Relax on Weis

[GoIrish41]

Jeremy,

I can sympathize with your frustration, but think about this for a moment:

Don't be surprised, when you step up to "drink the Weis Koolaid", if no one passes it to you. Weis has made a lot of mistakes, and he is ultimately responsible for the product on the field. But there are too many factors at work, to lay all of the blame on Weis. I thought he was crazy for faking the field goal in the first quarter. But, if you listened to his presser, it seems it wasn't as dumb a decision as it looked at the time. According to Weis, the coaches picked up on something in their film study of Navy. EVERY TIME this season that someone had attempted a field goal from the left hash mark, Navy had used the exact same rush scheme. So the staff decided ahead of time that, if they had a FG attempt from the left hash, they would run a fake designed to beat the rush scheme of Navy. Weis said that what blew the play up, is that the key defender that HAD to rush for the play to work stayed home. I still think he should have put points on the board, but I understand that he was thinking that they needed touchdowns, not FGs, to beat Navy. I think it was a bad decision, but not bad coaching. The FG at the end of the game, I think was bad coaching. Make it and you almost definitely win the game. Miss it and you turn the ball over to a team that can barely throw the ball, in their own territory, with less than a minute left. I can't, nor will I try, to defend that decision. But still, what would have happened if Armando Allen hadn't whiffed at blocking a blitzer? You don't account for your tailback completely fanning at a block.

2 things:

1. It was 4th and 15 on the fake FG. Who the f*** runs a fake FG when you need 15 yards? In the 1st quarter? Against Navy?

2. If AA would have blocked that OLB who made the flying tackle, the DT who was already draped over Sharpley would have sacked him anyway.

 

[Legacy]

Outside of Tressel and Carroll, Charlie is the only coach to take his team to BCS bowls in each of the past two years. He and his staff made those players better. Also, thinking back on the season, I cannot think of a game outside of Navy that we possibly should have won. We beat UCLA with some extraordinary defense. What I like about Charlie is he takes all the blame, has a great coaching staff and got Corwin Brown for years to come, and has pulled together the top recruiting class in the nation. The players want to come. I don't want to dismantle that. I cannot think who else I would want as head coach. So, I am saddened to hear the student body would boo Weis. I remember when, after Willingham, we were written off as .500 team and he went to so many dorms to rebuild spirit. He has been tireless and probably feels worse than I do about the season. But we all saw this season coming.

 

[goldandblue]

A lot can happen in 43 years. LOL

Well actually only 21 years since N.D. hasn't won a championship in 19 years.

 

[johnnd05]

Outside of Tressel and Carroll, Charlie is the only coach to take his team to BCS bowls in each of the past two years. He and his staff made those players better. Also, thinking back on the season, I cannot think of a game outside of Navy that we possibly should have won. We beat UCLA with some extraordinary defense. What I like about Charlie is he takes all the blame, has a great coaching staff and got Corwin Brown for years to come, and has pulled together the top recruiting class in the nation. The players want to come. I don't want to dismantle that. I cannot think who else I would want as head coach. So, I am saddened to hear the student body would boo Weis. I remember when, after Willingham, we were written off as .500 team and he went to so many dorms to rebuild spirit. He has been tireless and probably feels worse than I do about the season. But we all saw this season coming.

Sorry, but we definitely could have beaten Michigan State, Purdue, and BC if our offense hadn't stunk to high heaven for the better parts of each of those games.

 

[marv81s]

yeah, i can't believe weis dropped that pass that would have been a key first down, no wait, that was Grimes

Well, I can't believe he dropped that one TD pass, hit him right in the hands, no wait, that was paris

Well, he blew the coverage on the fullback out in the flat a couple times, and then that wide open TD pass to the other Navy RB in the 3rd OT and the two point conversion, oops, that was the D

There was that one FG from about 35 yards with the wind at his back that he shanked badly again, shit, that was the kickers


lot of plays that lost the game, its not just the coaching. These young kids will win a lot of games before they graduate. Weis didn't forget how to coach in one year. The talent is coming in and so is a talented depth chart.

Every knowledgable person that knows a thing or two about college football saw this season coming. This season is why assholes like Meyer didn't take the job at ND. The writers for blue and gold illustrated saw this season coming 2 years ago. The juniors and seniors on this team are MAC level talent at best. This bad of a season, obviously not, but who would ever predict this bad of a season for any of their teams. This is painful to watch and see, but it reminds me of watching your kid learning how to ride a bike for the first time. Its painful, but eventually they'll get back to where they were last year and the year before, but only better because they will be more talented.

