SB Nation - D'Angelo McCray

Illini Football Unit breakdown: Defensive Line.

Joe Kutsunis — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:38:32 -0000

We stand at the door step of the month of July. The preview magazines have been released, the freshmen are on campus, and we are all getting ready for purest form of the game: college football. In the interest of getting all of you interested and excited (or pessimistic, depending on the case) about Illini football, HTTO is beginning its coverage of each of the teams units.Who will be the playing, who will be starring and what should we be expecting?

I believe, as the old adage goes, that games are won and lost up front on the lines. With that in mind I will begin with the Defensive and offensive lines and move away from the ball from there. So we begin today with the unit that may be the subject of the most speculation and uncertainty on the entire team. The defensive line.

Projected Starters. I suppose this is the million dollar question isn't it? From a line that lost Derek Walker, David Lindquist and Will Davis, and underperformed its potential last year, things already seem like they might be an uphill battle. Because last year line was supposedly so loaded with talent, but disappointed, Tom Sims, the DL coach was let go. In steps Keith Gilmore into a situation that only gets more complicated. If I had to list the ideal in terms of talent starting defensive line, I would probably list DE's Doug Pilcher and Jerry Brown flanking DTs Sirod Williams and Josh Brent. Why do I say ideal you ask? Well thus far Josh Brent is serving his 60 day jail sentence for DUI and driving on a suspended license, Sirod Williams is recovering from a torn ACL from last summer, and Jerry Brown may not be academically eligible to play. But hey Doug Pilcher is still good right? In the nightmare scenario of all three of these question marks go south, Brown doesn't clear, Sirod's knee isn't 100%, and Brent is suspended or leaves the team, the line could look very, very different. As in Corey Liuget, Antonio James, and whichever heretofore unseen DT wins out at Camp Rantoul.(Uzodinma?) Regardless, the line situation probably wont be all bad, I am sure that probably two out of three of the players in question will make it into the lineup somehow. Even with Sirod and Brent playing you can count of Liuget seeing significant playing time, even if he isn't starting. Clay Nurse and Antonio James too will more than likely play a lot regardless of Brown's situation.

Possible Star. He may not even be a guaranteed starter, but Corey Liuget has the makings of a very good player at 6'3", 290. He played really well last year as a true freshman. He is going to be a starter in 2010, and may overtake Josh Brent or Sirod Williams this year if he makes the big leap every one seems to think he will. He can and will get into the back field and disrupt plays, and he will only get better.

What To Expect? As I said earlier there is alot we still do not know about how this line will look when it takes the field in St Louis. How little we know about the Dline, especially at DT drives amplifies the losses of two former recruiting gems, Reggie Ellis and D'Angelo McCray. What was once perhaps the pride of depth of the defense has suffered an extreme amount of attrition.

Last year at about this time, the defensive line was being touted as perhaps the strongest aspect of the defense, and perhaps one of the better lines in the NCAA. These expectations were soon put to rest as the D line lost Sirod in camp and proceeded to fail to live up to those expectations from just about day 1. The D-line wasn't the only or even the worst problem for the team last year, but not being the strength we thought it was surely played a part in the huge numbers that were put up against the Illini on the ground.

The outcome of last year, along with the attrition since has led me to take a wait and see approach. Defensive Tackle is arguably the most important position in a college defense. Strength here will go a long way in masking other shortcomings on defense, and perhaps result in a stronger defense overall than last year. I will feel alot better if either Josh Brent or Sirod Williams comes through and contributes this fall. A core of DTs with Sirod, Brent and Liuget would be formidable indeed and could result in a stronger inside defense than we saw in all of 2008. With only Pilcher to look forward to as a reliable DE, the position will more than likely see some drop off. But frankly if the line is as strong as it could be up the middle it might not matter all that much. Bob Assmussen recently said that a defense that includes Josh Brent might mean an improvement of 30 yards given up, in the most unlikely scenario of Brown, Sirod and Brent all being cleared, healthy and not suspended, the Defensive Line will be without a doubt the strongest aspect of the defense on paper. Lets hope the expectations aren't so insurmountable this time around.

