SB Nation - Arrelious Benn

The Final Word on the 2009 Fighting Illini football Season

Joe Kutsunis — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:47:49 -0000

More photos » by Seth Perlman - AP

I really did not want to write this post. This season was so bad that we have known for many weeks that there would be very little positive that could be taken from it. It was a season that will be defined by let downs, unmet expectations and uncertainty.

Like I did at the end of last year's basketball season, I have assess to what expectations I wish to hold this team. At the beginning of the season, after reading my Phil Steele and feeling about as confident as I ever have about this team, I said that this season would probably be an 8-4 year, with losses to Penn State, Ohio State, Cincinnati and one team we should not lose to. That's a bowl, a solid season and in a situation that gives you a good feeling about the future.

Phil Steele said we would finish 3rd in the conference, and that there was an outside chance we would go undefeated. If there is anyone more upset with Ron Zook right now than Phil Steele, I would like to meet him, because this 3-9 season has got to hurt his credibility.

You know what might be the worst thing about this year? That the defense by the final three weeks was completely unable to make a stop and the offense was putting up sick numbers on otherwise good teams. The polar opposite of the beginning of the year where the defense would hang tough for 3 quarters before folding from exhaustion at the end, and got no support from the vaunted offense.

That offense that finally got its feet under it in the second half of the year put Illini fans through some awfully difficult to watch games early in the year. It would move the ball down the field and then lose the ball in one disastrous way after another. Fumbles and penalties and interceptions, groan. The offense at times was literally tripping over its own feet and keeping itself from success. There were lots of problems from receivers like Fayson and Cumberland who disappointed in their production, to Arrelious Benn who just plain was not thrown to enough. (double standard maybe, but which of these 3 is getting first round money?) One of the weapons I was looking forward to seeing better used this year was Uh-oh who outside of a catch here or there was either not thrown to or was sidelined with injury.

The running game would eventually prove to be one of the bright spots of the team, but early on it too was inconsistent, and underused more than likely due to all of the talent we perceived ourselves to have a wide receiver. Mikel Leshoure needs to get the ball more next year than any of the other backs, I don't care what playing time has been promised to the others. He is your go-to back, no excuses.

As for Juice, I still feel bad the way his final season as an Illini ended up. When he is allowed to play his game, the game he excels at, the game that got him to the Rose Bowl, it can be plainly seen how much of a threat he can be to defenses. He is as classy as football players get, even through being pulled earlier this season and then being put back in without any fanfare. He is your all time offensive yards leader, he will go down as one of the most important players to this school, and I for one wish things would have gone better for him. Maybe I am biased, going to school at Illinois during the Rose Bowl run will probably tend to do that.

As for the defense many of the problems that plagued it at the beginning of the season still plagued it at the end, but to a greater degree. There are some spots on defense of real strength, most notably defensive tackle, but the weak points were never fully shored up. I suppose some of this can be blamed on injury the losses of Martez Wilson, Miami Thomas and intermittently Donsay Hardeman combined with youth and inexperience in other areas to create at best an inconsistent defense.

The season just never really got off to the start it was supposed to. The loss to Missouri I really think sent this team into a tailspin and had it under perform its own ability from then on. I believe to some degree it was not as good as advertised, but its talent level is not as bad as its record. Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State did just as some predicted and put the Illini in a hole that they were never really fully able to pull themselves out of. If the Illini take one of those three games, I don't believe they lose to either Purdue or Indiana. This team should have been at least a 6-6 team. You can blame the coaches for panicking maybe, or the players for despairing, or the AD for giving the team a schedule that seems hell bent against going to a bowl. Whatever the reason this team was not put into a position to succeed, and underperformed.

There are still some bright spots to look forward to, somewhat at least. Terry Hawthorne, whatever position he is going to play, on whatever side of the ball, is going to be one of the better players for this team. He ended up being the best defensive back after being converted to the position halfway through the season. Jacob Charest emerged as the probable starting QB for next year, with Eddie McGee moving to receiver, a position he proved better at than many established players.

For all the problems this team has had it still has talent. Right now both Jon Asamoah and Arrelious Benn are projected first round draft picks. Along with Rashard Mendenhall from two years ago and Vontae Davis last year that will make three years in a row with a first rounder. Thats not something that usually happens to consistently bad teams. But to us, it has.

I don't know what next year really holds. There are a lot of rumors of firings and transfers that will be decided in the next several week, so I could not really tell you in what direction the team will ultimately go. The two indicators we do have though are next year's schedule and recruiting, and both of those point to another losing season. See you this summer football, I hope under better circumstances.

Draft decisions looming for Big Ten talents

Mocking Dan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:10:54 -0000

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A week ago we had an item on Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman thinking about the NFL Draft. He's not the only talented junior or redshirt sophomore with an NFL future facing a difficult decision. Here are some others:

Who: Bryan Bulaga, offensive tackle, Iowa
What's being said: "As of right now no decision has been made," Bulaga said last week. "No discussions between coach (Kirk) Ferentz and I have really even happened yet. I don’t know."

