Bringing Back The I-Option (NCAA 11)

[jct32]

So I have decided to bring back the option from the I-Formation. I have finally downloaded a real set of rosters and have all the patches and tuners. So I have decided to start with a clean slate.

Team: Illinois
Difficulty: Varsity (Playmakers sliders, I get a good game out of them)
Minutes: 8

[jct32]

Re: Bringing Back The I-Option (NCAA 11)


Illinois 2010 Roster Preview

Offense

Quarterbacks
1) Miles Osei 5’11” 198 lbs. Freshman
2) Chandler Whitmer 5’11” 190 lbs. Freshman
3) Nathan Scheelhaase 6’3” 195 lbs. Freshman (RS)

Grade: C
The Illini have a quarterback battle on their hands. All three young men are freshman and it really could end up to any of the three playing.

Halfbacks
1) Mikel LeShoure 6’0” 230 lbs. Junior
2) Jason Ford 6’0” 235 lbs. Junior
3) Justin Green 5’11” 194 lbs. Sophomore
4) Troy Pollard 5’8” 185 lbs. Junior (RS)
5) Jay Prosch 6’3” 250 lbs. Freshman

Grade: C-
Illinois is pretty stacked at halfback. This will be a key position for them in the new option-I offense they will be running.

Fullbacks
1) Zach Becker 6’3” 252 lbs. Junior
2) Greg Fuller 6’1” 241 lbs. Freshman (RS)

Grade: D
Fullback: All the importance, no glory. Becker will play in important role in the offense this year.

Wide Receivers
1) Jarred Fayson 6’0” 215 lbs. Senior (RS)
2) Jack Ramsey 5’11” 190 lbs. Sophomore (RS)
3) Fred Sykes 6’0” 185 lbs. Junior
4) AJ Jenkins 6’0” 185 lbs. Junior
5) Eddie McGee 6’4” 210 lbs. Senior
6) AJ Williams 6’4” 199 lbs. Freshman (RS)
Ryan Langford 5’11” 175 lbs. Freshman
Steve Hull 6’2” 195 lbs. Freshman (RS)
Darius Millines 6’0” 180 lbs. Freshman

Grade: C
Senior leadership is the key here. There are no star players here, but the senior leadership of the upperclassmen should help propel this week collection of receivers.

Tight Ends
1) London Davis 6’4” 255 lbs. Sophomore (RS)
2) Justin Lattimore 6’3” 215 lbs. Sophomore
3) Evan Wilson 6’6” 225 lbs. Freshman

Grade: C-
The tight end is a very important role in the option-I style offense. A good young group here with the possible superstar in Freshman Evan Wilson.

Tackles
1 LT) Jeff Allen 6’5” 310 lbs. Junior
1 RT) Ryan Palmer 6’7” 310 lbs. Senior (RS)
2 LT) Craig Wilson 6’5” 320 lbs. Junior (RS)
2 RT) Cory Lewis 6’6” 306 lbs. Junior
Simon Cvijanovic 6’2” 275 lbs. Freshman

Grade: C
Jeff Allen leads a group of men who will be the reason why the quarterback isn’t in the hospital.

Guards
1 LG) Randall Hunt 6’6” 320 lbs. Senior (RS)
1 RG) Jack Cornell 6’5” 315 lbs. Junior (RS)
2 LG) Graham Pocic 6’7” 320 lbs. Sophomore (RS)
2 RG) Hugh Thornton 6’5” 310 lbs. Sophomore
Shawn Afryl 6’3” 310 lbs. Senior (RS)

Grade: C+
Another group who has some potential future stars scattered in it.

Centers
1) Tyler Sands 6’5” 303 lbs. Sophomore (RS)
Ryan Sedlacek 6’4” 300 lbs. Sophomore (RS)

Grade: C
Two young men who have the possibility of becoming great players on the o-line.

