College football is an interesting beast in Chicago. Most people’s allegiances are either based on where their parents went to school or which team was most relevant at the time that they formed their sports allegiances. For me it was Notre Dame. For others, it was Northwestern or Illinois. Each of these three teams has had surprising seasons for different reasons. Here are the top ten.
10. Jimmy Clausen
To be fair to Clausen, his line was atrocious last year and the skill positions were very young. Even so Clausen looked over his head last year. People seemed to forget that he was a true freshman and that he was running a new system. Well, Clausen has met all expectations that could have been placed on the sophomore. The Cali native has thrown for 272 yards/game and 14 TD to 8 picks. He has taken HUGE strides and should be in the Heisman debate for the next two years.
9. Illinois' Defense
This unit wasn’t supposed to be awesome but everybody expected them to be better than this. This defense allowed 52 points against Missouri, 38 points against Penn State and a shocking 27 points to an upstart Minnesota team. Even after Illinois beat down Indiana last weekend, they are still giving up over 354 yards/game. Not a good sign for a team that wanted to take the next step into national relevance.
8. Arrelious Benn
The Illinois wide out was supposed to be the man, but he has been a world-beater this year. He is averaging just under 100 yards/game receiving and seems to be open whenever Illinois needs a first down. However, Benn has also been a disappointment on special teams. He was supposed to be a game changer there as well, but it has not panned out.
7. Notre Dame's running game
Armando Allen, Robert Hughes and James Aldridge have been a three-headed monster for the Fighting Irish. ND has increased its running production by 25 yards/game and gives defenses more than just Clausen to worry about. It legitimizes their offense and keeps the defense fresh.
6. Northwestern's offensive line
The line has been spectacular this season and is the primary reason Northwestern is now bowl eligible. After allowing 32 sacks in 2007, the line has only allowed five in about half as many opportunities.
5. Golden Tate
A problem the 2007 ND offense had was that they did not have a go-to receiver. This year Tate has stepped up and has become the playmaker the Irish and Clausen desperately needed. He is averaging 18.5 yards/catch and over 86 yards/game. Add a team leading 28 grabs and four touchdowns and Tate has become the wide out that Weis has been looking for.
4. Notre Dame's offensive line
Just like Northwester, ND’s line was simply terrible in 2007. They allowed 58 sacks last year. 58!!! This year in half as many games they have cut that number down to seven. The line has also opened up holes for the running backs that were not there in 2007, giving ND a viable running game, as the Irish are averaging just over 101 yards/game on the ground this season.
3. Illinois
The fighting Illini are this high up on the list simply because they lost to Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have been a shock in the Big Ten, but Illinois was supposed to roll them. Instead they came out flat and lost to an inferior ‘Sota team. Add on losses to Missouri and Penn State and 2008 has been a disappointment for Illinois thus far.
2. Juice Williams
Juice was the athletic, run-first quarterback that had all the potential in the world, but just could not get over the hump. Well, in 2008, that has all changed. After spending sometime with Donovan McNabb in the summer, Juice has finally become the complete quarterback Ron Zook always talked about. Juice is not just chucking the ball and running when he feels pressure anymore, but reading defenses and picking them apart. The QB is still running though at nearly a 70-yards/game clip and throwing for over 278 yards/game, combining for 21 TD total.*
*Sorry for the type size. It would not change for whatever reason.
1. Northwestern
During my college summers my friends and I would rent an apartment in Evanston -- a place where we could cause all kinds of shenanigans. This is how I met C.J. Bacher. He was a cocky 18-year-old freshman, partying in the apartment above us. I remember that he always carried a football with him, just so people knew he played football. Kind of lame, I know. He rubbed me the wrong way.
Thus, it pleases me that Bacher has never really progressed as a passer, but also that his team has in all facets of the game around him. I kind of like seeing NU do well and they have been a huge surprise in the Big Ten. They are already bowl eligible and have a chance to win nine or 10 games as they face very beatable teams like Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois.
8 comments:
Look I'll give you ND's Golden Tate, but being an ND basher, I must pass the following along:
A. JC is the oldest sophmore ever! I think he maybe 21. His parents held him back 2 years. You would think he would be WAY ahead of kids at his level. He isn't.
2. NDs oline sucks. Not as much as last year, but they suck. They have played no one and when they do play a team like 'SC they will get bull rushed.
No ND Honk here. By the way MATT OLSEN RULES!
A. Yes, JC is old (he turned 21 one month ago), but I still think his progress is pretty surprising considering where he was last yr.
B or 2, I guess. I don't think anyone can argue that ND lines massive improvement in one yr is not a surprise. They will cut their sacks given up by more than half and have given the Irish a decent running game. This cannot be argued. But, yes, they will get beat up by USC.
I agree, MO does RULE.
for 2. I said that weird. I don't think anyone could have predicted the line improving this much over the course of one yr. That's all.
Every point ever made in the comment section from now on should end with MATT OLSEN RULES!
Good post dubs
MATT OLSEN RULES!!!
Please do me and every other Chicago sports fan a favor and NEVER, EVER, include ND as a Chicago-based anything?
How does a team in South Bend Indiana have anything to do with being a Chicago-based team? You might as well include the Iowa Hawkeyes in the discussion then.
I'll tell you something right now, If ND was ever in the National Championship, which would only hapen in a scenario in which they would make it over more deserving teams thanks to the ND/media bias, there wouldnt be shit happening in the city. there would be no banners, no city buildings lit up, no victory parades, because they are not a Chicago team. theyre not even an illinois team, so that alone should not even constitute them as a Chicago team.
Garbage - I will humbly disagree with your sentiment. Chicago clearly has no college football team, but ND is as close as it gets. Either you don’t read either newspaper or you are Protestant, but Notre Dame Football IS a major part of Chicago. Both papers wouldn’t cover it, give it its own blog and generally lead their college football coverage with stories about them, if it wasn’t an interest to a large part of the Chicago region. There is no denying that.
Second, your “it’s not part of Illinois” argument is just crap. Chicago is NOT Illinois for all intents and purposes. If you drive any direction from Chicago, within IL, it is all farms and generally red country. Chicago is, well, quite the opposite. They are polar extremes.
I would also argue that ND football is WAY more relevant to Chicago than Illini football. I am guessing you are like a Michigan or Northwestern fan, or something, that is having trouble understanding why so many Irish kids from Chicago throw on Brady Quinn jerseys every Saturday. I don’t see how this is even debatable. They are the closest thing Chicago has to a college football team.
Oh, and Matt Olsen rules!!
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