Lovie Smith is a good coach, that’s it, that’s the reason
Lovie Smith said that even though Ohio State's run defense has been stronger than its pass defense, that's not going to change Illinois' philosophy on offense. “We want to establish the run … we're not going to throw the ball 70 times a game.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 23, 2020
Lovie Smith is a good coach, he has been a good coach and he will remain so. Players tend to play quite hard for him and love him. Smith has always been one of those coaches that just gets what he wants out of players and sticks to his game plan, which is usually pretty solid. With Ryan Day out, I think Lovie might take advantage of it as much as he can from a coaching standpoint.
Smith was a winning coach with the Bears and now he is rebuilding the Fighting Illini into a viable program. While he still has work to do, you can see his team getting better every week. It is the little things he hones in on with his players that do make differences. I am not sure it will be enough, but Smith being Smith has to be considered.
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