Big Ten Conference Open Preview: Spoiler Alerts

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

When was this torch officially passed, the one that said, “Oh, we’re really good, but it just doesn’t show up in the records for our teams because they beat each other up in conference play”, from the Big Ten to the SEC? Isn’t it interesting how the Big Ten was ONCE considered so tough near the top that we excused conference losses because the competition was that deep? Contrast to nowadays where pundits dismiss the Big Ten by stating that the teams at the top lose to their rivaled foes because the conference is so weak. Certainly the last few years have been plagued by a lack of national attention (beyond Ohio State), and the only real exception I would argue was 2006 when number one Ohio State hosted and defeated number two Michigan in The Game, essentially knocking the Wolverines out of the National Title game, despite a one-loss Florida sliding in place (of course it didn’t help that Florida eventually went on to dismantle the Buckeyes. But let’s forget that for the moment.).

Nonetheless, we come across a make-or-break weekend right off the bat for the conference elite where only time will tell if this week was tough-versus-tough or meek-versus-meek. In the pre-season I dubbed this the “spoiler alert” weekend where the underdogs have a decent chance of wreaking havoc on the favorites:

Iowa at Penn State: I don’t want to get in the way of the importance of this game early in the season. Although Penn State can’t erase their sole conference loss from last year, they can send a message early and convince doubters that the team has patched up the cracks in their units, namely power rushing and unproven pass defense. Iowa has recovered nicely from the opening day scare against Northern Iowa. As important as the notches in the win column is the development of their offense. Shonn Greene is missed in the backfield thus far (3.8 yards/carry), but the Hawkeyes are still managing to put points on the board (26 points/game). What to watch for: Make no mistake that the best units on the field for both teams will be their defenses. Penn State has given up only 20 points in three games and is yet to surrender a rushing touchdown. The huge question marks, however, is the health of linebackers Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman (Lee is unlikely to play and Bowman is probable). The Hawkeyes have been brilliant stopping aerial attacks, which have only completed 48 percent passing and 5.1 yards/attempt. The big turnover killed Penn State’s chances last year and Iowa looks to be ball-hawking thus far (six interceptions, two fumbles). As this will be defense versus defense, the key to the game will be which offense escapes making the big mistake. Look for the ability of Penn State’s Daryll Clark to be the playmaking quarterback while looking for Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi to be the protector of the ball, limiting big plays by the Nittany Lions’ defense.
Prediction: Home team wins in the rocking Whitehouse. Penn State 24, Iowa 13

Illinois at Ohio State: The injury bug has seemed to nest and multiply within the Champaign community. Quarterback Juice Williams, receiver Arrelious Benn and linebacker Martez Wilson (out for the year) have all lost significant playing time in this young season. Losing Wilson is back-breaking for the defense that has given up a whopping 680 yards passing between Missouri and Illinois St. Against a quality opponent in Missouri, Williams was mediocre with 179 yards and one interception (albeit without Benn for most of the game), and the Illinois State game proves nothing as the team thrived despite Williams’ absence. The week off with a bye certainly helped. For the Buckeyes, they brushed up nicely ripping Toledo with a 38-0 shutout. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor showcased his athletic abilities, finally eclipsing 100 yards rushing. I say finally, because this should be at least a threat for every opponent trying to gameplan against the Buckeyes. What to watch for: The quarterbacks. This is somewhat obvious and a safe call, but the best player on both teams happens to be the guy holding the ball after every snap. I am unsettled by Pryor’s two interceptions last week (he hasn’t had an interception-free game yet this year and is one behind Purdue’s Joey Elliott for forking the ball over to the other team through the air the most in the conference). On the flip-side, Pryor leads the Big Ten in total offense (263 total yards/game). With Williams healthy, the outcome of the game will undoubtedly come down to which athlete does the most damage.
Prediction: Ohio State pitched a shutout last week and has seemed to shaken the cob-webs from their home loss to USC two weeks ago. Illinois is still settling into the season with the discontinuity brought about from injuries.
Ohio State 33, Illinois 21

