Illinois Head Coach Lovie Smith Talks Michigan Loss
Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith reacted to the 42-25 loss to Michigan this afternoon in a game of momentum swings.
The Wolverines came out strong in all three phases, with the offense scoring four touchdowns, the defense holding Illinois to seven first half points and the special teams orchestrating a punt block that put U-M in great field position.
Despite the slow start for Illinois, Smith said that his team was excited to play against a team like U-M.
“Naturally, when you have a team like Michigan coming in with as much tradition as they have, you’re excited about playing,” Smith said. “I don’t like the way we started the game today — especially on the defensive side of the ball.”
Illinois found themselves down 28-0 in the second quarter. It looked like the game might turn ugly in favor of U-M.
“It was absolutely a gut check,” Smith said of his team falling down four touchdowns. “We chose to fight harder.”
Illinois responded to the gut check in a positive way. The tide started to turn late in the second quarter when Illinois put together a six play, 67-yard touchdown scoring drive to make it a 28-7 game.
That touchdown would be the first of four straight possessions resulting in a score for the Illini and with 12:50 to go in the fourth quarter, U-M’s lead was cut to 28-25.
The Illinois defense got some opportunistic stops this afternoon. It also forced two turnovers in the game, including a crucial one early in the fourth quarter when U-M running back Tru Wilson put the ball on the ground. Smith said they didn’t change any schemes up after the rough start, it was just better execution.
“We did some of the same things we did in the first half, “Smith explained. “When a team is running at you like that, you know what you have to do.
“You have to stay in your gap, everybody has a gap, get off the block and make the tackle.”
“We put it together in some kind of way in the third quarter. When you’re down 28 points and you get the game to a three-point game in the second half, that’s saying an awful lot.
“I’m proud of how the team played then, but we have to find a way to finish games.”
U-M also faced a gut check once it saw the lead diminish and they were the ones who responded positively when it mattered most. The Wolverines offense went on a 79-yard scoring drive to re-extend the lead to 10 and the defense forced some timely turnovers — including Cam McGrone’s forced fumble and Michael Danna’s strip sack.
“They pulled away from us late based on us turning the ball over. That’s a big part of football, of course,” Smith said.
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