Tim,

1. The Cincinnati game is a fact. I've asked for future contracts from Illinois and haven't gotten them yet. When I do, we will run a complete list of what's coming. Ron Zook confirmed the Cincinnati game today.
2. If left to the coaching staff, Illinois would have eight home games, which Indiana did this season. I agree with you that Illinois should have seven home games. It means more revenue and it gives the team a better chance to reach bowl eligibility. While there are no guarantees Illinois would have won against Western Michigan at home, it certainly would have improved the team's chances.

Bruce,

The program's defensive philosophy places a priority on limiting big plays. You have to give up something to make sure they don't happen and in this case that means looser coverage on the receivers. Do I agree with it? No. I think you get in the receiver's face and force him to beat you. Few receivers would have had much luck against Vontae Davis in that scenario. Now, Illinois did miss Miami Thomas, who was out with a knee injury. Had he been around, it might have allowed for a change in the way the team plays defense.
The pass rush wasn't what Illinois expected this season. The defensive linemen didn't play as well as they did in the past overall, though I thought Derek Walker had a good season.
Probably not a good sign that Brit Miller had as many sacks as anybody else on the team.

Bruce,

There are no limits on the number of questions you can ask.
I think the offensive line failures were on the execution side. Start with the idea that the guys lost from last season, particularly Martin O'Donnell, were pretty good. He was the glue that held the line together in 2007.
Ryan McDonald played hurt all season. He would never make that excuse, but I will. It's got to be hard playing center with an injured neck/back.
Jon Asamoah held up well and you might see him playing center next year. Xavier Fulton played well, but wasn't always 100 percent healthy. Having a new starter at left guard (Eric Block) and young guys at right tackle (Ryan Palmer, Jeff Allen) added to the inconsistency.
Scheme-wise, Illinois didn't do anything different than it had in the past. The guys didn't play as well.

Smelly,

The way Illinois plays defense, it doesn't pair a particular defender with a particular receiver. So, Northwestern put Peterman where he would mostly be able to avoid Vontae Davis. A smart move by the Wildcats. Should Illinois have altered what it does? Maybe, but you can't do something one way the entire year, then make a change for one game without creating a bunch of other potential problems.
You could see early on that Northwestern found a matchup that it liked. Peterman made it work by catching everything that came close to him. Give him a big chunk of credit.

JT,

I think the offensive line underperformed. The reason there weren't major changes made is because the options weren't better than what the coaches saw on the field.
The coaches made a decision to redshirt Graham Pocic. He could have played some, but he will be so much better in the future because he sat out this season. Illinois fans will be very happy when he anchors the line in 2012.
There are a bunch of highly touted players on the line, but they all need to develop before they can help. It takes longer to become an effective offensive lineman than it does to contribute at any other position. It isn't even close.
Looking at what Illinois welcomes back next season, I think the line will be better in 2009.

Wade,

1. Of the current players on the Illinois commitment list, only two were primarily recruited by Mike Locksley. If he leaves, I don't think those players will go with him to the new stop. Of course, every offensive player who commits to Illinois will be impacted if Locksley leaves. The bigger loss is down the road when Locksley works the Washington D.C. area for his new school.
2. I do think the Illini will be able to rebound from the 5-7 season. The attitude has changed in the program to the point where the players are angry about a five-win season. That wasn't the case late in the Ron Turner era. Given the major hits being taken by several Big Ten teams, I think Illinois can compete for a high finish in the league next season. Of course, it could also stay in the 5-7 range, but I think that's less likely now than in the past.

Tim,

I think the coaches will start by working on the chemistry issue. No matter what they say, this team wasn't together like the one in 2007.
I think there will also be more emphasis on being physical. More hitting in the spring and at Camp Rantoul. I think that will help.
Nothing Ron Zook can do about the schedule. And it won't help.

Jim,

Certainly, Mike Locksley has a chance to get a head coaching position. And Eric Wolford might join his mentor Bill Snyder at Kansas State.
Ron Zook said today he doesn't know when or if he will make any changes in his staff. Before he starts thinking about any changes, he needs to evaluate what happened and how a change will work in 2009.
The timing is really hard to figure out. Sometimes, a coach will allow one of his guys he might want to remove to first look around for another job. If you fire a guy, it makes it harder for him to find a place to land. Zook pointed out today that these are the same coaches who helped the team to the Rose Bowl. That tells me he hasn't definitely decided to make any changes. If and when they come, we will tell you as soon as we know.

