Yesterday saw the Illini get their first non-conference road win over a power four conference team since 2007 (Syracuse 41-20). While they entered as favorites by a slim margin (-2.5) at Duke, they won by a resounding 26 point margin (45-19).
As such, they moved up two spots to #9 in the AP poll, which marks the program’s highest ranking since December of 2001. It’s worth noting how that specific Illini football team was 10-1 at that point, having just completed a regular season that culminated in a Big Ten title.
Exclusives with 2001 Illini Football Team Stars
Kurt Kittner Brandon Lloyd Rocky Harvey
In scoring 52 in the season opening rout of Western Illinois, Bret Bielema’s guys have scored 40+ in back to back games for the first time since 1999 (@ Iowa, @ Ohio State).
And in that win at Duke, we once again saw “The Barge” formation. The barge is the jumbo of all jumbo packages, as it consists of nine blockers, the quarterback and the running back.
“I love the barge,” Illini starting left guard Josh Gesky said in an exclusive with RG.org. “We have different variations of it, but it’s cool to be a part of a seven-man (base on the O-line), because how many teams do that, right?”
“It’s a great package, it emphasizes us as o-linemen, and it’s like, hey, you know what’s going to happen out of the barge. You know it’s not going to be a deep pass. You know what’s going to happen. It’s basically saying, stop us.
“I like it.”
We like it too; quite a lot actually.
However, the Illini only averaged 2.9 yards per rush on Saturday. Literally, they were negative in rushing yards as they headed to the break. Bielema, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney and the rest of the guys need to get that fixed ASAP.
The next chance comes against Western Michigan on Saturday, with a sell out environment at home.
Kickoff is 6 p.m. on FS1.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter