Michigan 45, UI 0: Good bye
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The good news: Illinois won’t lose next Saturday. The Illini get a week off before an Oct. 27 homecoming date with Indiana at Memorial Stadium.
That’s a relief for a team that enters the open date on the schedule having lost four straight and seems to have been dealt injury after significant injury much of the season’s first seven weeks.
“I don’t know when a good time is (to have an off week),” Illinois coach Tim Beckman said. “We need to get some guys healthy.”
The latest blow was quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase going down in the second quarter of Saturday’s 45-0 loss to Michigan in front of 110,922 at the Big House. The fourth-year junior hit his head on the turf at the end of a 23-yard run and didn’t return. Beckman said Scheelhaase suffered a concussion.
The Illini were already playing without cornerback Terry Hawthorne, who left last week’s game at Wisconsin in an ambulance with a head injury.
But more than time off for physical recuperation, Illinois (2-5, 0-3 Big Ten) is a team in desperate need of a break to recover from a bruised psyche.
The Illini haven’t been close in any of their five losses, losing by an average of 30 points. A week away from the field coupled with a date against the lowly Hoosiers might provide a lift in the midst of an otherwise lost season.
“We have a week off, so I think it’s really time to find ourselves and figure out what’s wrong with this team, figure out why we’re not playing with heart out there and try to get this thing fixed,” defensive end Michael Buchanan said. “I think it’s a great opportunity. We’ve got a week off then we’re going into our homecoming game and I’m sure everyone will be revved up and ready to play that, so hopefully we can get this thing turned around.”
Saturday was rock bottom. The Illini were shut out for the first time since a 30-0 defeat at Ohio State in 2009. The Illinois offense, which entered the game ranked 101st in the country in total offense and 102nd in scoring offense, never got past the Michigan 32-yard line and totaled 134 yards to Michigan’s 527.
What it amounted to was the largest margin of defeat since Penn State left Memorial Stadium with a 61-14 win seven years ago.
“As I told this football team, this is kind of the crossroads. The film doesn’t lie,” Beckman said. “Our players are disappointed and hurting and our coaching staff is, too. I’m sure Illini Nation is, too. We’re gonna get back there tomorrow, we’re gonna evaluate it and make our assessments.”
I hate to say it but a loss vs Indiana is coming. I live in WI (U of I grad) and after two weeks WI fired the offensive line coach. After 6 weeks Illinois needs to get rid of ALL offensive coaches. I feel somewhat sorry for the defense which gets NO help on the other side of the ball. Week after week the offense fails and the outcome of the game depends on the defense. While the defense has not been good the offense has been awful. No defense can consistently play well when the offense sucks. Enough. I see many teams scoring 35, 40, or 50 points and the Illini get shut out or are given a cheap touchdown in the waning moments.
We're gonna get back there tomorrow, we're gonna evaluate it and make our assessments". Gee where have i heard that before?
Your evaluation should be that you guys stink. Scheelhaase cant stay stay healthy to save his life, O"Toole is a turnover machine, We dont play our tight ends or full backs. Our offense is like watching corn grow. You guys are impotent. Enough of these two yard swing passes.And im sure Butkis is pulling his hair out ( if he has any that is ) over the play of the pitiful offensive line.
Your assessment should be that you and your so called Assistants are in way over your head. You aren't in Toledo anymore. You cant say " Well gee our players are really good students and good citizens". Thats like going on a blind date and someone telling you that the girl has a great personality. Right now our team is unwatchable. And all the great fiery speeches that you give wont change nothing. Go back to spittin and chewin. Sionara.
In any organization when a new regime takes over there is the possibility of losing the heart and soul of the organization depending on how the takeover is handled. It's obvious Beckman and his hires have not handled the takeover prorperly. Forget the bad offense, defense and special teams. What is really wrong with the Illini lies in the team's attitude and whatever the new group did when they took over. If we could look behind the scenes it would be pretty clear Beckman and Co. has lost the heart and minds of this group- all of them. I sure would like to know what they said and did that turned the leaders of this team against them.
lowly Hoosiers? huh? Illinois has become far lowlier than Indiana
Illinois is led and coached by a bunch of clowns and when I watch it's just like watching Bozo's circus all over again. The head Bozo Beckman has the wrong calling. He should be under the Big Top with a big shiny red nose and white painted cheeks which he can stuff full of chewing tobacco to his heart's content. I'd rather not watch this pathetic circus and band of clowns any longer. Beckman has succeeded in turning Zook's medicocre but consecutive 7-6 bowl teams into a national laughing stock that has already been blown out 5 times with perhaps still 5 more losses to go. Illinois has become the lowliest of lowliest and butt of jokes under Beckman the Clown (errr Bozo). Lasagna, beans and wieners, seriously? What a crock of horse manure. I thought the idea was to get much better coaching than what we had when Zook, Petrino, Koenning & Co were run out of town. Thomas said he wanted to bring us championships, instead he he brought us clowns and a laughingstock doormat of a team. Get rid of these clowns!
Agree Coach Beckman has assumed strictly the wrong calling. He should be performing under the Big Top rather than in the Big House. He does look like a clown. See for yourself below.
https://twitter.com/DanBloeme/status/257596960473743360/photo/1/large
I see this as Gary Moeller part 2. It's getting worse every week with no measurable improvement in ANY facet of the game. The offense is bad the defense is bad and so are the special teams. I've met Tim Beckman and have heard him speak. Yes he's a nice guy and is or at least was enthusiastic but to me he didn't impress me as one who could lead a team in a major BCS conference like the B10. He didn't strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer and I'll leave it at that. Plus his ill-thought trip to PSU or at least the way it was handled and the Skoal incident. That's not a good way to endear yourself to fans when your team is tanking. He's out of his league and this will end badly.
And many are right in that we'll have to put up with this for 2 more years and maybe 3. So how do you think recruiting will go after this? What about ticket sales. I can see another 3000 to 5000 season ticket drop. We may struggle to average 30,000 per game next year. That's Northwestern and Indiana territory. Beckman aka Skoal man is already on the hot seat and Mike Thomas should be right there with him. This is on him. This was his choice and it's obvious Thomas didn't have his ducks in a row when it came time for a change. He flashed an open check book and no one wanted to risk coming here. It's a coaching graveyard here and/or few in the profession want to work for or trust Thomas.
I wish I could say give him time but I just don't see it. This team has given up on the staff, each other and themselves. If things are as bad or worse next year with recruiting also dying then the administration needs to pull the plug on Thomas and Beckman by early November next year. And the administration better start getting a list of AD candidates NOW for that possibility.
To be fair this didn't start with Thomas as the actions or inaction by RG with previous coaches was a major part of where we are now. But it even goes beyond that. The culture at Illinois at the highest levels of the administraton and BOT has been one of apathy and indifferrence since the late 60's. I even remember as a student the sick pride many faculty and even students took in being so poor in sports. As if it was a badge of honor and made us a better academic institution. A Harvard of the west or a larger University of Chicago. Basically at Michigan and Notre Dame football and revenue sports mattered but at Illinois...not so much.
For me today, I'm almost embarrased to be a an Illinois alum and fan. I'll let the season play out but I'm likely going to give up my season tickets including IFund donations. I've seen enough. It's just not worth the time, money and patience anymore and that is truly sad.
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