Illinois 2012 Spring Preview

Illinois Fighting Illini 2012 ... Head Coach: Tim Beckman

Illinois Fighting Illini

2012 Schedule
Sep. 1 Western Michigan
Sep. 8 at Arizona State
Sep. 15 Charleston Southern
Sep. 22 Louisiana Tech
Sep. 29 Penn State
Oct. 6 at Wisconsin
Oct. 13 at Michigan
Oct. 20 OPEN DATE
Oct. 27 Indiana
Nov. 3 at Ohio State
Nov. 10 Minnesota
Nov. 17 Purdue
Nov. 24 at Northwestern

2011 Record: 7-6
Sep. 3 Arkansas State W 33-15
Sep. 10 South Dakota St W 56-3
Sep. 17 Arizona State W 17-14
Sep. 24 Western Mich W 23-20
Oct. 1 Northwestern W 38-35
Oct. 8 at Indiana W 41-20
Oct. 15 Ohio State L 17-7
Oct. 22 at Purdue L 21-14
Oct. 29 at Penn State L 10-7
Nov. 5 OPEN DATE
Nov. 12 Michigan L 31-14
Nov. 19 Wisconsin L 28-17
Nov. 26 at Minnesota L 27-7
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Dec. 31 UCLA W 20-14

2010 CFN Prediction: 5-7
2010 Record: 7-6
Sept. 4 Missouri L 23-13 (in St. L.)
Sept. 11 So Illinois W 35-3
Sept. 18 No Illinois W 28-22
Sept. 25 OPEN DATE
Oct. 2 Ohio State L 24-13
Oct. 9 at Penn State W 33-13
Oct. 16 at Michigan St L 26-6
Oct. 23 Indiana W 43-13
Oct. 30 Purdue W 44-10
Nov. 6 at Michigan L 67-65 3OT
Nov. 13 Minnesota L 38-34
Nov. 20 at Northwestern W 48-27
Nov. 27 OPEN DATE
Dec. 3 at Fresno State L 25-23
TEXAS BOWL
Dec. 29 Baylor W 38-14
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2012 Spring Football

Illinois, your window is razor-thin and it’s going to slam shut in a hurry. The program just came off a coaching change and is in a transition period, but there’s no time to try to rebuild or reload. If the program wants to get to the Big Ten championship as the representative of the Leaders, this is the year to do it with Wisconsin not appearing to be quite the team it was last year, Penn State trying to keep its head above water, and Ohio State not eligible to go to the title game.

The Buckeyes could own the division in the near future, and Wisconsin isn’t going away, so Beckman’s task this offseason is simple: win now. Everything Illinois does have to be with the attitude that the time is now and this is the season to take a step forward.

- Can Tim Beckman coach basketball, too? It hasn’t been a good run for coaching hires for Illinois, and that includes Beckman, who was a booby prize with Kevin Sumlin deciding on Texas A&M. Beckman took a while to round out the coaching staff – it wasn’t exactly a smooth process – but defensive coordinator Tim Banks should make things interesting with his five defensive back system.

- It’s never really a good sign when new coaches limit access. He’s not letting anyone into practices, and while that might seem to mean the program is getting down to business, but it also shows that things aren’t in place. A good college football team can tell the opponent what it’s going to do, and then do it.

- Beckman’s offenses rocked at Toledo, and now the pressure is on Nathan Scheelhaase to take the attack to another level. Reilly O’Toole might be in the mix for a little bit of playing time here and there, but it’ll be up to Scheelhaase to use his experience and all-around skills to ease in the transition to the Beckman era.

- Who’s the next great Illinois defensive lineman? Ron Zook and the old coaching staff managed to do a decent job of developing athletes on the defensive front seven with Whitney Mercilus coming from out of nowhere to become the nation’s most productive defensive end. Tackle Akeem Spence has the size and the tools to be fantastic, while Michael Buchanan will be the main pass rushing threat on the end.

