On Location: Illinois’ Glow After Beating Rival Iowa

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois. Ron Zook coached with a fire in his belly, and 60,000+ fans in Memorial Stadium personified that fire on a perfect fall afternoon for a classic Big Ten showdown. The stadium brimmed with orange jerseys and was accented by rival Iowa’s legion in black, which resembled a bed of hot coals just waiting for something to ignite its kinetic potential. Illinois’ anticipation of this game stemmed from a handful of bitter tasting defeats handed to them five years running by the Hawkeyes.

“I hate Iowa…I don’t know, it’s just something about Iowa. Last year, how they rushed the field, I just have some big thing against Iowa…I just don’t like Iowa.” commented wide receiver Arrelious Benn after the game, a sentiment apparently shared by his teammates, “…Iowa’s going to be off our schedule for three years and the seniors never beat Iowa, but now they have. Iowa thinks they’re a team that’s better than us…it has a lot to do with last year, through the week they talked a lot of trash.”

Up until the second half, the game moved quietly, as Iowa’s defensive front seven was able to limit Illinois’ spread attack. Surprisingly, the Illini defense was in control of the game, holding the Hawkeyes to three made field goals (and one miss) in four red zone attempts while folding in an interception. Illinois led 10-9 midway through the third quarter in mostly a defensive struggle. Iowa used running back Shonn Greene (21, 103 yards, one touchdown) to push their offensive agenda and utilized the play-action pass to move the ball in the first half. However, great second half adjustments by the Illinois secondary essentially stymied their opposition – by playing mostly man-under two, Iowa quarterback Ricky Stenzi (11-29, 191 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) could rarely find open receivers, in which led to sacks, forced scrambles, short dump-offs to the tight ends or incomplete passes.

With Illinois starting to click on offense, quarterback Juice Williams (22/37, 272 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) took advantage of some broken coverage in the Iowa secondary to find a wide-open Fred Sykes for a 50-yard touchdown. On the ensuing Iowa possession, with the Hawkeyes down 17-9 early in the fourth quarter at their own 15, defensive back Dere Hicks sacked Stanzi, forced a fumble and dashed in to the end zone from seven yards out for a seemingly back-breaking score. It looked as if the fourth quarter would belong to the home team in a pull away win.

But Iowa responded immediately with an efficient 64-yard drive, taking only four plays and consuming only 2:14 of game clock. Wide receiver Andy Brodell caught a pass and scooted around the defense into the end zone on a 29-yard reception. The teams then traded punts as the clock wore down to the four-minute mark, when Iowa’s chance at a complete comeback fell upon them. On second and six from their own 33, Josh Ford took a handoff from Williams and fumbled. Fortunately for Ford, it was recovered by the Hawkeyes and three rushes later, Iowa hit pay dirt on a five-yard sweep off the strong side by Greene. Down 24-22, the Hawkeyes had to go for two and Stanzi found tight end Allen Reisner open in the end zone for the conversion to tie the game at 24.

With 2:46 left in the contest and starting at their own 20, Illinois took the field for the final time against the conference-leading scoring defense. On ten consecutive passes, followed by a five-yard run by Mikel LeShoure, Williams guided the Illini down to the Iowa 29, setting up kicker Matt Eller with a 46-yard field goal attempt with :28 on the clock. Cool and collected, Eller split the uprights, sending Memorial Stadium and the Illini bench in to a celebratory frenzy. When Zook was asked what he said to Eller before the kick, the coach remarked, “Matt, how long you been waiting for this moment…he kinda laughed…if Matt keeps his head down, I don’t have much of a concern.”

The game was finally sealed when Stanzi was intercepted by Vontae Davis.

Afterwards, Coach Zook commented about the tone of the game, which seemed to coincide with Benn’s belief they were battling through a bitter rivalry, “Both teams played until the end…that’s a Big Ten game right there, a 60-minute game, lining up and trying to knock the crap out of each other. This was the hardest hitting game to date.”

As a result of the hard-fought win, Illinois (5-4) took a step closer to bowl eligibility and climbed up one more rung in the Big Ten standings. Coach Zook refused to call this a “must-win” game, but now sees the remainder of the season set up, “We’re coming into our own…this is going to be a heck of a stretch for us…whatever we need to do for 21 days.” After this win, there’s no need to wonder where the team is emotionally - you can tell by the glow emanating from Arrelious Benn’s face (sporting athletic contact lenses in a spooky shade of orange) or by the newly-stoked fire in their eyes.

