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Opening Statement
To start out, a couple words about the weekend and then certainly turn our attention to Illinois. First of all, just good to get the win. Hard fought the other night and proud of our football team.
Statistics are important, I guess, but the bottom line is trying to be successful in the game. And we made it difficult the other day. You think about time of possession, rushing yardage, those types of things, we lost the turnover battle. Yet we were still able to come out on top. Happy for our football team. Proud of their effort there.
A couple of things that probably counteracted some of that, the turnover thing, red zone defense really helped us out keeping them out of the end zone. They were down there three times, we got three stops. Forced them to kick field goals. Came up with some critical plays -- offensively, some big plays, cashed in on some opportunities. And then certainly in the kicking game Caleb with a 50-yarder. And then the one at the end from a little bit of a challenging angle.
The blocked field goal certainly was big. And then we turned that into a touchdown after that. And then certainly Tory's punting in the fourth quarter gave them a long field. I think all those things allowed us to be successful.
I wanted to especially mention Caleb and Tory, the job they've been doing all season. They've really been dependable and a big part of our success, the successes we've had.
And just an overall team effort. Like most of these games, November Big Ten games are going to go down to the wire. You've got to expect that each and every week.
And that being said, turn our attention to Illinois. First of all, just very sorry to hear the news about Coach Bielema this morning. And he's -- certainly not a good thing. You don't want to wish that on anybody. I wish Bret the best for a speedy recovery.
Probably just continues to serve as a reminder for all of us that this thing is not over yet. I think all of us have to be mindful and as diligent as we possibly can because it hasn't gone way.
Seems like you read a lot about it in pro football. That's kind of enough for most of us to be aware. So thank you all. Everybody just take the necessary precautions and be as smart as you can. There's still no guarantees, obviously.
And I'm guessing his life is a little bit like our life -- not much going on other than being in the building or being at home. So it's a real part of what we're still experiencing.
Regarding us for this game for captains, it will be the same four guys. Tyler on offense, Linderbaum. You've got Hankins, Koerner and Campbell defensively.
And injury-wise Terry Roberts won't make it back. Maybe, I don't think so, maybe some special teams, I don't think so. He hasn't been able to hit full throttle yet. Ivory Kelly-Martin might be able to do a little special teams, but they're kind of in the holding pattern. And Spencer, I think, has a chance to be fully healthy. He's had two pretty good days of practice. So we'll see how it looks here this week and go from there.
Like most teams we've got a couple of guys that are nursing some injuries right now and hopefully they'll be ready Saturday. We'll keep our fingers crossed on that.
When you look at Illinois, obvious, big first obvious thing it's a new staff. So whole new system, new philosophy, et cetera.
And then it's interesting, like last week, these guys have a really veteran football team. It was in the mid-20s, the amount of super seniors that came back. They've got a lot of veteran players at all positions.
They're really an experienced team but new to the system, if you will. Looks like things are merging and meshing pretty well. From what we can tell it's been well-received. And I think that was really signaled by, they got a victory in the first game of the season, Big Ten opponent.
And I think that kind of said it all right there. Then you look more recently, two out of the three last week say they've been on the road and beaten good teams in their stadiums playing good football.
Doing a really good job running the football. It's clear they want to do that. It's a point of emphasis. I think they've got a really good offensive line and good backs. They're doing a good job there.
Quarterback is a good player. They've got good receivers, tight ends, really active in the passing game.
Then defensively it's a whole new system. Coach Smith had a very distinct way of playing. This is totally new. And I think their players have really embraced it and done a really good job there.
When you look at special teams, you talk about the super seniors, their specialists are just outstanding. They've got a really good kicking game. The punter's outstanding. Kicker's got a really strong leg. We could probably take the week off from our kickoff return team. They've had like four returns this whole season. They've got a couple of guys there that are really good football players and they do a good job overall with their core guys. That's where that's at.
Bottom line they're a tough Big Ten football team. I think we're looking at another one of those Big Ten contests in November. It's going to go right to the wire.
That's kind of where that's at. And the other obvious thing Saturday, we're saying goodbye to 16 seniors as well as some student managers and student helpers, video folks, all that.
A lot of people get involved to make this thing go and make the operations smooth. And really appreciate the efforts of all of them, especially our football players.
Just really happy to see their efforts, their dedication, all the contributions they've given us and all they've done to make our team successful, to see them be honored by the home crowd and have their families there. It's always a big, big thing. It's kind of a bittersweet day, because it's like your kid's leaving home.
At some point it's time for them to get off on their own and go to that next phase, next step. Yet during that time you establish bonds with these players. They're here for four or five years, typically, a lot of really interesting moments, that type of thing.
And this group is special. You think about all the crazy things going on the last two years and the way they've handled everything and helped us have success during this period, I think it's really a tribute to them. So their work is not over yet. Certainly they'll be honored before the game.
Most important is the game and we've got another game and hopefully another game. See where that all goes. So happy for all those guys certainly.
Last but not least, great to have Kid Captain. Brandi Gloeckner, from Robbins, Iowa, will be with us. And Brandi beat bone cancer about five years ago and most recently had a heart transplant about a year ago as a result of the treatments. And she's doing really well. This is her first college game, I understand. Really thrilled to have her join us.
So I'll throw it out for questions.
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