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 Maybe it’s because I’ve been following
the wrong program. Maybe our team just has too many impediments for
solid improvement to happen. Maybe I don’t know what I’m talking
about.
However, If you like me have been in Memorial Stadium the first two
weeks of this season you will have witnessed after week #2 some
dramatic improvement/s! I didn’t want to come right out and say it
last week as you always want to be positive and optimistic about the
first game of the season. But I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
The Illini didn’t look good, in several aspects of the game. And my
biggest fear was that the team had so many holes and seemingly so
many broken parts, that I didn’t think you could fix all of them if
you had a year instead of just one week. Man, was I wrong and this
is one of the reasons you don’t pay me to coach your football team!
 On top of my disappointment, I was told that one of the top
non-power 5 college football teams was on its way to Chambana. A
team that has been averaging more than 45 points a game for quite
some time. A team that featured a quarterback with a golden Illini
name, Mike White [probably my favorite Illini coach ever], who has
been making pro scouts salivate, and a guy I was told would be very
difficult to contain much less to stop.
I thought about sitting this one out [something I’ve never done
purposefully, but have considered a time or two] and just getting
you the wire story. But you LDN fans deserve the best, so we covered
the home game as always. A large contingent of Lincoln fans were on
hand to cheer the Illini on. And you have to commend our Illinois
coaches. Even being young and inexperienced the amount of progress
and improvement this team made in one week’s time is as much as this
fledgling reporter has ever seen.
The Illini lost the coin toss for the second week in a row and had
to give the ball to White and company from the git go. But unlike
last week where it appeared to me that we just tried to rush head on
through the Ball State offensive line never making much of a
difference until second half adjustments finally kicked-in, Illinois
was in White’s kitchen on the very first play.
I thought the pressure, the chasing, the mixing up of stunts, etc.
were just what the doctor ordered to hunt down a solidly successful
team like WKU. In a word, the Illini made White uncomfortable all
night long! Illini defenders take note: the more you make opponents
and especially quarterbacks uncomfortable, the better chance you
have to win more games. I never played defensive line, but I liked
what I saw and the more the Illini harassed White, the more
uncomfortable he got. He was clearly bothered by Illinois’ constant
harassment and it caused him to hurry throws the entire game. The
best stat for me to throw at you is that the Illini defense held WKU
to converting only 2 of 12 3rd down situations while making them go
0 for 2 on 4th down conversions. A far cry from last week and in
many ways, that was the ball game. And if that doesn’t get you
excited how about this: The Illini held WKU to a total of 6 rushing
yards for the game and -5 for the second half. Neither of those
numbers is a misprint! A stellar performance by the defense indeed!
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The Illini offense showed marked improvement as well. For one
thing Illinois had 15 more minutes of offensive possession than
the Hilltoppers. The Illini did get on the board twice in the
first quarter and half with field goals by Chase McLaughlin, who
should be lauded for his kicking consistently so far, though it
is early in the season. He made one kick of 37 yards and one of
20 yards and it looked like the Illini would go into the
half-time locker room with a 6-0 lead. However, the defense had
a better idea.
After a brilliant coffin corner punt by Blake Hayes, White and
his WKU mates were backed up against their own goal line. While
hindsight is always 20-20, the Hilltoppers still would probably
have been better off to let the first half clock run out but
instead White threw an ill-advised pass with defenders draped
all over him right into the hands of Julian Junes who may have
been more surprised than anyone in the stadium. Jones snagged
the ball at the WKU ten yard line and scampered untouched into
pay dirt. That gave Illinois some breathing room and a 13-0 half
time lead.
I made the comment that Illinois would get the ball to start the
second half and they would need a long, sustained drive that
would culminate with points on the board to keep Western
Kentucky from changing their momentum. And just like that, the
Illini went on a 15-play, 84 yard drive that ended on a 9-yard
touchdown leap into the end zone by QB Chayce Crouch who looked
more like Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield than he did an Illini QB on
that play. Who cares? The Illini were up 20-0 at that point, and
I felt a lot better about things. I wondered IF this is how Old
Testament prophets felt when all their prophecies came true.
However, there was still a quarter and a half of football to
play.
By the way, incredibly high marks to sensational Freshman
running back, Mike Epstein, who rushed for 112 yards on 21
carries. He was a bulldog out there. Whenever the Illini needed
3 tough yards he seemed to get them one way or another. Epstein
was a big reason the Illini had a few long, sustained drives.
Sometimes young teams do crazy things. I don’t know if it was
the play call or Crouch improvising, but he threw an INT to
WKU’s Antwon Kincade. That set the Hilltoppers up on Illinois’
doorstep and sure enough Mike White himself punched it in from
2-yards out and all the momentum had swung to WKU.
Somehow the good guys were able to snuff out that momentum and
kudos to the defense for not letting down and keeping the
pressure on throughout the game.
With the win Illinois moves to 2-0 and will find out soon IF
their game with South Florida will be played as scheduled,
moved, postponed, or whathaveyou. Whatever happens it was great
to see so much growth in this Illini team in just one week.
Here’s to more growth and improvement in the weeks ahead! [By JEFF MAYFIELD]
Respond to the writer at
jeffqmay@gmail.com.
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