Illinois

Snap counts, PFF grades: Jack Tuttle, Michigan’s offense struggles vs. Illinois

Published

1 year ago

October 20, 2024

Snap counts, PFF grades: Jack Tuttle, Michigan’s offense struggles vs. Illinois

An extra week to reset and prepare didn’t appear to do Michigan much good on Saturday.

The Wolverines laid a clunker against Illinois, falling 21-7 in a game that didn’t feel that close. Mistakes continued to compound throughout the game, highlighted by three turnovers, costly penalties and an inefficient offense.

Not surprisingly, their performance Saturday was their worst of the season, according to Pro Football Focus. They earned an overall grade of 64.3, which was lower than what they received in their 31-12 loss to Texas in Week 2 (66.0).

Here’s a look at the snap counts from Saturday’s loss and other notable grades and trends:

*PFF evaluates every player on every play in multiple facets of the game, such as passing, rushing, receiving, pass blocking, run defense, etc. It is important to note that PFF doesn’t base its grade on the outcome of the play, but rather what a player attempts to do on a given play.

OFFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS (out of 71)

*Denotes starter

*Josh Priebe – 71
*Giovanni El-Hadi – 71
*Jeffrey Persi – 71
*Greg Crippen – 71
*Andrew Gentry – 71
*Jack Tuttle – 71
Colston Loveland – 57
Kalel Mullings – 50
*Tyler Morris – 46
Kendrick Bell – 34
Semaj Morgan – 32
*Amorion Walker – 29
*Donovan Edwards – 27
*Max Bredeson – 26
Hogan Hansen – 15
Fredrick Moore – 13
*Marlin Klein – 11
Zack Marshall – 4
Peyton O’Leary – 4
C.J. Charleston – 4
Evan Link – 2
Benjamin Hall – 1

DEFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS (out of 62)

*Jyaire Hill – 58
*Quinten Johnson – 56
*Ernest Hausmann – 55
*Jaishawn Barham – 53
*Kenneth Grant – 47
Aamir Hall – 47
*Mason Graham – 46
*Makari Paige – 42
*Derrick Moore – 38
*Josaiah Stewart – 38
*Zeke Berry – 37
TJ Guy – 31
Trey Pierce – 24
Ike Iwunnah – 24
Mason Curtis – 22
Cameron Brandt – 20
*Will Johnson – 13
Brandy Hillman – 8
Jimmy Rolder – 8
Jaydon Hood – 8
Jo’Ziah Edmond – 5
Chibi Anwunah – 2

Jack Tuttle struggles in first start

Not surprisingly, the seventh-year quarterback received the lowest grade on offense with a dismal 28.7. Accuracy was an issue all game as he finished 20 of 32 passing for 208 yards, but 55 yards came in garbage time during the final 62 seconds. He also turned the ball over twice, fumbling while scrambling for a first down and throwing an interception in the red zone. Once again, Michigan didn’t show much of a downfield passing threat as Tuttle attempted three passes of 20 or more air yards, completing one. Overall, the team received a 30.1 passing grade, which was even lower when it earned a 38.8 mark when Alex Orji passed for just 32 yards in a 27-24 win over USC in Week 4.

Colston Loveland, Kalel Mullings the lone bright spots on offense, again

The junior tight end and fifth-year running back are doing their best to jumpstart this offense. They each received a 75.0 overall grade, which led all regulars. Loveland made an athletic 28-yard catch on a fourth-and-18 in the fourth quarter, but 50 of his 83 receiving yards came after the catch. Mullings only averaged 4.6 yards per carry on 19 attempts but averaged 3.2 yards after contact.

Right tackle Andrew Gentry, making his first start of the season, was the only other player on the first-team offense to record a grade above 60.

Solid pass-block grade despite allowing five sacks

Tuttle was sacked five times and was under pressure on 40% of his dropbacks, but Michigan earned a surprising 72.1 mark in pass blocking – its second-best of the season. Gentry led the way with an 82.6 grade in that category, followed by Mullings (79.2) and center Greg Crippen (76.6).