Crossfire Q&A: Illinois

RPT — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:00:17 -0000

We claim to know many things here at Rock M Nation, but insider knowledge and fandom of Mizzou's opponents isn't one of them. Luckily, other bloggers are here to help. Today, we feature our SBN counterparts from Hail to the Orange, who agreed to join us for a preview of the Mizzou/Illinois season opener in St. Louis.

RMN: Before we delve into the specifics of 2009, what are your thoughts on the "suspension" of the Arch Rivalry season after 2010?

Well, I have been to exactly one of the Arch Rivalry games (last years) but I would have to say that the 2007 and 2008 games, although they were both losses for the Illini, were both extremely exciting and for the most part competitive. I realize though that Illinois would much rather have that week as a home game rather than neutral site. I would hope the game could continue as a home and home, but that doesn't look like its going to happen. I will miss the game, but another home game would be nice.

RMN: What caused Illinois' regression from BCS to bowl ineligibility in one year? It can't just be the absence of Mendenhall, right?

Quite a few things that the Illini had in 2007 were not there in 2008. Specifically line play, offensive and defensive. The defensive line ended up being to small and was exposed to be weak against the run up the middle. Safety play was a big issue as well. On offense it was hot and cold. When the line gave Juice enough time to make his passes, the ball moved in huge chunks. But as the year wore on, teams blitzed more and more, and Juice spent a hell of a lot of time on his back. The defense was not what it needed to be, and the offense was too inconsistent.

RMN: For the 317th year, we're on Juice Williams watch. What's the word on his development headed into this year? Does he have many options outside of Arrelious Benn?

Juice if given time, (and hopefully some good coaching) Juice could actually live up to his height. As for weapons, depending on how things shake up this summer, he could have 3 HS AA Wide Receiver targets to throw to (or at, if you are feeling pithy.) Along with Arrelious, look for Florida transfer Jared Fayson, and East Saint Louis' own Terry Hawthorne to be targets. Along with A.J. Jenkins, Michael Hoomanawanui, and a slew of supposedly highly touted receivers, someone should be open. We hope.

More questions after the jump!

RMN: From an outsider's perspective, Illinois once again appears to be formidable on the defensive line. What kind of production do Illini fans expect out of the defensive unit in 2009?

Last year's unit was probably the most disappointing aspect of the whole season. Many fans and even supposedly smart football people thought they could be a top 10 D-line. Then D'Angelo McCray transferred, Sirod Williams busted his knee, and there was a weakness on the inside. Now Sirod is healthy and everyone says the line will be solid again. I am skeptical. Liuget had better be ready to play a lot more than last year and Sirod had better be all the way back from knee surgery. Otherwise, no matter how good the DEs are, the line is going to be porous, and we will be run to death all over again.

RMN: Outside of the obvious stars, give us the names of a few players that aren't getting enough love or that Mizzou fans should know.

Fred Sykes. The two star prospect from Tampa, Florida who overtook at least two far more heavily recruited and more talented players and got on the field as a freshman last year. Not because of his speed or his size, but because of his ability to run his routs and catch what was thrown to him. It seems odd to say but on a team that has a lot of speed at WR, one of the best weapons was a slower player who could get open and actually make catches. I don't know how much more we will see of him, given how competitive the position is, but give the guy some credit for doing what he could to help the team.

RMN: Finish the following statements:

-- Illinois will win if: Juice has enough time to throw to the open man, or the running backs give the offense a real running game.
-- Mizzou will win if: They can move the ball on the ground as well as they did last year. I am still very worried about the defense up the middle.

RMN: Give us your score prediction.

Let's see last year was 52 to 42, and 07 was 40-34, lets split the difference. Another track meet. Illini 45-Mizzou 39. I may get alot less optimistic of as the off season progresses though.