from FightingIllini.com
NationalChamps.net has named Vontae Davis, Ryan McDonald, and Will Davis to their preseason All-American team.
Vontae Davis was named a 3rd team all-american corner, while McDonald and Davis received honorable mention listing.
Overall, they rated Illinois to be the 18th best team in the country.
Illini Football: 2008 Season - Roster Information - History - Future Schedules
Illini Basketball: 2008/09 Season - Scholarship Chart - Depth Chart
NCAA Football: Preseason Rankings - Bowl Tie-Ins
Other UI Sports: Volleyball - Soccer
Illini Basketball: 2008/09 Season - Scholarship Chart - Depth Chart
NCAA Football: Preseason Rankings - Bowl Tie-Ins
Other UI Sports: Volleyball - Soccer
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Program trends... since the 1890's.
Ok, so you are probably wondering, WTF is that picture above?
Well, its a chart showing the strength of all 12 current and former Big Ten teams since 1896, the first year of league play.
The chart uses a 4-year rolling average, where the value for each school is the average place in the Big Ten standings for the previous four years (so if a school finishes 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 3rd over a 4 year period, its value will be "4.0").
The idea is to show how programs have risen and fallen over the previous 112 years.
If the above chart is way too confusing, each individual Big Ten school is listed out below. In the chart below, the red dots are how the team finished each year in the final big ten standings, and the blue line is a 4-year rolling average.
In case you are wondering, only conference games are included. If two teams finished with the same Big Ten record, they are tied in the standings regardless of their non conference record.
also, if you want year-by-year Big Ten standings, the final standings each year from the 1890's until the present are now on this site... click here.
Well, its a chart showing the strength of all 12 current and former Big Ten teams since 1896, the first year of league play.
The chart uses a 4-year rolling average, where the value for each school is the average place in the Big Ten standings for the previous four years (so if a school finishes 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 3rd over a 4 year period, its value will be "4.0").
The idea is to show how programs have risen and fallen over the previous 112 years.
If the above chart is way too confusing, each individual Big Ten school is listed out below. In the chart below, the red dots are how the team finished each year in the final big ten standings, and the blue line is a 4-year rolling average.
In case you are wondering, only conference games are included. If two teams finished with the same Big Ten record, they are tied in the standings regardless of their non conference record.
also, if you want year-by-year Big Ten standings, the final standings each year from the 1890's until the present are now on this site... click here.
Categories:
Big Ten Standings,
Fun with Excel,
Illini History
2008 Fighting Illini Season
Check back later for more:
Schedule:
Schedule:
Date | Opponent | Stadium | City | |
8/30/2008 | Missouri | Edward Jones Dome | St. Louis, MO | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
9/6/2008 | Eastern Illinois | Memorial Stadium | Champaign, IL | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
9/13/2008 | Louisiana-Lafayette | Memorial Stadium | Champaign, IL | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
9/27/2008 | Penn State | Beaver Stadium | State College, PA | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
10/4/2008 | Michigan | Michigan Stadium | Ann Arbor, MI | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
10/11/2008 | Minnesota | Memorial Stadium | Champaign, IL | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
10/14/2008 | Indiana | Memorial Stadium | Champaign, IL | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
10/25/2008 | Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium | Madison, WI | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
11/1/2008 | Iowa | Memorial Stadium | Champaign, IL | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
11/8/2008 | Western Michigan | Ford Field | Detroit, MI | |
11/15/2008 | Ohio State | Memorial Stadium | Champaign, IL | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
11/22/2008 | Northwestern | Ryan Field | Evanston, IL | Pregame - Postgame - Highlights - Box Score |
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Illini Football Archive
This is a "static" page that will be linked to the right.
One thing I've found when searching the internet, is that year by year Big Ten standings are a real pain to find, the Big Ten website has basically no archival football information, and there really aren't any sites out there that show year by year standings. What there is, however, is record information online in each school's media guide. So what follows is the year-by-year Big Ten football standings.
Big Ten Standings by Decade:
2000's
1990's
1980's
1970's
1960's
1950's
1940's
1930's
1920's
1910's
1900's
Before 1900
More to come.
One thing I've found when searching the internet, is that year by year Big Ten standings are a real pain to find, the Big Ten website has basically no archival football information, and there really aren't any sites out there that show year by year standings. What there is, however, is record information online in each school's media guide. So what follows is the year-by-year Big Ten football standings.