Notre Dame at Purdue: The Fighting Irish (2-1) march in to West Lafayette after escaping a last second drive by Michigan State last week. Notre Dame looks to be quickly evolving with the loss of wide receiver Michael Floyd on the outside and the addition of a more determined rushing attack lead by Armando Allen. Allen (23-for 115 yards and one touchdown last week) has strung together back-to-back 100 yard rushing games (both against Big Ten foes), something escaping his early career. In fact, the only game he rushed over 73 yards last year was against, well, Purdue and he went bananas (17-for-134 yards, one touchdown). Purdue (1-2) is already reeling after a tough loss to Northern Illinois last week, tallying their second loss in as many weeks. The big alarm here is surrendering 454 total yards, 270 of them on the ground. This also spelled a huge time-of-possession deficit of nearly 2:1 (18:20). What to watch for: Obviously I see this coming down to how well Purdue can stop Allen, who is not 100 percent nursing a sore ankle. Surprisingly I previewed Notre Dame without talking about Jimmy Clausen, but I guess I just did. But I feel that Charlie Weis has decided to balance out his offensive scheme by folding in more action from the backfield. Allen is rushing well and that will set up the play-action for wideout Golden Tate deep or tight end Kyle Rudolph over the top of the biting linebackers. If Purdue loses the time of possession battle again, that will spell disaster for a tiring defense playing against a potent offense like Notre Dame’s. To this end, I also expect Purdue to pound the ball themselves, as they are averaging 210 yards on the ground.
Prediction: Purdue hasn’t shown the defensive prowess to slow down anyone, so I don’t expect much of a change with a visit from the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame 34, Purdue 20

Michigan State at Wisconsin: What to watch for: Wisconsin’s 200 yards rushing per game behind tailbacks Zach Brown and John Clay versus the Spartans' stingy rush defense (87 yards/game, 2.8 yards/carry). If the Badgers stall rushing, fear not, Michigan State’s Achilles’ heel so far has been stopping talented quarterbacks. Can the Badgers’ signal caller Scott Tolzien carry the load if called upon? For Michigan State, their quarterback combination has been successful (eight touchdowns, one interception, converting the most first downs in the conference passing with 44). Also, penalties may come in to play–Michigan state opponents are tops in penalties committed (24 total, 76.7 yards/game) and Wisconsin is ninth in the conference in penalties committed (19 total, 61.7 yards/game)
Prediction: Michigan State 30, Wisconsin 27

Indiana at Michigan: What to watch for: Indiana leads the conference in three categories–kickoff returns (27.9 avergae), turnover margin (plus three) and sacks against (one, for one yard loss). In fact, if there were a sack margin (sacks for – sacks against) Indiana would be tops with a +8 (followed by Michigan State at +7). Defensive ends Jammie Kilrew and Greg Middleton are as good as it gets as a duo off the edge (Can Tate Forcier be more consistent in his crash-reads of one of the ends? This may be a very intriguing individual offense-defense match-up). Michigan’s offensive line is credible, but suffered a big loss with an injury to center David Molk. So the battle in trenches should be the marquee for the match-up in Ann Arbor. If Michigan’s quarterbacks find more time looking up at the sky from ground, the Hoosiers may be able to hang tough. I am tremendously skeptical of that fact considering the team speed and athleticism heavily tilted towards Michigan.
Prediction: Michigan 28, Indiana 10

Minnesota at Northwestern: What to watch for: I was looking forward to this game during the pre-season because of the potential both squads posed heading in to the season. But after disappointing losses last week for both teams, the luster has worn just a bit. Northwestern’s gunslinger Mike Kafka has filled in nicely for the graduated C.J. Bacher, completing 75 percent of his passes for almost 250 yards/game (second in the Big Ten), with a conference leading 164.9 passing efficiency (which includes some statistical combination of blue moons, green diamonds and purple horseshoes). He’s managed to distribute the ball evenly amongst his receiving corps as four wideouts have hauled in at least 10 receptions so far. For the Gophers, they have also celebrated a strong passing attack, although quarterback Adam Weber has again fallen in love with senior receiver Erick Decker (27 receptions, 415 yards, two touchdowns). Will this game be a shootout? I doubt it; I feel that the Gophers are begrudgingly trying to prove they can play smashmouth football by running right at their opponents and failing. (Dead last in the conference with 85.7 yards/game).
Prediction: Northwestern is coming in with a better defense, which will again expose Minnesota’s one-sided offense. Northwestern 17, Minnesota 9

Photos Courtesy of Mark Selders/Penn State Athletic Communications & Michigan State Athletic Communications

Big Ten Week 1 Review: Signal Callers Driving Outcomes Early

By JOHN SEARS * BIG TEN INSIDER

As it stands, the Big Ten’s identity, or identity crisis, has recently been described politely as “smash-mouth” or impolitely as “slow”, “vanilla”, or “pig-wrestling in a corn field”. Last year further supported such monikers as only one quarterback passed for over 3,000 yards (Illinois Juice Williams with 3,173) or more than 20 touchdowns (Williams again with 22). Big Ten quarterbacks yielded only two members of the 1,000-yard receiving club (Minnesota’s Eric Decker with 1,074 yards, Illinois’ Arrelious Benn with 1,055). In contrast, six teams were represented by running backs that racked up at least 1,100 yards rushing, maxing out at 1,850 by Iowa’s Shonn Greene and 2,045 yards by Wisconsin’s tandem of P.J. Hill and John Clay. Five backs rushed for over ten touchdowns and two (Greene with 20 and Michigan State’s Javon Ringer with 22) hit pay dirt at least 20 times. Let’s just call 2008 a year that slanted toward the run. Fair enough?

