BOX SCORE

All in all, I got to say I was pretty happy with Saturday's performance. Nathan Sheelhaase didn't put up monster numbers, but he showed signs of being a good QB. He showed off his ability to run, and he was able to do something Juice Williams struggled with, and that's complete the short pass. Mikel Leshoure had a nice game, I just wish they would have given him the ball more and maybe even tried to go outside a bit more. There were a few plays where Leshoure got stopped up the middle and it looked like Missouri knew it was coming. Plus, what a catch he made in the 4th quarter! Sure, it didn't count because he was out of bounce by an inch, but it was still an awesome play.

And the defense. I don't think there's any way for anyone to be upset with how they did. They only allowed two touchdowns against a very good QB in Blaine Gabbert, and three other times held Missouri to a field goal. The other positive was in the first half after the Illini had back to back turnovers on the Sheelhaase fumble and interception. They only allowed three points off of those two turnovers. That's awesome. They were able to meet the Missouri receivers after the catch and did a decent job of limiting the YAC. They also did a fine job against the run.

My only beef I have is with the strategy on defense. When the Illini rushed four, they seemed to get in there and forced Gabbert to run around uncomfortably. They only had one sack, but they still got a fair amount of pressure on the QB. In the first half, this was done, and it was great. In the second half, they switched to a three man rush and dropped the other eight in coverage. They got too conservative on defense. With a three man rush, the Illini couldn't get in there, and when you give Gabbert time to find an open receiver, it doesn't matter how many players you have in coverage, he's going to find one. He was able to pick apart the defense a little bit. Couple that with an Illinois offense that couldn't get things going in the second half, and you got yourself a Missouri comeback and victory.

I still don't think this will be a bowl year for the Illini, but if they continue to play the way they did and continue to improve, who knows what can happen? All I know is that I'm more excited about this team than I was last year, and I can't wait until next week already. I think watching Sheelhaase grow up before our eyes, and watching the defense play the way they did will eventually get Illini fans somewhat excited.

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It's time to take a look at the prediction standings after week one. You guys are awesome! Last year, I think I had around 10 people that participated all year long. On the first week alone, 19 of us submitted a prediction! Thanks for taking the time to read and participate. It's just something fun I like to do over the course of the season. You can kinda think of it as some sort of fantasy football (okay, maybe not). Anyway, here's how things look after week one.

Missouri beat the Illini 23-13, so the Real Score Difference was Missouri +10.

*RSDT = Real Score Difference Total

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Looking ahead to next week, the Illini host Southern Illinois, a team coming off a 70-7 thrashing of Quincy. Will the Illini even their record? Here are my thoughts.

MY PREDICTION

ILLINOIS 28         SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 17

Last year, Illinois beat Illinois State 45-17, but gave up over 300 passing yards to their backup QB. Two years again, the Illini beat Eastern Illinois 47-21, but they gave up a whopping 183 rushing yards on 15 carries to Travorus Bess. Three years ago, Illinois pitched a shutout against Western Illinois, but they only put up 21 points in the game as Juice struggle to get a passing game going. Lately when Illinois has played a division II or FCS, they haven't exactly looked “great”. The team coming to Memorial Stadium on Saturday isn't just an FCS team, they are an awesome FCS team. They started the season at #3 in the FCS Now pre-season poll, and even received seven first place votes. This team can play. Still, you'd like to think that the Illini will be bigger and stronger and be able to handle the Salukis, but this game has me worried a bit.

I don't know if Illinois can afford for Nathan Sheelhaase to have four turnovers. I don't know if Illinois can afford to go a second straight game without a big pass play. I never thought I'd say this, but this time around I'm not as worried about the defense. SIU ran for over 300 yards against Quincy, a school that I think you and I could beat two on eleven, but Illinois showed the ability to get in the backfield and stuff the run with their eight tackles for loss. There's no doubt in my mind that Southern will get some points, but I do think the Illini will be able to hold them down enough to get victory number one. Just brace yourself Illini nation. It might not be as “easy” of a win as we're hoping it will be.

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What are your thoughts on this weekends game? What are your thoughts on last weekend's game? Did you like the way Illinois looked against Missouri? Where you pleasantly surprised? I want to hear from you. Also, like last week, send in those predictions! If week one was any indication, this will be a fun year of making predictions. As always, I love hearing from you guys. Also later this week, I will have the results on the ILL-SIU simulation on NCAA Football 2011. Be on the lookout for that. Talk to you guys again soon.

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