Photo Credit: Illinois Sports Information

CFI RANKINGS: #10 ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI

2007 RECORD: 9-4; BIG TEN: 6-2
Lost Rose Bowl vs. USC 49-17
LOCATION: Champaign, Illinois
STADIUM: Memorial Stadium (65,000)
HEAD COACH: Ron Zook
OVERALL: 36-37 (6 seasons)
AT ILLINOIS: 13-23 (3 seasons)

We knew Ron Zook could recruit—see the 2006 BCS Champion Florida Gators—but last season Zook showed us that he can in fact coach a little too. When he arrived in Champaign, the Illini were coming off back-to-back losing seasons in which they combined to win four games (19 losses). It wasn’t a quick turnaround for the Zooker—he won four games in his first two seasons (19 losses)—but quietly he was building the foundation. Last year Illinois broke through, not only qualifying for a bowl, but the Rose Bowl. They won nine games which, if you do your math right, is one more than the previous four seasons combined.

WHEN THE ILLINI HAVE THE BALL

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Mike Locksley (4th Season)
OFFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 7
KEY LOSSES: Rashad Mendenhall, Martin O’Donnell, Akim Millington, Jacob Willis

Rashad Mendenhall is a big loss, but don’t shed too many tears for the Illini’s rushing attack. They return three-fifths of their offensive line and in Juice Williams they have one of the nation’s top running quarterbacks. Williams has a thick lower body which allows him to use his power as well as his athleticism to break tackles. Williams also does not run simply to pad his numbers, but when the team needs him the most—his yards count. Replacing Mendenhall will likely fall to more than one man. Senior RB Daniel Dufrens showed glimpses of his breakaway ability in backup duty. Freshmen Mikel LeShoure, Troy Pollard and Jason Ford will get their chances, with LeShoure packing a big punch at 240 pounds. Williams is still a work in progress as a passer, but the arm strength and potential are there. Sophomore WR Arrelious Benn was as good as advertised and should even better in year number two as a starter now that he is completely healthy. Jeff Cumberland has potential and was underutilized last season.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) WR Arrelious Benn (SO), 2) TE/WR Jeff Cumberland (JR)

WHEN THE OTHER TEAM HAS THE BALL

CO-DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dan Disch (2nd Season/4th at Illinois)
CO-DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Curt Mallory (2nd Season/4th at Illinois)
DEFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 6
KEY LOSSES: J Leman, Antonio Steele, Justin Harrison, Kevin Mitchell, Justin Sanders

Up front, none of their players would be described as spectacular, but they have an excellent rotation at defensive end, led by seniors Will Davis and Derek Walker sharing time with junior Doug Pilcher. Davis is their top pass rusher, with Pilcher providing some big plays off the bench. In the interior, senior DT David Lindquist is their top run stuffer. The back seven features two of the most physically gifted and talented defenders in the nation in junior CB Vontae Davis and sophomore LB Martez Wilson. Davis is further ahead of the curve with two years of experience as a starter, while Wilson is more of a raw talent still learning the ropes. Both are explosive and potential difference makers. Leading the group in the huddle will be senior Brit Miller, who slides over from OLB to MIKE, taking the place of J Leman. They have talent at safety, but they are unproven. Whether it be at safety or sprinkled in the front seven, expect an influx of young talent on the defensive side of the ball.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) CB Vontae Davis (JR), 2) LB Martez Wilson (SO)

THE SCHEDULE

The Illini have a chance to show the college football world that last season was not a fluke when they take on “Arch” rival Missouri to kick off the season. Last season neither team was ranked to start the year…this time around, both are. One thing is for sure—if they are to reach nine wins again, the Illini will have to earn it. They must visit Penn St., Michigan and Wisconsin, with their trips to Happy Valley and Ann Arbor kicking off their conference schedule. That’s four foes in the preseason Coaches Poll before the calendar turns to November. In the season’s final month, they finally play a ranked opponent in the friendly confines as the Ohio St. Buckeyes make a visit.

PIVOTAL POINT

A more well-rounded Juice: Williams has been receiving high praise for his play in camp and is coming off a scrimmage in which he completed 16-of-25 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns (no interceptions). He can do it, he’s done it before, he just needs to do it on a more consistent bases. Against the No. 1 ranked Ohio St. Buckeyes, Williams threw four touchdown passes and no interceptions, handing the Buckeyes their lone regular season loss. However, in the Illini’s other 12 games, his TD-INT ratio was 9-12, which is simply unacceptable. His completion percentage of 57.3 also will not cut it if Illinois is to take the next step.

CFI FINAL ANALYSIS

The Illini may have arrived a bit ahead of schedule last season. Some might even say they were exposed by the Men of Troy in the Rose Bowl…but not so fast my friends. Although the Illini may not improve upon their 9 wins from last season, there's no reason to think they can't at least match it. With three tough tests in their first five games, the learning curve is steep, but no one can deny the playmakers are in place. Illinois is a sleeper in the Big Ten.

Photo Credit: University of Illinois

Zook, Mendenhall honored in Big Ten

PARK RIDGE, Ill. (AP) - Illinois coach Ron Zook, his star running back Rashard Mendenhall and Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis were honored Monday night as the Big Ten announced its 2007 all-conference team.

