Congratulations to the Fighting Illini Men’s Basketball team on their recent win against Michigan State!
We decided to whip out this classic for your enjoyment:
“Edit all you want, you’re still runnin’!”
Tags: basketball, Bruce Weber, ncaa, ui sports
The Illini traveled to Columbus, Ohio last Saturday to play Ohio State. The Illini put up 170 offensive yards and scored 0 points. OSU put up 318 offensive yards and scored 30 points. The Ohio State game was another disappointing showing by the Illini.
News-Gazette reporter Loren Tate said it best in a recent article:
What were they thinking?
When the game settled down in the early rain-soaked stages, Ohio State attacked Illinois at its strength, the defensive line, and took control.
So give the Buckeyes credit. They dominated in the trenches and deserved to win.
That said, the Illini seemed disengaged. They contributed to their own downfall. Maybe “dumb” is too strong a word. Let’s just say the Illini didn’t use their heads … repeatedly … when the game was still in the formative stage. Count the ways:
– When a flubbed Ohio State punt put Illinois in early position at midfield, the Illini punched out two first downs and reached the 24 where a penalty was assessed for 12 men in the huddle. What were they thinking?. After being set back, Williams threw directly to linebacker Brian Rolle who returned 39 yards.
– After Aaron Pettrey boomed a 50-yard field goal, Illini A.J. Jenkins caught the kickoff in the end zone, started to run, stopped and then made a fateful step over the line. He was swarmed at the 10. What was he thinking?
– Unable to capitalize as Williams’ passes went awry (he was 6 of 15 for 30 yards at the half), the Illini nevertheless had the Buckeyes back on their 20 early in the second quarter. Pryor was trapped near the sideline when Clay Nurse unnecessarily grabbed his facemask. Fifteen yards! Then Pryor ran to the other sideline and Illini Supo Sanni hit him much too late. Another 15 yards! What were they thinking? Ohio State, without so much as a completed pass in the half, marched in for a 13-0 lead.
– The next time Ohio State punted, Jarred Fayson stood under the high boot around the 20, and stepped away from an obvious fair catch, allowing the ball to bounce to the 6-yard line. Again, what was he thinking?
– The Buckeyes made an uncharacteristic turnover just before halftime, a fumbled punt giving the Illini the ball at the Ohio State 45. Three penalties and a Fayson drop found Illinois punting from the 50. Three penalties!
What were they thinking?
The Illini battle Penn State this Saturday at 2:30pm at Memorial Stadium.
Illinois vs. Penn State // Oct. 3 // 2:30 PM
Live Audio | GameTracker | TV: ABC |Tags: Football, Juice Williams, loren tate, ncaa, ohio state, Ron Zook, ui sports
The Illini pulled off a victory Saturday defeating their in-state rivals the Illinois State Redbirds. Illinois Quarterback Juice Williams left the game early with a right quadriceps bruise so back-up Eddie McGee took his place. McGee lead the Illini to 384 rushing yards, 137 of them from sophomore Jason Ford.
Illinois led 24-0 at halftime with McGee running for one touchdown and passing for another. He was 13 of 17 for 164 yards and an interception, and he ran for 55 yards and two touchdowns.
McGee kept the ball on the option for his first TD, a 1-yarder over right tackle that gave the Illini a 14-0 lead with 3:43 left in the first quarter.
McGee hit receiver Chris Duvalt for a 27-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.
The Redbirds (0-2), who lost to Eastern Illinois 31-6 last week, got a strong performance from Matt Brown. The redshirt freshman, starting for the injured Drew Kiel, completed 27 of 45 passes for two touchdowns and one interception.
But Illinois State couldn’t score until 8:42 remained in the third quarter, when Brown found Eyad Salem for a 3-yard TD, cutting Illinois’ lead to 31-7. Salem caught seven passes for 103 yards and both Redbird touchdowns.
Congratulations to the team on a fine victory.
