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Team: Illinois Fighting Illini
Head Coach: Ron Zook
2008 Record: 5-7 (3-5)
Last year, Illinois was a team that may challenge for a Big11Ten crown. Things didn't go as planned and towards the end of the season, with bowl eligibility on the line, Juice Williams turned into an interception machine. It was the same inconsitency that had plagued Illinois in seasons past and it will be that same problem they hope to avoid this season. The Illini return a lot of their offense, including Juice Williams, Arrelious Benn and all three running backs (Jason Ford, Daniel Dufrene and Mike LeShoure) that comprised the majority of their non-Juice Williams rushing attack.
The expectations will be high on offense, and with the experience these guys have, they should be able to live up to them. It feels like Benn and Juice have been in the league forever and even though the team has been relatively mediocre during their tenure, we're betting a lot of PSU fans tense up every time a play call results in one of them getting the ball in the open field. It doesn't help that Benn had his coming out party against PSU back in 2007:
No one's catchin that guy on the kickoff, and that touchdown reception is embarrassing.
And it doesn't help that the two of them hooked up for some slick plays just last season (at 2 minutes and 6 minutes):
Uhhh, most teams double-cover that guy.
We think it's fair to say that Illinois has weapons on offense. Couple those guys with their returning rushers and a couple of guys on the offensive line that are sticking around and you have yourself a very solid core. Add to that core a second receiver like Jarred Fayson who came over from Florida (and as we all know, athletes from Florida are better than evvvveryone) and what was already a talented offense gets even better. Illinois fans are pumped about their offense and it should be exciting to see what they do. We just hope that they forget to show up when they play PSU.
As for the defense... well, they're losing a couple guys. The most noteable of those guys may be LB Brit Miller who had 132 (!) tackles last season. Also out is corner Vontae Davis, who was second on the team with 78. About that linebacker position, the Illini also lost Sam Carson III at that position, but they have a steady player waiting in the wings to fill the void in Martez Wilson, who was third on the team with tackles last season (73). All that matters now is filling in the other two spots. There are a handfull of guys looking to fill in those spots, including transfer Aaron Gress and freshman Eric Watts.
Then there's the defensive line. Three senior starters are gone, as well as junior tackle Josh Brent who last we heard was suspended "indefinitely" because of a DUI arrest. If replacing a couple of linebackers is going to be a chore, then Zooker is in for a real treat when he has to figure out what guys to put down in the trenches. Replacing an entire defensive line is going to be nearly impossible, but a feat that may very well make or break the Illinois defense. The other part of all this, of course, is that they need to not only replace those guys, but improve upon their performances.
The Illini were pretty underwhelming on defense last year, allowing 350.3 yards per game -- just a shade over 150 of those yards per game were rushing. If you want to be a legit team in the Big11Ten, you have to stop the running teams. Rushing is the bread and butter of the big programs and if you allow them to move the ball on the ground, you're going to be in trouble.
As for 2009 we, and probably a lot of other people, expect the defense to struggle. The offense is there and will likely put up points, but we don't have much faith in Illinois being able to stop anyone. The defense needs to do their part and allow Juice and Co. to play at their own pace, rather than be forced to play catch up. Juice playing catch up is the Juice that throws pick after pick and as long he doesn't show up, the Illini may have a chance to be a top team in the conference.
We feel bold doing this, but our prediction: 10-2 (6-2).
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