Check opening day, 2009, for these same teams and you will find that quarterbacks are taking center stage in piling up notable statistics and more importantly, driving their team’s success. Against modest opponents to be sure, but the quarterbacks showed they may be destined take the spotlight off of Big Ten running backs. Consider: Michigan State rolled out unproven quarterbacks that just so happened to combine for 318 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions (Keith Nichol: 9/18, 135 yards, 2 touchdowns, Kirk Cousins: 10/17, 183, 3) in a 44-3 drubbing of Montana State. The Spartans seem to have a most delightful quarterback controversy to start the season, but the maize and blue also swapped out a pair of freshmen who dazzled in complementary fashions. Tate Forcier, in what amounted to a half a game, completed 65 percent of his passes (13/20) for 179 yards, three scores, and no giveaways. Dernard Robinson, on the other hand, scored by fleeted foot, seemingly (un)tied to an ACME rocket as he scorched the Western Michigan defense on a 42-yard quarterback keeper. Michigan trounced the Broncos, 31-7.

And let’s not forget that the leader of last year’s conference champs, Penn State’s Daryll Clark, has returned for one final go-around. Despite losing his dominant receiving trio of 2008, Clark played well in a breezy win against Akron (31-7) in the presence of a sluggish running game, tossing the pigskin for 353 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Even the perennial ground-grinders in Madison managed 281 yards throwing (Scott Tulzien 15/20, 257 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) in their opening 28-20 win over Northern Illinois. Indiana’s Ben Chappell did eclipse 300 yards (27/36, 326 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) in a sleepy victory over Eastern Kentucky 19-13.

Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi (242 yards) and Minnesota’s Adam Weber (248 yards), in pedestrian performances in sloppy wins over Northern Iowa and Syracuse respectively, still managed almost 250 yards through the air and one touchdown apiece. Northwestern pieced together 264 yards through the air and a score between Mike Kafka and Dan Persa in a 47-14 runaway victory over Towson. And Joey Elliott of Purdue showed magnificent technique handing the ball off 36 times for 320 yards, mostly to Ralph Bolden (21-234, two touchdowns). When needed, Elliott also tossed three touchdowns in a score-fest 52-31 victory over Toledo. All this success by Big Ten quarterbacks without mentioning the two (Williams, Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor) picked to be top performers and potential award winners at season’s end? Pryor, in a too-close-for-comfort win over Navy, combined for 204 yards and two scores…but it would have been nice to see him go without an interception on opening day with a Trojan invasion coming quickly. Williams, with the potential excuse that his number one target (Benn) and running back (Jason Ford) were unavailable for the second half, struggled to combine for 206 yards and one interception in a disappointing loss to Missouri, 37-9.

I am confident Williams and Pryor will improve upon their numbers last week and provide game-changing abilities week-in and week-out in the coming months. What’s more intriguing are the abilities shown by the rest of the conference’s gunslingers. Can the signal callers help the conference turn the corner offensively with some high octane, or will the Big Ten still be sitting around in the pig pen asking, “Who’s next?” come season’s end?

Photos Courtesy of University of Minnesota Athletic Communications, Iowa Sports Information

Big Ten: The September Start

By JOHN SEARS

Here’s a look at some key early-season matchups and “The Quick Synopsis” of what to look for in each game

September 12th (Redemption Weekend)

Quite simply Michigan and Ohio State need to redeem themselves for their two embarrassing losses last year, on a national stage.

Notre Dame (W) @ Michigan (L): This game is obviously big for the folks from South Bend led by a coaching “intern” as they make a plausible push back in to the BCS and media’s hearts. For Michigan not only is this a chance for them to redeem themselves for last year’s more-turnovers-than-minutes-played fiasco in the mud, it’s a formidable litmus test against a BCS contender.

The Quick Synopsis: 1) Michigan’s youth and inexperience at quarterback versus Jon Tenuta’s zone blitzing scheme and 2) Michigan’s third defensive coordinator, with the newly installed stack defense versus Jimmy Clausen and company. Was the trip to the Hawaii Bowl to end 2008 Clausen’s coming out party (24-28, 413 yards, five touchdowns) or a timely aberration? I am not convinced the maize-and-blue will have the answers to their two questions resolved before week two of the season.

USC (W) @ Ohio State (L): On the Big Ten beat, it is somewhat choking to rehash another Big Time matchup resulting in a Big Ten blunder. 35-3. And no, the Buckeyes didn’t cover the spread (+12). Nonetheless, Ohio State now plays host to the Trojans this go-around and Jim Tressel holds a 54-8 record in Columbus. Redemption is certainly in order to give the Buckeyes (and the conference) an early season lift and to set the stage heading into conference play.

