Illinitalk

Summer (was it ever really summer?) is winding down, and college football season is nearly here!

So, what should we expect from the Illini this year?

Let's start with the offense. It could be the best in the Big Ten, according to this preview. And why not?

The Illini led the Big Ten in passing yards last year, and now QB Juice Williams is a senior. He can throw, he can run, and he has experience -- both over-achieving and under-achieving. Expect him to be hungry to win. Eddie McGee has proven to be a capable back-up -- also able to run and throw. Look for him in unexpected places again this season...

The wide receivers are considered the most talented group in the conference. They are led by Benn, a junior, in what could easily be his last season. He is fun to watch, and with a couple years of experience, expect him to excel. Especially since Florida transfer Jarred Fayson will be on the field this year and will take some of the pressure off Benn. Jeff Cumberland is an experienced senior and still a big target. And there are plenty of other guys who are capable of making an impact in any given game.

As for the running game, Daniel Dufrene is emerging as the leading running back. But he won't be alone in the backfield, with sophomores Jason Ford, Troy Pollard and Mikel LeShoure and speedy freshman Justin Green also on the roster. Mark Tupper says that Dufrene undertook a summer workout routine similar to the one Rashard Mendenhall took on before his junior season... Here's hopeing Dufrene gets similar results.

The biggest changes from last season's offense is the O-line. Eager to prove they aren't the offensive "question mark," this is big (310 lbs or so) group. Eric Block, a 5th-year senior, takes over under center. Senior right guard Jon Asamoah was named to the Outland Trophy Watch list, an award given to the best interior lineman in college football. And sophomore tackle Jeff Allen is coming off a surprising freshman season, with experience as a 9-game starter.

All that to say that the 2009 Illini should be fun to watch -- especially when they have the ball. This group should be able to put points on the board.

Go Illini!

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Daniel Dufrene, Illini football, Jarred Fayson, Jon Asamoah, Juice Williams

...a great way to see how the Illini took a step in defining themselves on Saturday:

• 431 yards: The new Michigan Stadium record for total yards (310 passing, 121 rushing) by a single player in one game, set by Juice Williams, College Game Day Final helmet sticker recipient
• 431 yards: The most yards by a single player against Michigan, tied by Juice Williams, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week
• 45 points: Most points the Illini have ever scored against the Michigan Wolverines (on the football field, of course)
• 25 points: Most points the Illini have beaten the Wolverines by, tying the 1924 game
• 45 points: Most by a Michigan opponent in the Big House since 1991 (Florida State scored 51)
• 2, 4, 9: Number of sacks (back-to-back), tackles for loss, and total tackles respectively, recorded by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Brit Miller
• 0: Juice interceptions on Saturday
• 122 yards: Rejus Benn career high on 6 catches, and while he didn't have any TDs Saturday, he was a vital part of the offense, as always
• 69 yards: Michigan rushing yards against the Illini defense -- on 35 carries
• 4 sacks: Suffered by Wolverine QB Steven Threet
• 109,750 fans: Number of people in the Big House for Michigan's 2008 Homecoming game against Illinois
• 34 bowls: Streak Michigan is currently riding -- and hoping to continue
• #3: AP ranking of Mizzou, the team the Illini lost to in the season opener
• #6: AP ranking of Penn State, the team the Illini lost to in the Big Ten opener
• 3-2: Current Illini football record, likely to improve over the next couple weeks...

The Illini offense is clicking on all cylinders, the defense is improving (gotta like a goal-line stand at the 6" line, even if they eventually converted on 4th and 1 or so) and the Big Ten race is looking tighter all the time...

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Brit Miller, Illini football, Juice Williams

The Illini football team left for southern California Christmas night. They clearly need time to settle in and develop a routine for the week -- not an issue for the local Trojans. They've seen the sites, met legends, eaten a ridiculous amount of prime rib, made classy impressions, and buckled down in practice.

College football fans around the nation have questions about the Fighting Illini and how they got to the Rose Bowl. They are 13.5 point underdogs -- the biggest spread in any post-season event. Do they have the speed to play USC? The strength? The coaches? Will Mendenhall go pro? When will Mike Locksley get a head coaching job?

We don't have all those answers yet, but with the Zooker, senior leaders like All-American Martin O'Donnell and J Leman, and the freshman confidence of Arrelious Benn, there is plenty of reason for optimism within Illini nation. Benn believes in the Illini -- and he clearly is comfortable that he choose the 9-3 Illini over the 3-9 Irish. And after all, will the Rose Bowl be any tougher than the Ohio State game? What we do know is that Ron Zook never stops coaching or recruiting. Since the Ohio State game, the 2008 recruiting class has improved significantly, so the Illini are gearing up for much more than just one Rose Bowl appearance to cap off an unbelievable season.

