2008 Illinois Fighting Illini - Rec. Class

Illinois Fighting Illini 2008 Head Coach: Ron Zook

Illinois Fighting Illini

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Graham Pocic OL 6-7 316 Lemont, IL
Enrolled at the University of Illinois in January, 2008 ... PrepStar Magazine Dream Team ... Named to the Chicago Sun Times All-Area team ... Earned first-team All-State honors by the Chicago Tribune ... Named to the Rivals250 team ... First-team All-State by the Champaign News-Gazette ... Four-star recruit by Scout.com ... Named to the Midwest Hot100 list by Scout.com ... Team broke 6A record for rushing yards in a playoff game vs. Highland Park ... Also broke school records for points per game (35), points in a season (490), total offense in a season (4,863) and rushing yards per game (295.2) ... Listed as the 16th-best offensive tackle in the nation by Scout.com ... SuperPrep All-American ... Led Lemont team to the school's first appearance in the Illinois state finals in 2007 ... Named team captain ... Had 26 scholarship offers ... Played in the Offense-Defense All-Star game in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., after his senior season ... Bench presses over 350 pounds and squats 450 ... Chose Illinois over Michigan, Florida, Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin

Potential Instant Impact Players

Donsay Hardeman

DB

6-2

220

Milledgeville, GA

Four-star recruit by Scout.com ... Helped lead Georgia Military College to a 9-2 record and a No. 9 national junior college ranking in 2007 ... Team's defense ranked fourth in total defense and No. 1 against the rush ... Earned honorable mention All-America honors by JC Gridwire ... Posted 28 tackles, two tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, four interceptions, including an 85-yard touchdown, and five pass breakups ... Had five interceptions, including a 84-yard return for a touchdown, and a 95-yard fumble recovery for a score in his first year of junior college ... Posted 15 catches for 300 yards and five touchdowns, while recording 80 tackles and seven interceptions as a high school senior in 2005 ... Chose Illinois over Alabama, Miami and South Carolina

Corey Liuget

DT

6-3

260

Hialeah, FL

Four-star recruit by Scout.com ... Ranked as the 25th-best recruit in the state of Florida and the seventh-best defensive end by Rivals.com ... Listed as the No. 8 defensive end nationally by Scout.com ... Listed among Florida's Top-25 by the Miami Herald ... Named to Scout's Florida Top-50 team ... Rated the No. 17 defensive end by ESPN.com ... Earned first-team 6A All-State honors ... First-team All-Area by the Miami Herald ... Registered 59 tackles and 11 sacks in 2007 ... Named to the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Super Southern 100 as the seventh-best defensive end ... SuperPrep All-American ... Recorded 55 tackles and six sacks as a junior and 59 tackles and 11 sacks as a sophomore ... Also a member of the wrestling team ... Chose Illinois over Miami, LSU and Florida State

Rest of the Class

Jeffery Allen	OL	6-4	324	Chicago, IL
Jacob Charest	QB	6-4	192	Matthews, NC
London Davis	TE	6-4	255	Cahokia, IL
Russell Ellington	LB	6-2	203	Homewood, IL
Reggie Ellis	DT	6-2	278	Washington, DC
Jason Ford	RB	5-10	209	Belleville, IL
Glenn Foster	DE	6-4	223	Chicago, IL
Evan Frierson	LB	6-2	217	Washington, DC
Hubie  Graham	TE	6-4	227	Scranton , PA
Alfred Jenkins	WR	6-0	170	Jacksonville, FL
Mikel LeShoure	RB	6-0	220	Champaign, IL
Corey Lewis	OL	6-6	278	Cresco, PA
Whitney Mercilus	DE	6-3	225	Akron, OH
Patrick Nixon	ATH	5-10	180	Jacksonville, FL
Nate Palmer	LB	6-3	228	Chicago, IL
Jack Ramsey	ATH	5-11	182	Chicago, IL
Tyler Sands	OL	6-5	290	Boyertown, PA
Supo Sanni	LB	6-3	197	Homewood, IL
Cordale Scott	WR	6-3	200	Cleveland, OH
Ryan Sedlacek	OL	6-4	292	Westport, CT
Justin Staples	LB	6-4	215	Lakewood, OH
Fred Sykes	WR	6-0	175	Tampa, FL
Ugochukwu Uzodinma	DE	6-4	240	Washington, DC
Ashante Williams	DB	5-10	191	Mayfield, OH
Tavon Wilson	DB	6-0	179	Washington, DC

