Saturday, October 01, 2005
ILLINI fall to the Hawkeyes in Iowa City
It wasn't a rosy day for the ILLINI in Iowa City today as we lost 35-7. Not much went right. Our defense continues to under perform. We need speed and size in order to contend in the BIG - 10. Iowa got out to an early lead and never looked back. Zook had high hopes for this one as we looked to bounce-back after the Sparty loss. Wasn't in the cards today. Hopefully our recruiting efforts will begin to pay off next year. This is going to be a project for Zook and the ILLINI. Don't look for anything spectacular for a few more seasons. Too many missed opportunites (blocked kicks and the like). We played like we dressed in pink locker rooms. The defense is really low on confidence these days and it shows.
Iowa out-rushed us 300 to 150. We out-passed them 233 to 175. We were 0-3 on field goals - not good at all. Coach says we're not as far away as people think. It's not about effort. Our guys are trying. They're not quitters. We're chasing and pursuing with 8 and 9 guys around the ball on defense. Right now, we're tinkering with the chemistry and the personnel schemes. Our linebackers need to improve collectively as a unit. They know it and we know it. Well done is better than well said. Just do it. We need to learn and apply those learnings going forwad.
This should have been a 16-14 game (ILLINOIS) at the half. Woulda / Coulda / Shoulda. The 2nd-half was history. We just need to get over the peverbial bar, the hurdle, the roadblock. Next week we travel to Bloomington to play those mighty Hoosiers of Indiana. It's amazing what a win can do for a program. God help us. When does basketball season start?
