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MaxyJR1

MaxyJR1

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Hope the #4 and #5 backs are getting looks and prepared for post Bye week. If Mo goes down again, we are toast.
 


UpAndUnder43 said:
What makes you think they would be better than the #2 and 3 backs?
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I didn't say they would be better, but they are more highly recruited and #2 and #3 don't make anyone miss. Potts and Williams need near perfect blocking to be successful. They just need a 3rd option behind Mo ready, and I wish someone could have stepped in on Saturday for a couple carries just to see what could happen. All 3 backs are gone after this year.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
I didn't say they would be better, but they are more highly recruited and #2 and #3 don't make anyone miss. Potts and Williams need near perfect blocking to be successful. They just need a 3rd option behind Mo ready, and I wish someone could have stepped in on Saturday for a couple carries just to see what could happen.
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Who is #4 and 5 on the depth chart? Do they make lots of guys miss?
 

MaxyJR1 said:
I didn't say they would be better, but they are more highly recruited and #2 and #3 don't make anyone miss. Potts and Williams need near perfect blocking to be successful. They just need a 3rd option behind Mo ready, and I wish someone could have stepped in on Saturday for a couple carries just to see what could happen. All 3 backs are gone after this year.
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Potts, Ibrahim, and Williams all have eligibility after this year. Obviously Ibrahim won't be back but the other two should be.
 



UpAndUnder43 said:
Who is #4 and 5 on the depth chart? Do they make lots of guys miss?
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Don't know until they play just like last year with Irving and Thomas who would likely have been 2/3 or 3/4 this year. It's great to be developmental and loyal to upperclassmen, but Mo didn't need to practice last week and someone should have been ready. We played 3 RB's all season and then went to 2 in his absence.
 

Looks like it's Nubin and Jelen. Meh, I'd take my chances with Potts and Williams. Evans must be dealing with something, don't top rated freshmen typically get some plays in the four free games?
 






just going by the eye test, Williams just seemed to be running harder and with more purpose than Potts. Potts didn't seem to have any drive in his legs.

hopefully, Mo is 100% for Illinois. But, if he's not, I would like to see them give Evans a few carries to see what he can do. (assuming that Evans is also healthy).
 

Johnnyboy18 said:
Potts, Ibrahim, and Williams all have eligibility after this year. Obviously Ibrahim won't be back but the other two should be.
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It's crazy how many guys can come back next year 2020 not counting, red-shirts, and medical. Will be interesting to see how many do.

Not sure if this is accurate:
CrAB
Ibraham
Nathan Boe
B. Oliver
Bryce Williams
Potts (3 more years if Medical?)
Spann Ford
 



MaxyJR1 said:
Hope the #4 and #5 backs are getting looks and prepared for post Bye week. If Mo goes down again, we are toast.
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Take your pick

Cole Berghorn Freshman
Zack Evans Freshman
Max Grand Freshman
Preston Jelen Senior
Jordan Nubin Freshman
 

Our All American Center possibility ought to have a closed-door meeting with the OL and air it out. Forget about what didn't happen during the Purdue game and make damn sure it doesn't happen at Illinois. We can have out #4, #5, #6 backs in there, but if there are no holes to run through you get 7 yards in ahalf. Our OL is better than that!
 

MaxyJR1 said:
I didn't say they would be better, but they are more highly recruited and #2 and #3 don't make anyone miss. Potts and Williams need near perfect blocking to be successful. They just need a 3rd option behind Mo ready, and I wish someone could have stepped in on Saturday for a couple carries just to see what could happen. All 3 backs are gone after this year.
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Not really. Evans wasn’t much more highly recruited than Potts or Williams, and #5 rb would be a walk-on. Everyone disagreed with me for suggesting we should think about taking a transfer at rb this year, because we are so deep at rb. Also isn’t only Mo gone after this year?
 

Potts was having a very impressive 2021 until he had his injury. If I recall, he was leading the B1G in rushing when he went down. Of course, it was a different offensive line last year.

Trey looked "off" against Purdue. I have no idea what it could be, but he didn't seem his usual self.
 

You won’t see the red shirts burned off of any “4 or 5” backs unless 1-2-3 contract leprosy.
 


I have trouble believing Ibrahim was held out for a sprained ankle.
Had to be more than that.
 

I didn't see anyone mention it in the thread, so I'll ask. He did go down and stay down for a bit after a run in the second half of last game against MSU. Looked like it was a leg thing. Seemed like he got another carry or two after that before being given the rest of the game off, but I'm not certain.

Anyone else remember it differently?
 

Six to Eight said:
I didn't see anyone mention it in the thread, so I'll ask. He did go down and stay down for a bit after a run in the second half of last game against MSU. Looked like it was a leg thing. Seemed like he got another carry or two after that before being given the rest of the game off, but I'm not certain.

Anyone else remember it differently?
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Yes, remember it that way. However, Mo was limping Saturday....period. That is probably what it boils down to...
 

Potts is a shifty East-West back. MN didn't use him that way and instead ran him between the tackles for negative yardage. After the first half where the OL proved they couldn't get any push, they should have tried to get him the ball in space.

Let's not look at the 4, 5, 6 backs. Got to shore up OL, get Mo back healthy so that Potts can be used for the weapon he is.
 

USAF said:
I have trouble believing Ibrahim was held out for a sprained ankle.
Had to be more than that.
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So what is your theory? If the coaches were lying about the sprained ankle what do you believe was the real reason they held him out?
 

RememberMurray said:
Potts was having a very impressive 2021 until he had his injury. If I recall, he was leading the B1G in rushing when he went down. Of course, it was a different offensive line last year.

Trey looked "off" against Purdue. I have no idea what it could be, but he didn't seem his usual self.
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Agree that Potts seemed a little off but also think Williams was probably in there more because he is a better pass blocker and we knew we were going to need to throw more since the line was having a tough time stopping anything.

Rough day for the offense all around. Mo probably would have helped quite a bit but not sure even he could overcome the poor protection and lack of holes being opened up.

Good news is they have 2 weeks to study what Purdue did to them and hopefully fix the issues.
 

RememberMurray said:
Potts was having a very impressive 2021 until he had his injury. If I recall, he was leading the B1G in rushing when he went down. Of course, it was a different offensive line last year.

Trey looked "off" against Purdue. I have no idea what it could be, but he didn't seem his usual self.
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Could have been that Potts looked "off" since last time he took the field against this team, he ended up in the hospital for a week.
 

They tried Potts to the outside a few times, but they were well diagnosed and he didn't have the speed to beat the DB. I'd much prefer Williams on the quick hitter/one cut runs. He has shown he can be successful on them, eg. his big runs at Wisconsin and last year vs. Nebraska to seal the game. The long delayed RPO hand off was just too slow moving.
 

Vandy said:
You won’t see the red shirts burned off of any “4 or 5” backs unless 1-2-3 contract leprosy.
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The "5" guys that are freshmen are all walk-ons. Nobody is worried about burning a redshirt there. Evans has been in street clothes every game this year. Maybe he's healthy in the next 10 days, but it's a lot harder to try and keep a redshirt on a guy and save him for the future now that players can transfer pretty freely.
 

It appears helmet to helmet contact is no longer being called.
 

Potts was not running the ball very hard on Saturday. I don't know if he is working through something, if he had an off day, or what. But he didn't look like he had any juice.

Our OL got their asses kicked, but if your RB isn't making anyone miss (or being able to run through anything), it's tough to get yards in the Big 10. Potts was essentially jumped on the depth chart at halftime.

If he runs like that again next game, I'd be more than fine with Jelen, Evans, Nubin, or Grand taking those carries.
 

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