Saturday, September 26, 2009
Oye - Crushed in Columbus
We are not a good football team. We aren't tough and we aren't disciplined. More of the same from the struggling Zookers today as we got blasted by an un-tested Buckeye bunch. Ugh! Very frustrating. New year, but same ole tune. This Illini team in its 5th year under Zook is lost ship in a stormy sea with no compass and a hole in the hull.
You name it and we did it wrong today against Ohio State, making it way too easy for them to win the game. They didn't even break a sweat. That's what's most disturbing to me. I'm sure the Buckeyes faced more competition just crossing the street from their hotel to the stadium. Might as well just save the travel costs next time if can't play any better than this. Penalties, turnovers, miscues, hesitation, sloppy tackling, bad decision making, and poor coaching pretty much loses every time. As for the game, our defense made Pryor look like Joe Montana out there today. He could do no wrong. We simply were not competitive. I just don't see any discipline from this year's Illini edition. We can't get out of our own way to save our football lives. You expect 'progress' year over year when program-building. And quite the opposite has happened since we stumbled our way into the Rose Bowl a few years back. Ugh!
As for the rest of the season, go figure. At least we don't face the Sherwood Bowmen (Sherwood, OR HSFB). It's a different game every week so we'll probably crush Penn State at home next weekend. Not, we stink. In today's uncertain times, you can take that to the bank. I see no path to a bowl game this year. Honestly, I'm not sure we win another game. Yes, you heard it here first (1-11). And that will be the end of the Zook era in Champaign.
Around the nation, a week of upsets for sure. It started Thursday night when the other USC upset #4 Ole Miss in Columbia, SC. And it continued on Saturday with four top-10 teams losing this weekend. You just never know. It's a different game every week. Win and move on. It's about surviving your schedule, including the upset - minded challengers. Just ask Notre Dame, at 3-1. This team could easily be 1-3 or 4-0. I do know one thing, they're glad the BIG-10 part of their schedule is behind them after surviving the last three weeks going 2-1. Looking back, it's not always how you win but did you win? Repeat, there's nothing bad about any WIN in CFB these days. There' s just too much talent and too many good programs around the nation. Gone are the days when the BIG-TIME conferences dominated every game. So Kudos to Notre Dame this evening. For now, they're getting it done during crunch time.
On a side note, this will likely be my last entry for a while. Chief won't be commenting on his Illini until they win a ball game, against a worthy opponent (someone in DIV1-A with a winning record). So, my September - ending TOP 10:
You name it and we did it wrong today against Ohio State, making it way too easy for them to win the game. They didn't even break a sweat. That's what's most disturbing to me. I'm sure the Buckeyes faced more competition just crossing the street from their hotel to the stadium. Might as well just save the travel costs next time if can't play any better than this. Penalties, turnovers, miscues, hesitation, sloppy tackling, bad decision making, and poor coaching pretty much loses every time. As for the game, our defense made Pryor look like Joe Montana out there today. He could do no wrong. We simply were not competitive. I just don't see any discipline from this year's Illini edition. We can't get out of our own way to save our football lives. You expect 'progress' year over year when program-building. And quite the opposite has happened since we stumbled our way into the Rose Bowl a few years back. Ugh!
As for the rest of the season, go figure. At least we don't face the Sherwood Bowmen (Sherwood, OR HSFB). It's a different game every week so we'll probably crush Penn State at home next weekend. Not, we stink. In today's uncertain times, you can take that to the bank. I see no path to a bowl game this year. Honestly, I'm not sure we win another game. Yes, you heard it here first (1-11). And that will be the end of the Zook era in Champaign.
Around the nation, a week of upsets for sure. It started Thursday night when the other USC upset #4 Ole Miss in Columbia, SC. And it continued on Saturday with four top-10 teams losing this weekend. You just never know. It's a different game every week. Win and move on. It's about surviving your schedule, including the upset - minded challengers. Just ask Notre Dame, at 3-1. This team could easily be 1-3 or 4-0. I do know one thing, they're glad the BIG-10 part of their schedule is behind them after surviving the last three weeks going 2-1. Looking back, it's not always how you win but did you win? Repeat, there's nothing bad about any WIN in CFB these days. There' s just too much talent and too many good programs around the nation. Gone are the days when the BIG-TIME conferences dominated every game. So Kudos to Notre Dame this evening. For now, they're getting it done during crunch time.
On a side note, this will likely be my last entry for a while. Chief won't be commenting on his Illini until they win a ball game, against a worthy opponent (someone in DIV1-A with a winning record). So, my September - ending TOP 10:
- Florida, as Tebow was hospitalized after an 'easy' win.
- Texas, rolled UTEP and could have posted 100 if they wanted to.
- Bama, speaking of rolling - so are the TIDE.
- Boise State - they just keep in winning impressively the games they should.
- VT - is this team for real? They won the slosh-fest yesterday in Blacksburg over MyAma.
- Cincinnati - Tony Pike continues to impress with another 300+ yard day. Heisman?
- Houston - that makes two BIG12 wins this year on the road to the BCS.
- TCU - and speaking of BCS, another buster in the Horned Frogs after downing Clemson.
- LSU - who hung on at the goal line against MSU on 4th and one.
- Georgia - creeping back into the TOP10 because others are falling back.
