhaps that's what Ade Adeyemo, Lonnie Hurst, DeJuan
Warren and others will give us this fall. I do have some concerns
about this unit, but if they improve and get to the level of our
receiving corps from three years ago, they could become dangerous
weapons.
Our kicking game seems to be improving.
Steve Weatherford and Matt Minnes seemed to handle the duties quite
well, and we will need huge production out of them to be successful.
Another impressive performance was
turned in by the fans on Saturday as 5,612 came out to show their
support. While it doesn't even compare with Oklahoma or Nebraska's
crowds on Saturday (what else do those people have to do there
anyway?) it was still noteworthy. These fans made a statement to the
Illini that they will be backed and they will be supported. I am
disappointed to hear that so many have not renewed their season
tickets.
While I've certainly enjoyed the
basketball run over the last several years, I'd like to have a fun
fall and a bowl game victory to vault me back into another
successful basketball season. And as for football, I don't think a
winning season is out of the question. I can't see this team
improving much beyond 6-5 or 7-4, but I'd love to see them get on a
roll. The home schedule is favorable, but Illinois will need a
raucous fan base to give them energy and lift them to heights that
few will be charting for these gridders.
I just wish
we didn't have four or five months to wait for it to begin. That is
the really bad news!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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