2006 Illinois Fighting Illini

2006 Illinois Fighting Illini Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

Nov. 18
Northwestern 27 ... Illinois 16
In a game of runs, Northwestern got out to a 14-0 win on a two-yard Andrew Brewer run and an eight-yard Terrell Jordan scoring catch. Illinois came back with 16 straight points, all in the second quarter, highlighted by a 86-yard Rashard Menendhall run, but the Wildcats scored the final 13 points on two Joel Howell field goals and two-yard Tyrell Sutton run. The Northwestern defense held Illinois to just seven first downs and QB Juice Williams to just four of 17 passing for 65 yards.
Player of the game ... Northwestern RB Tyrell Sutton ran for 110 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries and added five receptions for six yards.
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Isaiah Williams, 4-17, 65 yds
Rushing: Rashard Mendenhall, 5-113  Receiving: Chris James, 2-52
Northwestern - Passing: C.J. Bacher, 22-30, 269 yds
Rushing: Tyrell Sutton, 34-110, 1 TD  Receiving: Shaun Herbert, 4-77
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Going into the off-season on a seven-game losing streak is bad enough, but to get an awful game from Isaiah Williams and only seven first downs against a porous Northwestern defense shows just how much there is to work on. While Williams is an undeniable talent, consistency was a problem throughout the year. If he can just find a way to tune up the arm and make the easy throws, the offense is going to be dangerous.

2006 Schedule CFN Prediction: 5-7 2006 Record: 2-10 Preview 2006 predicted wins
9/2	Eastern Illinois W 42-17
9/9	at Rutgers L 33-0
9/16	Syracuse L 31-21
9/23	Iowa L 24-7
9/30	at Michigan St W 23-20
10/7	Indiana L 34-32
10/14	Ohio L 20-17
10/21	at Penn State L 26-12
10/28	at Wisconsin L 30-24
11/4	Ohio State L 17-10
11/11	Purdue L 42-31
11/18	at Nwestern L 27-16

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 4-7 2005 Record: 2-9 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/3	Rutgers  W 33-30 OT
9/10	San Jose State W 40-19
9/17	at California L 35-20
9/24	Michigan State L 61-14
10/1	at Iowa L 35-7
10/8	at Indiana L 36-14
10/22	Penn State L 63-10
10/29	Wisconsin L 41-24
11/5	at Ohio State L 40-2
11/12	at Purdue L 37-3
11/19	Northwestern L 38-21

Nov. 11
Purdue 42 ... Illinois 31
Purdue made the most of five turnovers and went on a 28-point second half run to blow past a 23-14 Illinois lead. Curtis Painter ran for two touchdowns and threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Dorien Bryant. Bryant also ran for a six-yard score to go along with a three-yard Kory Sheets touchdown run. Illinois moved the ball with 411 yards of total offense including 145 rushing yards from Juice Williams, but four Illini fumbles, with one recovered for a touchdown, and an interception were too much to overcome.
Player of the game ... Purdue WR Dorien Bryant caught nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown and ran for a six-yard score
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Isaiah Williams, 8-29, 95 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Isaiah Williams, 22-145, 1 TD. Receiving: Jeff Cumberland, 2-31
Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 20-42, 229 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 17-74, 1 TD. Receiving: Dorien Bryant, 9-120, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... For all the good things Illinois is doing, from the exciting running and playmaking of Juice Williams, to the tackling of J Leman, the team isn't winning. Mistakes, turnovers, and not nearly enough defensive consistency led to the loss to Purdue, and it can't be dismissed that the team is a late field goal against Michigan State away from being winless against D-I teams. Being inexperienced is the excuse, but a loss to Northwestern next week would mean this wasn't a necessarily a season of transition, it'll mean it was just a bad year.