Big Ten Standings by Decade:
2000's
1990's
1980's
1970's
1960's
1950's
1940's
1930's
1920's
1910's
1900's
Before 1900
More to come.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Roster:
Here's Our Current Roster Situation:
Scholarship Athletes: (63 of 85 Scholarships)
Signed Recruits: (21 Scholarship, 1 Walkon... 84/85 Scholarships Committed)
Walk Ons
Players Not Returning: (33)
Breakdown of Players not Returning:
Scholarship Athletes: (63 of 85 Scholarships)
1 | Vontae Davis |
2 | Martez Wilson |
3 | Marques Wilkins |
5 | Mikel LeShoure |
6 | Chris James |
7 | Juice Williams |
9 | Arrelious Benn |
10 | Eddie McGee |
11 | Jarred Fayson |
13 | Will Judson |
14 | Marcus Thomas |
15 | Chris Duvalt |
16 | Michael Hoomanawanui |
17 | Jeff Cumberland |
18 | Nate Bussey |
20 | Garrett Edwards |
21 | Kyle Hudson |
22 | Daniel Dufrene |
26 | Brian Gamble |
27 | Antonio Gully |
28 | Dere Hicks |
29 | Troy Pollard |
30 | Rahkeem Smith |
31 | Travon Bellamy |
32 | Ashante Williams |
35 | Darius Purcell |
37 | Kyle Yelton |
38 | Ian Thomas |
43 | Sam Carson III |
44 | Brit Miller |
45 | Rodney Pittman |
52 | Jon Asamoah |
53 | Dustin Jefferson |
55 | Anterio Jackson |
56 | Sirod Williams |
57 | Mike Garrity |
60 | Ryan McDonald |
62 | Eric Block |
65 | Mike Nabolotny |
66 | Randall Hunt |
68 | Xavier Fulton |
71 | Jeff Allen |
72 | Reggie Ellis |
73 | Jack Cornell |
74 | Brandon Jordan |
75 | Mark Jackson |
76 | Graham Pocic |
78 | Ryan Palmer |
79 | Craig Wilson |
81 | Will Davis |
82 | Fred Sykes |
85 | C.J. Jackson |
85 | Whitney Mercilus |
86 | Greg McClendon |
90 | Antonio James |
91 | Derek Walker |
92 | Josh Brent |
93 | D'Angelo McCray |
94 | David Lindquist |
95 | Doug Pilcher |
97 | Clay Nurse |
98 | Daryle Ballew |
99 | Jerry Brown |
Signed Recruits: (21 Scholarship, 1 Walkon... 84/85 Scholarships Committed)
Jacob Charest |
Hubie Graham |
A.J. Jenkins |
Cordale Scott |
Donsay Hardeman |
Tavon Wilson |
London Davis |
Jason Ford |
Russell Ellington |
Supo Sanni |
Justin Staples |
Tyler Sands |
Glenn Foster |
Ryan Sedlacek |
Jack Ramsey |
Nate Palmer |
Evan Frierson |
Corey Lewis |
Corey Liuget |
Patrick Nixon |
Ugochukwu Uzodinma |
Derek Dimke (Prefered Walk-On) |
Walk Ons
10 | Cody Stunkard |
14 | Sean Anderson |
22 | Andrew Harweger |
23 | Jack Eastman |
24 | Bo Flowers |
30 | Mike Locksley, Jr. |
33 | Mike Mucha |
33 | Mark Burgess |
35 | Michael Cklamovski |
36 | Jared Bosch |
38 | Matt Brandabur |
39 | Conor Gillen |
39 | Tad Keely |
43 | Nick Levanti |
49 | Tyler Pacha |
51 | Wisdom Onyegbule |
58 | Bryson Whalen |
61 | Cole Knuth |
80 | Alex Reavy |
84 | Matt Eller |
87 | Anthony Santella |
88 | Jaon McGoey |
89 | Tom Sullivan |
Players Not Returning: (33)
5 | Rashard Mendenhall | Left for Pro's |
8 | DaJuan Warren | Graduated |
11 | Joe Morgan | Not On Roster |
12 | Billy Garza | Graduated |
13 | Jason Reda | Graduated |
14 | Ryan Baise | Left Team |
16 | Mark Venegoni | Graduated (WO) |
18 | Kevin Bailey | Left Team |
19 | Tony Petruzzello | Left Team |
19 | Phil Haig | Left Team |
23 | Drew McMahon | Graduated (WO) |
25 | Justin Sanders | Graduated |
32 | Justin Harrison | Graduated |
34 | Walter Mendenhall | Graduated |
36 | Maurice Haney | Left Team |
40 | Antonio Steele | Graduated |
41 | Russ Weil | Graduated |
42 | Kevin Mitchell | Graduated |
42 | Justin Ijei | Graduated (WO) |
46 | Tyler Rouse | Graduated (WO) |
47 | J Leman | Graduated |
48 | Erique Robertson | Left Team |
49 | Kyle Knezetic | Graduated (WO) |
51 | Anthony Thornhill | Graduated |
58 | Dan Motuliak | Graduated |
63 | Will Bergen | Left Team |
64 | Martin O'Donnell | Graduated |
69 | Akim Millington | Graduated |
76 | Charles Myles | Graduated |
76 | Mike Ware | Graduated |
82 | Frank Lenti Jr. | Graduated |
83 | Jacob Willis | Graduated |
96 | Chris Norwell | Graduated |
Breakdown of Players not Returning:
- Graduation: 24 players (19 Scholarship). this number includes 3 players who did not have their scholarships renewed for a 5th year (Walter Mendenhall, Billy Graza, & Dan Motuliak)*
- NFL Draft: 1 - Rashard Mendenhall
- Left Team: 8 (Including 3 scholarship players: Phil Haig (will play baseball), Will Bergen (no clue) and Erique Robertson (douchebaggery)
- Not on Roster: Joe Morgan (he may be gone, but I have heard he could come back, so he is in limbo)
Sunday, April 20, 2008
So it turns out writing about football
is kinda difficult during the offseason.
