Disappointing and humiliating. These are the words I use to describe Illinois’ season opener against Missouri.
It was a true pummeling, to say the least. Illinois was dominated on both defense and offense by a young Mizzou squad. Quarterback Juice Williams was 18 for 28 for 178 yards with a touchdown and an interception. While Missouri rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a fourth. Illinois wide receiver Arrelious Benn and running back Jason Ford missed the second half with ankle injuries.
Preseason predictions were in the hands of the Illini coming into the game as a 6.5 point favorite with a highly experienced offensive unit. If you watched the game, you would have seen an ugly and unbelievable sight. The so-called “veteran” offense was no where to be found. Quarterback Juice Williams seemed to be playing worse than he had as a rookie. The preseason predictions were completely wrong and the Illini played a awful game. It was humiliating to be wearing orange and blue and an embarrassing blow to the hearts of Illini Nation. At this rate, it’s going to be a long season.
“I feel sick for these guys,” Zook said. “I feel sick for them. I feel sick for the Illini Nation. It’s up to us to make sure we get that fixed.” … “I wouldn’t have thought we’d play like that. That’s not the kind of off-season we’ve had, the kind of camp we’ve had, the preparation this last week we’ve had. I’m embarrassed with it, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel. I know our guys will come back and fix it. We didn’t play the way we are capable of playing. I think that everyone who follows us knows that, and more importantly, the guys in the locker room know that. We’ll be back and get the things fixed that need to be fixed.”
I’m not ready to throw in the towel either, but I think that the team needs a leader. I think that man should be the quarterback. Juice, you need to be more consistent. You need to motivate your teammates and keep up the team’s focus. You need to make accurate throws and use good judgement. You also need to make sure you don’t trip over your linemen’s feet, especially not on a fourth down in the red zone.
So here we are again, starting the season 0-1. It’s gonna take a lot of work to be considered a good team again. It’s gonna take a rally by the Illini to make it to a bowl game. I hope we can do it. The next game is the season home opener against Illinois State University. It is also the Red Grange dedication game. Maybe some of the history and talent from the “Greatest College Football Player of All Time” will rub off on the team (well at least I hope so).
“In the game of football, you’re going to have adversity. It’s how you handle it that will determine the type of success you’ll have. We’re going to take one game at a time.” – Ron Zook
Illini nation, let’s join Mr. Zook and rally behind our team, for “we love no other.” Let’s do this together… Go Illini!
Tags: Arch Rivalry, arrelious benn, Football, jason ford, Juice Williams, Missouri, ncaa, Ron Zook, Sports, St. Louis