- 2007 Illinois Preview 
- 2007 Illinois Season
- 2006 Illinois Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2007 Record: 9-4

Sept. 1 Missouri (St.L) L 40-34
Sept. 8 Western Illinois W 21-0
Sept. 15 at Syracuse W 41-20
Sept. 22 at Indiana W 27-14
Sept. 29 Penn State W 27-20
Oct. 6 Wisconsin W 31-26
Oct. 13 at Iowa L 10-6
Oct. 20 Michigan L 27-17
Oct. 27 Ball State W 28-17
Nov. 3 at Minnesota W 44-17
Nov. 10 at Ohio State W 29-21
Nov. 17 Northwestern W 41-22
Rose Bowl
Jan. 1 USC L 49-14

2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: There's a good nucleus of players coming back, led by QB Juice Williams, WR Arrelious Benn, and CB Vontae Davis, to challenge for yet another trip to the Rose Bowl. There's a boatload of young talent waiting in the wings from Ron Zook's first two recruiting classes, and while this might be a bit of a transition year, the overall skill level is there to prevent a big dip. It'll be an absolute shock if this isn't one of the four best teams in the league.
Why to be grouchy: Missouri (in St. Louis), at Penn State, at Michigan, at Wisconsin, Ohio State. Uh-oh. Illinois might be happy to win two of those five. While there's talent ready to shine through, you don't get better by losing certain first round pick Rashard Mendenhall out of the backfield, tackling-machine LB J Leman, all-star OG Martin O'Donnell, and unsung DT rock Chris Norwell.
The number one thing to work on is: The passing game. It was far, far better than it was in 2006, but teams still didn't respect Williams when he had to put the ball in the air. He made Ohio State pay, but couldn't do the same against USC. Benn might grow into the Big Ten's best receiver, and there will always be single coverage with everyone selling out to stop the run, so if Williams can be a little more efficient, the offense should explode.
Biggest offensive loss: RB Rashard Mendenhall
Biggest defensive loss: LB J Leman
Best returning offensive player: QB Juice Williams, Jr.
Best returning defensive player: CB Vontae Davis, Jr.

2007 Recap
2007 Recap: When the Illini lost to Missouri, 40-34, on opening day, who would have guessed that both schools would play bowl games on New Year’s Day?  In Illinois’ case, it copped a spot in the Rose Bowl, its first since 1983, after winning nine games, finishing in a second place tie in the Big Ten, and authoring the nation’s biggest turnaround after going 2-10 in 2006.  More than anyone in Champaign, the storybook season was vindication for Ron Zook, a respected recruiter, who proved that he can coach a little as well.    

Offensive Player of the Year: RB Rashard Mendenhall

Defensive Player of the Year: LB J Leman

Biggest Surprise: The Illini knocked off three ranked teams during the season, none bigger than its upset of No. 1 and unbeaten Ohio State on Nov. 10.  Using a shrewd offensive gameplan to get QB Juice Williams into space, Illinois held off the eventual Big Ten champs, beating a top-ranked opponent for the first time since 1956. 

Biggest Disappointment: Although Illinois’ Cinderella season was safe no matter what happened in Pasadena, getting embarrassed by USC left many wondering if the Illini ever belonged in a BCS bowl game.  The Trojans toyed with the Illinois defense, scoring seven touchdowns and racking up a Rose Bowl-record 663 yards of total offense.   

