Illinois Fighting Illini (you'll see)

[ndboy15]

Still bitter I see

 

[The Man]

Still bitter I see

about what exactly?

 

[cincibuck]

Please do save it, so when Illinois is 4-7 in 2012 we all can have a good laugh. My point was that while Illinois has some good years, they have never been consistent. I didn't feel like listing your entire history, but if you'd like feel free to check out your season-by-season history which lays out all the gory details, such as:

Sure fooled me. I somehow thought Illinois had been a consistently good team from the 20's till the sixties. Foolish me. They went 14 and 1 in 23 and 24, Red Grange's first two years and then managed only 5 and 3 his senior year. The Illini program tanked along with the stock market in 1929. Unlike the market it has seldom bounced back.

 

[Roger Goodell]

Still bitter I see

I'm sorry, who is engaging in academic smack on which board?

 

[Mike80]

Still bitter I see

Who is bitter about what?

Better yet, do you like horses?

 

[billmac91]

Really? I had no idea. Wow - I'd better re-evaluate my enthusiasm for my alma mater. Our good seasons were sandwiched between poor seasons? Unreal! I had no friggin' clue!! From my seat in Memorial Stadium, it looked like we had winning seasons and sunny bowls every year. I must have missed a few opponent touchdowns while I was off getting nachos. Thanks for pointing that out.




I DO sense a pattern, Pookie. A pattern of miserable recruiting for 20+ years, watching all the top Chicago talent end up in Ann Arbor or South Bend. And for the first time in my lifetime, it appears that we're about to turn that corner and bring those boys to Champaign. So tell me, now that this is happening for the first time in a generation, how exactly does our 3-year record from 2000-2002 have anything to do with it? Wait - do you have inside info? Is Ron Turner returning to the football staff? Crap - just tell me, is he? I'm sorry I called you Pookie. I'll take it back if you tell me. If I'm gonna go back to the days of fighting Toledo and the Directional Michigans for recruits, I need to know now.

Look, I'm fully aware of our failures. And I'm also fully aware of our corresponding recruiting failures. So when I tell you that recruiting at Illinois hasn't been this good since Mike White was paying California Jucos to come to Champaign in the early eighties, you have to believe me. Dig through all the stats you want, but I've lived it for 20+ years.

Let me tell you a story. In the spring of 1992, I drove out of Champaign one weekend to get away - destination Madison. While watching the infamous Duke/Kentucky game in Madison with a few Wisconsin guys that my buddy knew, one of the guys offered this: "You'll see Wisconsin win multiple Big Ten basketball titles in the next 10 years. Stu Jackson is recruiting like we've never recruited before." I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. It had been what - 30 years since Wisconsin had had a winning season in the Big Ten? And now they were going to win multiple Big Ten titles? I scoffed, told him he was an idiot, and got back to the overtime of the Laettner game.

I thought of that conversation many times over the next 10 years as Wisconsin basketball made it's steady rise. Just like you'll think of me, Pookie.

GPA?

 

[ndboy15]

Who is bitter about what?

Better yet, do you like horses?

I'm not bitter about Pryor not coming to ND, I'm hoping we don't need him. Just reffering to OSU's only regular season loss this year. True I have no room to talk with ND going 3-9 this year, but one of my parents went to UI and I was happy for my cousins in Illinois.

 

[sandgk]

I'm not bitter about Pryor not coming to ND,

Nobody said you were - but thanks for clarifying what you were not bitter about. (As you were claiming that someone else (unclear whom) was bitter about something else).

I'm hoping we don't need him.

Because if you did, boy would you be bitter?

Just reffering to OSU's only regular season loss this year.

Ah, if only ND wasn't bitter about their season and had to live by proxy through others. By the way - you can't count there were two losses. One in the NC game, other at home to Illinois - though the former happened in a premier bowl game of course.

True I have no room to talk with ND going 3-9 this year,

Honesty - good policy.

but one of my parents went to UI and I was happy for my cousins in Illinois.

Life as an ND fan these days - living la vida loco by proxy.

 

[ndboy15]

I know, sad times.

 

[buckiprof]

I know, sad times.

The most false statement posted that I have read today....by far....nothing else even remotely close.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

If you have followed college sports long enough you know it is more than likely.

Its all cyclical...believe it or not, there will be thin years for tOSU again at some point in the future.

I know teams have nice runs but I thought "own" was a little extreme. The Illini have had two periods of success against us, the 20's and late 80's-early 90's. As long as it stays 5 decades of control for their 0.5-1, I can live with it.

And yes, I know there will be a time when tOSU isn't playing in the NC game every year(as crazy as that sounds ).

 

[shetuck]

Chicago Daily Herald: Davis sets big example as spring practice opens

Also mentions that Craig Drummond was in attendance...

