Illinois Fighting Illini (you'll see)

[wadc45]

Mendenhall leaves Illinois with bitter feelings

Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

Former Illinois tailback Rashard Mendenhall apparently isn't a big fan of coach Ron Zook.

"To tell you the truth, as long as Ron Zook is there, it will be hard for me to support the University of Illinois football team," Mendenhall said, according to the Champaign News-Gazette.

Mendenhall said his displeasure with Zook stems from how he believes the program is being run. Mendenhall said his dissatisfaction does not have to do with the fact that his brother, Walter, transferred from Illinois to Illinois State.

"You hate to see players who are disgruntled," Zook told the paper. "We were obviously fair with Rashard, and we tried to make him the best player he could possibly be. To me, he was a pretty good player, and it paid off that he's going to have an opportunity to be a heck of a pro football player as well."

Mendenhall was taken in the first round, 23rd overall, by Pittsburgh in the NFL draft.

For his part, Mendenhall offered yet another cryptic response to his feelings about Zook.

"When you find things that were said, you can kind of read between the lines and see that everything wasn't as it appeared to be," Mendenhall said.

 

[OrangeRoughy]

Of course there are always rational people like you but forget Zook for a moment and look at Minnesota and Purdue to hopefully better illustrate my point.

Perrenial doormats that at one point I'm sure had fans like yourself that appreciated where the program had come from and were happy to just go to a Bowl and that type of thing.

Then Minny gets spoiled and 9 wins and a Bowl aren't enough. They want B10 titles and BCS Bowls. Mason can't get the program to the next level etc. They run off the most successful coach they have had in decades.

Purdue fans have been vocal in bitching about Tiller for the same type of stuff. I don't think I need to remind anyone here over the age of 21 just how god awful those two programs were before Mason and Tiller. Especially Purdue.

I'm telling you right now Illinois fans will be the same way by and large. They will come to expect the highs and think the lows are an abberation. Zook will bring enough success that soon, people like you who enjoy the view of the Rose Bowl will be a very small minority. The vocal majority will start the "can't win the big one/get the program to the next level" stuff.

There isn't a program around who's fans (on average) won't take the winning for granted once it starts and constantly expect more. Its human nature to think your teams rightful place is at the top.

Well stated. And yes, fans of down programs, when they taste success, tend to go all zombies-in-I-Am-Legend and ravenously want it all. Illinois fans aren't, and won't be, immune. Yes, there will be a grace period where 8 wins seems like paradise, but eventually they'll always want more.

But I disagree on why Minnesota ran off Mason, or why Purdue is running off Tiller. Both AD's were smart, and both saw a precipitous fall ahead because recruiting was lagging. Minnesota's fall happened last year. Purdue's will start this year and fall of the cliff the next. The reason? Systems can only do so much - you simply must maintain a high level of recruiting if you want sustained success.

From 2003 to 2006, Mason brought in exactly 3 blue-chip recruits (4-star and 5-star players). Sure, they had several good teams with Barber and Maroney and those big offensive linemen, but after they were gone, look out below. After a several years of solid recruiting, Purdue has brought in exactly 3 blue-chippers the last 3 years. Which is why Tiller is on his way out and Purdue is on their way to the bottom of the standings. Systems can only get you so far.

Zook is building his program a different way. He didn't flash onto the scene with "Basketball on grass" or "3 yards and a cloud of Mason" - he showed up, changed to an offense that he could best recruit to, and started hanging out in every high school coaching office he could find. And in his first three full recruiting classes, he pulled in 19 blue chippers.

Which is why I don't think you'll see him running out of town with a mob on his tail any time in the next 10 years. There will always be hope on the horizon (read: job security) as long as he keeps recruiting like he has. We hung onto Ron Turner after he went 5-7 and then 1-11 and gave him one more year (3-8). If Zook bottoms out at 6-6 once in a while, he's gonna be here for a long, long time.

 

[OrangeRoughy]

I was looking at some conference Verbal lists on Recruiting Planet recently, and noticed that Illinois still only has the 2 verbals they got in Feb. from Hill and Buckner. With Mich and PSU having several, and Osu twice that many, this stood out. My question to the knowledgable Ill. visitor here is whether this is normal, or are you concerned? With the recruiting cycle seemingly speeding up, and Ill. supposedly having alot of in-state talent this year, I would have thought that with your programs momentum from the last few years you would have several committments by now. Any thoughts?

UPDATE.

I've been getting more and more concerned - the recruits we pulled in during camp season were more of the "I heard he was just about to blow up!" variety.

And then we received this shot in the arm: NewsOK Mobile

Rivals has Scheelhaase as the #7 Dual Threat QB and the #2 "scrambler" - I'd say he'll fit our offense quite well after Juice is gone. Just when I'm starting to doubt the Zooker, he pulls in a QB that most Oklahoma fans thought was a lock for OU.