- The special teams have to be far, far better. Illinois was dead last in the nation in kickoff returns, 118th in punt returns, and 80th in punting. It should be a bit of a concern that Toledo was great on punt returns, and bad at everything else.

The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Illinois Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. LB T.J. Neal
6-1, 225, Scout.com 24th ranked, three-star middle linebacker.

2. LB Mason Monheim
6-1, 219, Scout.com 33rd ranked, three-star middle linebacker. Monheim finished his junior season with 190 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions. He says he can bench 315-pounds, squat 425 and has a 32-inch vertical jump.

3. RB Lakeith Walls
6-4, 200, Scout.com 49th ranked, three-star running back. As a junior, Walls carried the ball 100 times for 1270 yards and 22 touchdowns in 10 games. He was named first-team All-City.

4. WR J.J. Robertson
6-0, 185, Scout.com 54th ranked, three-star receiver. Robertson finished his junior season with 23 catches for 615 yards and nine touchdowns. He also had one kick return for a touchdown. He says he can bench 285-pounds, squat 370 and claims a 38-inch vertical jump.

5. DT Vontrell Williams
6-3, 275, Scout.com 60th ranked, three-star tackle. Williams finished his junior season with 40 tackles and 15 sacks. He says he can bench 375-pounds, squat 560 and claims a 32-inch vertical jump.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Receivers. Tim Beckman is known for being a defensive coach, but his Toledo teams lived on a high-octane offense. It’s Illinois, so the passing game is going to get plenty of attention with the receiving corps getting new prospects to play around with. The defense is getting a few nice linebackers, and kicker Ryan Frain will get a shot at the job right away, but across the board this class pales in comparison to the monsters Ron Zook brought in when he first started up in Champaign.

Team Concerns For 2012: Key offensive performers. QB Nathan Scheelhaase is back for two more years, but his top target, A.J. Jenkins, is gone, as are top backs Jason Ford and Troy Pollard. Losing left tackle Jeff Allen could be the biggest problem early on next season; there are more good skill players waiting in the wings. Defensively, who’s going to be the next great defensive lineman? Tackle Corey Liuget was the main man two years ago, and last season Whitney Mercilus was the best defensive end in college football. The hope is for tackle Akeem Spence to be the next big thing.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: New head coach Tim Beckman isn’t exactly making a great first impression after having problems filling out his coaching staff, but he has a good team in place to work with. Star end Whitney Mercilus is gone to the NFL, but three starters are back on the line and big-time tackler Jonathan Brown leads a strong linebacking corps. The secondary gets three starters back and shouldn’t have too big a problem replacing corner Tavon Wilson. The offense starts with QB Nathan Scheelhaase, but he needs to find a new No. 1 target with A.J. Jenkins gone. Donovonn Young will get the first look to handle the running game, working behind a line that loses tackle Jeff Allen but should be strong with a little bit of tweaking.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … The passing game. The Illini defensive front got an influx of talent for the inside with Chris Jones and Clint Tucker two active big bodies who fit the team team perfectly. Ends Darrius Caldwell and Chris O’Connor are dangerous pass rushing prospects. While running backs Joshua Ferguson and Donovann Young going to shine, the offensive class is about the passing game with Reilly O’Toole the quarterback for three years from now and receivers Dondi Kirby and Kenny Wright two big, strong targets. The big coup was tight end Jon Davis, who turned down Notre Dame and UCLA.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 50. That Class Was Heavy On ... The middle of the defensive back seven. Quarterback Chandler Whitmer is the star of the class and wide receiver Darius Millines is a good one to step in and potentially produce early on, but Illinois needed to do something about its defense ... and now. Jonathan Brown, Mark Wilson, and Jay Prosch are all built to play inside linebacker, and they might provide instant depth. Safety Earnest Thomas is the best defensive prospect brought in, while JUCO transfer Trulon Henry has to find a spot somewhere in the secondary immediately.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 38. That Class Was Heavy On ... defensive linemen. Lost in the Ron Zook era amidst the publicity around the offense has been a defense that’s been consistently strong. This year’s recruiting class helped the defensive front more than any other area with promising pass rushers Cornellius Carradine and Michael Buchanan for the outside with Lendell Buckner and Akeem Spence for the inside. Buckner has the body and the upside to be special.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Illinois 20 … UCLA 14
- CFN Thoughts on the Kraft Fight Hunger