Defense

Defensive Ends
1 LE) Clay Nurse 6’3” 260 lbs. Senior (RS)
1 RE) Whitney Mercilus 6’3” 264 lbs. Sophomore (RS)
2 LE) Glenn Foster 6’4” 270 lbs. Sophomore (RS)
2 RE) Michael Buchanan 6’6” 225 lbs. Sophomore
Tim Kynard 6’3” 255 lbs. Sophomore
Brandon Denmark 6’4” 214 lbs. Freshman

Grade: C-
A very young group here. Clay Nurse will have to spend his last season trying to be an example for these young guys.

Defensive Tackles
1) Corey Liuget 6’3 300 lbs. Junior
2) Daryle Balew 6’1” 310 lbs. Junior (RS)
3) Lendell Buckner 6’3” 340 lbs. Freshman (RS)
4) Wisdom Onyegbule 6’3” 281 lbs. Junior (RS)
5) Akeem Spence 6’1” 280 lbs. Sophomore

Grade: D+
Liuget and Balew will lead this group for the next two years. If they work hard they could improve a struggling Illinois defense.

Outside Linebackers
1 LOLB) Martez Wilson 6’4” 250 lbs. Junior
1 ROLB) Evan Frierson 6’2” 229 lbs. Sophomore (RS)
2 LOLB) Ian Thomas 6’0” 245 lbs. Junior (RS)
2 ROLB)Nate Palmer 6’2” 223 lbs. Sophomore (RS)
3 LOLB) Aaron Gress 6’0” 222 lbs. Senior
3 ROLB) Justin Staples 6’4” 227 lbs. Sophomore (RS)

Grade: C
A solid group here, this is the only good part of this defense. Martez Wilson will be a rock and a future superstar.

Middle Linebackers
1) Nate Bussey 6’2” 220 lbs. Senior (RS)
2) Russell Ellington 6’2” 234 lbs. Junior
3) Jonathan Brown 6’1” 240 lbs. Freshman

Grade: C
Not a terrible group. Bussey can make plays, and if he fills his gap will help out the defense tremendously.

Cornerbacks
1) Tavon Wilson 6’0” 195 lbs. Junior
2) Terry Hawthorne 6’0” 185 lbs. Sophomore
3) Ashante Williams 5’10” 205 lbs. Sophomore (RS)
4) Travon Bellamy 6’0” 206 lbs. Senior (RS)
5) Miami Thomas 5’11” 179 lbs. Junior (RS)
Patrick Nixon Youman 5’10” 165 lbs. Sophomore

Grade: C
Not a bad group here, but not a good group. Wilson has some speed and will help out with the fast receivers of the big schools.

Free Safeties
1) Walter Aikens 6’1” 185 lbs. Sophomore
2) Tommie Hopkins 5’11” 175 lbs. Freshman (RS)
3) Earnest Thomas 6’2 202 lbs. Freshman

Grade: C-
The same old song and dance for Illinois here. Not a severely talented group, but a very young group.

Strong Safeties
1) Trulon Henry 6’2” 210 lbs. Junior (RS)
2) Supo Sanni 6’3” 215 lbs. Junior
3) Joelil Thrash 6’0” 185 lbs. Freshman (RS)

Grade: C
Henry can hit hard and has good coverage skills. Look for the ballhawk to be the anchor of the secondary.

Special Teams

Kickers
1K/P) Derek Dimke 6’0” 180 lbs.

Grade: B
The Junior will be taking all of the kicking roles this year and has a good leg with excellent accuracy to back it up.

Kick Return
1 KR/PR) Tavon Wilson 6’0” 195 lbs. Junior
2 KR/PR) Jarred Fayson 6’0” 215 lbs. Senior (RS)

Grade: C+
The fastest guys are here. Both have the ability to burn the opposing team if given the opportunity.

Overall C
Don’t look for this team to get many big wins, the fans must be patient and let the players get experience, because the future does look bright for Illinois.