What he should do: Bulaga has had a fairly ordinary season for a would-be stud left tackle. He missed the three games of the season battling a thyroid issue. His play has been inconsistent this season and he's allowed pressure against some ordinary players. While Bulaga is highly regarded by me, it might be in his best interests to return for his senior season. By doing so, he could really establish as a dominant top-five pick.

Who: Greg Jones, linebacker, Michigan State
What's being said: "If anything, I’m going to talk to my parents about it, but for right now I’m just getting ready for the bowl game," Jones said.

What he should do: Jones has lead the Spartans in tackles for three consecutive years and is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Jones is likely considered a second-round player, but his draft stock may be at its peak. He should leave. If he does, he'll be a dependable starting linebacker almost immediately.

Who: John Clay, running back, Wisconsin
What's being said: "If the opportunity presents itself and I think it is a high enough spot, I'd encourage him to go," running backs coach John Settle said. "But if I think he can come back and help his status, then I'd encourage him to come back.

What he should do: Clay, a redshirt sophomore, would be wise to return for at least another season for the Badgers. As it stands, Clay might just be the latest productive Badgers back with a questionable NFL future.

Who: Donovan Warren, cornerback, Michigan
What's being said: Warren said he will return for his senior season. The site is a Scout.com paid site, but the headline and lead paragraph made it to Google News.

Note: Illinois wide receiver Arrelious Benn and Penn State center Stefen Wisniewski have not discussed their possible NFL futures recently.

Monopoly Piece! Monopoly Piece!

Rodger Sherman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:24:22 -0000

More photos » by STEPHEN HAAS - AP

Because our overenthusiastic coach gets all overenthusiastic for winning.

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So, I went to Champaign yesterday. What follows is a recap of a football game, but also a recap of a metropolitan area.

