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#17 Wisconsin -14 at Illinois

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  • #17 Wisconsin -14 at Illinois

    The semi-mighty Wisconsin Badgers come to Illinois as a 14 point chalk.

    It is Senior Day for the Illini and at least the pre-game should be fun.

    Coach Zook on Wisky: Wisconsin is 2 hail mary passes away from being in the National title hunt. A great team that has an offensive line bigger than the green bay packers. QB Wilson runs 24% of the plays as play action plays (he will be hard to contain)

    DC Coach Koening: Wilson throw darts, his passes are so fast we need to slow down the film to watch him.

    I cannot believe the line is only at 14, what am I missing? Wisky should beat Illinois like a rented mule.

    Illinois is playing in a funk, special teams is a oxymoron because there is nothing special about that unit ranked dead last in the nation. Can Illinois break out of this 4 game losing skid vs a solid team? Sure they can if Red Grange came back to play for them.

    Wisky will not be bashful on running up the score just ask Purdue. Just to many problems for Illinois to overcome to keep this game close.

  • #2
    Today the Defensive Coordinator of Illinois described what it is like to face a team like Wisconsin that has so many weapons.

    "That is like asking the question when it's a hail storm. Which piece of ice are you worrying about ?"

    Coach Zook of Illinois said today we are going to make changes. He really didn't get into any specific change just said changes. To me that doesn't sound good.

    Illinois is ranked 9th nationally 288 yards allowed per game, and 12th in average points allowed at 18.6 a game as a defensive unit.

    The problem is that Illinois does not match up well vs a fleet footed play action quarterback like Wilson, the secondary of Illinois took a big hit this week with the loss of Trulon Henry. Henry was shot in the hand Saturday at a late night party following the loss to Michigan.

    If anything new comes up on this game I will let you know, but as it stands I see no way that Illinois will be able to stay within the spread vs Wisky, especially when you factor in that Illinois will turn the ball over 3 times and the special teams are awful.

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    • #3
      I think Illinois plays a good game. Too many points to lay I think. I say Wiscy by 8-10 pts.

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      • #4
        Are we looking at the same game woodee?

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        • #5
          My capping is a little different than yours I think...I really don't look at match ups as much as the line and what its doing. Public is pounding Wiscy and the line is not moving.

          I am unconventional that way and contrarian most of the time. So don't read too much into it as you know Illinois a lot better than me!!!

          BUT see Texas/Mizzou last week...texas seemed like the call but too much public action for me as I went the other way with the home team, Mizzou and they won SU as dogs. So thats just the way I look at it.

          Whats your email....I will send you another thing I found that is interesting that I just saw before posting this.

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          • #6
            It is HT of this epic thriller. Not being a fan of the big 10 I don't watch many of the games but this one has been hard to stomach. Don't they teach fundamental tackling at either of these programs? Or are missed/whiffed tackles just acceptable? This is atrocious. Probably a major reason why big 10 teams get routinely crushed when they face the SEC in major bowl games.

            However, on a positive note, the announcer for ESPN, former duck head coach billotti is the second coming of nostradamus. Were all of you aware (I know I sure wasn't) that as the illini lined up with :39 left in 1H on about the wisconsin 20 yd line that HC zook and his OC "would prefer to come away with a TD instead of a FG attempt"? Really? This revelation was made by billotti. I mean c'mon folks....how can this veritable genius NOT be a HC anywhere he chooses? His grasp of the concept that it is better to score TDs than FGs might just revolutionize modern football as we know it. Phone lines are probably burning up as we speak as top FBS programs scamble to get billotti in as an advisor.

            And to cap off his amazing insights, he said that with :06 left that (from the 24 yd line) the illini may take a shot into the endzone with their true freshman QB....then as zook wisely sent out his FG unit and the ball was about to be snapped for the 41 yd att, billotti quickly added "it would appear that they will try for the FG". How did billotti know this? What tipped him off? Was it the holder on one knee at the 31 with his hands outstretched?

            Nothing escapes his notice. I plan on DVRing the 2H because there is no telling how many pearls of wisdom that may be extracted from this insightfulness.

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            • #7
              Whisky by 11. Cover for the Illini!

              "Trap" line wins this one.

              I prefer to bet based on how I evaluate the teams, rather than try to read too much into public plays and line movement and trap games. I hear ya' woodee, but sometimes you have a good gut feeling for a game based on your evaluation of the two teams and you go against it, just because you think you're thinking like the public.

              I agree that if there is reverse line movement you have to pay attention to it, so if indeed the public was all over Whisky, but the line went down (or even stayed the same), it does mean some big money is on Illinois.

              But lately, I just see and hear too many people TRYING to be sharp and so I think the lines are not as skewed to the favorite as they once were. Lines are pretty sharp these days. There are not as many over-priced favorites as there once were. Lotta guys using computers and systems to keep the lines tighter.

              GL

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              • #8
                No one is sharper than Billotti......just like a bowling ball

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                • #9
                  Wisky fails to cover as Illinois loses another one straight up

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                  • #10
                    Rod Gilmore is pretty sharp too. "If they would have recovered that fumble it would have been their ball"

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                    • #11
                      Why does this team operate like an elevator going to the top floor of a 40 story unit that is 60 years old?

                      They either start off strong and break down or off to a slow start and can't finish. I know a bad analogy. But something is broke here with this team.

                      I will go on record to say I actually like Ron Zook as person, But his coaching is bad.

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                      • #12
                        Carpet, you hit the nail squarely on the head when you said their special teams were terrible. After what I watched I would call that phase of their game "special needs team". Total lack of awareness of a situation.

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