Looking Ahead: Mendenhall’s early defection to the NFL hurts, but Illinois has been recruiting so well, and has so much returning talent that another nine-win season will catch no one off guard in 2008.  Williams needs to tighten up his consistency as a thrower, or else Eddie McGee will see his role increase next fall.     

Jan. 1
2008 Rose Bowl
USC 49 ... Illinois 17
USC got up 21-0 in the first half on two Chauncey Washington scores and a 34-yard touchdown catch by Desmond Reed off a gadget play from Garrett Green, but Illinois made it interesting for a few moments. On the first drive of the third quarter, Rashard Mendenhall tore off a 79-yard touchdown run to pull the Illini within ten. And then came the game's drama as Mendenhall took a pass 55 yards into scoring range, but soon after Jacob Willis lost a fumble in the end zone, and after a mad battle, USC LB Brian Cushing recovered and things were never the same. On USC's ensuing drive, John David Booty threw a lateral to Joe McKnight, who took it off the turn and ran 65 yards leading to a Fred David two-yard touchdown catch to open up the floodgates. The Trojans scored 28 straight points on two Booty scoring passes, a six-yard McKnight run, and a three-yard Hershel Dennis scoring run. Illinois had one last interesting moment with a 56-yard touchdown catch from Arrelious Benn, but it was far too little, far too late.
Offensive Player of the Game: USC RB Joe McKnight ran ten times for 125 yards and a touchdown, caught six passes for 45 yards, and returned three punts for 36 yards.
Defensive Player of the Game: USC LB Rey Maualuga made four tackles, three sacks, forced a fumble and came up with an interception
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Isiah Williams, 21-35, 245 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Rashard Mendenhall, 17-155, 1 TD. Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 5-80, 1 TD
USC - Passing: John David Booty, 25-37, 255 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 10-127, 1 TD. Receiving: Fred Davis, 7-87, 1 TD
Thoughts & Notes ... 5 Thoughts on the Rose Bowl ... The two teams combined for 1,078 yards of total offense with Illinois getting 190 of it 445 on three plays. ... Illinois had no downfield passing whatsoever early on and the USC defensive front seven teed off. The linebackers ate up everything Juice Williams wanted to do. Outside of one big run and the big screen pass to get in scoring range, Rashard Mendenhall almost never got the ball in a place to do anything. ... This was Mendenhall's showcase game. For all the talent on USC, Mendenhall might turn out to be the best pro prospect. He showed speed and hands to go along with his power and cutting ability. ... USC came up with 14 tackles for loss and forced six fumbles, recovering two. The defense was all over the Illinois running game. ... USC ran for 344 yards to 144. Illinois needed that number to be reversed.

Nov. 17
Illinois 41 ... Northwestern 22
Illinois ran for 321 yards and coasted after taking an early 21-0 lead on two one-yard touchdown runs from Juice Williams and a three-yard Rashard Mendenhall dash. Northwestern scored late in the first half on a one-yard Tyrell Sutton run, but the Illini ended any excitement in the third quarter with a 42-yard Jeff Cumberland catch and an eight-yard Mendenhall run for a 35-7 lead. C.J. Bacher threw two late touchdown passes and finished with 310 passing yards for the Wildcats.
Player of the game: Illinois QB Juice Williams completed 15 of 23 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and ran 23 times for 136 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Isiah Williams, 15-23, 220 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Isiah Williams, 23-136, 2 TD. Receiving: Jeff Cumberland, 4-131, 1 TD
Northwestern - Passing: C.J. Bacher, 29-49, 310 yds, 2 TD< 2 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Sutton, 13-71, 1 TD. Receiving: Eric Peterman, 10-120
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Illinois kept on rolling with an easy win over Northwestern thanks to the running game and a strong performance from the defense against the Wildcat running game early on. With Michigan losing to Ohio State, the Illini will likely go to the Outback Bowl, but with nine wins, it's a near-lock for the New Year's Day game to finish off a huge bounceback season. Rashard Mendenhall finished off with a team-record 17 touchdown runs and Juice Williams was unstoppable, but it was the play of the defensive line over the last month that ended the season with a bang.