The Illini begin Big Ten play battling Ohio State next, on September 26th in Columbus, OH.
Final Stats
Post-Game Quotes
Post-Game Notes
Tags: eddie mcgee, Football, illinois state, jason ford, Juice Williams, Memorial Stadium, ncaa, ohio state, Ron Zook, ui sports
Head to Huff Hall tonight to watch the Woman’s Volleyball Team battle Cincinnati. Tonight is a special event with FREE BBQ to the first 1,000 students starting at 5:30pm outside the hall. There will also be a special appearance by Bruce Weber and the Men’s Basketball Team.
This is the Illini’s first home match of the season, so come out and support the team. The game starts at 7pm.
Stuff Huff, wear orange, and Go Illini!
No. 14 Illini host ‘Stuff Huff’ Friday – FightingIllini.com
Tags: basketball, Bruce Weber, cincinnati, ncaa, orange, stuff huff, UI Basketball, ui sports, volleyball
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
Jeff Jordan has recently elected not to continue with the Fighting Illini basketball team. Jordan has been a reserve point guard for the last two years. He intends to stay at Illinois and focus on his academics.
“I loved playing for the Fighting Illini and appreciate the support I was given by my teammates, coaches and the great fans here,” Jordan said. “But I have come to the point where I’m ready to focus on life after basketball. I will concentrate on earning my degree from the University of Illinois and the opportunities that await upon graduating.”
He appeared in 59 career games, totaling 58 points, 42 assists and 24 rebounds. Jordan averaged 8.4 minutes as a sophomore after playing 5.3 minutes per game as a true freshman. He scored a career-high five points vs. Detroit (Dec. 20, 2008) and at Purdue (Jan. 19, 2008), and had a career-high six assists vs. Chicago State (Dec. 10, 2008).
“Jeff was an invaluable member of our team the past two seasons and I thank him for his contribution to our program,” coach Bruce Weber said. “He brought great work ethic to the gym and pushed himself, as well as his teammates, each and every day to improve. We will miss him, but we fully support the decision he has made. When the game of basketball has been a top priority throughout your life, it is very difficult to transition away from playing. I know Jeff has given this much thought. He is an outstanding, mature young man who will be successful in whatever areas he pursues in the future.”
Good luck Jeff, and maybe I’ll take you on at the ARC sometime!
Jordan Leaves Illinois Basketball Team – FightingIllini.com
Tags: basketball, Bruce Weber, jeff jordan, ncaa, Sports, ui sports
This year’s MLB draft took three current Illinois players to the major leagues, the most since five were drafted in 2005.
Illini shortstop Brandon Wikoff was taken as the 161st overall pick in the 5th round by the Houston Astros, third baseman Dominic Altobelli was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 16th round, and center fielder Joe Bonadonna was drafted by Texas in the 43rd round. Some Illinois signees were also drafted including Seth Schwindenhammer and Matt Milroy.
The following is a list of all former Illini baseball players currently in the pros:
Patrick Arlis (2000-2002) – C
Current Organization: Milwaukee Brewers, AAA (Nashville Sounds)
Drafted: Florida Marlins, 2002 (11th round)Eric Eymann (2003-04) – SS
Current Organization: Cincinnati Reds, AAA (Louisville Bats)
Drafted: Cincinnati Reds, 2005 (19th round)Chris Robinson (2003-05) – C
Current Organization: Chicago Cubs, AAA (Iowa Cubs)
Drafted: Detroit Tigers, 2005 (3rd round)Jason Anderson (1998-2000) – RHP
Current Organization: Philadelphia Phillies, AA (Reading Phillies)
Drafted: New York Yankees, 2000 (10th round)Toby Gardenhire (2005) – 3B
Current Organization: Minnesota Twins, AA (New Britain Rock Cats)
Drafted: Minnesota Twins, 2005 (41st round)Shawn Roof (2004-2007) – SS
Current Organization: Detroit Tigers, AA (Erie SeaWolves)
Drafted: Detroit Tigers, 2007 (33rd round)Lars Davis (2006-2007) – C
Current Organization: Colorado Rockies, Advanced-A (Modesto Nuts)
Drafted: Colorado Rockies, 2007 (3rd round)Tanner Roark (2006-2007) – RHP
Current Organization: Texas Rangers, Advanced-A (Bakersfield Blaze)
Drafted: Texas Rangers, 2008 (25th round)Scott Shaw (2006-08) – RHP
Current Organization: New York Mets, Advanced-A (St. Lucie Mets)
Drafted: New York Mets, 2008 (13th round)Kyle Hudson (2006-2008) – OF
Current Organization: Baltimore Orioles, Low-A (Delmarva Shorebirds)
Drafted: Baltimore Orioles, 2008 (4th round)
Congratulations to all those drafted and Go Illini!