Zook was named the Dave McClain coach of the year by members of the media for leading the Illini to a 9-3 record that included an upset of then top-ranked Ohio State.

Mendenhall was named offensive player of the year and Laurinaitis was chosen defensive player of the year in balloting for both the media and coaches.

Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long was named offensive lineman of the year for a second straight season, while Vernon Gholston of conference champion Ohio State was tabbed defensive lineman of the year by the coaches.

Ohio State has won back-to-back outright titles for the first time since 1954 and 1955 and Laurinaitis was a big reason. He led the Buckeyes with 103 tackles and had five sacks. His teammate Gholston had 10 sacks during conference play.

Mendenhall broke school single-season records for rushing yards, leading the Big Ten with 1,526 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.

In addition to Mendenhall and Zook, the Illini garnered another honor: Arrelious Benn was named freshman of the year after catching 49 passes and being a threat on kick returns.

Zook guided the Illini, which won only two games last season, to a seven-win improvement in his third season on the job and has the program headed to a bowl game. Besides beating the Buckeyes in Columbus, they also defeated Penn State and Wisconsin this season.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: University of Illinois

The Buckeye stops here: Illinois topples No. 1 Ohio St.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- In this season of upsets, top-ranked Ohio State was the latest to fall.

Juice Williams provided the big plays on the ground and through the air, spurring Illinois to a stunning 28-21 victory on Saturday night and throwing open the national title race.

It was the first time Illinois (8-3, 5-2 Big Ten) had ever beaten a No. 1, losing all 17 previous games. The defeat also ended a record streak of 20 Big Ten wins in a row by Ohio State (10-1, 6-1).

Williams, criticized all year because of his errant passing, tossed four touchdown passes. On the Illini's last drive, Williams used his leg to keep the ball away from the Buckeyes, running for several first downs and burning up the final 8:09.

The Buckeyes, who were in first-place in the BCS standings and two victories away from a second consecutive trip to the national title game, became the second No. 1 to lose this season. Only Kansas and Hawaii remain unbeaten in major college football.

Who will be No. 1 now. Maybe, LSU - again. The Tigers lost as the top-ranked team to Kentucky earlier in the season. Count Oregon, Oklahoma, Missouri and even West Virginia among the others happy to see the Buckeyes get beat. All now have a better chance at reaching the national title game, thanks to coach Ron Zook's Illini.

The Illini rushed for 260 yards against an Ohio State defense that came in allowing just 65 yards on the ground per game. Rashard Mendenhall set an Illinois season record while rushing for 88 yards on 26 carries.

Although the defeat crippled Ohio State's dreams of a national championship, it merely knocked them into a tie for the top spot in the Big Ten because of Michigan's earlier loss to Wisconsin.

Not since Nov. 14, 1959, had Michigan and Ohio State both lost the week before their annual year-end grudge match, which once again this season will decide the champion.

But this was not the way either team wanted to come into the game.

Marcus Thomas' second interception of the game gave Illinois the ball with 8:09 left at its own 24. And Ohio State would never get it back.

The Illini lined up to punt on a fourth-and-inches at their own 34 with 6:53 left, but Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel called timeout and Zook reconsidered after being prodded by his quarterback.

``I will get it,'' Zook said the sophomore quarterback told him. ``You better get it,'' the coach said told Williams.

Williams sneaked for the first down and twice more he converted third-and-long on quarterback draws.

After the game, Illinois players flooded the field to celebrate at midfield. The two teams got into a small skirmish before order was restored.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: Collegiate Images

Zook showing what he can do at Illinois

By NANCY ARMOUR
AP National Writer

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Back in the dark, awkward days after Ron Zook had been fired as Florida coach but not yet banished from Gainesville, his wife Denise was flipping through a magazine when she spotted a small, clear block with a single word on it.

Believe.

Without saying anything to her husband, she ordered 10 of the blocks, hoping to give them out as Christmas presents.

``I really believed Ron would have another staff,'' Denise Zook said Tuesday. ``I thought, `OK, by Christmas, if he has another staff, then I will give this to him.' And he did.''

It would have been easy - understandable, even - for Zook to head back to the quiet comfort of the NFL after his disastrous three years at Florida and the unrelenting criticism that went along with them.

For Zook, though, believe is more than just a quaint slogan to put on his desk. He believed he had the right plan at Florida, and while it didn't work out there, he truly believed it would somewhere else.

Even a place like Illinois, where success has been a once-in-a-decade thing, at best.

Midway through his third season, Zook has people believing in him again. The Illini are 5-1 - one victory better than the Gators - and tied with perennial powerhouses Ohio State and Michigan atop the Big Ten. At No. 18, they're back in the Top 25 for the first time since 2001 after beating Wisconsin, their second straight win over a ranked team.