Nov. 4
Ohio State 17 ... Illinois 10
Ohio State's high-powered offense was held to 224 yards surviving thanks to a big first drive going 80 yards in 14 plays finishing with a two-yard Chris Wells touchdown run while using a short field to finish with a one-yard Antonio Pittman scoring run. The Buckeyes finished off their scoring late in the first half with a 50-yard Aaron Pettrey field goal. Illinois hit a 37-yard Jason Reda field goal and got a three-yard Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run with 1:40 to play, but couldn't get the ball back until late with the ball on its two with only four seconds to play.
Player of the game ... Ohio State LB Jim Laurinaitis made 11 tackles and picked off a pass, while in a losing cause, Illinois LB J Leman made 19 tackles, one sack, forced a fumble and made 3.5 tackles for loss.
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Isaiah Williams, 8-18, 77 yds
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 8-58. Receiving: Jeff Cumberland, 4-62
Ohio State - Passing: Troy Smith, 13-23, 108 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Antonio Pittman, 32-58, 1 TD. Receiving: Ted Ginn, 5-26
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Illinois might be 2-8 and on a five-game losing streak, but there's a lot to be excited about after coming up with a third straight strong defensive performance against a big name team. Only this wasn't just keeping any team in check; Illinois shut down Ohio State after the first drive of the game. Juice Williams wasn't able to get loose and do any of his magic, but he got hot late and started to get some momentum. Now the team needs to learn how to close and get a win. Purdue and Northwestern are very, very beatable.

Oct. 28
Wisconsin 30 ... Illinois 24
Wisconsin got down 21-3 after Pierre Thomas ran for two scores and Trayon Bellamy picked off a John Stocco pass for a 41-yard score. The Badger offense showed a spark of life late in the first half with an 11-play, 76-yard drive capped off by a one-yard Lance Smith scoring run, and then owned the second half outscoring the Illini 20-0. With P.J. Hill out with a neck injury, Stocco took over throwing two touchdown passes and Taylor Mehlhaff hit two of his three field goals in the second half. Illinois had two late chances, but couldn't get their drives within scoring range.
Player of the game ... Wisconsin QB John Stocco completed 15 of 26 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Isaiah Williams, 13-29, 17 y ds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Isaiah Williams, 19-53. Receiving: Jeff Cumberland, 4-41
Wisconsin - Passing: John Stocco, 15-26, 217, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: P.J. Hill, 12-50. Receiving: Travis Beckum, 5-76
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... A veteran team beats Wisconsin. Juice Williams gave the Badgers fits with his mobility, but he was just off with some key passes and didn't get too much help from his receivers. The defense did a nice job keeping the UW running game from dominating the game, the there was enough aggressiveness in the linebacking corps to make some big plays. The young team needs to learn how to close; that will come in time.

Oct. 21
Penn State 26 ... Illinois 12
Penn State had a lousy day offensively, but the defense came through with a Tony Davis fumble return for a touchdown, a safety, and an onside kickoff return for a touchdown from Anthony Scirrotto. The Illini offense outgained Penn State 363 yards to 184, but only managed four Jason Reda field goals. Penn State's offense got in the end zone on a three-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Darling.
Player of the game ... Penn State P Jeremy Kapinos kicked it eight times for a 45.5-yard average pinning four inside the 20
Stat Leaders: Penn State - Passing: Anthony Morelli, 18-34, 144 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tony Hunt, 19-52. Receiving: Deon Butler, 5-65
Illinois - Passing: Isaiah Williams, 13-32, 156 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Rashard Mendenhall, 14-161. Receiving: Kyle Hudson, 3-40
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... A more experienced team would've beaten Penn State. The Illini moved the ball well and did a great job defensively, but it struggled with bad field position and couldn't turn drives into touchdowns. Field goals were nice early on, but the offense had to come up with some big plays on the road in a hostile environment, and didn't. Juice Williams had a rough outing getting pressured from all sides, and the passing game never clicked on third downs. Now things get tougher with Wisconsin and Ohio State up next, so it'll be all about trying to improve from week to week.

Oct. 14
Ohio 20 ... Illinois 17
After recovering a fumble in the final minute, Ohio's Matt Lasher hit a 32-yard field goal with five seconds to play to stun the Illini. Kalvin McRae ran for two second quarter touchdowns and Lasher hit a 32-yard field goal in the third, while the defense forced five turnovers. Illinois got two touchdown passes from Juice Williams and racked up 397 yards of total offense, but the turnovers proved to be too costly.
Player of the game ... Ohio RB Kalvin McRae ran 25 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns and led the Bobcats with three catches for 17 yards
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Austen Everson, 7-15, 106 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 25-108, 2 TD. Receiving: Kalvin McRae, 3-17
Illinois - Passing: Isaiah Williams, 16-34, 186 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Isaiah Williams, 17-96. Receiving: DeJuan Warren, 4-20
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ugh. Just when it seems Illinois was going to make a big run for a possible bowl bid after beating Michigan State, it loses to Indiana and Ohio at home in back-to-back weeks on last second field goals. Much will be made out of the late fumble that allowed Ohio to get the field goal shot at the end, but the Illini shouldn't have been in that position in the first place. The running game was solid, and Juice Williams had a nice game, but five turnovers and the inability to stop Kalvin McRae proved too much to overcome. Now it's on to a three-game stretch against Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State that might make a bad slide far worse.