Jerry,
First, I'm not going to blame IlliniHQ. You know that.
I think all were contributing factors. And sometimes teams don't get along. But when you have one player breaking another player's jaw, that can't be a good thing.
Human nature might be as much to blame as anything. You get over a hump and then relax a bit. By the time you realize that was a bad idea, it's too late to fix it.

John,

I don't understand the voting either, other than it looks like the coaches wanted to reward the best teams. To me, Miller was the first linebacker who should have been listed. James Laurinaitis didn't have as good a season as in the past.
At least the media panel got it right.

Ryan,

Good point, but Locksley will have the first choice in D.C. The high school coaches there are going to want to help their buddy succeed in his first head coaching job. So, if he goes to Clemson, the D.C. area will land a bunch of players from there.
I don't think Illinois will get shut out in the area, but it won't have its pick of guys like it does now.

Tom,

Chemistry, turnovers, bad luck, injuries, poor decisions, bad scheduling. It all added up to 5-7. I think the team will be improved next year, but the schedule is more difficult.
I don't think it's a lock that Locksley moves on. He won't take just any job. I think Clemson will hire someone else, though I would hire Locksley. I think Syracuse will take a long look at him. And other jobs might open too.
Yes, Illinois is playing at Cincinnati next year. On Thanksgiving weekend.

Chris,

I think that would be a great idea and I'v even got the guy in mind: Mike White. He would love to come back and help his old school and he's got the time. Plus, he served the same role for Dick Vermeil, who is very much like Ron Zook in terms of personality.

Defense Wins Championships,

Great idea. Lou Tepper really had it going on. Of course, it helped to have Dana Howard, Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice on his side.

Steve,

Our access was limited in terms of practice, but that doesn't mean the information flow stopped. We just got to it in different ways.
I definitely think the behind the scenes problems contributed to the record. Just like the good feelings the 2007 team had helped it win so many games.

Jimmy,
I don't think any AD with a brain (and Ron Guenther is on that list) would make a move like that. It would put your own future in jeopardy, even an AD in place as long as Ron Guenther.
I don't really understand why the scheduling has gone the way it has. I do know that Ron Turner wasn't always thrilled with the scheduling either.
Guenther is an old-school football guy who wants his school to play competitive teams. He isn't about to schedule like Minnesota or Northwestern. Ron Zook had to know that when he took over.

Nupe Roy,
Juice's numbers were overwhelmingly the best in the Big Ten. He deserved second-team All-Big Ten status and would have been the first-team guy if Illinois had finished with a winning season. Ron Zook said today that half of Juice's 16 interceptions weren't his fault. That feels right to me too.
I think Juice Williams will be the starter in 2009 and Eddie McGee, Jacob Charest and Nathan Scheelhaase will compete to be the starter in 2010.

Steve,

I like the way you're thinking. That series did happen in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There's nothing scheduled yet, but hopefully it happens again. It's more likely in basketball than in football.

Country Amish,

This falls under the category of "Watch what you wish for." Before you think about a guy moving on, you have to have a plan to replace him. Who is that coach that could come in here and do a better job that what Ron Zook has done? That's the question you have to ask.
Ron Zook inherited a mess. There weren't many talented players on hand and the attitude was poor. In three years, he had the team in the Rose Bowl. That to me keeps him off the hot seat for about five years.
The only reason for Illinois fans to get nervous would be if recruiting started to fall. And that doesn't appear to be happening. The last time I talked to Tom Lemming and Jeremy Crabtree, they both said Illinois is having another good year.

Mike,

I really thought the Illinois guys I put on the All-Big Ten team were legitimate. Brit Miller led the Big Ten in tackles and was third nationally. That makes him an easy choice.
Vontae Davis is among the best defensive backs in the country. Easy choice.
Arrelious Benn has 130 more yards than any other receiver in the Big Ten. Another easy choice.
Juice Williams led the Big Ten in total offense by 1,400 yards. Second team was the right call for him.