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Archived Posts- Oct/Nov 2009

Live Blogging: Illinois at Cincinnati

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 11/27/09

2:31:  Cincy wins. 1 more game and it'll be a cold one.  Have a good one everybody.
2:30:  Solve this analogy:  Cincinnati: Illinois :: GiveZookTheHook's live blog : DI's live blog
2:24:  Of course, this will not happen because the NCAA makes a boatload of money on the current system and money makes the world go round.
2:22:  Just wanna talk about the BCS this year.  In the past I've been the only one that's defended it and have said the only other alternative is a plus-one system.  I stand by that.  In fact, a plus one would work PERFECTLY this year.  Imagine if Alabama loses today and you have a 4-team plus one format.  You take the 4 undefeateds and have them each play one game against another based on the BCS standings.  Then, for the NC, you have the voters decide who plays. I think it works well.  Even if you expand it to 8, you would likely have some great football with a NC of what the nation thinks is the two best teams. Think about it.
2:09:  Do you believe me yet about this Pike to Gilyard combo?  What a catch and effort even though it's being reviewed.  Also, I understand the Daily Illini is also doing live blogging.  I'm glad to take them on.  Bring it jerks!  Your newspaper is a joke, especially the editorials.  You need me to put that paper back in shape.
1:57:  Illini find the endzone on third down.  Clutch play keeps the game within reach.  It all comes down to coaching right here.  Oh shit, that's right...
1:53:  Couple of notes:  I hope Tiger Woods is okay and I'm glad to see Auburn is up to an early 7-0 start over 'Bama.
1:48:  Flash Forward looks terrible-- I hope none of you watch that.  If it's as bad as V, it will make me want to throw up while watching it.
1:39:  Of course we can't find the end zone and we sail another one for 3.  Why is Schultz running on 2nd and long every time?  The problem with him is his arrogance.  He refuses to abandon his gameplan and make adjustments when it's obvious things aren't working.  We can't run the ball, so throw it.  Once you throw it successfully, then try running the ball. Damn this is frustrating.  Play selection is absolutely awful.
1:37:  Mardy Gilyard makes a big mistake on the punt.  Illini have to find the end zone if they want any chance.  They can't afford to settle for 3. Get 6!
1:32:  Cincy gets on the board again.  I think Pike would have to be in the Heisman talks.  How can you deny his stats?  Fantastic athlete.  If he plays in the SEC with those numbers, he's getting it with ease.  Illini bail them out with another penalty on 4th down.  Hard to watch right now.
1:13:  Wow, ABC guys using the word microcosm.  Didn't think that crew had it in them.  Duvalt should have caught that and the ABC guys should stop referencing their thesaurus.
1:07:  They keep playing that Muse song in and out of commercials each week.  I preferred when they played Dave Matthews Band at the start of the year. And they said Zook was worried about his pass defense?  He should be worried about his job.
1:00:  This halftime is lasting forever.  Starting to wish we weren't nationally televised on Black Friday.  I'm ready to see the Illini take the field again and if they can perhaps turn things around.
12:41:  35-20 at the half and Cincy still looks great. They are winning all three phases of the game and have looked good doing it.  Don't expect much from the Illini in the second half.  Let's see how this one unfolds.  Don't get your hopes up though after that nice kick by Dimke.
12:25:  Tony Pike to Gilyard to give the Bearcats 35 points.  Pike looked like a pro quarterback right there.  Wow he looks good.  i see him as a day two draft pick, but he has a ton of potential.
12:18:  Illini get 3 more to tighten the score a bit more but Cincy still has momentum even after being stopped on 4th.  I see another quick score here.  And did you see that personal foul on Benn?  Maybe a bad call, but still a penalty.  Surprised?
12:03:  Each side exchanges touchdowns but I don't see the Illini defense stopping Cincy at all.  Over under for Cincy points has to be set at 60 right now, and I'm taking the over.
11:52:  21 points in the first quarter.  We know how badly the Illini play in the second and third quarters.  I think we can basically call this one right now.  Just a matter of how well Pike and Gilyard do to pad stats at this point.  And I guess Cincy has to pad their BCS numbers too... This will be ugly.
11:45:  Cincy has some great players but I don't think their talent is significantly better.  I can't say it enough, it comes down to scheme and coaching.  Brian Kelly is one of the best out there.  Gotta love him.
11:30:  1 Play, 59 yds, and a beautiful throw by Tony Pike.  Safeties blow coverage badly.  ANY momentum the Illini had is now gone.
11:24:  Mardy Gilyard is FAST!  Just like I said earlier, you have to watch out for him.  Impressive speed! WOW!
11:18:  Cincy's defense is fast!  Don't see a ton of speed in the Big East.  Good drive by the Illini taking time off the clock. Ability to convert on 3rd downs is important. What impressed me was no penalties-- rare for the Illini.
11:10:  I don't see how Brian Kelly stays at Cincy.  He's such a great coach and will cash in BIG TIME with Notre Dame.  Only a matter of time.  Special teams breakdown to start the game for the Illini.  But a 3 and out is perfect. Had some luck on the incompletion, but the defensive line looks good in the early going.
10:48:  I've decided to live blog this game.  The times to the left are the times that I am writing this and I will try to publish pretty often so keep refreshing the page.  It should be a pretty tough game today as either team can win.  You never know what to expect on these Black Friday games as you don't know how much turkey the players had the night before.  This should be a fun matchup but I like Cincy and Tony Pike to prevail.  Watch out for Gilyard as well; he'll be a tough matchup for the Illini secondary-- Wilson in particular.