Illinois: The Illini came up with five sacks and held UCLA to 18 rushing yards. … Nathan Scheelhaase completed 18-of-30 passes for 139 yards and a score with a pick. He also ran 22 times for 110 yards. … A.J. Jenkins caught six passes for 80 yards and a score. … Ian Thomas made seven tackles with a sack, a broken up pass, and two tackles for loss. … Whitney Mercilus made five tackles with 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss.

UCLA: The Bruins average 6.9 yards per pass attempt. … Kevin Prince completed 14-of-29 passes for 201 yards and two scores with a pick. … Derrick Coleman ran nine times for 39 yards. … Joseph Fauria caught five passes for 36 yards. … Jordan Zumwalt made ten stops with a pick and two tackles for loss. … Glen Love made eight tackles with a sack and two tackles for loss.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Terry Hawthorne returned an interception 39 yards for Illinois' first touchdown late in the third quarter and the Illini snapped a six-game losing streak by beating UCLA 20-14 in the Fight Hunger Bowl.

Nathan Scheelhaase added a 60-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Jenkins midway through the fourth quarter to seal the first victory for Illinois (7-6) since beating Indiana 12 weeks ago. The game between two six-win teams who have already fired their head coaches matched the underwhelming expectations as there was little excitement before Hawthorne's third-quarter touchdown that gave Illinois its first lead.

UCLA (6-8) was held to 18 yards rushing in its third straight loss. Kevin Prince threw two TD passes, including one in the closing minute to Nelson Rosario after the game had been decided.

But it was an earlier pass by Prince that proved decisive and helped give Illinois its first bowl wins in consecutive seasons in school history. Three plays after Derek Dimke missed a 37-yard field goal for Illinois late in the third quarter, Prince dropped back and threw to his left looking for Shaquelle Evans.

Hawthorne read the play perfectly and stepped in front of the throw for the interception and had a clear path to the end zone for the score that gave the Illini a 10-7 lead.

Dimke added a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter and Scheelhaase and Jenkins combined on their big play to make it 20-7 with 5:36 to go. Scheelhaase finished 18 for 30 for 139 yards with 110 yards rushing to lead the Illinois offense.

Prince completed just 14 for 29 for 201 yards and the Bruins were held to a season-low in rushing, well below their 190.7 yard per game average, by the stout Illini front.

The matchup between Big Ten and Pac-12 teams on New Year's weekend at a picturesque setting in California conjures up memories of Rose Bowls past. But this game was played on San Francisco's waterfront instead of with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background in Pasadena and was between two teams that had little to celebrate this season.

Both teams fired their coaches after disappointing regular seasons with Ron Zook getting let go by Illinois after losing six straight games to end the season and Rick Neuheisel getting run out at UCLA after a 50-0 loss to rival Southern California in the regular season finale. Neuheisel coached the Bruins when they lost the Pac-12 title game at Oregon, leaving them as the first team to go to a bowl with a losing record since North Texas in 2001.

With their head coaches gone and new coaches Tim Beckman at Illinois and Jim Mora at UCLA not set to take over until January, interim coaches Vic Koenning and Mike Johnson ran the Illini and Bruins respectively.

The Illini, operating under interim offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm, opened up the playbook in the first half but still trailed 7-3 at the break. They called a throwback pass to Scheelhaase, a reverse, a fake field goal and went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own territory.

UCLA stuffed Donovonn Young for a loss on that run from the Illinois 45, setting up Prince's 16-yard TD pass to Taylor Embree for the first score of the game.

