Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Football: 5 reasons the Illini need to fire Barry Lunney Jr.

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 27: Chase Brown #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shakes hands with offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. after the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Memorial Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 27: Chase Brown #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shakes hands with offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. after the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Memorial Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Illinois football
Sep 23, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) hands the ball to Illinois Fighting Illini running back Reggie Love III (23) during the fist half against the FL Atlantic Owls at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

It was brutal to watch the Illinois football program flounder in the second half against Purdue over the weekend.

The Illini went into that game as the better team on paper. We had a chance to notch another win under our belts and move to 3-2 and in good position for a bowl game. Even after the first half, this game was still close, and Illinois had a chance to come away with the victory.

Everything collapsed in that second half. It was all led by an Illini offense that couldn’t get out of its own way. One mistake after another led to the ultimate demise. But this game isn’t just a one-off. For me, this has been a trend and it needs to stop.

Here are five reasons why the Illinois football team needs to fire Barry Lunney Jr.

1. 3rd down conversions

Saturday was rock bottom for the Illinois football program, as we let an average Purdue team roll over us, 44-19.

One of the big reasons that the Illini couldn’t get going and failed to make this game competitive is the fact we couldn’t convert on third downs. Not being able to extend drives has been a trend with offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., and is a reason why there needs to be a change.

Against the Boilermakers, Illinois ended the game converting just 2-of-13 third down attempts. What makes these numbers even worse is the fact those two converted third downs came on the second-to-last and the last drives of the game when it was out of hand.

Not being able to convert on third downs is nothing new to the Illinois offense under Lunney. This season, the Illini are only converting 35% of our third downs, which ranks No. 94 in the nation.

Illinois wasn’t much better in 2022 either. We were only converting 37.21% of third downs – No. 81 in the country – last season, and that was with one of the best running backs in the country and the most accurate passer in school history. Let that sink in for a moment.

Lunney isn’t putting the Illinois offense in positions to succeed on third downs. That means we can’t move the ball down the field, and we can’t give our defense some rest. This needs to change.

Home/Illinois Football