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 11/25/09

Hey everybody, sorry again for the lack of posts recently.  There wasn't a game last weekend and we were busy heading back up to the suburbs and wanted to take a little time off from writing to spend it with our friends and family.

We lost one of our top class of '11 recruits today, a TE from Johnsburg.  Well, what do you expect?  Do you think a team with our record will get all of the big name recruits?  Even the so called great recruiter Zook couldn't reel him in.

That's it for now though.  We'll post a couple times on Saturday, perhaps even have live blogging.  We here at GZTH want to wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving.  We hope that you enjoy the time with your friends and family this holiday.

And just wait until "Black Friday" which may carry a different meaning on Friday vs. the #5 Bearcats.

Football Powerhouse

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 11/15/09

One of the great tools of using Google Analytics is that you can see how people enter your site.  We've started to get quite a few regular followers, but many people are still coming in through the FRZ or FRG blogspots which is great.  But you can also view how people use search engines and I was curious to find that one search, "why can illinois football team never be a powerhouse" came across.

Powerhouse?  Yeah, it's been a while since the Illini were a powerhouse, but how do you return to being one of the better teams in the Big Ten?  How do you start on the path to becoming a powerhouse?

Most people think that you have to recruit and that's only part of it.  You have to have good athletes who love the game of football.  That goes without question.  But how important is recruiting actually?

Let's take a look at some of the Top 25 BCS teams: TCU, Cincinnati, Boise St., Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Stanford, Utah, BYU, Houston.  What do those teams have in common?  Well, they are either in states with historically poor HS recruits or they are in states where they battle major programs for top recruits.  How are they able to make it to the top?  Coaches.

Yes, the difference is that they have good coaching.  We have as good of recruits as any of the teams on that list, but unfortunately, the coach isn't.  It comes down to the guy with the headset scheming, game planning, motivating, and disciplining.

Let's take a minute to spotlight Wisconsin and the work that their former coach, Barry Alvarez, did.

Wisconsin was the second worst program in DI-A.  Recruits in Wisconsin don't tend to be very good in comparison to the rest of the country.  And what 5-star guy wants at that time to go play in the freezing cold?

Well, Alvarez installed a great pro-style offense that was based purely on running the ball down the other team's throat and he made it work.  He found big guys that wanted to play and he then turned out 3 Rose Bowl victories and 1 Heisman Trophy winner.

I'm telling you, coaching is so much more valuable than recruiting.  We need a good coach in here right now, not a good recruiter.

Please Excuse Us

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 11/14/09

I would like to personally apologize to everybody for not having any posts this past week.  We have all been busy with other assignments and it's been a crazy time down here in Champaign.  The GEO is about to go on strike, basketball season is starting up (we wish them the best), and sometimes there just isn't enough time in one day.