The Bruins were unable to capitalize after stopping the fake field goal. Holder Tim Russell flipped the ball over his head to Dimke, who was tackled by Shelden Price for a 4-yard loss.

UCLA then botched a shotgun snap on the ensuing drive, giving the Illini the ball at the Bruins 30. Illinois settled for Dimke's 35-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

The game, which is sponsored by Kraft, generated three meals for local food banks for each of the 29,878 tickets sold. Officials used an Oreo cookie for the opening coin toss.

Nov. 26 at Minnesota 27 ... Illinois 7  

Nov. 19 Wisconsin 28 … at Illinois 17
CFN Analysis: The Badgers came up with a clunker of a first half, unable to move the ball and struggling stop the Illini defensive front, and then everything changed in the second half. The patchwork offensive line started to do some shoving around and Russell Wilson started to connect. However, it took too long to get going. … It also took a slew of Illinois mistakes with four turnovers, a misplay on a punt return, and other problems giving the Badgers several breaks. .. Wisconsin only gained 285 yards of total offense, but Montee Ball took over and showed why he belongs in the Heisman chase with 224 yards and two scores on 38 carries. … Beat Penn State and play for the Big Ten title. It’s that simple now.  

Nov. 12 Michigan 31 … at Illinois 14
CFN Analysis: And the slide continues. The Illini had been close in the other three losses, and there were chances against Michigan, but it was a bad loss. The running game didn’t work, the passing game didn’t pick up the slack, and the team didn’t take advantage of any of its opportunities to turn the game around. Michigan was dominating, but it didn’t put it away until late. … A.J. Jenkins got back on track with eight catches for 103 yards, but the running attack couldn’t find any room to breathe with Jason Ford coming up with just 26 yards on 11 carries. … Nathan Scheelhaase is pressing a bit much and he’s not making the right decisions. He couldn’t seem able to find any room to move. … The pass rush is still tremendous and the talent is still there, but the offense has fallen dead-flat at the worst possible time. Wisconsin is up next, but the Illini is just good enough to put it all together and pull off a shocker. 

Oct. 29 at Penn State 10 … Illinois 7
CFN Analysis: Now the breaks aren’t coming Illinois’ way. When Derek Dimke is hitting the upright on a game-tying field goal, things aren’t going well, but the team needs to start making its own breaks. All three games on the recent losing streak were winnable, but the offense can’t put points on the board. A.J. Jenkins was held in check, and while the running game was fine against the tremendous Nittany Lion defense, it didn’t get into the end zone and didn’t lead the way to enough points. The defense was outstanding, with Jonathan Brown coming up with another great game with 11 tackles, but it wasn’t enough. With 28 points in the last three games, it’s time to turn it on with Michigan and Wisconsin up next. 

Oct. 22 at Purdue 21 … Illinois 14
CFN Analysis: Did Ohio State beat the Illini twice? This was a dead team out of the locker room and the offense couldn’t pick up the slack. The offensive line struggled all game long with the Purdue pass rush while pushing the way for just 121 yards and two scores. Nathan Scheelhaase was okay, A.J. Jenkins caught eight passes for 92 yards, and Whitney Mercilus made five tackles with a tackle for loss. Basically, the stars didn’t do enough and no one else stepped up. The second half push came up short, and now the promising start to the year has fizzled with a trip to Penn State up next followed up by dates with Michigan and Wisconsin. 6-5 is possible before the layup at Minnesota to finish up. 

Oct. 15 Ohio State 17 … at Illinois 7
CFN Analysis: Illinois got smashed in the mouth, and it didn’t quite know how to handle it. Ohio State got ultra-physical on both sides of the ball with the ground game pounding away for a tough 211 yards to make up for the problems in the passing game, while the defensive front didn’t let Nathan Scheelhaase feel comfortable all game long. A.J. Jenkins stayed hot with eight catches for 80 yards, but the running game didn’t go anywhere – partly because Jason Ford got hurt after running six times for 30 yards. If the Illini has the mental toughness to get past this, it should be able to get by Purdue and Penn State on the road before hosting Michigan and Wisconsin, but the lines have to toughen up. 