The Quick Synopsis: the quarterback role-reversal – 1) apparently, USC will be going with a freshman signal caller in Matt Barkley, and will do so on the road. Will the Columbus faithful be as welcoming as the Coliseum was for Terrelle Pryor’s freshman start last year? 2) Who is scoring for the Buckeyes? They lost Beanie Wells at running back (team rushing leader), receivers Brian Hartline and Brian Robiskie (team leading receivers), and now the weight falls even more heavily on Pryor to be the playmaker on offense. 3) On defense, can they quickly reload after losing their team tackling leaders James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman? It’s a step-up Saturday for the Buckeyes.

September 19th (Big Ten R-E-S-P-E-C-T Weekend)

These non-conference matchups will set the stage for conference play for the Spartans and Gophers. Wins here will boost each, and infuse a competitive lifeline in to their Big Ten conference aspirations.

Michigan State (L) @ Notre Dame (W): No need to rehash Notre Dame’s need for a Big Ten sweep (Purdue follows for the Irish the following week). But this game is absolutely huge. Michigan State needs this game to prove they have made the leap from a very good team to a possibly great team.

The Quick Synopsis: 1) same goes for the Spartans against the Irish as compared to their “brothers” in Ann Arbor–how will inexperience at quarterback (sophomore Kirk Cousins named starter over sophomore Keith Nichol) be affected by the zone-blitz? 2) How does the running-back-by-committee pan out early on? 3) Can the front seven put pressure on the Notre Dame passing game with the installation of more stunts and blitzes?

Cal (W) @ Minnesota (L): After breaking in the new outdoor, on-campus field against Air Force the week prior, hopefully with a win, the Gophers will have to man up for a visit from a PAC-10 conference contender, Cal, who returns 15 starters from last year (on top of a 9-4 record). Minnesota needs revenge for 2006’s drubbing by the then #22 ranked Golden Bears, which took place in Berkeley. A win here will, well, you get the drill here–it’s all about respect.

The Quick Synopsis: The Gophers are doing a 180-degree swing out of the spread and into a power-running, pro-style attack. How do the Gophers respond 1) with physicality at the line of scrimmage, something stressed under their new offensive scheme? Can they get a good push against Cal’s 3-4 defensive front? 2) How does quarterback Adam Weber look as a drop-back passer? 3) With the focus on the running game, can Duane Bennett break through as an impact runner after missing 2008 with injuries?

September 26th (Spoiler Alert Weekend)

Big Ten conference play starts immediately with upset alerts, one of which being Illinois over Ohio State in Columbus. A loss in the first week of conference play could derail chances for the contenders to make it to the top of the mountain.

Illinois (W) @ Ohio State (L): Juice Williams has done it before, in 2007, and I believe he will do it again—upset the Buckeyes in Columbus. Ohio State, with Laurinaitis and Freeman, were unable to get the ball out of Williams’ hands for the last 8:09 of the game. Williams also passed for four touchdowns. This year, Illinois has two weeks to prepare for the matchup, with a bye on the 19th.

The Quick Synopsis: 1) How Juice goes, so does the team. Will the Buckeyes have the speed and discipline to stop Williams and the read-option? 2) How Pryor goes, so does the team. Will the Illini have the speed and discipline to stop Pryor? 3) How does Ohio State’s secondary match up with Arrelious Benn, Jeff Cumberland, and newcomer Jared Fayson?

Iowa (L) @ Penn State (W): No need to bring up the past for the Nittany Lions. Penn State can avenge their tarnished 2008 with a good old fashioned home thumping under the lights and 110,000 of their closest friends.

The Quick Synopsis: 1) Did Penn State correct the drops that plagued their chances last year? Better yet, have they found receivers who can emerge as viable targets for Daryll Clark? For PSU, projected starting receivers are well over six-feet tall as is their returning tight end, Andrew Quarless (6-5). 2) With Jewel Hampton sidelined for the season, who will replace Shonn Greene (who rushed for 117 yards and two scores against the Nittany Lions last year)? 3) Will Iowa be able to plug up the gaping hole left by the loss of Mitch King and Matt Kroul in the interior of the defense? If not, look for a punishing running attack from the home team.

Notre Dame (W) @ Purdue (L): Notre Dame could potentially be looking at a Big Ten sweep when they travel to take on the Boilermakers. I give Purdue a chance because this is a rivalry and Purdue’s strength lies in their secondary.

The Quick Synopsis: 1) CBs Brandon King and David Pender vs. WRs Michael Floyd and Golden Tate. Who wins? 2) How well can running back Jaycen Taylor stay healthy enough to take some pressure off of quarterback Joey Elliott?

Photos Courtesy of Illinois Sports Information, University of Minnesota Athletic Communications, The Ohio State Department of Athletics

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