I'm gearing up, as well. My tickets are in hand, travel arrangements confirmed, and bag (almost) packed. I look forward to ringing in the Illini New Year at Universal Studios Hollywood with my Illini family. And I can't wait to watch the Illini play in January! See you in Pasadena...

Go Illini!

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Illini football, J Leman, Martin O'Donnell, Ron Zook, Rose Bowl

So says Tupper here. Good. I want them to destroy Iowa.

Kinnick Stadium empty by the start of the 4th quarter (with the exception of Illini fans) would be perfect.

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Juice Williams

19 carries
160 yards
3 TD's
8.2 YPC

BTW, Juice didn't look too hurt during celebration after the game. Let's hope the same goes for Benn.

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Juice Williams, Rashard Mendenhall

Memorial Stadium will be packed. Wisconsin has a 14-game winning streak, a big O-line, and a rushing game ranked 4th in the Big Ten and 21st in the nation. Illinois has a top-25 upset, a future NFL wide receiver who is very happy in Champaign (and who can blame him when you compare Notre Dame's record to the Illini's), and a rushing defense ranked 4th in the Big Ten and 22nd in the nation. Wisconsin could win with better play on defense. Illinois could win with the Mendenhall-Benn recipe they perfected last week.

The first ESPN game of the day, this has promise to be a fun one. Go Illini!

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Illini football

Spring practice has begun for the Illini with Rashard Mendenhall and Arrelious Benn being two of the players expected to step up this year if the Illini are to improve upon last season's win total. And from the sounds of it, Ron Zook is not going to tolerate anyone failing to bring intensity at all times. That is something I appreciate from a head coach.

For those of you wanting to check out Mendenhall, Benn, Juice Williams, and the rest of the team, you have a couple of chances to do so in April. There will be a spring game in Chicago on April 14th followed by a spring game in Champaign on April 21st. For more details, please read the official information below that was sent out by the university:


FIGHTING ILLINI FOOTBALL INVITES FANS TO APRIL 14 CHICAGO SPRING GAME

The Fighting Illini football team will bring a Spring Game to Chicago for what is believed to be the first time since the 1970s. The event will be held at 1 PM on Saturday, April 14 at St. Rita of Cascia High School , a college prep school located in Chicago 's south side. Admission is free.

Combined with Coach Ron Zook's recruiting successes, the Illinois Renaissance project, "construction pricing" including $60 horseshoe season tickets, and an amazing 2007 home schedule (including Michigan , Wisconsin and Penn State ), the Chicago Spring Game serves as yet another example of the energy and excitement that is building around the Fighting Illini football program. The special event further extends the meaning of the 2007 Fighting Illini football theme "It's a Brand New Ballgame" as well as the Illinois Athletics tagline, "Illinois: It's Where We Live. It's Who We Cheer."

"We are fortunate to have a progressive and driven coach like Ron Zook," said Assistant Director of Athletics for Sales and Marketing Chris Hanna. "Coach Zook is passionate about all aspects of Illinois football - from winning games to recruiting to making contact with our fan base and filling Memorial Stadium. We are very excited about both the Chicago Spring Game and the annual Spring Game in Champaign ."

The Fighting Illini will host the Champaign Spring Game at 1 PM on Saturday, April 21 at Memorial Stadium. Admission to the Champaign Spring Game, which also serves as the final spring practice, is $5. The $5 Champaign Spring Game ticket will also allow fans to enter two events that take place just prior to football as part of the Spring Sports Festival. Fans can show their football ticket at Saturday's Noon men's tennis match with Minnesota as well as the Noon softball game against Ohio State for free admission.

The Champaign Spring Game ticket is also good for Friday's (April 20) 6 p.m. softball game against Ohio State , Sunday's (April 22) Noon men's tennis match against Iowa , and Sunday's 11 a.m. softball doubleheader against Penn State . The Champaign Spring Game is sponsored by The News-Gazette, WDWS and WHMS.

Illinois: It's Where We Live. It's Who We Cheer.
GET YOUR TICKETS. NOW!
Call 866-ILLINI1 or buy online at fightingillini.com

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Illini football, Rashard Mendenhall, Spring practice

Ron Zook did the rounds with the Chicago media yesterday. Meanwhile, Charlie Weis was unreachable. Could it be because just about every sports commentator out there, save Jim Rome, said the NY Times story that slammed Illinois on signing day wasn't worth the paper is was printed on and therefore they knew the source? I think one prominent TV personality even went as far as to say that he wouldn't use the story to wrap dead fish in. Classic.