First off: the title. We won ourselves a monopoly piece. In a somewhat disappointing turn, I never actually saw any NU players with the trophy, so I'm not 100% sure the hat on wood exists. But we won it. Pat Fitzgerald's next trick will be to pull a rabbit/endless strand of cloth out of the Land of Lincoln trophy.
Second off, football: It took around 3/4 of the year for it to happen, but some players I expected to play well and some I never, ever did have turned into a cohesive football team.
Mike Kafka Not sure how it happened, but the guy turned into a complete college quarterback, even though the running skill he once showed has sort of evaporated with his hammy injury. Iron Mike hasn't thrown a pick since the Indiana game, but busted out a whole arsenal of passing skill we just haven't seen. In the beginning of the year, he was a deadeye passer on those short dinky-dunky routes. Then, yesterday, Illinois did something very difficult. They spent a whole week training, and essentially shut down Kafka's ability to nail these passes: Guarding the middle to protect against those short in routes, putting on a decent pass rush, and limiting receivers' yards after catches. Where week 3 MIke Kafka/Fitz might've tried to have him throw deep, with the operative word being "tried", and then, after realizing that wasn't going to work, would've stuck with the inefficient short passing attack with diminished results.
But now? The dude can complete long passes. He nailed - nailed! - Zeke Markshausen twice on those corner routes, hit Ebert on the same route too. He had Sid Stewart twice, got him the ball both times! Stewart failed to bring in a catch on one of them, but, it was admittedly a tough one. And of course, the 50 yarder to Brewer. Old school Mike Kafka overthrows him or throws a wobbly end-over-end joint that gets picked off. But old Mike is old MIke.
Where did our running game come from? Did last years' just get off the bus from San Antonio? Scott Concannon spend those weeks where he was supposedly out with a concussion in China training with a running back sensei? Did Arby Fields somehow get three miles per hour faster since week one? I don't know. But whatever happened, NU had an effective running game today. Concannon isn't fast, but he's just fast enough to get to the outside corner, and wiley enough to find holes that aren't there and spin out of tackles and he stays on his feet long enough to get five or six yards when he finds that hole. Arby Fields is straight up fast, and actually looked like a running back after being nonexistent for so long. We used four running backs,f five when you consider Persa was effectively being used as a Wildcat player with no option to throw, and all five of them were effective to some extent. We gained 139 yards on the ground. Tell me you thought that would ever happen four weeks ago.
Corey Wootton is absolutely catching wreck right now. This is Corey. We have him for two (two!) more games, so let's enjoy the everloving nonsense out of it. I hope NFL scouts didn't close their file sometime around the Minnesota game, because this is a completely different human being.
I can't say I was pleased with our defense. You're up 18. Cover the guy going deep. Put a safety on him, let him catch the ball and bring him down right after that. But cover him. If Illinois had a quarterback who... well, looked like Kafka did today, they win this game. Easily. Guys were open downfield, and if you can't hit em, they can't do anything for ya. I'd go so far as to say that our defensive unit played well. Wootton, as noted, is back. Q, Brian Peters, and Nate Williams were everywhere. Our defensive line held their own despite only getting one sack and giving up unfortunate amounts of rushing yardage to something called a Michael Leshoure. By all means, the reason Illinois only had 3 points after 3 quarters is because Illinois is Illinois. Dropped passes, missed targets, missed field goals, general malaise and lamentation of the women. But the defense played well enough to give us the W yesterday.
Stefan Demos is no longer the G.O.A.T. But you can't blame the guy for not pulling off a perfect season. That's asking a bit too much of any kicker, much less one also pulling punting duties.
Hunter Bates: true American hero. Now, look, folks, catching a football is hard. Arrelious Benn, as well as our kick returners, should have showed you this today. You know what else his hard? Jumping three feet into the air, getting undercut by the type of human being strong enough to play for a Big Ten football team, flipping over, landing on your back, and not dying. Bates managed to do both, with an end-over-end onside kick. Applause. Hunter, you're good in my book. I'm no longer a little bit annoyed at you for confusing me whenever I see a short white dude with black hair wearing #7 doing things and then wondering which one of y'all it is.
I'm not sure if that last play was a pick. What I'm sure of is that it was awesome.
Words of advice to the U of I PA announcer: Marks-hausen. Not Marchausen. I wouldn't be mad, but he caught the ball like 43 times, including a touchdown. His job is to catch a football while running as fast as he can and then avoiding getting tackled by strong and fast people. Your is to pronounce his name correctly. He did his, but guess which of your jobs is easier? Also, chill out with the descriptors, homie. Jacob Charest did not just "scamper" for a first down, he ran for one. Stephen Simmons wasn't tackled by "a host of Illini", it was, like, two dudes. Say their names, get it over with. Also, the enthusiastic way you yell "FIRST DOWN!" is cool, but, uh, not when your team just was the beneficiary of a penalty or they just recovered their own fumble past the first-down marker. Then you can just say "First down." Chill on the pants-crapping.
With regards to the stadium: it's weird, I go to a college, and I go to games where football is played, but after almost two seasons of being a student, I went to my first college football game. It would be cool if we could have a full stadium with loud, interested fans, all wearing the same color, all cheering, with a band I could hear 150 yards away from the other side of the field, with a student section the size of my school locking arms and bouncing around (which looks awesome, btdubs) Obviously, the fact that our school is 1/6 the size of theirs will prevent any of this from ever happening. But, uh, I'ma take some football roadtrips more often. Illinois isn't really talked about as having a spectacular football atmosphere, but it's a completely different universe from anything you can get at Ryan Field. If you don't accept this, you're wrong.
Not that I have qualms with NU's fanbase. We were audible yesterday. I wasn't sitting in the NU section, but I heard em. And if you're going to play "Hey Baby", as dozens of schools do, don't let it be against NU, because having a few hundred people yell "HEY WHAT? GO WILDCATS" is audible even in a stadium of 60,000.
About which, do any Illinois fight songs contain words? I'm pretty sure it's all just clapping. And then they spell their team name, which always sounds cool, but like every other place that resorts to mass spelling, isn't that impressive when you think about it.
While we're talking about attendance and whatnot, uh, Champaign is, well, awesome, and to some extent, this helps a lot with football games. I don't mean awesome in that Champaign is an innately enjoyable place: it's like 50,000 college students surrounded by a few hours of cornfields. (Sorry. It's true. Big ups to all my farmers out there!) But as Northwestern students, it's tough not to walk through Champaign and get jealous. Public drinking is not so much permitted as expected. You're allowed to sell and take Jagerbombs in the street. And I'm not saying that this is a good strategy because I'm a college student and therefore, yeah, bro, drinking! Sweet! I'm saying this because Evanston/Northwestern's insistence on enforcing laws most college towns turn the other way on don't seem to have any positives: I don't see how our university thinks that making getting caught drinking have major negative implications is a good thing, because I'd think the school has a vested interest in preventing students from drinking themselves to death in their dorm rooms. At U of I, if you get dangerously drunk, they take care of you first and then slap you with a $300 ticket later. And just sayin, students go to football games there. Part of this is just a size thing: with 50,000 students, there's a lot more to deal with there, and they get less nitpicky, and none of this will change until, like Illinois, NU has a quad the size of what is now south campus. (that is to say, not happening.) But having hung out with guys in the Illinois chapter of my fraternity for a few hours yesterday, and when we described the way we do things in terms of doing fun things at NU, the way I would describe their reaction is "sympathetic to our plight". I can say confidently that although I love NU, there's a lot of aspects of life here that I wish were different and shouldn't require much thought or debate to change.
Point being, I probably should just transfer to a state school. That's the life.
I mean, we had N.E.R.D for our Dillo Day concert, remember? They had Jay-Z, with Wale and N.E.R.D. opening. Wale! Damn.
Then again, apparently you have to do various forms of community service and apply to get student basketball tickets there. I show up five minutes before the game and sit front row. Some things are good.
Something that isn't good? Amtrak. The last thing that the people at the U of I chapter of the fraternity said to us was, "hey, hope your trains aren't delayed" and we thought they were joking or something. My friends and I paid for a train, but what we got was a bus that showed up a half hour after we were supposed to board the train. As a New Yorker I'm used to efficient public transportation. When I showed up in this part of the world and found friendly people, delicious pizza, and the El, uh, I was displeased. So imagine me being violently angry after having been awake for about 16 hours yesterday.
Oh, and, Illinois, people, let's get something straight. We don't have a big enough rivalry that there needs to be that much glaring when two guys in Northwestern gear walk into a bar after a game, regardless of the final outcome. We went into this really cool place on Green Street called Legends, the problem is, on the unwelcome sports fans glare-o-meter, with a 1 being "unprovoked loving embraces" and a 10 being "immediate murder upon sight", we were probably getting a 6.5-7 from the middle-aged Illinois fans we saw, which is a step below actually stepping to us and starting something. Chill out, Illinois fans. Coming from somebody who has never been in the city of Boston without wearing a Yankees hat and sweatshirt at all times, the Land of Lincoln trophy shouldn't make me feel like I'm wearing red in Crips territory.