And I can't say this enough: As an Illinois fan suffering through the last 20 years of mostly misery, it will never cease to amaze me when a blue chip QB from Missouri picks the Illini over Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa (where his dad played in college). Gone are the days of spring QB debates that went like this:

"Who will get the starting nod? Will it be Tim Brasic, who picked us over offers from Northern Illinois and Minnesota, or Brad Bower, who picked Illinois over Ohio U. and Northwestern?"

 

[Muck]

Illini fans throw Rashard under the bus in ...

5....

4....

3....

2....

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

Illini fans throw Rashard under the bus in ...

5....

4....

3....

2....

That murmuring sound coming from underneath the bus is Rashard saying something about them throwing him there a couple of weeks ago.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

CFN PREVIEW

The season will be a success if ... Illinois wins the Big Ten title. The combination of the lines are the best in the Big Ten, Juice is a crusty veteran, the receiving corps might be the most talented in the conference, and that includes Ohio State, and there's enough talent and athleticism across the board to build on last year and win a championship. There's no reason to shoot for anything lower

Offense

...and then in the "Offense" section they rate the receiving corps a 7.5 out of 10.

*right*

Defense

Depth Chart

 

[Muck]

That murmuring sound coming from underneath the bus is Rashard saying something about them throwing him there a couple of weeks ago.

Bah I don't lurk there nearly enough to pick up every detail...about 5 minutes at a time is all the hilarity I can handle.

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

Hawthorne and Hopkins both pledge to Illinois....

 

[OregonBuckeye]

ThaKid and co. are guzzling down the Orange Kool-Aid but I can understand why they're so pumped about their DL. It looks nasty. Their DT's have a chance to be as good as any in the country and their ends aren't too shabby either. Rehring, Cordle, and Person had better be ready for the challenge.

 

[shetuck]

Chicago SunTimes: Illini eye next step

Illini eye next step after leap forward

Zook sees opportunity in tougher schedule, lofty expectations

July 25, 2008

BY HERB GOULD [email protected]

Who has come further in the last year? Ron Zook, or the previously dead-in-the-water Illini ship that Zook steered to an improbable Rose Bowl trip?

Because their fortunes are intertwined, that's tough to say. What's certain is that a program that won more games last season (9-4) than it had in the previous four (8-38) now faces a burden of expectations.

The media who gathered at the Hyatt Regency on Thursday picked Illinois to finish third behind Ohio State and Wisconsin and are penciling in the Illini for no worse than an 8-4 record. That's pretty heady stuff for a program that hasn't enjoyed back-to-back winning seasons since 1989-90.

And it's a big statement about a team that opens with Missouri in St. Louis, plays its first two Big Ten games at Penn State and Michigan and will travel to Wisconsin before facing Ohio State in Champaign.

Zook has lived up to his reputation as a prodigious recruiter. And with the exception of a couple of declined penalties at Iowa last year, he has gone a long way toward shaking his reputation for being shaky in the coaching department.

Even the Zooker couldn't resist a wry smile when asked if he's ahead of schedule.

''I learned in my last job, you get 2? years,'' said the man who made the mistake of following Steve Spurrier at Florida. ''We're going to go as fast as we can go. You have to go as fast as you can.''

 

[LordJeffBuck]

And in his first three full recruiting classes, he pulled in 19 blue chippers.

Actually, 21 by my count, if you include prospects who received a four- or five-star rating from either Rivals or Scout (or both).

But Ohio State signed 39 "blue chippers" and Michigan signed 45 during the same three-year period ... still a pretty big talent gap between Illinois and the top dogs.

And many of Illinois's blue chippers were "high risk" recruits who were not heavily pursued by schools like Ohio State.

Ohio State
2008 - Rivals: four 5* (20%); nine 4* (45%); seven 3* (35%); average = 3.85*
2008 - Scout: six 5* (30%); seven 4* (35%); six 3* (30%); one 2* (5%); average = 3.90*
2007 - Rivals: twelve 4* (80%); three 3* (20%); average = 3.80*
2007 - Scout: one 5* (6.67%); ten 4* (66.67%); three 3* (20%); one 2* (6.67%); average = 3.73*
2006 - Rivals: two 5* (10%); eight 4* (40%); ten 3* (50%); average = 3.60*
2006 - Scout: three 5* (15%); nine 4* (45%); five 3* (25%); three 2* (15%); average = 3.60*
Overall three-year average = 3.75*