For those of you that don't believe Weis can develop talent, you all need to really take an honest look at his coaching record and see where New England was before his arrival and the path they took to become the team they are. Take a look how he developed Shark, Quinn, Walker, McKnight, Stovall, Stephenson, Nduke, etc. "oh but they were juniors and seniors when he got there", most of the people contributing this year are freshman and/or sophomores and getting significant playing time for the first time this season.

You fire weis now, you'll see this program tailspin to the depths where it most likely won't recover from. They get into the mold of firing assistants every year and/or head coach's every 3 years, you'll never get a coach to even look at your program, and you sure as hell won't get an elite recruit to look in your direction with that kind of instability. ND will be back in a couple years, it won't be back amongst the elite next year, but I know in my heart that in '09, ND will contend for the Title and it will be Weis that gets them there.

 

[johnnd05]

Every knowledgable person that knows a thing or two about college football saw this season coming.

Sorry Marv, but that is NOT true. NOBODY thought this team would lose to Navy, scoring seven points on them in the second half one week after they gave up 59 to DELAWARE. NOBODY thought this team would be 1-8. NOBODY thought this team would have THE WORST OFFENSE IN (THE HISTORY OF?) COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

I'm not saying Weis should be fired. I'm not saying he can't develop talent. I'm not even saying it's all his fault. I'm just saying that he deserves all the crap he's gotten for this disaster of a season.

 

[Timugen]

What I like about Charlie is he takes all the blame,

Well I would like him even better if there wasn't so much to blamed for every week - and especially in weeks when we're lining up against an extremely poor Navy defense.

But we all saw this season coming.

Flat-out wrong. NOBODY (not even Mark May) saw us being THIS BAD. Again...it's not about the fact that we have the losses, it's how we lost. We're putting up historically bad performances on offense (and not just ND historical, CFB historical) and if you claim you saw that coming then I call bullshit.

 

[TC_57]

The BCS blowouts, this is one of my favorite subjects. I think that a lot people believe that the 2005 and 2006 teams were better than they actually were. C'mon lets take a look at what we were up against. OSU fielded a team with AJ Hawk, Troy Smith, Antonio Pittman, Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzales, Santonio Holmes, Nick Mangold, Donte Whitmer and Ashton Youboty and Bobby Carpenter. Do you really believe that our talent was on that level? How many 1st and 2nd rounders are on that list? Let's not forget Malcolm Jenkins who is another future 1st rounder. Do I even get started with LSU? Russell, Bowe, Douchet, LaRon Landry, Craig Davis? All 1st rounders and future first rounders. These teams had ELITE talent. I believe Charlie got the best out of what we had. I couldn't ask for more. We had some good players, but Quinn is the only 1st rounder out of the group, but think about it, Walker and McKnight do not even get drafted. Statistically, those are two of our all time best. Charlie did the best with what he had. Do you really think that Wooden, Lambert and Richardson are in the same league as some of the receivers that OSU and LSU threw at us? No wonder Charlie and Corwin are stockpiling DB's right now. Do you really think that Ty and Davie would have gotten these kids to those BCS games? Let this man do his job, please.

 

[johnnd05]

The BCS blowouts, this is one of my favorite subjects. I think that a lot people believe that the 2005 and 2006 teams were better than they actually were. C'mon lets take a look at what we were up against. OSU fielded a team with AJ Hawk, Troy Smith, Antonio Pittman, Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzales, Santonio Holmes, Nick Mangold, Donte Whitmer and Ashton Youboty and Bobby Carpenter. Do you really believe that our talent was on that level? How many 1st and 2nd rounders are on that list? Let's not forget Malcolm Jenkins who is another future 1st rounder. Do I even get started with LSU? Russell, Bowe, Douchet, LaRon Landry, Craig Davis? All 1st rounders and future first rounders. These teams had ELITE talent. I believe Charlie got the best out of what we had. I couldn't ask for more. We had some good players, but Quinn is the only 1st rounder out of the group, but think about it, Walker and McKnight do not even get drafted. Statistically, those are two of our all time best. Charlie did the best with what he had. Do you really think that Wooden, Lambert and Richardson are in the same league as some of the receivers that OSU and LSU threw at us? No wonder Charlie and Corwin are stockpiling DB's right now. Do you really think that Ty and Davie would have gotten these kids to those BCS games? Let this man do his job, please.

