A loss sure effect the optimism here in GH

[MNVCGUY]

I think you make an extremely valid point about the WR corps. If they were healthy, i'd probably be quite confident of a victory here. However, I just don't know who Nelson is going to throw to and i'm not sure that our ground game can keep drives going long enough to put points on the board. Hopefully Gray or Raabe can step up and have a huge game.

This game will be won or lost by our defense. People are shutting Illinois down on offense. They are statistically terrible in both the run and pass game in Big Ten play. They also give up a ton of sacks, this is a team we should be able to contain at home, on the road, on a neutral field wherever the hell we play them. So with that in mind the offense needs to just be ok against a very poor defense that is giving up a ton of points to everyone. I understand our standards are at rock bottom for our team and we are already lining up excuses for why we will be the one team Illinois beats this season in BIG play, there is no real excuse for losing this game. Hell even the road thing is out the window since we have won the last three times we have played there, clearly it is not a road environment where we have crumbled in the past and it shouldn't be on Saturday with empty stands and an non energized fan base.

 

[e.bigelow]

This game will be won or lost by our defense. People are shutting Illinois down on offense. They are statistically terrible in both the run and pass game in Big Ten play. They also give up a ton of sacks, this is a team we should be able to contain at home, on the road, on a neutral field wherever the hell we play them. So with that in mind the offense needs to just be ok against a very poor defense that is giving up a ton of points to everyone. I understand our standards are at rock bottom for our team and we are already lining up excuses for why we will be the one team Illinois beats this season in BIG play, there is no real excuse for losing this game. Hell even the road thing is out the window since we have won the last three times we have played there, clearly it is not a road environment where we have crumbled in the past and it shouldn't be on Saturday with empty stands and an non energized fan base.

+1. Spot on man.

We need to prove that games like these that we SHOULD win, we do. I just think there is no way we do not come out of Illinois without a win. Our defense just needs to play well and we will definitely have a shot to win this game. But, Illinois is still a B1G Ten Team, and we need to be ready to play.

Count me in for a HUGE sigh of relief when (and if) we do get the W!

Go Gophers!