But let's take a minute to review:
Yeah, I got the Minnesota prediction wrong.  The loss of Eric Decker for them was much worse than I thought it would be. At the time I thought Minnesota could overcome their woes in a pretty even matchup.  And whenever you have an even matchup, you have to go with the home team.  I was wrong.

Today's game was incredibly disheartening though.  Definitely not what you like to see.  I really have to question the play calling yet again.  The running game behind Leshoure is working and working well, why are we so insistent on throwing it with a freshman QB or by giving it to Ford.  Let your consistent performer keep his rhythm and do his thing.

Just look at the stat line-- Leshoure had 13 carries, Ford 14.  Give Mikel the football!

What is going on with the special teams too?
Last week there was a blocked punt.  Unacceptable.
This week there was a gimme field goal missed.
Ron Zook was a special teams coordinator before becoming a head coach.  Why are these mistakes happening, especially this late into the year?  It just does not make any sense.

Discipline has been the theme of the year and once again, I'm not surprised by the 6 penalties for 56 yards again.  Penalties kill you.

At the end of today's game you probably saw that the Zooker wasn't too happy.  After shaking Pat Fitzgerald's hand, Zook ran back over to the refs to jaw some more about the final play of the game.  Was the call a good one?  Not by any means.  But to approach the refs at the end of the game with that much hostility, you get mighty close to asking the Big Ten for a fine.  Keep your composure Ron.

But a piece inside of me kinda wishes that he would have hit one of those refs so we could have a bit more in defense of his removal.

Well, it's officially time for us to say, "There's always next year."  This year is over as we have been knocked out of bowl contention.  Not like we were gonna make one with Cincinnati next week anyways...

Game Preview:  Minnesota

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 11/6/09

This week the Fighting Illini go on the road to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers and this should actually be a very good game.

Minnesota is without star receiver Eric Decker and will most likely look to the run game this week to make up for his absence.  Adam Weber is a good quarterback and should be able to deal pretty well without his main target.  The rest of the receiving core has to step up.

Defensively, this team has trouble stopping the run.  Jahvid Best tore up the Golden Gophers for 5 touchdowns in a game earlier this season.  The Gophers will give up points as they have many times this year, the Illini just have to have a good game plan together and get on the board early.

The Illini have to establish the running game.  Mikel LeShoure is obviously the feature back now and has to get in a rhythm early.  Setting the tone early on in the ball game can do wonders.  With that, the play action can open up and with the speedy receivers, a lot of damage can be done.

Williams needs to put together another good start and try to scrap out a couple more wins this season.  Getting the ball into Benn's hands would be the best way to go about doing this.  As in each week, Benn is the key.

Defensively, the front seven need to put together another great game like that.  A heavy dose of the running game is coming at them and they have to be prepared.

The secondary is also coming off their best effort of the year and much of that is thanks to the heroics of Terry Hawthorne.  He simply needs to play more.  Offense. Defense. Whatever it is, he has to be on the field.  The best news for them is that Decker won't play.  This makes this week much more manageable for the secondary.

Keep in mind that the game is at the brand new TCF Bank Stadium and Minnesota can fill it up quickly.  Being on the road is never easy.  They are also coming off a big win against a very good MSU team.  This team isn't too bad.

Final Score:  Fighting Illini 24, Minnesota 28.

Coach Jerry Kill

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 11/6/09

We have a new name we would like to add to the prospective coaches and that is Jerry Kill of Northern Illinois.

The obvious upside of Kill is that he is already in the state and has good recruiting ties.  It probably wouldn't take a ton of money to steal him away from the MAC conference.

As far as his schemes go, he is pretty solid.  Much more than Zook anyways. Kill runs a solid defense that generates a good pass rush.  A linebacker in college at Southwestern, Kill does not like to give up easy points.

Offensively, Kill is committed to the run.  Although he sends out 3 receivers in most formations, Kill still wants to jam it down the throat.  This year the Huskies are averaging over 200 yds on the ground a game.

The guy wins too.

Kill boasts a career record of 104-57 and has won the Division I-AA (now FCS) Coach of the Year award twice, (2004,2007).  He is 11-10 at NIU but has quickly turned one of the worst programs in the nation around.  NIU had one win in 2007, the season before Kill took over.