No doubt he got the most out of his team in '05 and - to some extent - '06. But that doesn't exclude this year's disaster, nor does it guarantee success down the line.

 

[marv81s]

Sorry Marv, but that is NOT true. NOBODY thought this team would lose to Navy, scoring seven points on them in the second half one week after they gave up 59 to DELAWARE. NOBODY thought this team would be 1-8. NOBODY thought this team would have THE WORST OFFENSE IN (THE HISTORY OF?) COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

I'm not saying Weis should be fired. I'm not saying he can't develop talent. I'm not even saying it's all his fault. I'm just saying that he deserves all the crap he's gotten for this disaster of a season.

ND only got the ball i believe twice in the second half.

No, nobody had a clue it was going to be this bad, but fuck stats for the most part, all that matters, at least to me is the W-L stats. Point is, a lot of people saw 2007 as the year ND football was going to take a beating. Personally, I could give a shit if Navy lost to Delaware the week before they played ND, some teams get caught looking ahead to the next week against their rival and more than likely Navy did that. Navy almost always plays ND tough. Even when ND had good teams in the past, navy has given them a run. Its not like Navy is Applacian State or some other Division 2 school, they have gone to 6 or 7 straight bowl games and have beaten other teams this year that are better than ND. This is the worst ND team in its history and it still took Navy 3 OTs and one play to beat them.

and i'll continue to disagree with you about Weis not being able to develop talent till I'm dead. Tom Brady wouldn't be the player he is today without Weis and Quinn wouldn't have been a 1st day draft pick without Weis. Stovall, McKnight and Shark wouldn't have been record breakers at ND if Weis didin't get there either, and those last two years wouldn't have seen all those records get broken if Weis hadn't taken the job that NOBODY wanted.

ND had ZERO experience coming into this year at the offensive skilled positions, 2 offensive lineman with any sort of significant playing time, the other 3 starters had 110 minutes of playing time between the 3 of them, and the defense was switching over to a whole new defensive scheme and that is going to equal at least 6 wins against the hardest schedule in the land?

think a lot of us need a reality check.

 

[IrishRamMan10]

the thing is that we are not 1-7 bad... Give us Ohio States schedule and this team has a least 5 wins... we can only play the schedule we are dealt...

 

[goldenlid]

Who are the ones on this team with the best stats besides Crum and Laws? How many are frosh and soph players and how does that compare to the rest of the nation? If someone has those stats it would be cool to look at and see how young this team is.

 

[johnnd05]

ND only got the ball i believe twice in the second half.

They got it FOUR times in the second half (missed FG, fumble, TD, fumble, turnover on downs), and five if you count the last-ditch plays at the end of the half.

I don't care about stats either; it's the way they've LOOKED that bugs me.

And I don't disagree that Weis may well be able to develop talent. Only time will tell on that one.

 

[MeanGreen]

I agree with the original post. I think back to Ara's comment to Lou about ND fans, you never will win the game by the proper margin and if you don't win them all you are a failure. That's us, we knew we were shorthanded this year and the schedule was brutal, but we still expected the third year magic or something. This schedule was pointed out by people three years ago as the reason coaches or recruits would not come here. It was said you could not play this type of schedule expect to be in the BCS with the admissions requirements at ND. Fans said that, ESPN said that, every said that. Ara, Lou or Knute himself would have a hard time going 12-0 with this team and schedule. Would they be better than 1-8, there is a good chance at that. Would they have won the game against Navy, maybe! Navy came to play and break the streak, the sold out on every play. I watched the game last week and that was not the same Navy team. They brought their intensity level up a notch or two against us. It is easy to second guess play calling for numerous reason, 1) we are not completely informed about players ability, 2)we do not have to make the call in 30 seconds, 3)maybe the play was tried before in a game and at practice and failed, and 4)it is easy to do the job when nothing is on the line (we won't get called out in the media or fired for our arm chair coaching. As far as students booing CW, that means nothing. If its the case, then what about the applauds and standing ovations he received his first year? I doubt ND or any college would fire a coach because the students booed him.
Bottom line is we need to relax, put this all behind us look toward the future. This is a learning experience for the players and CW. Most people learn more from their failures than successes. CW has already changed his practice habits and I am sure more will change. Next year probably will be 8-4, but after that the sky is the limit. Another coaches change makes us look like every other college team, plus sets the program back at least a year, until the new coach gets his type of players in and the current players learn his system.