Davis sets big example as spring practice opens

By Lindsey Willhite | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 3/29/2008 11:47 PM

CHAMPAIGN -- For the first time since trudging off the perfectly manicured Rose Bowl grass on New Year's Day, Illinois strapped on the pads Saturday and started hitting its way back to the BCS.

"We've been waiting for it," said senior defensive end Will Davis. "We're in all these meetings, and we're ready to go out. We tell the coaches, 'Forget the meetings. Let's just go out and play.' "

A lot happened to the Illini during the 87 days between collisions -- and not just the loss of Big Ten offensive player of the year Rashard Mendenhall to the NFL.

For example, Davis, a second-team all-Big Ten pick by the media last fall, added 17 pounds of muscle -- the product of a 6,000-calorie-per-day diet and fierce hours in the weight room.

[...]

Depth charts: With center Ryan McDonald and guard Jon Asamoah taking it relatively easy this spring, Illinois' first-string offensive line Saturday was as follows:

Left tackle Xavier Fulton, left guard Randall Hunt, center Eric Block, right guard Jack Cornell, right tackle Ryan Palmer.

Illinois' first-team nickel defense included senior Sirod Williams in Chris Norwell's old defensive tackle spot.

Brit Miller and Martez Wilson were the linebackers while Travon Bellamy played the nickel. In the base defense, Bellamy, Bo Flowers, Nate Bussey and Downers Grove North product Garrett Edwards are splitting reps.

 

[lopo89]

Notre Dame hasnt really recruited much at all in Illinois so far with the '09 class. In fact, Watt is the only player in Illinois with serious ND interest and having that interest be mutual. So those looking to see if Illinois can win recruiting battles with ND, it prolly wont happen this year with in-state kids. Now, it will happen with outta state kids like Shrive though.

Now, whether that is a change in the view of the CPL/Catholic League/Chicagoland football players or not remains to be seen over the upcoming years. Unfortunately for Big Chuck the Catholic League isnt as talented this year as it has been in years past. The CPL clearly has the better overall talent, CLEARLY.

Even last year, Steve Filer of Mt. Carmel began to waver a bit on his commitment (though not publicly) when ND had its horrible season. He came down to visit Illinois and take in the PSU game but no one outside of the coaching staff knew he was there. Obviously, it didnt change his decision but it was interesting to hear.

And then there's this great comment by Illinois commit Lendell Buckner. I asked him what he though of Notre Dame (he does play in the Catholic League) and he replied:

"Notre Dame is a joke to me"

Im hoping that becomes the popular thing in the Catholic League in the upcoming years.

Notre Dame also screwed themselves in the Chicago Public League with their treatment of Demetrius Jones. actually, Juice committed to Illinois about a week before DJ was going to. He came on to the scout site and apologized for going to ND and saying how much he wanted to go to Illinois. But the CPL is VERY protective of their own. IF one of their kids, doesnt matter from which school, gets jipped or lied to, its takes years to build up that trust again.


EDIT: SHould also note that ND's treatment of the Martez Wilson commitment and the confrontation that took place sometime after didnt exactly help things with the CPL.

 

[wadc45]

Football's Second Season

The good news is Illinois has offered scholarships to more good prospects than any other school, especially in the traditionally fertile recruiting states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and the Carolinas.

The bad news is one of coach Ron Zook's first commitments doesn't appear to be as committed as he hoped he would be.

Illinois is leading the nation in offers, at least 150, and the list includes of the top five quarterbacks in the nation, the best player and the best offensive lineman in Pennsylvania and four highly rated prospects at the top producing football program in the Midwest.

John Simon of Youngstown, Ohio, a 6-4, 270-pound defensive tackle with 4.7 speed, is the No. 1 player in his state. He has committed to Ohio State over Notre Dame.

But Illinois has offered the No. 2 prospect in Ohio, 6-5, 300-pound offensive lineman Marcus Hall, and three of his teammates from coach Ted Ginn's football factory at Cleveland Glenville--5-10, 175-pound defensive back Michael Edwards, 6-1, 210-pound linebacker Travis Freeman and 6-2, 220-pound linebacker Jonathan Newsome.

Hall, a 5-star player, also has been offered by every Big 10 shool except Northwestern. Newsome also has been offered by Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana and Purdue. Edwards also has been offered by Indiana. Thomas said Illinois has indicated it will make an official offer soon.

Melvin Fellows, a 6-5, 245-pound defensive end from Garfield Heights, Ohio, who is rated the No. 1 player in his state by one Ohio recruiting service, originally committed to Illinois. But he has visited Ohio State and Michigan State and said he plans to visit other schools.

In my view, Fellows remains uncommitted. It can't be considered a commitment in the true sense of the word if he is visiting other schools. He has a college build and a lot of potential. But I have talked to high school coaches in Cleveland who don't believe he is the best player in Ohio.

Continued...

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

150 offers?! and