That's pretty much all I got. I'll have more football-y posts as the week goes on and I start thinking more about sports and less about how badly I wish we could throw actual tailgates as the week goes on.

For now, let's just rejoice: I mean, back-to-back winning seasons? This is only the second time since we started playing a 12 game slate that's happened. Think about that. We're bowl eligible for the third time in three years. Uh, same ish there. This doesn't happen very often.

So as I always say, sip with me. Let's enjoy this, and I'll see y'all in a nice, warm place in a month and a half.

Illini lose to Northwestern 21-16 in closing minutes, all bowl hopes lost.

Joe Kutsunis — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:10:52 -0000

Customary quick reaction to the game, more complete wrap will come later.

Charest for the most part looked really good, he had one mistake in the first half, but otherwise I really think he has a future with this team
Juice Williams and Uh-oh were both injured today, making this season more and more destructive to our once deep offense.
Eddie McGee's two series were disastrous, it is clear that he has too much on his plate this week with both WR and QB preparations.
Arrelious Benn needs to jump to the NFL soon, after all of the shots he has taken lately
Not that it matters but that last review call was BS.
The pass defense was eaten alive today, the cover two is not working. At. All.
This team rides on waves of momentum, good and bad. Unfortunately the INT at the end of the first half was all it took for the roof to cave in on the Illini today
Be prepared for the calls for Zook's job to begin again in full force. The temporary era of good feelings is over with this loss.
Whatever optimism we all had for the football team is gone, there will be no miracle bowl, but a lot of questions that need answering.

The Illini hold off Minnesota, continue least likely turnaround ever.

Joe Kutsunis — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:42:37 -0000

The Ron Zook quest to destroy the hopes and dreams of everyone who has ever crossed him continues this week as he drops Minnesota to 5-5 and makes the bowl eligibility of Tim Brewster and Minnesota slightly less likely. There will be a more complete recap tomorrow but here are a few quick reactions from today's game.

Two weeks in a row that Terry Hawthorne has proved himself to be by far the best defensive back on the team. He is fast, makes great tackles and even had a pick 6 today. As much as I love the idea of him as a receiver, the reality of him as a DB is pretty amazing.
Two weeks in a row with out any interceptions, by either QB Charest or Juice, it clearly makes a huge difference in games.
Two weeks in a row with a punt blocked, this time it almost cost us the game, please lets get this fixed.
Most importantly though two weeks in a row with a win, and the Illini era of good feelings continues for another week.

Oh yeah, and its been a while since I put this video up.

Michigan at Illinois: not the game it could have been

Joe Kutsunis — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:52:01 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

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The Michigan week is always an important week for Illinois teams over the years. It has only occasionally resulted in a win over the Wolverines, but that has not stopped many in the Champaign area from reserving their greatest hate for Michigan. Its a rivalry that has been fairly one sided, but it makes the wins over "Fichigan" all the more important and memorable. Last year's win in Ann Arbor (that whore!) was one such game. Juice Williams set the record for total offense in Michigan, and the Illini went on a merciless scoring spree that that left many feeling that Juice was "the perfect QB for the Rodriguez offense." Juice and Zook were celebrated for having beaten Michigan, the long hated rival.

But that was of course, last year. This year, the Illini have yet to actually flex their once robust offensive muscle, and the Wolverines have a pair of QB's on offense that should make every one in Champaign and Urbana stop and take note. Forcier and Robinson have made some ~~very good~~ Notre Dame defenses look silly this year, and the Illini run defense has fallen down a well.

If you are looking for hope in this game, you can take solace in the fact that this Michigan defense composed mostly of the same players that the Illini dominated last year. The caveat of course being that they have played far better this year under the watch of assistant coach Greg Robinson. (Wow, better and Greg Robinson do not mix well in a sentence.

This of course will be the experiment of the two QB system here in Illinois, a concept I disagree with. I think if we are going to give Charest significant playing time, just start him and play him the whole game. You can't develop any sort of consistency by pulling your QB in the red zone like that.

Some things I would like to see this week? A good long look at Charest, and Leshoure getting the majority of the carries, he has proved these last few weeks that he should absolutely be the "guy" coming out of the backfield. You have to play the players that perform.

And please, before they leave, throw the ball to Rejus and Uh-oh, these guys are wasting away out there.