MAJOR SIDENOTE: Consensus in the papers today seems to be that Notre Dame is the source of the mud being thrown at Zook. If that is the case, Notre Dame is actually hurting Benn and Tez even more than Zook.

First of all, the Domers look like sore losers.

Second, and most importantly, they are basically saying Benn and Tez can be bought. Way to try and destroy the character of a couple of young teenagers.

And finally, if all of this is true, Notre Dame lost a bidding war to Illinois? Wow. How pathetic.

But all that seems to be Notre Dame values today.

Below is a summary of some of the great stories out there today with key excerpts from each:

Orlando Sentinel:

Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, the man who hired and fired Zook at UF, has seen this sort of thing before when Gators basketball coach and recruiting dynamo Billy Donovan first began luring top-caliber recruits to downtrodden UF.

"Ron and I may have had our differences, but not for one second do I think he cheats," Foley said. "These are the same sort of knee-jerk accusations they made about Billy at first. They didn't take into consideration that maybe Billy was a great recruiter for a great university in a great league with great facilities and great weather. They just said he must be cheating."

Foley was speaking of established coaches such as Roy Williams (then at Kansas) who began to complain about cheating only after being out-recruited by the young, hard-charging Donovan. According to those close to the Illinois program, it is Notre Dame officials who are leaking negative information about Zook.

This is typical Golden Dome arrogance. How could high-and-mighty Notre Dame lose a recruit to those lowly bumpkins in Illinois?

As somebody who once went on a recruiting trip with Zook, I can tell you how: Because the guy works harder and cares more. I still remember that 13-day span during the May recruiting period before his first UF season when Zook jumped in a car and visited 71 high schools in the state (an average of almost six per day) and gave speeches to 12 Gator Clubs. I'm just guessing Charlie Weis isn't driving alone at midnight through the back roads of Indiana, gulping down convenience-store coffee to try to stay awake.

That's what Ron Zook once did at Florida, and it's what he's doing now at Illinois.

Chicago Sun-Times:

Wilson's father, Michael Whitehead, told the Sun-Times he was shocked when a Notre Dame assistant coach got into a shouting match with a Simeon assistant at their home. The discussion centered on what Illinois football would accomplish during Wilson's time there.
'
'It was like we weren't even in the room,'' said Whitehead, who was taken aback by the argument.

Chicago Tribune:

Zook saw where Irish coach Charlie Weis said the word "commitment" needs to be redefined in recruiting.

It is believed Hughes gave Illinois a "silent" commitment before settling on Notre Dame.

Zook wouldn't confirm that but did say of Weis, "One of those kids that committed to him committed to me before he committed to him. Do I cry about that?"

Through a university spokesman, Weis could not be reached for comment.

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Charlie Weis, Martez Wilson, Notre Dame, Ron Zook

Want some insight into how fine and upstanding the Notre Dame football program's recruiting tactics are? Check out the following excerpt from this story in today's Washington Post (props to the reporter for some good investigative reporting):


"I thought I'd make my decision and that would be it," said Arrelious Benn, who announced his commitment to Illinois on ESPNU on Nov. 9 before graduating from Dunbar in December and enrolling in Champaign last month. After the commitment? "That's when it got worse. These are grown men. Why can't they live with the decision I made?"

Throughout his junior school year, Benn said he had considered Notre Dame his top choice, but when he felt as though the Fighting Irish coaching staff was putting too much pressure on him to commit he stopped considering the school. Once Benn orally committed to Illinois, Notre Dame assistant Peter Vaas continued to pepper Benn with text messages and voice mails, some of which Benn provided to The Post:

"FYI, ILL is telling Robert Hughes that they will build their offense around him? Didn't they tell you that?

Coach Vaas," Vaas wrote Benn on Dec. 17.

Earlier that month, Vaas left this voice message on Benn's phone: "You don't want to do anything except bury your head in the sand. . . . I guess you're not tough enough to compete at the big level."

Vaas, who was let go as quarterbacks coach by the Irish after their 44-14 loss to LSU in the Sugar Bowl, did not deny leaving the messages. He said last night that even though Benn made his announcement on national television, that isn't necessarily a recruit's final word.

"Did he say [he was going to Illinois] to me? Did I see him on TV?" Vaas said. "There's an awful lot of rumors or innuendo out there . . . and kids change their minds after they do that. A lot of times, it depends upon what kind of conviction a kid has about a place. You know how you read between the lines? As a recruiter, I have to hear between the lines."

A Notre Dame spokesman declined to comment last night.

Labels: Arrelious Benn, Notre Dame, Peter Vaas