Tags: Baseball, Illini Sports, mlb, ncaa, ui sports
Illinois Men’s Basketball Coach Bruce Weber will coach in the Hersey’s College All Star Game on Friday. The game is scheduled for 3:30pm CT at Ford Field in Detroit and will be televised on CBS College Sports.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has selected rosters for the game, featuring some of the top seniors in the nation. Weber will coach the Reese’s All-Stars, along with Purdue’s Matt Painter. Players on the Reese’s roster are Tyrese Rice (Boston College), Orlando Mendez-Valdez (Western Kentucky), Josh Akognon (Cal State Fullerton), Alex Ruoff (West Virginia), Josh Bostic (Findlay), B.J. Raymond (Xavier), Alfred Aboya (UCLA), Marcus Landry (Wisconsin), John Bryant (Santa Clara) and Josh Heytvelt (Gonzaga).
Good luck Bruce!
Weber to Coach in Hershey’s College All-Star Game – FightingIllini.com
Tags: basketball, Bruce Weber, cbs, detroit, ford field, NABC, ncaa, ui sports
This year’s Big Ten Women’s Gymnastics Championships is being held on the UI campus at Huff Hall, on Saturday, March 21, at 2 p.m. CT. The Championships will be televised LIVE by the Big Ten Network (HD). IF you are going to be in town on Saturday, head over to Huff Hall and check it out. Ticket prices are $10 for Adults and $ for Students/Youth. Tickets are on sale now at the University of Illinois Athletic Ticket Office or by calling 1-866-ILLINI-1. All tickets are general admission. There will be sections marked for each institution at the competition.
Don’t you remember all the excitement from the Olympic gymnastic games? This is the same thing, except it’s right in your backyard and there is no Béla Károlyi.
Check it out and go Illini!
It is time to move on from the basketball season and start looking to the fall…
University Athletics is proud to announce the initiation of an online ticket ordering system for students. The new option allows students to buy season ticket vouchers and Block I tickets all from the comfort of your home. You simply need your UIN to register and create an online account. The account consist of an email, password, credit card info, address, and phone number. Once you create an account, you are ready to go! This account is universal for the entire website, so you can buy basketball tickets, or single game tickets, or merchandise all with your new account. This is part of the University’s effort to “save costs and go green.” I don’t know about all this environmental stuff, but anything I can buy online beats filling out that awful form and having to sent it in the mail. All we need now is a way to redeem the vouchers online… sort of like checking in on an airplane… hmmm.
Besides the online ordering, there is another big change to the ticket voucher process:
All student vouchers and Block I tickets will be held at will call for pick-up. No vouchers or Block I tickets will be mailed over the summer. Specific instructions detailing how you can pick up your vouchers/Block I tickets will be emailed to your Illinois email address in late July/early August.
This is going to change a few things and will probably cause some ruckus when a huge line of students come rushing the ticket booth to pick up the vouchers… but we’ll see what happens. Additionally, let me use this time to tell you all to buy football tickets. It is worth it.
Chuck Norris bought tickets.
BUY FOOTBALL TICKETS ONLINE HERE