well, huzzah for Spring Football.
Pics from the spring game yesterday:
Driving up I-57 to Champaign
Coming up Neil St. in Champaign.. you can see the Stadium and Assembly Hall off in the distance
West Side of Memorial Stadium... the new press box/luxury seating tower is taking shape.
Memorial Stadium, and Assembly Hall to the right
The "I-Hotel"(right) and conference center (left), which will feature a Houlihans restaurant, located just South of Assembly Hall, it will be open this fall. (memo to DIA, have a beer garden in the conference center before basketball/football games)
again with the hotel/conference center.
Assembly Hall
OK, the game itself
This is all we saw of Regis Benn yesterday, as he is still recovering from shoulder surgery.
The game is available on bigtennetwork.com, and will be rebroadcast on the Big Ten Network in the coming weeks.
Recruits sat in the student section for the game
This guy found a spot to watch the game during his break.
Isiah Williams about to receive a snap... Juice went 17-of-31 for 210 yards.
Eddie McGee, lined up with Mikel Leshoure behind him. McGee went 8-of-14 for 127 yards, including a 54 yard TD to Brian Gamble
The new Press Box rises over the stadium.
Cranes brought in steel for the center section of the press box as the game progressed.
Juice lined up with Daniel Dufrene at HB. The running game had issues yesterday. Mikel Leshoure and Jared Faysen each fumbled the ball on exchanges.
Handoffs need to be tightened up, but hopefully the lack of any long runs is more of a tribute to the D-Line (which might be the best in the Big Ten) and not a sign of ba
Inside the East Great Hall... most of the concession stands have been ripped out, and will be replaced by this fall...
eventually all the ramps will be ripped out and replaced with a walkway/staircases... I don't know if that will be done in time for the fall, however.
12,521 was the announced attendance. Decent crowd, especially since the Spring Game has never been a huge draw at Illinois, although if rain wasn't in the forecast I would imagine it would have been much more
The first ~50 rows of the lower bowl will remain intact on the west side... the upper part of the West Main Stands is now an outdoor club. This fall the "Colonnades Club" will feature over 1,000 seats with an indoor club room located behind it.
13 rows remain in the upper bowl, above it will rest 3 levels of suites, a 200 person indoor club, and spaces for coaches, the press, announcers, broadcasters, and Ron Guenther.
Illinois tightens up the formation as Juice surveys the defense.
It will cost $50,000 for you and a dozen or so of your friends to rest your ass on this beam during games this fall...
Two back set
a fullback in the game.
After the game, the view from what used to be Section M of the balcony, now Section 207.... this is where I will call home 6 Saturdays next fall.
view of the new luxury seating tower/press box from the east balcony.
Looking out over the north endzone and Champaign... in retrospect I should have gotten a shot of the "new" campus skyline...
"can't lower the field 5 feet because of sightlines"... my ass.
still, the view from the balcony is great.
Looking up at the balcony from about row ~65-70 of the lower bowl.
Out and About Champaign after the game:
While waiting for my Papa Dels Pizza to cook (drool)... took a walk down Green Street...
all I have to say is, I've been gone about 300 days, and I don't recognize it anymore, good lord.
\
This is the Burnham towers, which will be a 14 story condo building, with grocery store, built on Springfield Avenue 2 blocks north of Green Street. City planners hope this building will help connect Campustown and Downtown Champaign... the University had to move a radio transmitter because the tower was blocking the WILL signal.
309 Green Street in the front, this will be the tallest building in Champaign, and to the best of my knowledge the second tallest building in downstate Illinois (outside of Watterston Towers at Illinois State University)... 8 floors will be parking garage, with a pool on top of it, and 16 floors of high end student apartments.
another new building in the background... I'm not sure what the "name" of it is... but its being built in the parking lot that used to be across from Legends.
309 Green is slowly catching up to The Tower on Third, Presidential Tower, University Inn, Century 21, whatever that building is called now...
it was announced this week that 309 Green Building will have a second building build on the east (opposite side from this picture) side of it...
campus town, this is at 5th and Green
from 4th and Green Street I could see 4 new large commercial/residential buildings that simply didn't exist 12 months ago...
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