Mason Graham, Jaishawn Barham lead the defense

Graham, a junior defensive tackle, had the team’s best mark on that side of the ball with an 86.5, recording a team-high four pressure. Barham, a middle linebacker, had a team-high seven tackles and two pass breakups, earning marks above 70 in all four categories: run defense (82.5), tackling (81.0), pass rush (78.9) and coverage (70.8).

Freshmen get their opportunity on defense

The Wolverines were already banged up in the secondary entering the game, and the injury bug hit early after star cornerback Will Johnson exited the game after playing just 13 snaps. Graduate transfer Aamir Hall saw the most snaps in Johnson’s absence, but true freshman cornerback Jo’Ziah Edmond also made his first appearance on defense this season, playing five snaps. Freshman Mason Curtis also received his first opportunity on defense, playing 22 snaps in the secondary.

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Illinois

Arlington Heights mayor says Springfield needs to get Bears stadium deal done in next two weeks

Published

8 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

Arlington Heights mayor says Springfield needs to get Bears stadium deal done in next two weeks

Conversations in Springfield about a new Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights are heating up, and the village’s mayor said a decision on a stadium deal could come by the end of the month.

Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia said the Bears won’t wait around much longer.

The Illinois House was back in session this week, and the next couple weeks could be crucial to making a Bears stadium deal a reality.

Tinaglia said the Bears won’t wait until the end of the state’s legislative session in May to get a deal done; a deal that, for the Bears, must include certainty on their property taxes.

“The pressure is on to try and wrap it up with capital ASAP,” Tinaglia said

Tinaglia has been watching Springfield closely as talks between the Pritzker administration, state lawmakers, and the Bears continue regularly.

“I can promise you that no one at Halas Hall wants to wait till the end of May for this to be solved,” TInaglia said.

Lawmakers are debating a major tax incentive package aimed at keeping the bears in Illinois. The bill would allow the Bears — or any developer investing more than $500 million dollars in a project – to negotiate property taxes directly with local governments for up to 40 years.

The measure advanced out of an Illinois House committee last month, but has yet to receive a full floor vote.

Now, with the primary elections over in Illinois, Tinaglia said it’s time to act. The legislation still needs 60 votes in the Illinois House and 30 in the Illinois Senate to pass.

Tinaglia said he’s confident a deal can get done.

Lawmakers from Chicago initially pushed back on any deal to help the Bears build a stadium in Arlington Heights, hoping to keep the team in Chicago.

But after talks stalled, the Bears expanded their stadium search to Indiana, a move that raised the stakes as Indiana lawmakers quickly approved their own legislation to lure the Bears across the state line.

Meantime, the Kansas City Chiefs struck a deal to move across state lines from Missouri to Kansas, a warning sign that NFL teams are willing to leave if the right deal isn’t on the table.

“That really opened up everybody’s eyes that, ‘Hey, maybe they would really leave. Somebody else is doing it, right?’” Tinaglia said.

That also helped push Illinois leaders to move faster and have a more united front to keep the Bears from leaving the state.

“It wasn’t about Arlington Heights versus Chicago any longer. This is now about keeping one of the most fabulous franchises in the whole NFL here in Illinois,” Tinaglia said.

The mayor said Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) have been the key negotiators to make a deal to keep the Bears in Illinois happen-

The Illinois legislative session ends May 31, but Tinaglia said a stadium deal needs to move forward in the next two weeks to bring the Bears to Arlington Heights and avoid losing them to Indiana.

“If we can get that done sometime before the end of the month, the hope is that we actually have a vote and kind of rest the concerns of the team,” he said.

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Illinois

Illinois basketball vs VCU how to watch, series history, and players to watch

Published

20 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

Illinois basketball vs VCU how to watch, series history, and players to watch

Illinois basketball got a big win on Thursday night, but the celebrating is now over, as VCU awaits.