Michigan
2008 - Rivals: seventeen 4* (71%); six 3* (25%); one 2* (4%) average = 3.67*
2008 - Scout: one 5* (4%); fourteen 4* (56%); seven 3* (28%); two 2* (8%); average = 3.44*
2007 - Rivals: two 5* (10%); five 4* (25%); twelve 3* (60%); one 2* (5%); average = 3.40*
2007 - Scout: two 5* (10%); twelve 4* (60%); four 3* (20%); two 2* (10%); average = 3.70*
2006 - Rivals: two 5* (11%); nine 4* (47%); seven 3* (37%); one 2* (5%) average = 3.63*
2006 - Scout: five 5* (25%); five 4* (25%); seven 3* (35%); three 2* (15%); average = 3.60*
Overall three-year average = 3.57*

Illinois
2008 - Rivals: six 4* (21.5%); sixteen 3* (57%); six 2* (21.5%); average = 3.00*
2008 - Scout: six 4* (21.5%); fourteen 3* (50%); eight 2* (28.5%); average = 2.93*
2007 - Rivals: two 5* (9.5%); five 4* (24%); eleven 3* (52.5%); three 2* (14%); average = 3.29*
2007 - Scout: two 5* (9.5%); five 4* (24%); eight 3* (38%); six 2* (28.5%); average = 3.14*
2006 - Rivals: six 4* (22.2%); twelve 3* (44.4%); nine 2* (33.3%); average = 2.89*
2006 - Scout: three 4* (11%); thirteen 3* (48%); eleven 2* (41%); average = 2.70*
Overall three-year average = 2.97*

That's still nearly a "full star" difference between the average Ohio State recruit and the average Illinois recruit ... and is Zook & Co. really the right staff to "coach up" all of those two- and three-star prospects to a blue chip level of play...?

 

[Oh8ch]

But Ohio State signed 39 "blue chippers" and Michigan signed 45 during the same three-year period ... still a pretty big talent gap between Illinois and the top dogs.

Still impressive compared to a school like Wiscy who has landed 11 four and five star Scout recruits SINCE 2002.

That school get more out of its talent than anyone in the country.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Loudonville's Zook puts Juice back in Illinois football

By JON SPENCER ? News Journal ? July 27, 2008
CHICAGO -- Anita Williams doesn't count sheep to fall asleep. She counts offensive plays (16), third-down conversions (three) and storybook quarterback sneaks (one), all engineered by her son in last year's game-clinching drive by Illinois in its shocking upset of No. 1 Ohio State.



With Isiah "Juice" Williams behind center, the Illini held the ball for the final 8:09 inside Ohio Stadium to hand the Buckeyes their only loss in their last 30 regular-season games and snap their 20-game Big Ten winning streak.
"I'm pretty much forced to watch that game when I go home," Williams said Friday from Big Ten Media Days in Chicago. "My mom watches the fourth quarter every night before bed. Sometimes she watches the whole game. We'll sit there and talk and I'll hear the game playing in the background."
Cont...

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

It's nice to have a program like this; one that elicits celebrations that last a year (or longer) when someone manages to beat you.

When we beat Illinois this November, we'll celebrate for about 5 minutes.

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

UPDATE.

I've been getting more and more concerned - the recruits we pulled in during camp season were more of the "I heard he was just about to blow up!" variety.

And then we received this shot in the arm: NewsOK Mobile

Rivals has Scheelhaase as the #7 Dual Threat QB and the #2 "scrambler" - I'd say he'll fit our offense quite well after Juice is gone. Just when I'm starting to doubt the Zooker, he pulls in a QB that most Oklahoma fans thought was a lock for OU.

And I can't say this enough: As an Illinois fan suffering through the last 20 years of mostly misery, it will never cease to amaze me when a blue chip QB from Missouri picks the Illini over Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa (where his dad played in college). Gone are the days of spring QB debates that went like this:

"Who will get the starting nod? Will it be Tim Brasic, who picked us over offers from Northern Illinois and Minnesota, or Brad Bower, who picked Illinois over Ohio U. and Northwestern?"

Interesting post on the Iowa Scout boards about Scheelhaase...

Scout.com: Scheelhaase to ILLINOIS?????

• dfromsc
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Nominate | Report Posted: Yesterday 8:24 PM
Re: Scheelhaase to ILLINOIS?????

I am from the same town (Moville) as Nathans mom LuAnn. I had talked to Nathans uncle Kirk 1 week before Nathan announced for Illinois. Kirk had told me then that Nathan was going to verbal to Illinois. The main reason was because of the assistant coach at Illinois (Locksley I believe). He said that he really liked him. If Locksley leaves at the end of the season, Nathan might not stick with the commitment. Also he said that he liked Zook, and thought that he was a straight shooter. Nathan was told that Juice would likely go pro after this year, and then the job would be his. I told his uncle that I thought he was making a mistake, and that Zook was a snake oil salesman. It was also said that Nathan had been trying to contact the Iowa coaches for a couple of weeks, but they would not return his calls. I think the Iowa coaches had already decided to move on to someone else. The other thing I heard was that Cotton would verbal to Iowa.