This year NIU is 5-3 with those losses coming by a combined 12 points, including a tough loss on the road at Wisconsin.  The Huskies were triumphant over Purdue earlier this year as well.

With how cheap he'd likely come and the success he has always had, Coach Kill would be an excellent edition.  And just think, on 4th down when the band plays the Star Wars song we could say "Hire-- Kill!" or "Coach-- Kill!"  It's a good fit.

Let's Not Get Ahead of Ourselves

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 11/2/09

Yes, the Fighting Illini won a game.  Yes, they did it under one of the most prestigious programs of all time.  Yes, but they are also only 2-5.

Does this win somehow make everything okay again?  Does this win warrant Ron Zook to keep his job even though the best we can finish will be 6-6? And keep in mind that we have some very hard opponents coming up.  I'm not sure we will win one of those games.  Truth is, if we lose at least 2 of them our win total will go down yet again.

I don't know how a coach that finished 5-7 last year got a one year extension and I don't know how you can defend a coach keeping his job as the team continues to get worse.

If this win has taught us anything is that the Illini can compete with other programs.  This offense may actually be halfway decent, but why is it just starting to come around in the 7th game of the season!?  It just isn't right.  But even so, I will admit that the defense played well and the team actually looked focus.  I guess what I'm still upset about is that we are just now starting to see it.  Great, we can put together a good game against a subpar team at our home, 7 games into the year. Congratulations, Zooker.

I just want to take a moment and look back at the pre-season predictions for this team as told by Phil Steele.  For those of you that get his football preview each year, you know he is easily the most accurate guy.  For those of you that don't know that, you've either never read his magazine or you don't know football.

Predictions:
Outback Bowl:  Impossible
#9 Quarterbacks unit:  Don't make me laugh
#2 Receivers unit:  Please.
#1 Most Improved team:  Well, we went from 5-7 and right now we're 2-6...
#5 Surprised Team:  Yeah, they surprised us by doing so poorly
#19 Ranked (by Steele):  Funny, we've been in the ESPN's Bottom 10 the past few weeks..
#3 in BigTen:  Illini still in last
#42 Toughest Schedule:  That's about average.
Projected PPG:  35.5. Actual: 18.9

Ladies and Gentlemen, that's what the most accurate prognosticator had to say about the Fighting Illini about this year.  That's the kind of talent that this team has.  Well, you have to point the finger at somebody.  How can it not be the head coach?

Illini Pride:  From Zuppke to Zook

Posted By:  David P. Zimmerman 11/1/09

Before we can look ahead, it seems equally important to look back, and understand how we got where we are.  The Illini did indeed have their glory days, but to find them, we have to look back all the way, back to the days when college football was just beginning to capture America’s attention.  It all started with Zuppke, who led the Illini to 7 conference games and 4 national championships in 15 years.  From when Zuppke started in 1913, to his last championship in 1928, he had turned Illinois into one of the powerhouses of college football. 

Illinois was experiencing its glory days just as college football was starting its own.   Across the nation, college football was growing in popularity, and Illinois was one of the many teams in the forefront.  Unfortunately, Zuppke was not able to continue his success, and after bringing Illinois to a powerhouse stature for a few years, after his 1927 championship, his success began to diminish, and in 1941 he coached his last season as he led us winless in conference. 

During his prime, though, Zuppke had revolutionized Illinois’ football program.  Though, his influence ran even deeper.  Illinois was a national player, just as college football was exploding.  Illinois even became the face of college football during the years of Red Grange.  Red Grange was so popular in college, than him signing with the Chicago Bears is often given credit to legitimizing the NFL as a premier football league. 

It wasn’t until Ray Eliot led the Illini to conference championships in 1946, 1951, and 1953 that the Illini were able to find consistent success under one coach.  They even won their last championship under Ray Eliot in 1951.  It seemed they were returning to glory once more.  Though, Ray Eliot struggled in his later years with the program, and his last year was 1959.

Since then, the Illini have won the Big Ten four times, all under different coaches.  They just haven’t been able to find one coach to lead them consistently.  After winning the Big Ten championship in 2001, they were a disaster, posting 0-8, and 1-7.  Seeking a splash, Illinois hired Zook straight out of Florida, despite his many detractors.  Zook was regarded as a great recruiter (and still is), and came to Illinois hoping to turn around the program.

