Illinois Fighting Illini Football

There wasn’t much offense in Happy Valley today, as the snow flew through much of the game between Illinois (6-3, 2-3 Big Ten) and No. 21 Penn State (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten).

The first half looked very similar to the last two games for Illinois. Their offense struggled to move the ball while their defense kept them in the game. The tough Penn State defense continually stopped Illinois for losses early in the game, bringing the Illini’s total yardage to negative five at the end of the first quarter.

Penn State failed to capitalize on their only real scoring opportunity of the first half when Anthony Fera missed a 43-yard field goal attempt.

Illinois had a chance to score late in the first half following a fumble by Penn State quarterback Rob Bolden, which the Illini recovered at the Penn State 25-yard line. Illinois was unable to take advantage of the good field position though. On 3rd-and-2 from the 4-yard line, the Illini were called for a false start, negating what appeared to be a Jason Ford touchdown.

The Fighting Illini were willing to settle for a 25-yard field goal, but holder Tim Russell bobbled the snap, and the Illini were unable to get the kick off. Russell threw the ball up for grabs, and it was intercepted by Penn State’s Sean Stanley.

The Fighting Illini came out in the third quarter and looked like a brand new team. After a crucial fourth-down stop, they opened things up offensively. That led to the first score of the game when QB Nathan Scheelhaase hit Spencer Harris for a 10-yard touchdown with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter.

Although Illinois outgained Penn State in the final quarter, it was the Nittany Lions that made the big plays when it counted.

A blocked punt on the Illinois 31 by Penn State’s Brad Bars led to a 30-yard field goal by Anthony Fera with 7:00 remaining in the game. Following the field goal, Penn State’s defense came up with a crucial stop to give their offense a chance to win the game with 3:05 remaining.

Penn State QB Matt McGloin had a tough going for most of the afternoon, but he shook it off and led the Penn State offense down the field.

After a fourth-down incompletion was negated by a pass interference call on Illinois, the Nittany Lions finally got into the end zone for the first and only time of the game when Silas Redd scored on a three-yard run. The extra point gave Penn State a 10-7 lead with only 1:08 remaining.

With Illinois’ drive starting with 1:01 left in the game, Nathan Scheelhaase led the Illini down to the Penn State 25-yard line, giving Illinois a chance to tie the game with five seconds remaining. Illinois came up just short though when Derek Dimke’s 42-yard field goal bounced off of the upright as time expired.  

Illinois led Penn State in yardage (286-209) and first downs (16-14), but turnovers and penalties plagued the Illini.

Jason Ford led Illinois in rushing with 100 yards on 24 carries while Nathan Scheelhaase added 89 yards on 14 carries.

Scheelhaase finished the game 9-of-16 passing for 63 yards and a touchdown while freshman Riley O’Toole went 4-of-7 through the air for 31 yards and one interception.

The Fighting Illini has now lost three straight games and still has to play possibly the two toughest opponents on their schedule with Michigan and Wisconsin.

Illinois will take next week off before an always exciting Illinois-Michigan showdown in Champaign, IL, on November 12th.

The 10-7 victory gave coach Joe Paterno his 409th career win, breaking Eddie Robinson's all-time record for victories by a Division I coach.

Congratulations to a truely legendary coach.

Today's matchup between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Penn State Nittany Lions has definitely not disappointed. Coach Ron Zook and the Illini are hoping to turnaround their once promising season by getting a huge road win in a snowy Beaver Stadium.

If Illinois wants to end their two-game losing streak in the midst of a PSU white out, they must make the five following adjustments at the half.  

3rd Down Efficiency 

To say it nicely, the Illini have been horrible on third down. They have continually left themselves in extremely long conversion situations with too many negative yard plays and penalties. In the second half, Illinois needs to start getting positive gains on early downs and convert on third and short. 

Take Advantage of Turnovers

In the second half the Illini MUST put points on the board following PSU turnovers. They were already unable to take advantage of two huge Penn State gifts, and a terrible illegal motion penalty robbed them of six points.

If the Illini want any chance of upsetting PSU, they must make the most out of every scoring opportunity.

Quick Hits to A.J. Jenkins

In order for Illinois to create some offensive momentum in the second half, they need to continue to get Jenkins the ball. Jenkins leads the B1G in receiving and has crazy quickness. The Illini should try running more end-arounds or bubble screens in the second half and see if Jenkins can get the offense rolling early. 