[jct32]

Re: Bringing Back The I-Option (NCAA 11)

Illinois 2010 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Aug 28	at Missouri
Sep 4	vs Akron
Sep 11	vs Northern Illinois
Sep 25	vs Ohio State
Oct 2	at Penn State
Oct 9	at Michigan State
Oct 16	vs Indiana
Oct 23	vs Purdue
Oct 30	at Michigan
Nov 6	vs Minnesota
Nov 13	at Northwestern
Nov 26	at Fresno State

[jct32]

Re: Bringing Back The I-Option (NCAA 11)


Illinois Loses In Final Minutes To Mizzou

The Arch Rivalry would once again post a good game to the fans of both opposing teams. It pitted a fairly experienced Missouri team against a young Illinois team, option offense versus spread offense.

The game would start out slow with both teams not scoring much. A. Jones put up the first points in the first quarter with a touchdown reception from Blaine Gabbert. Two Illinois kicks later, Missouri will close out the first half with a touchdown run by D. Washington to put them up 14-6.

Illinois got it's offense moving in the second half and would score 10 points in the 3rd quarter including a 6 yard TD run by Freshman Quarterback Miles Osei. The game would be back and forth then until the 4th quarter where Missouri would put up a field goal to take a slight lead. 17-16. Illinois would get two chances and miss a field goal and then drop a pass as time expired to get the the loss.

Final Score
Illinois 16
Missouri 17


Mikel LeShoure fumbles the football, Missouri scored following the turnover


Miles Osei runs in for a TD


Senior Redshirt Receiver Jared Fayson drops the game winning TD pass.



(As A note this was a rushed recap, exited the game early and didn't get all the info I wanted. It will be better next time)

[jct32]

Re: Bringing Back The I-Option (NCAA 11)



Week 1 NCAA News

Boise State knocks of Hokies in opener
Boise State starts off the season by building up its quality win list with a big win over Virginia Tech. The Broncos beat the Hokies 24-21 in Blacksburg, VA. Kellen Moore had a stellar game until he left with a broken hand, putting him out for 5 weeks. Boise State divided up its quarterback duties from there and still ended up posting over 300 yards. Boise State will face Oregon State next in what could help their BCS chances a lot.

UNC tames Tigers
North Carolina went into Baton Rouge and showed Les Miles and his Tigers that they weren't to be messed with, winning 24-6. T.J. Yates for North Carolina threw for 292 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Tarheels to victory. This is a key win for a Tarheel program who have been struggling over the recent years.

Pryor lost for 10 weeks
Jim Tressel is under heat from the University of Ohio State administration and fans. Tressel left star QB Terrel Pryor in for a couple of drives in the beginning of the 4th quarter, only to see him go down with an injury. The junior tore his pectoral muscle and will be out for 10 weeks, leaving Ohio State very vulnerable in the passing game.

TCU drowns Beavers
TCU scored 10 points in the final quarter to take overcome what would be a frustrating day for their offense. The Horned Frogs thew for over 334 yards but until the 4th quarter, could only score one touchdown. The Horned Frogs also showcased the mighty defense they boast and only allowed 7 points. TCU makes it's statement for the title game early in the season with this big win.

Polls
Coaches'
#1 Alabama (40) 1-0
#2 Ohio State (21) 1-0
#3 Boise State 1-0
#4 Texas 1-0
#5 Oregon 1-0
#6 Florida 1-0
#7 TCU 1-0
#8 Nebraska 1-0
#9 Iowa 1-0
#10 Wisconsin 1-0
#11 Georgia Tech 1-0
#12 USC 0-0
#13 Virginia Tech 0-1
#14 Miami 1-0
#15 Oklahoma 1-0
#16 Penn State 1-0
#17 North Carolina 1-0
#18 Arkansas 1-0
#19 Utah 1-0
#20 Florida State 1-0
#21 Cincinnati 1-0
#22 Pittsburgh 0-1
#23 Oregon State 0-1
#24 LSU 0-1
#25 Houston 1-0

Dropped Out: None


Big 10 Standings
1: #9 Iowa 1-0
2: #2 Ohio State 1-0
3: #10 Wisconsin 1-0
4: Minnesota 1-0
5: #16 Penn State
6: Michigan State 1-0
7: Indiana 1-0
8: Illinois 0-1
9: Purdue 0-1
10: Northwestern 0-1
11: Michigan 0-1