Unfortunately, the results haven’t quit been what was expected.  He has posted only one winning season, the Rose Bowl season.   He has managed to bring great talent to Illinois, but has been unable to utilize it.  In the midst of his fifth season here, we seem to be moving in the wrong direction.  Rather than getting better, the opposite seems to be happening.  Five years in should be when a coach is at his best, running his own system with his own players.  With the prospect of another losing season, and no progress being made, many Illini fans are finding themselves fed up. 

That’s where we are now.  The only question that remains now is where we will go from here.  Here at Givezookthehook.com, we believe that whatever direction we do head, it should be without Zook.  He has had his time, and his chances, but has been unable to produce consistently.  Now is the time to cut out losses.  In what should be Zook’s best years, he is floundering, and we are seeing what kind of coach he truly is.  It’s time to give Zook the hook, and return the Illini to glory days, back to the days when we were national contenders, and the best of the Big Ten. 

Game Review: Michigan (38-13 W)

Posted By:  David P. Zimmerman 11/1/09

Oskee Wow-Wow!  What a pleasant surprise, a win, against a conference opponent, no less!   As much as we would like to see Zook get the hook, as Illini fans, all we really want is a win, so believe me when I say, I couldn’t be happier to see the Illini win their first conference game of the year against Michigan!

The Illini came out flat in the first, and went into halftime trailing, down 13-7.  Things looked to be headed for disaster when Forcier found Roy Roundtree over the middle, who then began to streak down the middle of the field for what looked like a sure touchdown.   The play, the game, and perhaps even the season was changed by Terry Hawnthorne, who on a pure heart and hustle play, chased down Roundtree, and brought himd own at the 1.  Inspired, the defense came out, forcing a turnover on downs.

It’s safe to say that the defense played their most complete game (except lowly FCS ISU) holding the Wolverines to just 13 points.  The big reason for it was the defensive line that put together a solid show and maintained gap discipline the entire day.  They proved that Tate Forcier was a freshman.  The linebacking core also put in a good effort as they played within the system for most of the game and didn’t try to do too much.

The team was playing with heart for what seemed like the first time of the season, and in a beautiful 99 yard drive later, Iliinois took the lead 14-13.  The defense came out playing inspired once more, and the offense started clicking once more.  For a half, and especially the third quarter, our football team was playing like had all dreamed they would at the beginning of the year.  The crowd was left elated after being on the winning side of a drudging, the Wolverines leaving the field losing 38-13. 

Unfortunately, here at GiveZookTheHook.com, we aren’t quite as inspired by what we saw.  While none the less happy, we don’t see one half changing what has been, otherwise, a disastrous season, and a disappointing career at Illinois by Zook.  Until Terry Hawthorne’s heart and hustle play inspired our team to victory, we were playing as flat as we had all season.

I’m left frustrated and confused why it is our team plays such uninspired football and it takes a play such as the one we witnessed today to get our team to play like they care.  Surely, we can’t attribute all the blame of the season on Zook (as much as I might like to), but who else is to blame for a team who plays such uninspired football.  Shouldn’t we have come out a little more excited?  I would have been happy with the team playing with at least a fraction of the passion they did in the second half.

A win is much welcome around these parts, but it doesn’t erase all of our questions.  We were still slashed for big plays, through the air and the ground.  Our secondary looked as shaky and out of position as ever.  We saw that Zook can’t run his offense if a running back doesn’t tear it apart on the ground (Mendenhall won us as many games on the ground as Williams did through the air during the Rose Bowl season).  A win may be a win, but it doesn’t make me a believer in Zook.  We’ll need to see this for more than a half before we think about changing our stance on what kind of coach Zook is, and the direction we’re headed as a team.

After all, the record still stands at 2-6 (1-5) and last in the Big Ten.  And keep in mind the competition, a Michigan team that is 1-4 in Big Ten Play (losing last 4 conference games) and can't seem to work things out themselves.