And Zook is attracting talented young players that could make the Illini a force for seasons to come, just as he did at Florida, even if he didn't get to stick around long enough to reap the benefits.

``This hasn't been a fluke,'' Zook said of his Illini. ``They've worked hard and they are a good football team. Now, are we where we need to be? No. But we've made progress. And they're doing it. It's not by luck, it's them doing it.

``It's like a light flicker. It's still not on bright yet, but it's flickering.''

Zook was a lifetime assistant when Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley hired him to replace Steve Spurrier in January 2002, and his days were numbered from the minute he accepted the job.

Following someone as revered as Spurrier is impossible enough, but Zook had never been a head coach before and Florida fans - not exactly a patient bunch - were certain he was in over his head. He'd barely gotten to Gainesville when www.fireronzook.com was up and running.

Though he led Florida to three straight bowl appearances and a share of the 2003 SEC East title, and solidified a reputation as a tireless and effective recruiter, the Gators took a step back under Zook. They lost 14 games over three years - as many as Spurrier did in his last six seasons. Maybe worse, they often looked boring and confused doing it. A program that had reshaped the way college football was played in the Southeastern Conference was now nothing special.

After a loss to lowly Mississippi State in October 2005, Foley fired Zook, saying that ``something's not working here.'' With four games still left, Zook agreed to stay on through the rest of the season.

``Hardest thing I ever did,'' he said. ``No one that I knew except maybe Denise wanted me to finish that season. No one. ... (But) all you have is your word.''

He wasn't out of work for long. Six weeks after being fired at Florida, he was hired at Illinois.

To many, it seemed like another no-win job. The good old days of Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke and Red Grange were long gone. The Illini had two winning seasons in the 10 years before Zook arrived, and hadn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1983.

``It's the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with,'' fifth-year senior linebacker J Leman said. ``Eight (wins) in four years. That's awful.''

But Zook saw great potential at Illinois.

``It's like I told our players, `Who says? Do you believe it? Do you believe that it can or do you believe that it can't?''' he said. ``We have everything that everyone else has. People don't want to accept that, people don't want to buy that, and that's why we're not there yet. That's why it's so hard. We've got to keep knocking down. Until we get there, we've got to keep knocking them down.''

Zook's first task was to get better players. Though the Illini had good players here and there, they needed more athleticism and depth.

In his first season, Zook landed quarterback Isiah ``Juice'' Williams and defensive back Vontae Davis. Last year he got Arrelious Benn, Davis' high school teammate and one of the best receivers in the country, and beat out Notre Dame for Martez Wilson, one of the top defensive linemen.

That high-profile recruits were suddenly flocking to the flat lands of central Illinois raised eyebrows, and Zook found himself defending his recruiting methods. Never mind that he'd done the same thing at Florida; Zook recruited most of last year's national championship team.

``A lot of times when a program comes up quickly, there are going to be criticisms,'' recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. ``There's never even been slaps on the wrist where he's been. I think it's just jealousy. Zook has a personality that draws kids.''

With Illinois losing his first two seasons, Zook also found himself again battling the perception that he was great at recruiting, not so great on game days.

``I'm not going to say that that didn't bother me,'' he said. ``If you truly believe in what you're about and if you truly believe in what you're doing, somehow you have to put that out of your mind and your faith has to be strong enough that you can do that.''

Though Illinois won only two games for a second straight year last season, Zook said repeatedly his team was getting close. When the Illini lost to now No. 11 Missouri by six points in the opener, he knew his team was on the verge of a turnaround.

Sure enough, after winning its next three games, the Illini beat Penn State and snapped then-No. 5 Wisconsin's 14-game winning streak. It was the first time Illinois had beaten ranked teams in back-to-back weekends since 1959, and the first win over a top-five team since 1989.

Benn is drawing raves from just about everyone who sees him, and Rashard Mendenhall, who Zook inherited, has established himself as one of the best running backs in the country. Someone even asked Zook on Tuesday if Illinois should be touting him for the Heisman Trophy.

``It's very satisfying,'' linebacker Brit Miller said. ``We're up there with the Ohio States and Michigans, the teams that have been in places above us. Finally we've got something to be proud of at the University of Illinois.''

The Illini travel this weekend to Iowa, a team they haven't beat since 2000, and still must play Michigan and at Ohio State.

``It's important they understand they have accomplished some things lot of people didn't think they could,'' Zook said. ``They also have to understand we have not really accomplished anything yet in terms of something we can enjoy at the end of season.''

That means doing the same things they've been doing, the things that, deep down, they know work.

It means believing, even when other people don't.

``People think I'm crazy, but (getting fired) is the best thing that ever happened to us,'' Zook said. ``When this thing gets rolling like it's going to, it's going to be a lot of fun.''

Source: ncaafootball.com