Oct. 8 Illinois 41 … at Indiana 20
CFN Analysis: A.J. Jenkins is red hot, ripping up Northwestern last week and ripping off six catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns to get past the Hoosiers for the program’s first 6-0 start since 1961. The running game is still there, and the team can always fall back on it with Donovonn Young, Jason Ford, and Troy Pollard all taking turned and producing well, but over the last few weeks it’s been Jenkins and the passing game that’s made the attack complete. Whitney Mercilus continues to establish himself as one of the nation’s top pass rushers with three sacks against IU for 8.5 on the year. Ohio State might be struggling, but if Illinois wins next week, then it’ll really be time to get excited.  

Oct. 1 at Illinois 38 … Northwestern 35
CFN Analysis: Call this the true season-making moment for Illinois as it could’ve buckled, could’ve folded, and seemed to do everything possible to give the game away with bad penalties and turnovers. Instead, Nathan Scheelhaase and A.J. Jenkins showed the Illini could win through the air with the two connecting 12 times for 268 yards and three touchdowns, and Scheelhaase finishing with 391 yards and three scores with the game-winning rushing touchdowns. It hasn’t always been pretty, and the eight penalties and three turnovers can’t happen against Ohio State in a few weeks, but with Indiana up next, a 6-0 start is likely. There’s still time to tighten up on both sides of the ball, but this was a terrific gut-check win for an ultra-confident team led by a quarterback playing at a high level.  

Sept. 24 at Illinois 23 … Western Michigan 20
CFN Analysis: Don’t just assume that Illinois isn’t all that great because it struggled to get by Western Michigan. This is a strong Bronco team that’s good enough to win the MAC, and no matter how it happened, the Illini is 4-0 going into Big Ten play against Northwestern. The defense is playing at a high level with the best pass rush in the conference, while Donovonn Young and Troy Pollard – who combined for 233 rushing yards - controlled the ball and the clock for more than 35 minutes to give the secondary a break. The fear, though, is that the pass defense got picked apart by the Broncos, and Dan Persa is healthy and ready to go for the Wildcats. Illinois has to get pressure into the backfield, and the D line might have to start doing even more.  

Sept. 17 at Illinois 17 ... Arizona State 14
CFN Analysis: It might not have been an air-tight win, and there were a slew of mistakes, but after all the noise made by Arizona State in a big win over Missouri, this was a very, very big victory that could announce that the Illini is for real. The offense had problems, with Jason Ford being held to 58 yards rushing and a score while Nathan Scheelhaase completed 11-of-15 passes for 135 yards and a score and running for 67 more. A.J. Jenkins caught six of the 11 completions for 103 of the passing yards, and no one else did anything. The three turnovers killed any consistency, but the defense forced three key takeaways including Whitney Mercilus’s game-changing play. The pass rush was tremendous, with Mercilus dominating with five tackles and two sacks along with the key forced fumble, and that was enough to get by. However, the O will have to do more in a possible firefight with Western Michigan up next.  

Sept. 10 at Illinois 56 ... South Dakota State 3
CFN Analysis: Welcome to college football, Donovonn Young. Illinois has been looking for the next great back to put up huge yards in the spread attack, and Young, a true freshman, ripped off 65 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries, but everyone got fat on the South Dakota State defense. Illinois averaged 7.3 yards per carry on the way to 364 yards of rushing offense, while Nathan Scheelhaase and the passing game were brilliant. Helped by a 9-of-9 day from Reilly O’Toole, Illinois quarterbacks combined to completed 16-of-18 passes for 155 yards and a score. The D did its part, too, stuffing the Jackrabbits early on and got a 27-yard Trulon Henry interception return for a score to put the game away in the first quarter. Next up is Arizona State, and if the Illini are as ready as they’ll ever be. 