Game Preview:  Michigan

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 10/31/09

The last two weeks were two of the worst games that the Illini have played this year.  Granted, they went on the road but they were not facing very stiff competition.  Of course, those games were against Indiana and Purdue.

What we saw in those games was an incredibly undisciplined team on both sides of the ball and flags that needed to be washed with how often they were hitting the ground.  It's hard to win when you give up a free 45 and 65 yards respectively, on top of having an offense that couldn't establish anything and a defense that looks confused.

We also saw two different quarterbacks get a significant number of snaps in Juice Williams and Jacob Charest.  Both played very mediocre completing half of their passes.  But what we have to question is why Zook brought in Williams when the Illini got into the red zone on a drive led by Charest.  Is Zook trying to pad Williams' stats?  Does Charest not know how to run the offense from a goal line formation.  Either way, it had all of the Illini faithful scratching their heads.

This week, I wouldn't expect much.

Offensively the Illini will play both Charest and Williams again at quarterback and each will look dazed and confused.  Michigan runs a decent defensive scheme.

Zooker will probably open up by trying to establish the running game which will fail because everybody will see it coming.  On third and long he'll probably also call for a bubble screen like always.

Sadly, I don't see Benn being a big factor in this game.  The biggest reason for the Illini struggles this year has been their inability to get the ball into Benn's hands.  He should probably just play quarterback with how well the other guys are doing.  You have to get the ball into your biggest playmaker's hands and when you don't, you have a tough time getting anything going.

Defensively this will be a tough test.  Both of Michigan's freshman QB's are very good and fit within their offense well.  Once Michigan can establish their running game, they will be incredibly hard to take down.

The big guys up front will have their hands full.  They need to come out with some enthusiasm (which they did last week), and keep it for more than 2 series.  If they can set the tone early it can do wonders.

The linebacking core needs to just play within the system.  If they get to their fits they will be fine.  But of course, they aren't very disciplined and go for arm tackles more often than not, like most of the defense.

And the secondary?  Oh God.  It hasn't mattered yet how experienced the opposing QB's have been, why should it matter now?  Behind the QB's, the secondary is the hardest part of Illini football to watch.

At the end of the game Zook will say how close we are and won't understand why the Illini could not pull out a win... As always...

Final Score:  31-14.  (Illini score twice in the 4th as always to make it look more convincing)

EDIT:  And for any of you going to the game, you can show your distaste for Zook by doing the Gator Chomp!  We will be there and doing it!

Gaining Momentum

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 10/29/09

Ladies and gentlemen, we are starting to gain some momentum.  We've had the site up for almost three days now and we've made some good strides and picked up some loyal followers.  Thank you for that.

I just wanted to update you on some numbers we've gotten in so far.  In our brief time online, we've had about 200 unique visitors which is pretty good considering that most of our traffic is coming from Facebooks, Twitters and two independent blogs, the FireRonZook and FireRonGuenther blogspots.  I'm very happy with the progress that we've made so far.

People have signed on from 23 different states and four different countries with Illinois being the primary source of traffic, in particular the city of Champaign.  You all are doing a great job spreading the word.

But then we also have to wonder, did the distaste for the Zooker ever die?  No, in fact it's been going on even after the original FRZ went down.

Well folks, this site received a couple of emails from the good people over at the Zook Free Zone.  I ask that you follow that link and we made it one of our useful links on the sidebar.  The people on that site are the guys that were part of the original FRZ movement so they know their stuff.

The ZFZ is mainly a message board among Gator fans but they have been gracious enough to set up an "Illini Reservation" where Illini fans can go and voice their dislike until he is gone.  That particular board was actually set up on October 25 (this past Sunday) so it's very new.  Sign up, make some new friends, share some ideas.

Another new post will be coming soon and we'd like to thank the ZFZ guys for some good suggestions.

C'mon Ron... Guenther

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 10/27/09

I think I've made it very clear in the early going of this website that I would like Ron Zook out the door.  In fact, I would not have designed this website had I thought that Ron Zook should say.  Obvioius.

As you probably heard last Saturday during the Illini game v. Purdue, Ron Guenther, Athletic Director for the UI, said that Ron Zook would return for next year.  I didn't quite get my wish, did I?