Nov. 10
Illinois 28 ... Ohio State 21
Illinois tore off 260 rushing yards, but it was the passing game that killed Ohio State early on with Juice Williams throwing four touchdown passes to four different receivers. A 31-yard strike to Marques Wilkins late in the third quarter gave the Illini a 28-14 lead, but the Buckeyes marched right back going 76 yards in eight plays with Chris Wells finishing it off with his second touchdown run of the game. And Illinois decided to not let Ohio State have the ball again. The Buckeyes ran two plays in the fourth quarter with the second an interception by Marcus Thomas with 8:09 to play. And then Illinois played keep-away, going 42 yards on 16 plays taking off the rest of the time, highlighted by a two-yard quarterback sneak on fourth and inches on the Illinois 33 to keep the drive alive. Marcus Freeman and James Laurinaitis combined to make 30 tackles for the Buckeyes, while J Leman made 12 stops for Illinois.
Player of the game: Illinois QB Juice Williams completed 12 of 22 passes for 140 yards and four touchdowns, and ran 16 times for 70 yards
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Isiah Williams, 12-22, 140 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Daniel Dufrene, 8-106. Receiving: Brian Gamble, 3-27, 1 TD
Ohio State - Passing: Todd Boeckman, 13-23, 156 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Chris Wells, 20-76, 2 TD. Receiving: Brian Hartline, 4-86
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Illinois just beat up the number one team in America. From the word go, Illinois was more physical, smarter, and far more efficient as it marched the ball on the seemingly impenetrable brick wall of a Buckeye run defense. Now a New Year's Day bowl game is all but assured after the stunning win over the Buckeyes, but first the team has to take care of business against Northwestern to be in the hunt for a ten-win season. Certainly this game was the official announcement that Illinois is going to be one of the biggest players of 2008, and next year's "it" team.

Nov. 3
Illinois 44 ... Minnesota 17
Illinois ran for 448 yards with Rashard Mendenhall getting 201 of them with scoring dashes fro 64 and 33 yards out. The game was broken open with three Jason Reda field goals and a seven-yard Isiah Williams touchdown run as part of a 23-point outburst. Minnesota was never it it after Williams threw first quarter scoring passes to Jacob Willis from 47 yards out and Jeff Cumberland from 22 yards away. Adam Weber threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Ernie Wheelwright and ran for a 29-yard score.
Player of the game: Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall ran 17 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns, and QB Juice Williams completed 14 of 21 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and ran 18 times for 133 yards and a score..
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Isiah Williams, 14-21, 207 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rashard Mendenhall, 17-201, 2 TD. Receiving: Jeff Cumberland, 4-53, 1 TD
Minnesota - Passing: Adam Weber, 18-31, 208 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Duane Bennett, 12-35. Receiving: Ernie Wheelwright, 9-123, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Beating up Minnesota isn't any big deal, but this was an important win for Illinois. Isiah Williams found a passing groove and was accurate and effective, while the running game exploded with yet another brilliant day from Rashard Mendenhall. If the Illini can throw like it did in the Dome, it'll be an impossible offense to stop down the stretch. If the safeties have to play off even a little bit, Mendenhall dominates. Can Williams keep up the production against Ohio State? It'll be an interesting showdown.