 

[Mr. McGibblets]

I agree with the original post. ...
Bottom line is we need to relax, put this all behind us look toward the future. This is a learning experience for the players and CW.

I like the direction these posts are heading as opposed to the posts following the original post. Obvioulsy I agree. Love the use of the word "relax"

 

[YoderDame]

As I've told all my buddy nay sayer's this is just practice for next year. We (they) appeared to have given up after the win agaist UCLA. There should have been no reason what so ever to lose to Navy (that's a given). But if we were to get rid of Weis now, with the recruiting class that we have coming in would be like adding the last nail to the coffin. Come on people, I don't like seeing the Irish lose anymore then anyone else, but the fact of the matter is they have and their is not a damn thing we can do about it now. Let's show our support to the team and CW the rest of this year and let all of the haters get their digs in while they can because next year and the years to follow they won't have a damn thing to say about the best damn college football team in the world! LET'S GO IRISH!!!

MySpace.com - YoderDame - 42 - Male - MIDDLEBURY, US - www.myspace.com/yoderdame65

 

[Master Guns]

I attended my first game ever at Notre Dame this weekend. The whole weekend was amazing except for the result. While I was quite confused with several play calls by Weis-

- Fake feild goal running sharpley basically off tackle on 4th and 15
- Not kicking the field goal at the end of the game,
- The miracle 4th and 15- which they converted- when I felt they should have punted despite them not getting a stop the entire afternoon
- The same wide reciever screen- when you always think he is just setting it up for a fake sceen and the reciever goes deep
- Not utilizing Kamara as often
- The off tackle on the 2 point conversion attempt

just to name a few, I still do not like people calling for his head. I was driving around South Bend Saturday night after the game trying to find Rocco's pizza and listening to the sports talk radio. Almost every caller was demanding Weis be fired. They were stating reasons such as play calling and player development. One caller even stooped to saying that "he cant walk so how can he teach proper technique." Thats low. The same people who say Weis is winning with Willinghams players were the same people who were saying Willingham is winning with Davie's players. Then what? They fire Weis and then the new coach goes 11-1 and then 10-2 and then 2-9 and then we have to hear "oh we he only won with Weis' players." Give it some time. They run a 3-4 pro-style defense and they dont have the right players for that system yet. Honestly, I dont know if Weis will be an amazing coach at Notre Dame, but I do have the patience to wait 4 years to se what will pan out.

This year according to CBSsportsline.com they have the 6th hardest schedule in the country. That is no joke. This year Navy leads the nation in rushing 333 yds/gm. That is no joke. I was mad as hell watching them get 3-7 yards a carry knowing that Weis had 2 weeks to prepare for that rushing attack coming off a bye week. While Navy's defense is horrible, it basically compliments ND's offense. But while we may be mad about player development, maybe Weis really is "developing" his players through this long season of tough opponents. Maybe in 3-4 years when ND is atop to the BCS rankings and we watch "do anything for ratings" ESPN and they interview Clausen and Weis about the 2007 season, we will listen to them say what that season taought them and how persistence and pateince pays off. At least this is what I hope for.

All-in-all, they shoulda beat Navy, but they didnt. So lets move on and get off the ledges. Let's stay off Weis' back and lets just wait and see.

Bottom line he made alot of "high school coaching" mistakes against Navy. When is that going to stop?

 

[Master Guns]

Well, Maybe history repeats itself. Notre Dame won 4 N.C.'s after their last lost to Navy.

That would be cool! I hope CW suceeds, I really do, I think it would be another corner stone of Notre Dame's history. But until then he deserves everything he gets for the bone headed coaching.

 

[Master Guns]

Sorry, but we definitely could have beaten Michigan State, Purdue, and BC if our offense hadn't stunk to high heaven for the better parts of each of those games.

Concur with that. A blind man could have seen it.

 

[marv81s]

what have you seen from the ND kicking game this year makes you believe that the freshman kicker would have made a 41 yard FG into a stiff wind when he missed one earlier in the game from about 35 with the wind at his back. Not to mention ND kickers this year are, I think, 1-6 this year beyond 40 yards?