I would love to see a win over Michigan at home on Saturday, something that has not occurred since 1983, before I was born. It would go a long way for the fans to see something good like that. Make no mistake though, this isn'l Alabama-Auburn you can't just have one big win over your rival and call the season a success.

Alright guys, don't blow it now

BoilerTMill — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:47:26 -0000

I am trying to keep the good vibes going. If anyone listened to the Boiled Sports podcast Tuesday night I made a pretty bold statement. I said that as good as the Ohio State win was, losing to Illinois would be 10 times worse. As a result, I am watching the video of the Ohio State win as I write this, hoping it carries over into the blog.

It is true though. If we can beat Ohio State, there is absolutely no reason we should lose to Illinois. You do not often get a chance to play the best team in the conference, then the worst team in the conference the very next week. I would even take it a step further. With Ohio State, we may have played the best team on our schedule last week (though Oregon may be better since they have a real offense). I think Illinois is the worst team on our schedule. They proved last week they are worse than Indiana. I think they are worse than Toledo (who beat NIU last week) and Northern Illinois. This is a team that has quit on its season already. They need to win their remaining games (one of which is against one of the nation's last unbeaten teams) just to qualify for a bowl. Unless we see some unexpected fight from the Illini Saturday, they are done.

2008 Record: 5-7, 3-5 Big Ten

2009 Record: 1-5, 0-4

Bowl result: No Bowl

Blog Representation: Hail to the Orange

Series with Purdue: Illinois leads 41-37-6 (Purdue leads The Cannon portion 29-26-2)

Last Purdue win: 11/11/2006 at Illinois 42-31

Last Illinois win: 10/12/2002 at Illinois 38-31 (OT)

This may be one of the least celebrated trophy games in the Big Ten, but it is one of the closest overall. We have had the Cannon in our possession since 2003, but the recent two-year hiatus in the series means that we only have four straight wins. Speaking as a Purdue fan, the Illinois game really doesn't feel like much of a rivalry. There has never been a ton at stake, as both teams haven't exactly torn up the Big Ten at the same time for quite awhile.

Illinois offense:

This is the main reason that any loss to the Illini would be awful. Their offense, especially if you take away the 45-17 win over Illinois State (a 1-AA team), has been abysmal. That one win represents 45 of the 99 points the team has scored through six games. Not only has Illinois managed just one first half touchdown against a 1-A foe, they have only led one game against a 1-A opponent for about five minutes. That occurred last week at Indiana when the Illini led the Hoosiers 7-3 with 5:27 left in the first half. Illinois gave up 10 points in the final minute of the half, and never threatened again.

I don't even know who we will face at quarterback. Juice Williams (80 of 143, 4 touchdowns, 4 interceptions) is the Big Ten's most experienced quarterback, but he has already been benched in favored of Eddie McGee (21 of 41, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions). There is even talk of third string quarterback Jacob Charest, a redshirt freshman, getting some time Saturday. Charest has yet to take a snap in his collegiate career, so if he plays it will officially label Illinois as desperate. Illinois has only passed for 1,128 yards between Williams and McGee.

For a true preview of Saturday, just reverse the 9 and 4 on the jersey. The result of this play (a sack, strip, and fumble recovery for a TD) will likely be the same.

Whoever plays, they will likely become well acquainted with Ryan Kerrigan, Mike Neal, and the rest of our defensive line by the end of the day. The Illinois offensive line is among the worst in the Big Ten, giving up a league high 19 sacks. If our defensive line is not dominating and causing pressure all day something is severely wrong. This is especially true since these guys just played like warriors against Ohio State.

Illinois is not moving the ball well on the ground, either. Williams is the leading rusher with only 239 yards and one touchdown. Jason Ford (222-1), Daniel Dufrene (199-1), and Mikel Leshoure (163-2) form a running back by committee approach that is far from effective. McGee also has a pair of rushing touchdowns, so he is a threat to run if he plays. One has to remember though that the bulk of these numbers, running and passing, have been put up either against Illinois State or after the game is well decided. Illinois has not been in a game against a 1-A foe except last week against Indiana.

If they can get him the ball, there is a bit of a danger at wide receiver. Arrelious Benn was a preseason All-American, but he has only 22 catches for 271 yards and no touchdowns to lead Illinois receivers. As long as we cover him we will shut down Illinois' pathetic passing game. Jarred Fayson (11-119-1), Chris Duvalt (9-136-1), Leshoure (8-115-1), and A.J.Jenkins (7-100-1) have put up modest second half numbers, but again, this offense has literally done nothing in the first half of most games. They need to get the ball to Benn more, who is a playmaker, but they have been unable to.

Illinois defense:

This is a battered unit. They have already lost possibly their best player in Martez Wilson for the season. They may have lost their second best player, Donsay Hardeman, for his career last week. They are not getting to the quarterback with just six team sacks on the year. The offense is doing nothing to help them out, so the defense is getting worn down to the point where it is about as reliable as the Rhythm Method in preventing conception. They have also only forced seven turnovers (three interceptions, four fumbles), and three of those came against Illinois State. I kind of feel bad for them because they are undoubtedly playing hard, but they are getting zero help from their teammates.