Oct. 27
Illinois 28 ... Ball State 17
Illinois ran for 324 yards with Rashard Mendenhall scoring from two and 30 yards out, and Juice Williams adding scoring dashes from ten and three yards away, but it was a fight. Ball State took a 10-7 lead on a 36-yard Mike Dorulla interception return for a touchdown, and pulled within four in the third quarter on a 24-yard Darius Hill catch, but the Illinois running game proved to be too much to overcome. The Illini held on to the ball for close to 17 minutes in the second half, and 10:19 in the fourth.
Player of the game: Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall ran 28 times for 189 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Ball State - Passing: Nate Davis, 16-33, 167 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Nate Davis, 12-64. Receiving: Darius Hill, 4-56, 1 TD
Illinois - Passing: Isiah Williams, 7-15, 145 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Rashard Mendenhall, 28-189, 2 TD. Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 4-97
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Illinois secondary came up with a nice day against Ball State, and the running game did what the running game was supposed to do. It might not have been the prettiest win, but when Juice Williams and Rashard Mendenhall can get the spread-option working as well as it did, the offense is hard to stop. Now that a bowl bid is all but certain, its time for a better position. Winning at Minnesota next week has to be a must, and then the big prize is up next: at Ohio State.

Oct. 20
Michigan 27 ... Illinois 17
Mike Hart was out, Chad Henne got hurt, and Illinois was rolling with a 14-3 first half lead on a 26-yard Jacob Willis touchdown catch and an eight-yard run from Daniel Dufrene, but then the Michigan offense got the receivers involved as Mario Manningham caught an eight-yard touchdown pass, later caught an 11-yard pass from WR Adrian Arrington to break a 17-17 tie midway through the fourth quarter. Arrington also caught a 14-yard touchdown pass as part of the 24-3 run. K.C. Lopata nailed a 39-yard field goal to put the Wolverines up ten late.
Player of the game: Michigan QB Chad Henne completed 18 of 26 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 8-14, 70 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rashard Mendenhall, 18-85. Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 5-35
Michigan - Passing: Chad Henne, 18-26, 201 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Carlos Brown, 25-113. Receiving: Mario Manningham, 9-109, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Michigan loss made Illinois look like it's not ready for primetime. From the ten penalties, many of them silly, to the lack of of consistency to the passing game, to the inability to control the Wolverine offense without Mike Hart. Juice Williams wasn't awful throwing the ball, but he didn't connect on enough top pass plays to throw any sort of a scare in the Wolverine secondary. With Ball State and Minnesota ahead, the Illini can get back on track in a big hurry before going to Ohio State.

Oct. 13
Iowa 10 ... Illinois 6
Iowa safety Brett Greenwood picked off Eddie McGee in the end zone with just over a minute to play to close out a brilliant defensive performance. The Illini gained just 287 yards of total offense and was outgained 141 yards to 137 on the ground, getting points on Jason Reda field goals from 46 and 23 yards out. Iowa tied it at three just before halftime on a 28-yard Daniel Murray kick, and took the lead for good at the end of the third quarter on a 29-yard Brandon Myers touchdown catch. The Illinois offense almost got its home run to change things around on an 83-yard pass play to Joe Morgan, but it was called back by an ineligible receiver penalty.
Player of the game: Iowa LB Mike Humphal made 18 tackles, sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble
Stat Leaders: Iowa - Passing: Jake Christensen, 17-25, 182 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Albert Young, 25-99. Receiving: Albert Young, 4-25
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 9-15, 98 yds
Rushing: Rashard Mendenhall, 15-67  Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 4-87
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Every once in a while, the Illini running game is going to get stuffed, and someone will have to throw it. Just when it looked like Eddie McGee would be the better answer at quarterback of Juice Williams, he throws a lousy pass at the end to let Iowa seal the win. That shouldn't take away from him getting more and more playing time. Juice threw well against the Hawkeyes, but McGee also showed off what he could do, yet again, with his arm and his legs. The offense can't be afraid to start taking more shots down the field.