More Ford 

With the snow making a huge impact on the flow of this game, the Illini should keep pounding RB Jason Ford up the middle in the second half. Ford is a mammoth of a running back, weighing in at 235 pounds. As the field conditions worsen and PSU's defense wears down, look for Ford to be able to break off bigger gains. 

Keep Bringing the Heat

The Illini have done a great job of bringing a variety of pressure in the first half. Their front four has been able to have their way, led by the push from Whitney Mercilus.

In the second half Illinois needs to keep bringing the heat to rush PSU's QBs who have not looked impressive early. Expect either Penn State QB to make a huge mistake in the second half. 

Lack of preparation.

Lack of focus.

Bad offense.

Bad special teams.

At times, even bad defense.

Other than the things mentioned above, Illinois has played pretty sound football over the past couple of weeks.

For a team that started the season 6-0 and have been ranked as high as 16th in the country, the Illini are in danger of quickly becoming insignificant.

With last Saturday's dismal loss to Purdue, Illinois has now dropped two straight games to inferior - or so we thought - opponents and have dropped out of the top 25 as well.  This presents a problem since the Illini now have to face conference leader Penn State followed by Michigan and Wisconsin in their next three games.

Last week after the loss to Ohio State I warned people not to press the panic button just yet.  However after the debacle against Purdue on Saturday, it may be wise to not only repeatedly pound the panic button, but scream for help as well.

The most disturbing trend over the last several weeks for the Illini is that they continue to fall behind early in the game and have to dig themselves out of a hole each time.

In their first four conference games Illinois has trailed by at least 10 points in each of them.  They were able to come back against Northwestern and Indiana, but failed to do so against Ohio State and Purdue.

This is not a recipe for winning football and Illini Nation has seen this movie before.

Surprisingly the main problem has been the once potent offense that is now having trouble scoring.

Ron Zook and his staff need to get things corrected - and quickly - before things get any uglier. The question is whether he is capable of doing that and right now there's not many people who believe that he can.

Zook has been criticized repeatedly by fans and media during his tenure in Champaign for his lack of preparation and game management.  The complaint has always been that he can recruit, but can't coach --and sometimes it's hard to argue with that sentiment.

Before last season Zook went out and got himself a new offensive and defensive coordinator which have certainly made a difference, but if the Illini continue to collapse this year, he will remain on the hot seat.

The road ahead is now looking very daunting as the Illini head to Happy Valley this week to face a Penn State team that is 4-0 in the Big Ten and looking for revenge after Illinois beat them 33-13 last year.

Illinois is now a team in flux and searching for the recipe that got them to a 6-0 start, but will they be able to find it in time?

Sure, they're already bowl elgible, but after winning their first six games, there is a possiblity that they could lose their next five, or maybe even six.

Not exactly how a team wants to go into a bowl game.

I'd say it's time for Illinois to answer the bell against Penn State on Saturday -- or it may become yet another disappointing season.

The Illinois Fighting Illini appeared to be on their way to one of the best seasons in school history after six games. Their 6-0 record marked the Illini’s best start since the 1951 squad started 7-0. Two weeks later, Illinois is sitting at 6-2 (2-2 Big Ten) with their chances at a conference championship and major bowl bid starting to diminish.

The Purdue Boilermakers (4-3, 2-1 Big Ten) handed No. 23 Illinois their second loss in as many weeks, today. With both of Illinois’ losses coming against unranked opponents, the Illini will undoubtedly fall from the Top 25 when the new rankings come out on Sunday.

The first half belonged to the Boilermakers as they raced out to a comfortable 21-0 halftime lead, outgaining the Illini 229-128 in total yardage. The third Purdue touchdown came after Illinois Punter Justin DeVernois failed to get off a punt. He was dropped for a loss of 10 at the Illinois 14 yard line, setting up a Purdue score just moments later. The Illini did manage to get a drive going late in the first half but it was cut short when Reilly O’Toole’s pass was intercepted by Ricardo Allen on the Purdue seven yard line.

For the second consecutive week, the powerful offense showcased by Illinois during the first six games failed to reach the end zone before the fourth quarter. The Illini defense kept them in the game late, however, holding Purdue to a mere 75 yards and four first-downs in the second half.