Or maybe the drop from Grimes on 1st down that would have given the Irish another 1st down on a key drive, or the drop from Paris for a TD, or the blown coverages on a wide open Navy FB on a couple plays, or the constant running to the outside by Navy. Its a bad, inexperienced ND team, and how many times have you heard up to the game that if there was ever a year for navy to win, this is the year. Bad navy teams have given good ND teams fits in the past and have nearly won.

All of a sudden in less than a year, Weis forgot how to coach and put together an offensive game plan? How in the hell did that happen?

 

[marv81s]

take note of these records from other coach's

Frank Beamer (first 6 seasons)
1987 - Virginia Tech - 2-9-0
1988 - Virginia Tech - 3-8-0
1989 - Virginia Tech - 6-4-1
1990 - Virginia Tech - 6-5-0
1991 - Virginia Tech - 5-6-0
1992 - Virginia Tech - 2-8-1****

Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin
1990 1-10
1991 5-6 ***
1992 5-6 ***
1993 10-1-1
1994 8-3-1
1995 4-5-2 ****
1996 8-5
1997 8-5
1998 11-1
1999 10-2
2000 9-4
2001 5-7 ***
2002 8-6
2003 7-6 ***
2004 9-5
2005 10-3

Some guy named "Lou" at South Carolina
1999 - 0-11
2000 - 8-4
2001 - 9-3
2002 - 5-7***
2003 - 5-7***
2004 - 6-5

Jim Tressel at Youngstown State
1986 -Youngstown State - 2-9
1987 - Youngstown State - 8-4
1988 - Youngstown State - 4-7****
1989 - Youngstown State - 9-4
1990 - Youngstown State - 11-1
1991 - Youngstown State - 12-3
1992 - Youngstown State - 11-3-1
1993 - Youngstown State - 13-2
1994 - Youngstown State - 14-0-1
1995 - Youngstown State - 3-8****
1996 - Youngstown State - 8-3
1997 - Youngstown State - 13-2
1998- Youngstown State - 6-5**
1999 - Youngstown State - 12-3
2000 - Youngstown State - 9-3

Mike Bellotti - Oregon
1995 - Oregon - 9-3
1996 - Oregon - 6-5
1997 - Oregon - 7-5
1998 - Oregon - 8-4
1999 - Oregon - 9-3
2000 - Oregon - 10-2
2001 - Oregon - 11-1
2002 - Oregon - 7-6*
2003 - Oregon - 8-5
2004 - Oregon - 5-6***
2005 - Oregon - 10-2
2006 - Oregon - 7-6
2007 - Oregon - 7-1 so far

your never going to have continual success at a program if you have coaching instability.

Give Weis time people, just because this is ND doesn't automatically entitle an ND team to automatic wins, you need experienced talent and depth, ND doesn't have either right now, but it is coming and Weis has proven the last couple of years prior to this one what he can do with experienced players with half ass decent talent, now he is getting elite talent in at ND. 2 more years, and if in '09 he is still making the same mistakes and if ND doesn't have at least 9 or more wins in that '09 season, then all doubts, in my mind about him not being able to develop talent, will be confirmed in my mind.

till then, he deserves more time

 

[SoCalDomer]

what have you seen from the ND kicking game this year makes you believe that the freshman kicker would have made a 41 yard FG into a stiff wind when he missed one earlier in the game from about 35 with the wind at his back. Not to mention ND kickers this year are, I think, 1-6 this year beyond 40 yards?

1) All reports from people on this board who went to the game said there really wasn't that much wind if at all.
2) Weis said in his presser he would have tried the kick from the 20 but not the 24. 13-1/2 feet closer the kicker would have made it? Plus, if the wind was really that strong, he would have wanted to be a lot closer than 13-1/2 feet. Our kickers have shown distance is not really their problem, it's accuracy.
3) What about our offense thinks they could pickup 15 yards on one play with Evan Sharpley running the ball (the 4th and 15 fake field goal)???
4) What about our offense makes you think they could pick up 8 yards on a do or die play?

I think the likelihood of making a field goal was just as equal as getting a first down on the 4th and 8 play and was more likely than Evan Sharpley running for 15 yards on the 4th and 15 play.

 

[Timugen]

Every knowledgable person that knows a thing or two about college football saw this season coming.