Well Guenther, I'm disappointed in your decision greatly, and not just for the reasons that I have begun to describe on this site and will continue to do show in the future.  Mostly, I'm disappointed in the timing of the decision.

Why can't this wait until after the season is over?  What if he looses out sending the program back to the days before he arrived?  There's a pretty good chance that the Illini will in fact lose the rest of their games and finish the year with one win, which was over the poor FCS opponent, ISU.

Doesn't finishing the year 1-11 justify removing a coach?  Doesn't an 0-8 Big Ten record justify it?  I have a feeling that the only two winnable games are the home games to an underrated Northwestern team and against a Fresno State team that will have to battle the cold of December.

Do you really think that the Zooker is going to try harder now that he knows that he is going to stay for another year?  If I'm on the hot seat I'm doing whatever I can to win each week, pulling out all the stops.  Why should Ron Zook be any more motivated than he was just a couple of weeks ago?

Look Guenther, at this point I'm not going to quite call for your removal.  I like the standing of the other athletics programs at UI.  The basketball team should be very good this year under Bruce Weber, your hire and a fantastic coach.  I like that we built the Atkins Tennis Center and that program is very good right now (Go Dennis!). Our Women's Volleyball team is having a fantastic season as well, but there is so much money in football that you can't afford to spend it wrong.  Giving Zook an extension last year after finishing 5-7 was just wrong.  Cut your losses and fire him.

We've experienced this all before, haven't we?  Guenther gave Ron Turner 8 years to turn the program around where he did a decent job from 1997 up until 2001.  The next three years were awful.  In fact, the next three years we're Zook-esque.

There was a time where Zook led the Illini to the Rose Bowl but since then the team has been downright awful.

I just wish that Guenther would have given himself more time to make a decision.  There is absolutely no reason that he could not have waited until after the season to decide. At this point I only ask that Guenther not make the same mistake twice and let Zook stay for a whole eight years.  He needs to go-- soon.

Happy Launch Day

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 10/26/09

Launch day has come upon us and we are very excited to unveil the brand new site, givezookthehook.com.  Below was a rough copy and a pilot story but I think the information was good, so give that a read.  Feel free to explore the page a bit and we'd love to hear your suggestions.

Thanks a lot and enjoy!

The Lies that fool us all

Posted By:  Gary Zeeman 10/19/09

I feel that there is a major misconception when it comes to Ron Zook.  Most people believe that the guy can recruit as well as anybody in the nation, and he can, right?  Wrong.  Yes, he did get once coveted 5-star recruit Arrelious Benn to come to Champaign, but I simply believe that this is an exception to the rule.  Is it an outlier?  Many still question on how he got the big-name receiver to come down to a program that needed some help.

I'm not going to comment much more than it could not have been all in the rules.  Is it possible that I am wrong?  Easily.  But I'll leave it at that for now.

But what many people say is that Urban Meyer won a national championship with Zook's players in his second year with Florida.

Let's take a look at that Gator team:
23 of 24 starters were recruited by Zook.  Yes, this is true, but the two run similar offenses.  It is nothing more than plugging players into a different scheme.  Interchangeable parts.  The fact is that the system, the scheme is what wins ball games, not players.  Paul Johnson just turned Georgia Tech around.  June Jones is turning SMU around.  Urban Meyer turned Florida around.

Don't forget about the rising star for the Gators as they won that first National Championship-- Tim Tebow.  He was recruited by Urban Meyer.  Tebow split time with a senior quarterback in Chris Leak, one of Zook's recruits.  That's unheard of.  We knew this Tebow was going to be special and he simply does not receive enough credit for that National Championship.

All Urban Meyer did was turn Zook's good players into great players.  Zook's Florida team played progressively worse as he was with them while Urban Meyer has simply made it better.

It comes down to how well you can scheme.  Recruiting has such a small impact to the scheme.  As long as players fit well into the scheme, they will succeed.  The best athlete in the world could play a position, but if he does not fit well within the scheme, he will fail and the team will too.  Guys with great schemes routinely win and guys with bad schemes will routinely lose, or at least make the program decline.

And just keep in mind that Meyer is in his 5th season with the Gators and has lost a mere 9 games-- 5 less than Zook's 3 seasons with the same program.