Oct. 6
Illinois 31 ... Wisconsin 26
Illinois ran for 310 yards, with Rashard Mendenhall getting 160 of them, with scoring runs from 32 and five yards out, but it was a nine-play, 71-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, finishing up with a five-yard Eddie McGee score, that put the game out of reach. The Badgers, battling with a banged up P.J. Hill, fought back through the air, getting a nine-yard touchdown catch from Garrett Graham with 1:31 to play, but they couldn't get the ball back, failing to get the onside kick, and failing to come up with a stop on fourth and short. Mendenhall also caught a five-yard touchdown pass, while Wisconsin got 392 passing yards from Tyler Donovan and two touchdowns.
Player of the game: Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall ran 19 times for 160 yards and two touchdowns, and caught four passes for 33 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 12-19, 121 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Rashard Mendenhall, 19-160, 2 TD. Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 5-51
Wisconsin - Passing: Tyler Donovan, 27-49, 392 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: P.J. Hill, 21-83, 1 TD. Receiving: Travis Beckum, 11-160
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Illinois almost pitched a perfect game against Wisconsin, except for the inability to generate a consistent pass rush or stop the midrange passes. The lines were more physical, the running game worked to perfection, and Juice Williams was shockingly accurate. Most importantly in a game that was all about momentum, Illinois didn't turn the ball over. Now the spotlight will be on, and now the pressure will be there for the Illini to produce like they have over the past few weeks. If they play like they did this week, being unbeaten until the late game at Ohio State is possible.

Sept. 29
Illinois 27 ... Penn State 20
Illinois answered a 26-yard Kevin Kelly field goal with a 90-yard kickoff return for a score from Arrelious Benn, got a two-yard Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run, and never trailed the rest of the way. Benn also scored on a 29-yard catch early in the second, but the Illini offense couldn't get back into the end zone, settling for two Jason Reda field goals in the second half. Penn State got in the end zone on a 24-yard Derrick Williams catch and a seven-yard Austin Scott run, and had one final shot, but a last-gasp Anthony Morelli pass turned into his third thrown interception of the game.
Player of the game ... Illinois WR Arrelious Benn caught six passes for 84 yards and a touchdown and returned a kickoff 90 yards for a score
Stat Leaders: Penn State - Passing: Anthony Morelli, 21-38, 298 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Rodney Kinlaw, 16-66  Receiving: Derrick Williams, 5-79, 1 TD
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 11-24, 120 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Rashad Mendenhall, 18-76, 1 TD  Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 6-84, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now is it time to call Illinois legit? It might be, and it couldn't come into next week's Wisconsin showdown on a higher note. Beating the Penn State signals the first big win for Ron Zook, and it also showcased the young talent with Arrelious Benn coming up with the huge plays everyone was hoping for when he came in as one of the nation's top recruits. Now, Juice Williams has to do something, anything, to be more accurate, and he has to avoid interceptions. 

Sept. 22
Illinois 27 ... Indiana 14
Illinois got out to a 13-0 fist half lead on two Jason Reda field goals and two-yard Michael Hoomanawanui touchdown catch, but Indiana was able to come back with a ten-play march culminating in a seven-yard James Hardy scoring grab. Illinois QB Juice Williams came up with his most efficient drive of the day, going 68 yards in 1:14 with a pass to Rashad Mendenhall closing out the first half. Mendenhall put the Illini comfortably ahead with a five-yard scoring run. James Bailey caught a 30-yard touchdown pass for the Hoosiers in the fourth quarter.
Player of the game ... Illinois RB Rashad Mendenhall ran 27 times for 214 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 18 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Indiana - Passing: Kellen Lewis, 26-51, 263 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bryan Payton, 5-40  Receiving: Andrew Means, 7-83
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 13-28, 98 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Rashad Mendenhall, 27-214, 1 TD  Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 5-50
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Illini didn't come up with the prettiest of performances to beat Indiana, but it was effective. Rashad Mendenhall has now firmly established himself as one of the Big Ten's premier offensive weapons, and he'll need to be with the inconsistency of QB Juice Williams. Williams continues to struggle mightily with his accuracy, and he's not doing anything to threaten defenses with his arm. The offense worked against Indiana, but unless Williams is on, the Penn State and Wisconsin games over the next two weeks will be struggles.