Players Of The Week
NCAA:
Offense: Senior (RS) Johhny Moore - TE UTEP
vs FCS W (W 59-37) 7 Rec, 185 Yds, 5 TD
Defense: Senior Matt Berning - LOLB Central Michigan
vs FCS E (L 24-22) 4 Tkls, 4 TFL, 5 Atk, 4 FF

Big 10
Offense: Senior (RS) Ricky Stanzi - QB Iowa
vs FCS W (W 52-10) 16/26, 301 Yds, 6 TD, 9 Car, 41 Yds
Defense: Junior (RS) Drew Astornino - SS Penn State
vs FCS SE (W 48-0) 2 Tkls

[jct32]

Re: Bringing Back The I-Option (NCAA 11)

Week 2: Akron Zips (0-1) @ Illinois Fighting Illini (0-1)
Saturday September 4th, 2010 at 12:00 P.M.


Akron Key Players
QB Patrick Nicely (SO): 6/16, 41 Yds
HB Broderick Alexander (SO): 16 Car, 34 Yds, 2.1 Yds/Car
TE Kyle Weber (SR): 6 Rec, 60 Yds, 10.0 Yds/Rec

MLB Brian Wagner (RS SO): 6 Tkl, 5 Atk, 4 Defl
LOLB Will Fleming (SO): 3 Tkl, 6 Atk, 2 TFL, 1 Sack, 2 Defl, 1 Int

Injuries
None

Stats
Points Per Game: 3.0 (#108)
Total Offense: 151 (#106)
Rush Offense: 26 (#110)
Pass Offense: 125 (#99)
Total Defense: 322 (#68)
Rush Defense: 106 (#79)
Pass Defense: 216 (#66)
Turnover Diff.: 2 (#12)


Illinois Key Players
QB Miles Osei (FR): 5/13, 96 Yds, 23 Car, 61 Yds, 2.6 Yds/Car, 1 Rush TD
HB Mikel LeShoure (JR): 18 Car, 109 Yds, 6.0 Yds/Car
TE London Davis (RS SO): 2 Rec, 32 Yds, 16.0 Yds/Rec

ROLB Evan Frierson (RS SO): 6 Tkl, 1 Atk, 2 TFL, 1 Sack
DT Daryle Balew (RS JR): 5 Tkl, 3 TFL, 3 Sack
MLB Nate Bussey (RS SR): 5 Tkl, 1 TFL, 1 FF

Injuries
None

Stats
Points Per Game: 16.0 (#83)
Total Offense: 286 (#102)
Rush Offense: 190 (#23)
Pass Offense: 96 (#108)
Total Defense: 242 (#41)
Rush Defense: 60 (#38)
Pass Defense: 182 (#54)
Turnover Diff.: 21(#25)

Lee’s Pick


Kirk’s Pick

[tbasket20]

Re: Bringing Back The I-Option (NCAA 11)

tough loss, hope u can bound back this week vs Akron

[jct32]

Thanks. Yeah it was really tough. I did well and held the ball for about 3/4 of the game. But missed a 40 something yard field goal with less than a minute. Use my timeouts and make them go 3 and out. Throw a hail Mary and call no huddle with 2 seconds left. Same play, same receiver beats defense but drops the ball. It was so close.

[jct32]

Re: Bringing Back The I-Option (NCAA 11)

Illinois wins a 2 OT thriller

Illinois fans greeting their football team as they trotted onto the field for the first time at home this year. The Illni have moved towards an offense that is an old-school methodical ball control offense, and it allowed for them to almost upset Missouri in Columbia. The University of Akron would come to visit Illinois looking for an upset and a key win for their program.

Illinois won the toss and elected to receive. Illinois established the run game early, with Mikel LeShoure picking up 20 yards on the first drive, but the Illini couldn’t get much more going and was forced to punt the ball. With Akron taking over on offense, they looked toward Sophomore Patrick Nicely to be a leader for them. However just like with Illinois, Akron picked up a couple of short completions before having to punt the ball again. Penalties would hinder the next drive for Illinois and the would be forced to punt after 3 downs. Nicely would get the Zips offense rolling and with some help of the runningbacks, would get field position to allow Rogovic to punch in a 25 yard field goal.