Ian Thomas and Tavon Wilson lead the team in tackles with 43 apiece. Thomas has one of the team's sacks, while Wilson has one of the three interceptions. Doug Pilcher is a bit of a force on the defensive line as well. Pilcher has two sacks, 18 tackles, and an interception with a 41 yard return. Russell Ellington could also be a factor, as he has an interception with a 78 yard return. This is still not a fearsome unit.

Illinois is giving up over 28 points per game and their run defense is particularly bad. They are giving up about 180 yards on the ground, which is good for Ralph Bolden. Bolden has not had much room to run recently, and against Northwestern when he did have room we just kept fumbling the ball away. Look for Bolden to get over 100 yards for the first time since the Oregon game. McBurse and Taylor should also see some holes when they are in there. The pass defense is not much better, as it gives up 241 yards per game.

Honestly, we should only have trouble against their defense if we start giving the ball away again. Turnovers were still an issue last week against Ohio State, but we gave up no points off of them. Illinois does not force nearly as many turnovers as Ohio State does, so it once again comes down to us not shooting ourselves in the foot.

Illinois Special Teams:

And you thought their other units were bad. They have no punt return game (a long of nine yards), no kick return game (Benn is a dangerous returner, but only has a long of 33), and Matt Eller has hit on just half his field goals. Granted, the offense is not getting Eller in position to kick, as he is just 3 of 6 on the year with a long of 38.

One phrase we should get used to hearing is, "Anthony Santella is in punt formation". He averages almost six punts per game and has almost a 41 yard per kick average. Both coverage units on special teams for Illinois are merely average.

Intangibles:

This is a team that is already beaten. I watched part of Saturday night's game at Indiana and they had no hustle or emotion whatsoever. Beating them would officially end their bowl hopes, as there is no way they will win their five games after this and qualify at 6-6. This is Illinois' last shot to save its season, but given their body language and effort so far it would be a total shock to see them suddenly turn things on. Though Purdue and Illinois have similar record, Purdue has fought hard and has been in every single game. Illinois hasn't even been close, and they have rolled over and died since the opener against Missouri.

The one Illinois blog, Hail to the Orange, has already virtually given up and jumped to basketball content. Their last two game wraps of Rock Bottom and Failing on all Cylinders show that confidence in the football program is at an all time low. There is no doubt that Illinois has more talent than a lot of teams, but that talent is severely underperforming in all phases of the game at the moment. They are even one of the most penalized teams in the league. I am not even going to mention the gigantic Ron Zook intangible right now. Every writer in the Big Ten is saying enough about his epic level of fail at the moment.

Contractually obligated Ron Zook blog picture. He will likely soon have plenty of time for his hobbies, such as fighting Boilerdowd to the death.

Purdue, meanwhile, is as high as it has been in about five years. Even the 8-6 season of 2006 and 8-5 season of 2007 did not have a moment that was a tenth as important as last week against Ohio State. As long as we don't go out and pull a Northern Illinois we will be fine.

Keys to the game for Purdue:

Hogtie the team that showed up against Northern Illinois
Don't turn the ball over
Maintain last week's momentum
Run the ball with Bolden, McBurse, and Taylor
Dominate along the defensive line

Remember when we made fun of Iowa?

Joe Kutsunis — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

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God I miss 2007. The Illini were on a tear through the Big Ten leaving destruction and the taste of J Leman endorsed Orange Soda in their wake. When we dared to believe that we were importing an SEC style powerhouse to the cold prairies of Illinois. Best of all Iowa was in the middle of a down year at 6-6, and seemed to be the falling stock of the Big Ten after several years of resurgence. Evidence pointed toward Illinois reasserting itself for the long term while Iowa would continue to slip.

Zook was beating out Ferentz for excellent players like Cordale Scott, Hubie Graham and Jason Ford. Illinois fans were gleefully touting the end of the Ferentz era all over the message boards.

Two years later all of those same facts now seem to be only twist the knife for Illini fans faced with their season falling apart and Iowa returning to the top tier of the Big Ten.

Last season the Illini enjoyed a come from behind win over the Hawkeyes but the tide was already turning. The Illini lost their next 3 games and missed out on bowl eligibility. Iowa beat Penn State and finished the regular season at 8-4, beating South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. Since then the disparity has only gotten wider.

Iowa is sitting at 7-0, with wins over Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan, three teams that on paper it probably does not have the talent to beat. On the other side of the coin, most Illini fans believe that they have the talent to compete with anyone in the Big Ten, but have failed to even look competitive in most of their last 5 games, and have the 1-4 record to prove it. So whats the difference between these two teams?

Iowa has won several games that have gone down to the closing minutes, and have relied on the strength of their defense and the discipline of their special teams to keep them in every game they play. They do not have an explosive offense, but the team overall plays with consistency and while they have played down to a few of their opponents have always found a way to win.