Illinois finally got on the board with a 16-yard touchdown run by Running Back Jason Ford with 8:12 remaining in the game. Later, Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase finished off a 90-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run. It was too little, too late though as Scheelhaase’s touchdown came with only 54 seconds remaining. Illinois attempted an onside kick but it was recovered by Purdue, allowing the Boilermakers to run out the clock for the win.

The Illini outgained Purdue in total yardage (366-304) and first downs (21-15) but just couldn’t move the ball and put points on the board when it counted.

Jason Ford was efficient for the Illini, rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. Ford also caught five pass for 69 yards.

Nathan Scheelhaase finished the game 22-35 for 217 yards. Scheelhaase’s go-to receiver A.J. Jenkins caught eight passes for 92 yards. Spencer Harris added six catches for 39 yards.

Illinois will travel to Happy Valley next week to square off with Big Ten Leaders Division frontrunner Penn State. With Michigan and Wisconsin still on the schedule following Penn State, Illinois needs to gel fast. They need to revive the Illinois team that found ways to win those close games early in the year.

There is still a lot of football to be played and Illinois’ season is far from over. However, if they don’t come together and start playing four quarters, their dream season may just turn into a nightmare.

Prior to last week, the Illinois Fighting Illini were living large with a 6-0 record and were ranked No. 16 in the nation.

After slipping up against the Ohio State Buckeyes, however, the Illini dropped to No. 23 and will almost certainly fall out of the rankings completely as they were upset 21-14 on Saturday by the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Illini were among the favorites to come out of the Big Ten just a couple weeks ago, but that is seeming to be more and more unlikely as the losses pile up. Their most recent loss to Purdue could very well loom large come season's end.

Who's the Biggest Winner?

A number of teams benefited from Illinois' loss, but I would tend to say that the biggest winner is the No. 21 Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State is currently out in front in the Big Ten Leaders division with a 3-0 record, and the Illinois loss helped them gain some separation.

The Wisconsin Badgers were also helped out by Purdue's win over Illinois, as they are 2-0 in the conference and 6-0 overall. While the Badgers probably aren't looking over their shoulders, I'm sure they will take all the help they can get.

Does Illinois Still Have BCS Chance?

At this point it would seem very unlikely that Illinois would be able to get back into the BCS picture. They probably won't get an at-large bid since Boise State and a team from either the SEC or Big 12 are in line to snap up those two spots.

With that said, they will need to win the Big Ten, and I would be very surprised to see them come back and overtake Wisconsin to get into the Big Ten Championship game. The Illini do still have a game with the Badgers on the schedule, but I don't like their chances.

What it Means

The Illini will obviously keep pushing forward in an attempt to win the Big Ten, but this loss damages their chances immensely. What the loss means in all likelihood is that Illinois will now be competing to make it into a regular bowl game rather than one of the BCS variety.

The loss also helps validate the notion that Illinois was only undefeated because of its easy schedule. Prior to losing to Ohio State last week, the Illini had only played one previously ranked team in Arizona State. It seems like the Illini were little more than a flash in the pan.

Biggest Thing to Fix

It is really difficult to explain how Illinois managed to lose to Purdue as they outgained the Boilermakers, possessed the ball longer and were even in the turnover battle. Ultimately, the Illini just spotted Purdue too many points early and couldn't complete the comeback.

With that said, it will be extremely important for Illinois to start off well in the coming weeks as it will face Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin in its next three games. Not only are all three teams ranked, but they are battling them for Big Ten supremacy.

Pivotal Turnaround Game

If Illinois can right the ship and win its next two games, then it will have a pivotal matchup with No. 6 Wisconsin on Nov. 19. The Badgers are currently undefeated in the Big Ten and overall, so it will be a huge test for the Illini.

Not many believe that Illinois can win that game at this point, but if the Illini can build their confidence back up, they can get back into the Big Ten title conversation with an upset over Wisconsin in a couple weeks.

Who They Play Next

The Illini will have a chance to redeem themselves next week against Penn State. The Nittany Lions lead Illinois by two games in the Big Ten, but the Illini could get right back in the thick of things with a win next weekend.

Quarterback Nate Scheelhaase has struggled a bit in Illinois' two losses, so he will need to be at his best in terms of throwing the ball and running it against Penn State. While the loss to Purdue will sting for a long time, a win over the Nittany Lions would soften the blow a bit.

It looks like the Illinois Fighting Illini are in a lot of trouble in their matchup with the Purdue Boilermakers.