The Illini looked incredible against Penn. This is exactly what I was hoping for, and now Illinois gets a chance to knock off another double-digit seed to advance to the Sweet 16.

VCU is clearly tough, though. They knocked off a talented North Carolina squad in the first round, and now they have even more confidence. Illinois has to be ready for a battle.

Here is the Illinois basketball vs VCU how to watch, series history, and players to watch

Illinois basketball vs VCU – How to watch

Illinois moved on to the Round of 32, and the No. 3 seed will now face No. 11 VCU. This is a massive game that will decide which program moves on to the second weekend and the Sweet 16.

The Illinois vs VCU contest will take place on Saturday, March 21, at 6:50 p.m. CT/7:50 p.m. ET. We get the main channel, as CBS will televise the big matchup.

Illinois basketball vs VCU – Series history

I want to say there is a long history between Illinois and VCU. These two teams have been around the basketball universe for a while, but there has only ever been one matchup.

Illinois and VCU played in Miami, Florida, back in December 2016. Led by some incredible defense, the Illini took out the Rams, 64-46.

So, what I am saying is that Illinois is undefeated against VCU.

Illinois basketball vs VCU – Players to watch

I think the first player you have to recognize is Terrence Hill Jr. Illinois is familiar with getting to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament with a Terrance Shannon Jr., but it seems that Hill is just as electric.

In the game against North Carolina, Hill was going off. He can shoot from anywhere, and he has the stones to just lob shots up when you are least expecting it. For the season, he is averaging 14.9 points per game, but he showed up in a big way in the biggest spotlight against the Tar Heels, dropping 34 points and shooting 7-of-10 from three-point range.

I am interested in seeing how VCU’s big man, Lazar Djokovic, does against Illinois’ size. He stands at 6-foot-11, and I was impressed with Djokovic against North Carolina. This kid can play.

Illinois could give VCU some problems with our size. Throwing two 7-foot-1 or bigger players at them could cause problems. I think the Illini guard length will also be a bit of a shock.

I think David Mirkovic could feast once again. Djokovic might be wrapped up in guarding Tomislav Ivisic, so Mirkovic can bully his way into the paint. That might end up being the game plan on Saturday.

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Illinois

Joliet City Council approves plans for Illinois’ largest data center

Published

1 day ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

Joliet City Council approves plans for Illinois’ largest data center

March 19, 2026 / 6:57 PM CDT
/ CBS Chicago

The Joliet City Council on Thursday approved plans for a 795-acre data center, which would be the largest such facility in Illinois.

The proposed site would go in a rural field right next to the Chicagoland Speedway at the intersection of Rowell and Bernhard roads. That’s where 24 buildings housing the equipment would be built. The developer, HW Technology Park Development LLC, said the project would be up and running in 2030.

“This annexation agreement sets clear expectations for infrastructure, services, and community benefits while helping ensure the project moves forward in a responsible way,” Joliet City Manager Beth Beatty said in a statement. “It also delivers substantial new revenue for local taxing bodies and longterm financial benefits for the community.”

At a public hearing on the data center on Monday, Joliet officials listened to several hours of comments from the public, mostly from people opposed to the data center over concerns about its impact on health and utility bills.

“I just want to make sure that when we make decisions that are huge like this, that we have all the information,” said Sean Richards, who lives in neighboring Lockport and believes the new data center would have broader impacts and health risks for kids. “The people in here that are voting yes or no, I did not elect them, but yet they are making decisions that will directly affect people in Lockport, and New Lenox, and in Elwood and other municipalities.”

ComEd officials said the energy needed to keep the center operating would not raise electric bills for residents or businesses. The developer said no water would be needed to cool the facility, only to get it up and running. They also said it could bring Joliet $2 billion in tax revenue.

Joliet officials estimated the project would create 7,000 to 10,000 construction jobs and 700 permanent jobs. The developer also has pledged $100 million to improve sidewalks, streets, and other city services in Joliet.

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