Illinois would close out the first quarter by running the ball and then pick up where they were at by continuing to run, setting up for a 48 yard field goal by Derek Dimke. Nicely would come out on the next drive and prove his team belonged in this game. Marching them down the field and finishing it himself with a 23 yard touchdown pass to L. Morefield. Miles Osei, not wanting to get showed up, lead Illinois for a touchdown by passing from 12 yards to Mikel LeShoure, with a key triple option pass to Jack Ramsey for 24 yards early in the drive on third down. Akron would run out the clock to close out the half.

The third quarter was rather uneventful with both teams being forced to punt on every drive. The only key moment was when Miles Osei came out early in the third with a strained shoulder. Coach Zook opted to keep Osei in the game as he is the backbone of the offense. After a couple of punts exchanged by both teams, Nicely decided to turn on the jets again and started hitting receivers left and right, concluding with a 7 yard touchdown pass to Sconiers. Mikel LeShoure would follow the touchdown by Akron with a 34 yard of his own. LeShoure gained 50 yards on the drive to setup a 11 yard touchdown run by Miles Osei. Nicely would make a couple of big passes to put Akron in position to win the game left, but Rogovic would miss the game-winning 27 yard field goal, wide left.

Akron would lose the coin toss in over time and Illinois would elect to be on defense first. The Illini defense would hold the Zips offense to a 3 and out. Rogovic would march onto the field again and make a 40 yard field goal to give Akron a chance. Miles Osei would make a couple of rushes, keeping the option for himself. However, in what would look like to be a scoring drive, Illinois would be forced to keep the field goal to tie the game. In the next overtime, Illinois would handoff the ball to LeShoure and allow him to get them down to the 2 before he had to come out for a play. Jason Ford would step up and score a touchdown from 2 yards out on the next play to give Illinois the chance of winning. After two incomplete passes, Nicely would line up the offense for a pivotal third down play. An Akron receiver would break open on a corner route, however a slightly under thrown ball would allow Tavon Wilson to recover and knock down the ball forcing 4th down. On 4th down Nicely would be hit as he throws and the ball would fall harmlessly to the ground to secure the Illinois win in the 2nd overtime.

20


27

Key Players

Akron
QB Patrick Nicely: 23/40, 317 Yards, 2 TD, 1 Int
HB Broderick Alexander: 16 Car, 99 Yards
WR Jeremy LaFrance: 5 Rec, 80 Yards
FB Levon Morefield: 2 Rec, 45 Yards, 1 TD

FS Josh Richmond: 7 Tkls, 1 Atk
DT Christopher Henderson: 7 Tkls, 1 Atk, 4 TFL, 3 Sacks
LOLB Will Fleming: 3 Tkls, 2 Atk, 2 TFL, 1 PD
DB Jalil Carter: 7 Tkls, 1 Atk, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 PD

Illinois
QB Miles Osei: 3/9, 49 Yards, 1 TD, 20 Car, 54 Yards, 1 Rush TD
HB Mikel LeShoure: 17 Car, 143 Yards, 1 Rec, 12 Yards, 1 Rec TD
HB Jason Ford: 1 Car, 2 Yards, 1 TD
WR Jack Ramsey: 2 Rec, 37 Yards

LOLB Martez Wilson: 7 Tkls, 1 Atk, 1 TFL
CB Tavon Wilson: 3 Tkls, 1 Atk, 1 INT, 1 PD
MLB Nate Bussey: 6 Tkls, 2 Atk, 1 TFL, 1 Sack,
ROLB Evan Frierson: 6 Tkls, 1 Atk, 1 TFL, 1 PD


Miles Osei scores from 11 yards to tie the game in the 4th quarter.


Mikel LeShoure makes a strong run in overtime to move the ball forward


Jason Ford says a prayer after scoring the game winning touchdown.

[hoopla32]

Re: Bringing Back The I-Option (NCAA 11)

What kind of success are you having with the option?

I remember running the option out of the 'I' used to be deadly on NCAA.