Given the poor pass coverage, and constant penalties on defense, along with consistent poor decision making on special team really draws a stark contrast between the two teams. The players that Iowa wanted two years ago are now part of a team that is not heading to a bowl game, for the second straight year. The "leftovers" are enjoying an undefeated season and an almost sure ticket to a BCS game.

It certainly hammers home the point that recruiting is not everything, and discipline can make up for alot.

When it comes to Iowa, I have to agree with Arrelious Benn on this, I really don't like them. But they keep getting better and we keep getting worse. If Iowa wins the Big Ten, I don't know what I'll do.

Good lord, this season gets tougher to swallow every day.

(Fun fact: The Illini are still the last team to have beaten the Hawkeyes, somehow I think it makes it all worse.)

Illinois by the numbers.

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:34:32 -0000

More photos » by Terry Gilliam - AP

The ball, the end zone, and Aurellious Benn: a combination not seen since last year's IU-Illinois game.

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Illinois holds an unpleasant distinction: the season is at the halfway point, and the Illini are the only team in the six major conferences that has not defeated a single Division I-A (FBS) team. Illinois's lone win came against Illinois State. While that's depressing for Illinois fans, it's even more depressing that IU is a 2.5 point underdog to Illinois, at home, and on homecoming. In fairness to the Illini, they have played only 5 games, compared to the six games already played by most teams. Also, all of the Illini's losses have been to BCS conference teams that likely are bowl bound (Missouri, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State). Still, the Illini are desperate, and the fan base of whichever team loses this game is going to lose its collective mind.

I really thought that the Illini, who lost a bunch of close games in 2008, would bounce back in 2009. Why hasn't that happened? While it's hard to measure Illinois's statistics against IU's, given the difference in level of competition, overall the Illini's numbers demonstrate a nearly total failure, particularly on offense. It's no exaggeration to say that Illinois ranks near the bottom of Division I-A in every major statistical category other than total rushing offense and net punting. The Illini's overall rushing numbers, 167 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry, are respectable, but haven't been enough to overcome a horrid pass offense. Ron Zook already has demoted and promoted Juice Williams. Williams has been bad: 54 percent completions, 2 TDs to 4 INTs. His backup and one-time starter, Eddie McGee, has been worse: 51 percent completions, one touchdown, and 3 INTs in only 41 attempts. Even the rushing stats are a bit skewed by the Illinois State game.

For instance, the Illini's leading rusher, Jason Ford, is averaging 9.3 yards per carry, but that's mostly on the strength of a 13 carry, 137 yard performance against the Redbirds. Overall, the Illini quarterbacks, Williams and McGee, have approximately half of Illinois's total rushing attempts. IU fans have seen this offense, and while a running quarterback is a nice weapon, it looks like desperation when there is nothing else to the offense. Finally, Arrelious Benn, whose commitment to Illinois was supposedly a watershed moment for the program, had caught only 13 balls this year and hasn't caught a touchdown in a year. In short, on paper, the Illini offense looks putrid--but not as bad as Virginia's offense looked on paper before last weekend's game.

On defense, as I noted, the numbers are not any prettier. The Illini are allowing 408 yards and 28 points per game and are allowing 185 yards per game on the ground. They don't pressure the quarterback particularly well. If he is healthy, Darius Willis seems like the key to this game. If IU can establish a rushing offense, IU may be able to control the game a bit.

After last weekend's disaster, I have no idea what to expect from this team. Based on the way last year's team responded to adversity, I don't expect much. Still, this game and next week's game at Northwestern will dictate the course of the season and the course of Bill Lynch's career. If IU has anything it is holding back on either side of the ball, right now would be the right time to use it.

Preview: Michigan State Spartans vs. The Illinois Fighting Illini

Pete Rossman — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:00:35 -0000

TV: BIG TEN NETWORK, 12 PM ET, 11 AM CT

WEATHER REPORT (as of Thursday Afternoon): Partly Cloudy, 52 degrees, 10% chance of rain

Michigan State hasn't played the Fighting Illini since Homecoming of 2006, and if you remember that game, I feel sorry for you, myself, and anyone in the rooms around either of us. The white dwarf star that is was Juice Williams burst onto the scene, beating the Spartans 23-20 for Illinois' only win against a 1-A team that season. That was how bad the John L. Smith era was, lest you forget.

Today, it seems only fitting that Juice gets benched before this game, giving way to redshirt junior Eddie McGee. Will McGee's addition spark the Illini? Can MSU establish a decent running game this week? Will I be stunned like I was three years ago? The answers to these questions can be found after the jump.

