OSU postgame fallout

Nobody is surprised that Illinois went down again, this time to Ohio State. Nevertheless here's some of the best material from the Illini message boards:

Something has happened to Juice since Wisky

Yeah, he remembered he was Juice Williams.

Ron Zook has to go!, underachieving team. The Illinois football team could very well end its season missing a bowl game and under .500. Zook has had discipline problems (see broken jaw) and has not had commitment and dedication from his players all year. True they guy can recruit but that is not enough, that's why Florida fired him. This season has to go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in Big 10 history because of the talent the Illini has. Ron Zook will never win a major bowl game because he is a poor coach and horrible leader. If Illinois is serious about being a real contender in college football, it has to dump Zook.

Looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

You realize with a win over NW, Zook will have accomplished something no other UI football coach in about 20 years has accomplished? Yeah, let's get rid of him now

Ah, yes. Your past mediocrity justifies your present mediocrity.

I'll bet Urban Meyer, Pete Carrol, Nick Saban, or ___________(fill in blank with any other winning coach) would all jump at the chance to come to Illinois for half their salary.

Dummy, do you realize that Bowling Green and Utah had Urban Meyer before Florida did? Do you realize that Michigan State had Nick Saban before LSU and Bama did? No, you're not a top program and you won't attract the top coaches in the game, but you can attract an up-and-comer who can truly turn your program around.

How quickly a Rose Bowl appearance is forgotten. Zook brought the Illini back from the depths of the Turner Era--which was nearly at death penalty status.

A Rose Bowl "appearance" (barely, I could have sworn USC played a High School team) gets you a scholarship from criticism in Illiniland? It was a fluke. Get over it.

Regardless, if RZ doesn't do something about our discipline, special teams, and play calling in the redzone, I just don't see how we'll ever be able to win consistently.

Discipline, special teams, and play calling in the redzone? What's left?

As I said on the game thread forum, if Zook can't get these goons under control then fire him. I don't care how good of a recruiter he is, if he can't teach discipline he must go!!!!

Perfect description of the type of players Zook loves to recruit: goons. Not all of them, of course, but enough to get in the way of building a clean program that wins.

I'm with you. I want to win against NW and then beat some directional MAC school in the Motor City Bowl. That should be very doable, yet I give us a 20% chance to accomplish this pedestrian feat.

Just like Zook, set the bar low and then expect NOT to clear it.

Post game feedback

One of the best things about maintaining this blog is reading the reactions of Illini fans as they try figure out why their team is underperforming.  Some blame the assistant coaches, mainly the offensive coordinator, some blame the players, but very few blame the man who is responsible for all of it.  Zook has recruited some talented players, of that there is no doubt.  But to my mind talent needs to be developed and fostered too.  That is why Zook will NEVER be a good head coach. He's too dumb to abandon things that don't work and adopt things that work in other programs.  Stubborn and dumb is lethal combination.  Anyway let's take a look at some of the feedback from today's near loss to the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisana LaFayette:

Every problem we saw today is correctable, as Zook so succinctly said in "the Journey".

The thing is that he said that all the time during his three years at Florida and it never did get corrected until he was gone.

I'm telling you.. the best thing that can happen to us is if maryland lost the rest of their games and they picked up lox as a HC. We need to dump that garbage imo.

No, the best thing that can happen to you is that Zook gets fired and Illinois hires Urban Meyer.

we won. Get over it. OSU had problems with Ohio. It happens to good teams.

You're not a good team. Get over it.

We have a quarterback who can only complete passes to his first choice receiver in the progression. Our play calling is terrible.  And we look like a very unathletic team at a number of positions.

Bingo. Like I said, Zook has recruited some good players but was I the only one that noticed that a lot of last year's key players were Turner recruits?

I want to know what the he11 Frank and Jack were looking at when they said this could be one of the "Best Illini Defenses ever" There isn't enough Orange and Blue Kool-Aid on the planet to make that observation after today.

Apparently there is.

7-5 or 6-6 at best. brutal brutal brutal today

6-6 was my prediction. Boise, here we come!

There are huge holes on this team, and if they don't get fixed, a bottom level bowl is a best case scenario.

Pack your mittens, boys. Boise is awfully cold in December.

Anyone who's been an athlete and had big games comin up after a "lesser opponent" know that sometime you just go through the motions. Wether that should happen or not doesnt matter, because it does, in every sport. There's 2 weeks until PSU and the guys will definitely be ready for that game and it shuold be a good one.

And in two weeks what will your excuse be?

Big holes on both sides of the ball, and a continuation of some of the worst - and most puzzling - play calling in modern college football. Zook and Co have their work cut out for them.

So does your athletic director.

With our guys ability to recruit we should be dominating teams like EIU and ULL just on talent alone.

That's the type of thinking that got you this result dummy.