Really? They did? Well I must have missed it. Please direct me to where ANYONE before this season wrote that we would be not just bad, but one of the worst teams in college football history. Please show me where someone predicted that our offense would look like the 3 blind mice dry-humping Hellen Keller.

You're missing the point Marv. The 1-8 record is the bright spot about this team, because at least in looking at the record alone you can't see how absolutely horribly we've played.

 

[Irish Fuzzy]

AMEN BROTHER!!!! HIGH FIVE ON THAT ONE!!!!

GO IRISH!

Fuzzy

 

[IrishAlum1997]

I'm trying to formulate a thought here, as it is my 300th post and I would like it to be memorable and compelling.

But the fact of the matter is I just can't stop staring at those magnificent yah-bows on Marv's avatar.

Um, give Charlie a pass this season. Go Irish. Got milk?

 

[kmoose]

2) Weis said in his presser he would have tried the kick from the 20 but not the 24. 13-1/2 feet closer the kicker would have made it? Plus, if the wind was really that strong, he would have wanted to be a lot closer than 13-1/2 feet. Our kickers have shown distance is not really their problem, it's accuracy.

You do realize that a kicker's accuracy generally decreases, the longer the attempt, regardless of the strength of their leg?

I think it was a terrible decision, NOT to attempt the field goal. But are you really trying to convince me that you know more about the abilities of the Irish kickers than the Head Coach? If so, I'd like to hear how you have come about this information?

 

[stonebreakerwasgod]

I'm not going to blame the guys that have lost confidence in CW. I think some of the playcalls were highly questionable. I'm over the anger from Sat, now we need to get back and root for our team, there will be plenty of time in the offseason for discussions about change in personnel and coaching staff. I think we can expect to see at least one, deserved or not.

 

[johnnd05]

I'm not going to blame the guys that have lost confidence in CW. I think some of the playcalls were highly questionable. I'm over the anger from Sat, now we need to get back and root for our team, there will be plenty of time in the offseason for discussions about change in personnel and coaching staff. I think we can expect to see at least one, deserved or not.

Right on, Stoney. Back to rootin'!

 

[SoCalDomer]

You do realize that a kicker's accuracy generally decreases, the longer the attempt, regardless of the strength of their leg?

I think it was a terrible decision, NOT to attempt the field goal. But are you really trying to convince me that you know more about the abilities of the Irish kickers than the Head Coach? If so, I'd like to hear how you have come about this information?

First, your argument commits the fallacy of appeal to authority. The fact that [Name redacted] is the head coach and I'm not does not nullify my argument. If you disagree with my argument, use logic not fallacies.

Second, my post was challenging the poster I quoted who said there was "a stiff wind." The fact that he would have felt comfortable 4 yards closer is indication even he didn't believe it was a "stiff wind."

Third, I stated my information supporting my argument in my prior post: the opinion on the kickers is based on the head coach's opinion. He stated he would have trusted them to make it from the 20. If that's his opinion on what he thought the kicker could make fine. I'm not saying he would have made it. I don't think 4 yards was so much of a difference that it was more of a gamble than going for it on 4th and 8.

The upside to kicking the FG is if you make it you go ahead by 3 and probably win since it takes Navy more than a few minutes to work down the field to get in field goal range or score a TD. The downside to missing the FG is you turn the ball over.

The downside to not making it on 4th down is you turn the ball over and give Navy a huge confidence boost. You then go to OT, where Navy is more likely to grind out 25 yards than ND. The best you can do by making it on 4th down (assuming you don't get in the endzone) is gurantee you have to successfully run more plays before you win; getting the first down it's still tied. So even if they make it, there's no guarantee they don't turn the ball over on the next play or miss the closer field goal. More plays equals more risk and more opportunity for error.

 

[KittnertoLloyd]

Illinois looked just as bad last year.

Are you crack?

You are not an Illini fan. Any Illini fan would know Illinois did not look this bad last year.

We lead #21 PSU at halftime 9-3, we outgained them by over 170 yards
We lead #17 UW at halftime 21-3
We lost to #1 OSU 17-10, at the time the closest game played by OSU, only UM and UF would play them closer

We were competitve in every single game last season. The only team to blow us out was Rutgers. This looks like the Illinois team of 2005, Zook's first year maybe, but the Turner was the worst recruiter in the Big Ten. Zook has built the team up.