Observations on the win over Illinois, 56-14!

1-No complaints from me! Offense has looked good running and passing. We were 10 of 16 in 3rd down and 4th down conversions. We have 30 first downs and 8 touchdowns while dominating time of possession by 6 minutes.

2-Navarre was outstanding with 18 of 27 for 203 yards and one TD (no picks). He hit nine different receivers including Mingery's first TD as a Wolverine. Navarre sure looks much more confident in this game following the great comeback of last week. Gutierrez led the 2nd team to 2 touchdowns in two red zone opportunities, and was 4 of 7 for 41 yards and one TD. We had 519 yards in total offense on 83 plays with 275 yards rushing and 244 yards passing.

3-Perry had 140 yards in 24 carries and 3 rushing TDs. It was nice to see Tim Bracken with 8 carries for 52 yards including a touchdown and one catch for 5 yards; he must have had a good week of practice. Bracken and Rembert were the two deep on the kickoffs rather than LeSueur, Tabb or Hood; Bracken had two returns for 52 yards.. Jerome Jackson had 54 yards and one TD on 8 carries, Rembert had 15 yards on 2 carries and Underwood had 17 yards on 4 carries.

4-Defense was solid! Illinois had only 13 first downs and was only one of 11 on 3rd down conversions. They had only 89 yards in 29 carries in rushing. Pazan was 11 of 23 for 100 yards with one pick by Shazor. Six Wolverines led the defense with 5 tackles each: Burgess, Diggs, Reid, LeSueur, Barringer and McClintock. We had 3 tackles for loss including one sack by Diggs. We have forced Illinois into 7 punts. They scored one TD against our 1st defense and the other against our 2nd team.

5-Breaston started slow with a fumble and -7 yards on his first two punt returns, but what an awesome 74 yard touchdown return. Finley had five punts for a 39 yard average; Rivas was perfect with 8 extra points and Nienberg had good kickoffs and coverage. Luke Perl also had at least one kickoff.

6-It is great to see LeSueur back and healthy; he looks physical as ever. It is interesting to see Barringer start over Stewart at safety in place of Jackson especially after the big TD pick by Stewart last week. Barringer had one pass interference penalty and another personal foul for 30 yards. These were two of our eight penalties; the other six accounted for another 41 yards. Stewart left with a knee injury, and it doesn't look good. Mingery started his second game in a row ahead of Massaquoi. Woodley looked good in his first start. Crable still didn't play so the redshirt possibility still looms.

7-Purdue beat Wisconsin and MSU beat the Gophers, neither ever trailed so the next two weeks will tell the tale of the tape!

Observations on the first half with the Illini, 35-0!

1-No complaints from me! Offense has looked good running and passing. We are 5 of 8 in 3rd down conversions plus one of one on 4th down. We have 18 first downs and dominated time of possession by 7 minutes.

2-Navarre has been outstanding with 12 of 17 for 152 yards and one TD (no picks). He has hit nine different receivers including two passes to the fullbacks and two to the tight ends including Mingery's first TD as a Wolverine. Navarre sure looks much more confident in this game following the great comeback of last week. He has 3 runs for a net of -3 yards after the one 13 yard sack was deducted.

3-Perry has 129 yards in 22 carries and 3 rushing TDs. It is nice to see Tim Bracken with 5 carries for 13 yards; he must have had a good week of practice. He and Rembert were the two deep on the opening kickoff rather than LeSueur, Tabb or Hood.

4-Defense has been solid! Illinois has only 2 first downs and is zero for 6 on 3rd down conversions. They have only 50 yards in 21 plays including 12 rushes for 31 yards. Pazan is 4 of 9 in passing for only 19 yards. Diggs has 3 tackles including one for loss to lead the defense. We have forced Illinois into 5 punts, and their coverage has been good on all except the one return for a TD.

5-Breaston started slow with a fumble and -7 yards on his first two punt returns, but what an awesome 74 yard touchdown return. Finley has two punts for a 39 yard average; Rivas has been perfect on extra points and Nienberg has had good kickoffs and coverage.

6-It is great to see LeSueur back and healthy; he looks physical as ever. It is interesting to see Barringer start over Stewart at safety in place of Jackson especially after the big TD pick by Stewart last week. I'm not sure if Mingery started, but he did start last week at tight end.