Oct. 7
Indiana 34 ... Illinois 32
Indiana's Austin Starr connected on a 33-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to close out a wild game. Illinois held a 25-7 lead early in the second quarter on two Isaiah Williams to Kyle Hudson touchdown passes, but Indiana answered with 24 straight points helped by two Josiah Sears touchdown runs and a 98-yard Marcus Thigpen kickoff return for a score. The two offenses slowed down late in the game with Starr's field goal the only points of the fourth quarter. Kellen Lewis completed five passes for 60 yards on the final drive including an 11-yard pass to Nick Polk to get into better range.
Player of the game ... Indiana RB Marcus Thigpen ran 13 times for 91 yards and returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Indiana - Passing: Kellen Lewis, 20-39, 240 yds
Rushing: Marcus Thigpen, 13-91. Receiving: James Hardy, 5-67
Illinois - Passing: Isaiah Williams, 10-21, 190 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 22-126, 1 TD. Receiving: Kyle Hudson, 3-92, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Just when it seemed like Illinois was going to get a little momentum with Indiana this week and Central Michigan to follow ... crash. The offense moved the ball well with big plays from the passing game early and a good performance from Pierre Thomas and the ground attack, but there was nothing happening in the second half and the defense couldn't come up with a game-saving stop late. Illinois isn't good enough to beat anyone when going one-of-11 on third downs.

Sept. 30
Illinois 23 ... Michigan State 20
Illinois PK Jason Reda connected on a 39-yard field goal with six seconds to play to foil a Michigan State comeback. The Illini got out to a stunning 20-10 lead highlighted by a trick play 16-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Willis from RB E.B. Halsey and a 69-yard Willis touchdown grab, but MSU was able to stay alive on a 62-yard Demond Williams interception return for a touchdown. State fought its way back with a quick drive culminating in a one-yard Jehuu Caulcrick touchdown run and a 27-yard Brett Swenson field goal, but Illinois was able to go 58 yards in ten plays to set up the winning score.
Player of the game ... Illinois QB Isaiah Williams completed nine of 16 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown and ran 17 times for 103 yards
Stat Leaders: Michigan State - Passing: Drew Stanton, 15-24, 144 yds
Rushing: Jehuu Caulcrick,12-35, 1 TD. Receiving: T.J. Williams, 4-53
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 9-16, 122 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 18-110. Receiving: Kyle Hudson, 4-41
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Talk all you want about Michigan State not being all there mentally after the loss to Notre Dame; Illinois did what it had to do to win the game. The Illini lines came up with their best games this season by far getting into the backfield and stuffing the run on defense and getting the running game going for the first time this year on offense. Juice Williams played like a poised, composed quarterback compared to Drew Stanton and showed the ability, for the first time all year, to make plays when nothing was there. Now there's a chance to go on a great run with Indiana and Central Michigan ahead, so the team has to build on this and stay confident.

Sept. 23
Iowa 24 ... Illinois 7
Iowa exploded for 21 points in just over four minutes late in the second half with a one-yard Damian Sims touchdown run, and a six-yard scoring dash from Albert Means, and a 35-yard scoring pass to Tony Moeaki. The Hawkeye offense sputtered a bit in the second half, but got up 24-0 on a 45-yard Kyle Schlicher field goal. Juice Williams threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Willis midway through the fourth.
Player of the game ... Iowa RB Albert Young ran 14 times for 57 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes for 40 yards.
Stat Leaders: Iowa - Passing: Drew Tate, 17-27, 190 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Albert Young, 14-57, 1 TD. Receiving: Albert Young, 6-40
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 9-32, 161 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 11-50. Receiving: Jacob Willis, 3-78, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Why is Tim Brasic getting any work? Juice Williams couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat against Iowa, but he has the talent and the arm, and now he needs as much experience as possible in all situations, good and bad. Illinois isn't going anywhere this year, and it needs to get the franchise the work. However, that's going to be tough to do if Juice completes nine of 32 passes again. The offense moved the ball as well as it has all year against any D-I team, but interceptions, four of them, killed any hopes of staying with the Hawkeyes. The overall talent level just isn't there.