ILLINOIS ON OFFENSE

Let's get to the main question on most Spartan fans' minds: How good is Eddie McGee? Let's take a look at his stats this season:

DATE	OPP	RESULT	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	LNG	TD	INT	RAT	ATT	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
9/5	Missouri	L 37-9	4	9	36	44.4	19	0	0	78.04	2	11	5.5	6	0
9/12	Illinois State	W 45-17	13	17	164	76.5	27	1	1	165.15	18	55	3.1	16	2
9/26	@Ohio State	L 30-0	2	4	11	50.0	7	0	1	23.10	3	-3	-1.0	4	0
10/3	Penn State	L 35-17	DNP

And for Eddie's career:

YEAR	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	YPA	LNG	TD	INT	SACK	RAT
2007	29	55	444	52.7	8.07	56	2	3	2	121.63
2008	4	9	59	44.4	6.56	30	0	0	0	99.51
2009	19	30	211	63.3	7.03	27	1	2	3	120.08

I think it's safe to say Eddie's not a significant upgrade in any way from Juice Williams. In fact, Eddie has a worse attempt-to-interception ratio than Juice (15 attempts to 1 INT for Eddie, 22.3 attempts to 1 INT for Juice). I interpret the quarterback switcheroo as a massive sign that Ron Zook has ascended from a mere councilman to mayor of [REDACTED], and the move won't make the Illini offense significantly better. Michigan State won't have to worry about the passing game as long as Arrelious Benn stays ignored (only 10 receptions in four games this season). As for quarterback scrambles and draws, the Spartans have shut down quarterback runs--both scripted and unscripted--for the most part this season.

The running attack is slightly better than the passing game. The Illini have averaged 3.1 yards a carry in their two Big Ten games this season (disclaimer - those games were against OSU and PSU). Jason Ford, their rushing leader, racked up 137 of his 173 yards in the Eastern Illinois game. Their second leading rusher will be on the bench, for he is Juice Williams. The one running back to be concerned about is Daniel Dufrene, who will either get busy livin' or get busy dyin' against Trevor Anderson and company (yup, Shawshank'd. Bonus trivia question - name the book the story was first in). Dufrene had 11 rushes for 54 yards against a good Penn State defense.

As for Michigan State, they should do exactly what they did during the first 55 minutes of the Michigan game. The Illini probably have the worst offense MSU has faced since Montana State, but with that said, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Illini have a couple long offensive drives, since Ohio State and Penn State have significantly better defenses than the Spartans.

ILLINOIS ON DEFENSE

Simply put, Illinois' weakness is team offenses with one vowel in their division classification. Missouri, OSU, and PSU all scored at least 30 points, while Eastern Illinois put up 17. If you're looking for a possible comparison point to how good the Illini defense might be, here's a hint: Akron, Temple, and Syracuse all allowed less points to Penn State than Illinois did. Even though Penn State did rein in the offense late in those early games...still.

Here's how the Illini have done defensively:

Team	Pass Yards	Run Yards	Total Yards	Yards Per Play
Missouri	325	117	442	6.14
Illinois State	354	44	398	5.53
Ohio State	82	236	318	5.39
Penn State	175	338	513	7.89

Missouri was unstoppable through the air, and Eastern Illinois passed because it was their only way to be effective. As for Ohio State and Penn State, the passing defense wasn't all that bad, as Penn State threw it 25 times in that game for an average of 7.0 yards per attempt. However, Penn State didn't need to pass when the running game picked up steam. Regarding Ohio State, Jim Tressel only calls passes under gunpoint.

The strategy for Michigan State is this: Use the pass to set up the run. Cousins has had little trouble with accuracy for passes under ten yards, and once the offense consistently gets at least five yards on first down (KJ's performed the math - throwing on first down is when the MSU offense is most effective), the run game should open up. I know this thought is an antithesis to one of the offense's central tenets, but Dantonio has shown he's not averse to a pass-heavy offense when Michigan State is behind.

ILLINIOIS ON SPECIAL TEAMS

The kicker for Illinois this season, Matt Eller, has been adequate, making 8 of 9 extra points and 3 of 4 field goals. However, that miss was on Eller's only attempt longer than 40 yards. Anthony Santella, the punter, hasn't shown a lot of power on his punts this season; he's averaging 38.5 yards per punt and has a long of 47 yards. The biggest threat on special teams is Arrelious Benn, who handles kick returns in addition to his receiving duties. He hasn't had a touchdown yet though, and Illinois has averaged less than 25 yards on its kick returns this season.

THE PREDICTION

I'm a little worried about this game. Illinois has played some tough opponents so far this season including two of the top three teams in the Big Ten. I'm pretty sure Illinois is better than what they've shown in their games against 1-A competition. However, Coach Zook's curious decision to bench Juice Williams leads me to one of two possible conclusions: Juice is more injured than anyone is letting on, or Zook is pressing the panic button WITH AN INTENSITY NOT SEEN BY MANKIND.

Michigan State, on the other hand, is coming off a win where the defense showed signs of life for the first time since the opener. I hope Cousins' ankle is 100%, because that 41-yard run in the Michigan game demonstrated why Cousins has the edge over Nichol - Cousins doesn't have more athletic ability, but he knows when to run and when to pass and has the ability to make the right read better than Nichol does currently. Hopefully the offensive line can help the running backs consistently get at least three yards per rush.

I feel like this is a game Michigan State should win, and very well needs to win to keep their bowl hopes alive. The Illini will look good at times, and this game is going to be closer than a lot of us would like. The Spartans will prevail though on...let's say a Cousins pass to B.J. Cunningham and a field goal.

MICHIGAN STATE 24, ILLINOIS 14