There is still a ton of time in this game, precisely a half, but if the Illini can't get things going there is about to be a very big upset in the Big Ten.

Illinois came into this game at a very respectable 6-1 and ranked No. 23 in the country. 

They may have taken themselves out of the BCS race with their loss to Ohio State last weekend, but there is no doubting that the Big Ten was still in the picture.

All of that could change today though if they can't find a way to regroup and come back on the road at Purdue.

Halftime Score 

Ilinois: 0

Purdue: 21

What's Gone Wrong

Illinois defense is an absolute mess right now. They've allowed 11 first downs from the Boilermakers and have watched them go four-for-six on third down conversions. 

As if their defensive woes were not enough, starting quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase has been benched.

What's at Stake

Illinois can essentially take themselves out of Big Ten contention with a loss to Purdue, and I can all but guarantee you that they would lose their ranked status in the BCS.

Upset Potential: 8

The Fighting Illini haven't been able to score all half, so if they can't make some big changes I don't see how they are going to be able to come back.

How Will Voters React

Losing to Purdue will not go over well in the BCS, which is unfortunate for an Illinois team that showed so much potential just a few short weeks ago.

Will Illinois Come Back?

Their woes on both sides of the ball lead me to believe that we won't see a comeback, but you never know in college football.

Who Benefits Most From Illinois' Collapse?

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the biggest benefactors from a Fighting Illini collapse. With only one loss on their schedule so far this could be a huge boost in the Big Ten, especially with a showdown with Wisconsin coming up tonight.

Purdue (3-3) is running Illinois up and down the field on the road right now.. The defense needs to step it up and stop making Caleb TerBush look like Russell Wilson. They are getting beat on pass plays and run plays.

Not to mention, nothing is going right on offense. If the Fighting Illini want to push back at the Boilermakers and make a run in the second half, they need to step it up. Otherwise, you can forget about being ranked.

Here are five big halftime adjustments Illinois must make:

1. Defend the Roll Out

Much of Purdue's success in the passing game today has been a play-action roll out by TerBush that allows him to beat the blitz and run into the flat to his right. From there, he's seemed very comfortable throwing the ball on the run and hit his targets in stride.

Illinois has to realize that this is their bread and butter. They've allowed them to score on 88 and 91-yard scoring drives. And a lot of that could have been avoided if they defend the roll out. Keep a spy on TerBush or just stick tighter with the receivers for longer.

2. Push the Pace

Illinois has looked lost on offense. The Purdue defense is just pushing them around. This is not something Illinois fans are accustomed to seeing. We know about their great rushing attack, but QB Nathan Scheelhasse also needs to air the ball out a little bit.

The Purdue defense is not allowing Scheelhasse much time time to get set and throw, but that's exactly what he needs to do to get the pace going in their direction. Try running a play action or roll out pass that can open up a little space in the pocket for Scheelhasse to work.

3. Capitalize

The defense forced a turnover in the first quarter, and promptly punted the ball away on the ensuing possession. A turnover on the road, when you're down, is HUGE. They really need to get at TerBush and force him to make a mistake so they can get another big turnover and get some points out of it.

On the flip side of that, Scheelhasse has been nearly intercepted a couple times and a muffed punt in the 2nd quarter was just ugly. Instead of giving the ball away, the Illini need to wrap their minds around the importance of this contest and be smart with the pigskin.

4. Use That Running Game

I mentioned the running game earlier, and how we know it is a juggernaut. So, why haven't we seen more than mere glimpses of it so far? Illinois under Ron Zook has had the premiere rushing attack in the Big Ten. Yes, even better than Wisconsin's. 

Run some formations that allow a little space to be opened up for your big backs. Maybe a sweep or toss to the side, to allow them a little space to make moves and get downfield like they are so good at doing. It's only a matter of time until an Illinois RB breaks off a big run. The question is, will it be too late?

5. Squash the Momentum

It's hard enough to come into a conference game on the road and beat an upset-minded squad like Purdue. Allowing them to capitalize on turnovers, crank up the momentum on quick scoring drives and take the ball away on defense might be devastating to Illinois.

You are playing this hostile crowd as well as the inspired Purdue offense. They need to get a turnover or a big play to quiet the crowd down a little bit and instill some confidence. The sooner they reverse the momentum, the sooner they climb back into the game.