Sept. 16
Syracuse 31 ... Illinois 21
Syracuse shocked Illinois with a 24-point mid-game burst with two Perry Patterson touchdown passes, highlighted by a 65-yard play to Taj Smith, and a 15-yard fumble return for a score from Tom Ferron. It was the Orange's day early on as Smith recovered a Patterson fumble and took it 41 yards for the opening score. Illinois tied it at seven on a five-yard Tim Brasic touchdown run, but that was the last time it was close. Illinois closed out with two huge plays from Isaiah, "Juice" Williams who threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Rashad Mendenall and a 69-yard scoring play to Kyle Hudson.
Player of the game ... Syracuse WR Taj Smith caught five passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. He also recovered a fumble for a 41-yard touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Perry Patterson, 9-18, 167 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 18-69. Receiving: Taj Smith, 5-106
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 9-16, 227 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Tim Brasic, 9-38, 1 TD. Receiving: Kyle Hudson, 3-87, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's time for Juice Williams to be the full-time starter after the way he closed out in garbage time against Syracuse. The Illinois offense has no spark and no life with Tim Brasic at the helm, and the freshman at least needs more time to work to be more prepared for the future. How is it that Illinois can continue to get no running game whatsoever? Pierre Thomas only carried the ball seven times. If things weren't bad enough, the team isn't playing all that smart with 12 penalties committed or 106 yards.

Sept. 9
Rutgers 33 ... Illinois 0
Rutgers go up early on a blocked punt for a score and a Devin McCourty interception for a touchdown. The rout was on by the end of the first quarter on a two-yard touchdown catch by Mike Teel, and the Scarlet Knights kept pouring it on with a Ray Rice one-yard touchdown run and two Jeremy Ito field goals. Illinois only managed 118 yards of total offense with a mere seven first downs.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 22 times for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 14-24, 147 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 22-100, 1 TD. Receiving: Brian Leonard, 5-43
Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 4-10, 50 yds
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 7-39. Receiving: Rashard Mendenhall, 2-13
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... 0-for-12. That's what Illinois was on third downs against the suffocating Rutgers defense. Tim Brasic and the Illini offense made way too many bad plays and didn't get any help early from the special teams. Illinois has to execute far better and be far more consistent to hang toe to toe with an effective offense like Rutgers'. It would be tempting to say it's time for the Juice Williams era to be underway with Brasic not doing much of anything, but the freshman only completed two of ten passes and didn't look nearly ready. The biggest issue is the running game. How can E.B. Halsey run four times for four yards?

Sept. 2
Illinois 42 ... Eastern Illinois 17
Illinois cranked out 519 yards of total offense with 345 coming on the ground. EIU LB Clint Sellers got knocked out of the game early with a shoulder injury, and Illinois had few problems from then on finishing off with a 21-3 run to put the game away. Rashard Marshall ran for two touchdowns and Pierre Thomas ran for two scores. EIU scored in the first half on a 20-yard Micah Rucker touchdown catch and a 33-yard scoring grab by Ryan Voss.
Player of the game ... Illinois RB Pierre Thomas ran 15 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns and caught one pass for seven yards.
Stat Leaders: Eastern Illinois - Passing: Mike Donato, 8-14, 134 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Vincent Webb, 18-64. Receiving: Micah Rucker, 4-105, 1 TD
Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 13-17, 149 yds
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 15-126, 2 TD. Receiving: Rashard Mendenhall, 4-50
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It might have only come against Eastern Illinois, but Illinois needed an easy win. The offense was balanced and efficient with the offensive line coming up with its best performance in the young Ron Zook era. Converting eight of 11 of third down chances was a big step for the offense, but the production will only continue if a number one receiver steps up. Now it has to carry over against a good Rutgers team looking for revenge after last year's loss.

2006 Illinois Preview

Illinois Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis 

Can Ron Zook actually coach?

It might seem like a basic question, even a bit harsh and unfair, but Illinois fans have to wonder whether Zook is the type of coach who can lead a program to success or if he's just a stopgap coach who'll bring energy and passion, but can't get the job done managing a game or picking up wins. After all, he was never a head coach before becoming a curious hire to replace Steve Spurrier at Florida where he had mediocre success with some of college football's most talented teams.