Sept. 15
Illinois 45 ... Syracuse 20
Illinois jumped all over Syracuse with a 20-3 lead on a 22-yard touchdown catch from Jeff Cumberland and a two-yard Rashan Mendenhall scoring run. The Orange appeared to get back into the game halfway through the third quarter on a two-yard Jeremy Sellers run, but the Illini put it away on a ten-yard Juice Williams run and two scores from Mendenhall on runs from 50 yards and one yard. The Illini outgained SU 508 to 286.
Player of the game ... Illinois RB Rashad Mendenhall ran 16 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns and caught three passes for 20 yards
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Andrew Robinson, 17-26, 208 yds
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 18-54  Receiving: Curtis Brinkley, 4-89
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 13-18, 97 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Rashad Mendenhall, 16-150, 3 TD  Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 4-26
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... As long as Juice Williams doesn't have to throw the ball, he's dangerous. Against Syracuse, all he had to do was run once in a while, make a few key short throws, and not make big mistakes. Now that the Illini have a road win, and a win over a non-FCS team, the confidence needs to be there going into the Indiana game. The offensive line has to play as well as it has over the last two weeks, and Rashad Mendenhall has to keep producing as the focal point of the attack.

Sept. 8
Illinois 21 ... Western Illinois 0
The Illinois defense shut down and shut out Western Illinois, allowing just 152 yards of total offense and four first downs. The offense wasn't sharp, but it got a touchdown in each of the last three quarters starting off with a 32-yard Daniel Dufrene run. Juice Williams ran for a nine-yard score and Rashad Mendenhall ran for a 16-yard score. J Leman led the Illini with 11 tackles.
Player of the game ... Illinois RB Rashad Mendenhall ran 23 times for 139 yards and a touchdown and caught a pass for 16 yards
Stat Leaders: Western Illinois - Passing: Matt Barr, 11-21, 71 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Herb Donaldson, 27-59  Receiving: Carl Sims, 5-53
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 12-24, 123 yds
Rushing: Rashad Mendenhall, 23-139 1 TD  Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 4-52
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Illinois didn't need to air it out to beat Western Illinois, but it should've Juice Williams was back from injury and struggled yet again with his accuracy. The running game was fine, as expected, but this needed to be a time for Williams to find his passing tough and get Arrelious Benn going. Benn had a decent day and Rashad Mendenhall ran well, and now the passing game has to be better against Syracuse before the Illini dives into Big Ten play.

Sept. 1
Missouri 40 ... Illinois 34
Missouri was on its way to an easy win after getting up 37-13 late in the third quarter helped by a 100-yard fumble return for a score from Cornelius Brown, two Jeremy Maclin touchdowns, including a 66-yard punt return for a score to apparently put the game way. And then Illinois end on a run with Eddie McGee running for a 16-yard score and connecting with Kyle Hudson for a 41-yard touchdown, and Rashad Mendenhall scoring on a four-yard dash to pull within three. Mizzou got a little breathing room on a 32-yard Jeff Wolfert field goal, and then held on as Cornelius Brown picked off a pass at the goal line in the final minute.
Player of the game ... Missouri QB Chase Daniel connected on 37-of-54 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Missouri- Passing: Chase Daniel, 37-54, 359 yds, 3 TDs
Rushing: Tony Temple, 17-33  Receiving: Martin Rucker, 10-86
Illinois - Passing: Eddie McGee, 17-31, 257 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Daniel Dufrene, 6-58  Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 5-74
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Illinois was down big to Missouri and should've theoretically gone into the tank after losing QB Juice Williams in the second quarter to a head injury, but Eddie McGee came in and did a great job moving the offense. LB J Leman came up with 20 tackles in a typical J Leman game, but while he all but stuffed the Tiger running game, he didn't get much help from the secondary. The Illini might be happy with the heart it showed in the comeback, but it was still yet another loss in the Ron Zook era.