Sept. 3 at Illinois 33 … Arkansas State 15
CFN Analysis: The Illini took control early and Nathan Scheelhaase wouldn’t let the game go. Coming off his great bowl performance against Baylor nine months ago, he picked up where he left off completing 16-of-23 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns in a mistake-free performance that didn’t allow ASU to get back in the game. Who’s going to be the next great Illinois running back? It’s going to be a committee, with Jason Ford running 22 times but being held to 86 yards with two scores. Including Scheelhaase, seven different players carried the ball, and that’s not going to change over the next several weeks with South Dakota State up next before the Arizona State showdown.

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … The passing game. The Illini defensive front got an influx of talent for the inside with Chris Jones and Clint Tucker two active big bodies who fit the team team perfectly. Ends Darrius Caldwell and Chris O’Connor are dangerous pass rushing prospects. While running backs Joshua Ferguson and Donovann Young going to shine, the offensive class is about the passing game with Reilly O’Toole the quarterback for three years from now and receivers Dondi Kirby and Kenny Wright two big, strong targets. The big coup was tight end Jon Davis, who turned down Notre Dame and UCLA.

Five Illinois Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. TE Jon Davis
6-2, 230, Scout.com’s 7th ranked tight end. A big athlete with an uncanny change of direction, Davis actually returns punts for his Eastern teams at times. He runs the ball out of a wingback position like a 200 pound running back. Gets off the line quickly from his tight end position and his athleticism gets him great separation against linebackers. Catches the ball naturally without having to break stride.

2. C Tony Durkin
6-3, 270, Scout.com’s 12th ranked center.

3. DT Clint Tucker
6-2, 285, Scout.com’s 54th ranked defensive tackle.

4. OG Chris Boles
6-4, 315, Scout.com’s 43rd ranked guard.

5. QB Reilly O’Toole
6-3, 200, Scout.com’s 66th ranked quarterback. Lead team to an Illinois state title as a junior while completing 144 of 233 passes (61.8 percent) for 2,200 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Willie Beavers Line 6-5 310 Southfield, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup
Chris Boles Line 6-5 315 Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic
Darrius Caldwell Line 6-5 210 Atlanta, Ga./Mays
Ralph Cooper Back 6-1 222 Winnsboro, S.C./Fairfield Central
Valdon Cooper Back 5-10 170 Elberton, Ga./Elbert County
Jon Davis Back 6-3 230 Louisville, Ky./Middletown Eastern
Henry Dickinson Back 6-4 210 Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University HS
Tony Durkin Line 6-3 260 Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew
Justin DuVernois P 6-1 190 Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas
Josh Ferguson Back 5-10 180 Naperville, Ill./Joliet Catholic
Pat Flavin Line 6-7 260 Lisle, Ill./Benet Academy
Jordan Frysinger Back 6-0 175 Corning, N.Y./Corning
Zeph Grimes Back 5-11 212 Bamberg, S.C./Bamberg-Ehrhardt
Chris Jones Line 6-5 305 Jacksonville, Fla./Raines
Ted Karras Line 6-3 292 Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral
Dondi Kirby Back 6-3 190 Monroeville, Penn./Gateway
Kenny Knight Back 6-4 190 Beverly Hills, Mich./Country Day
Matt LaCosse Back 6-6 220 Naperville, Ill./North
Scott McDowell Line 6-5 280 Hinsdale, Ill./Central
Kenny Nelson Line 6-6 245 Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech
Nick North Back 6-1 195 Hollywood, Fla./McArthur
Chris O'Connor Line 6-5 240 Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew
Reilly O'Toole Back 6-4 215 Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South
Eaton Spence Back 6-0 175 Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Day
Clint Tucker Line 6-2 285 East St. Louis, Ill./East St. Louis
Jeremy Whitlow Back 6-2 190 Cleveland, Ohio/Central Catholic
Donovonn Young Back 5-11 215 Houston, Texas/Katy