To be fair, he had little to no Big Ten talent to work with in last season's disaster and deserves a few years to see if his recruiting classes can make a difference. However, he and his staff tried to make the square pegs fit the round holes and did little to come up with the proper adjustments as the season went on.

The biggest issue is on each line, and for that Ron Turner and the previous regime is to blame. The Big Ten is more of a finesse conference than you might believe from its reputation, but you can't be successful in the league if you can't stop the run or push someone around in the ground game (unless you're Northwestern, which somehow succeeded with no run defense whatsoever). Illinois had major problems on the offensive line giving the quarterbacks no time to operate and opening few holes for tremendous backs E.B. Halsey and Pierre Thomas. The defensive line generated no consistent pass rush and got steamrolled over on the way to becoming the nation's worst run defense. Unfortunately, there won't be a huge upgrade on the lines this year despite the addition of Oklahoma's Akim Millington at tackle to go along with five other starters.   

Despite the concerns with the coaching staff and the lines, there's still reason to be optimistic for a surprise season thanks to all the returning experience with 49 letterwinners and 21 starters returning. The skill players on offense aren't that bad, and there are several very athletic, very promising players on defense that should grow into steady playmakers.

The schedule isn't all that bad with enough average games to reasonably shoot for six wins, which would obviously be hailed as a huge campaign considering the program has won four D-I games in the last two seasons. And when it comes to Zook, think what you will about him, but he's a master motivator and he kept his team trying hard in the midst of a nightmare of a year. Keeping the team's motor running won't be a problem. 

If nothing else, the Illinois season will be entertaining because of Zook. Will teams crank out 469 yards of offense and close to 40 points per game again? Will the offense start to produce? Will Zook meltdown like he did at Florida if there's criticism for another bad year, or will he be the Big Ten coach of the year leading the team to a bowl game? It'll be worth watching. 

The Schedule: It's not all that bad, but the Illini have to take advantage of every opportunity at home and must come up with a Big Ten shocker or two on the road. A win over Syracuse is a must to provide some momentum going into the Big Ten opener against Iowa, and there's no recovering if there's another loss to Indiana like the 36-14 debacle of last year. Central Michigan provides a welcome mid-season respite before playing at Penn State, at Wisconsin and at home against Ohio State. In other words, Illinois had better have a big first half of the season.

Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Pierre Thomas. Fellow backfield mate E.B. Halsey and newcomer tackle Akim Millington could also be considered the team's best offensive player, but Thomas is the one who keeps the offense alive with his power running and enough speed to become a decent kickoff returner.

Best Defensive Player: Junior DT Chris Norwell. A good interior pass rusher and one of the few decent playmakers against the run, the 290-pound junior should grow into a stronger anchor the rest of the line can work around.

Key player to a successful season: The entire offensive line. Tackles Akim Millington, J.J. Simmons, Charles Myles, guards Martin O'Donnell and Matt Maddox and center Ryan McDonald have improve the pass protection and start to open more holes for the good backs to run through. The ground game ran for 158 yards per game, but it should be doing more.

The season will be a success if ... Illinois wins five games. Getting to six and a bowl game might be a little too much to ask out of a team that still needs a few years to emerge, but winning five games would set the tone for a potentially big 2007 when all the fast young players will finally mature.

Key game: Sept. 23 vs. Iowa. Illinois has to start making Memorial Stadium a dangerous place to play. A win in the Big Ten opener would do wonders for the program's confidence going into a road trip to Michigan State, but just playing well and hanging around a potential top ten team like the Hawkeyes should grow into would show how the team might be going in the right direction.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 112 - Illinois 47
- Punt return average: Opponents 15.3 yards per return - Illinois 4.6 yards per return
- Third down conversion percentage: Opponents 76 of 150 (51%) - Illinois 65 of 173 (38%)

The Last Time Illinois…
…played in a bowl game…2001 (Sugar Bowl vs. LSU)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2000 (Iowa)
…was shutout…2004 (Minnesota)      
…scored 50 points…2004 (Florida A&M)
…went undefeated…1951
…won a conference title…2001 (Big Ten)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2001 (Kurt Kittner)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2002 (Antoineo Harris)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2002 (Brandon Lloyd)
…had a first-round draft choice…1996 (LB Kevin Hardy)