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Illinois out of bowl hunt with loss to NU
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CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Nov 14, 2009
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Illinois Fighting Illini 2009 ...
Head Coach: Ron Zook
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2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2009 Record: 3-7
9/5 Missouri L 37-9
9/12 Illinois St W 45-17
9/19 OPEN DATE
9/26 at Ohio St L 30-0
10/3 Penn St L 35-17
10/10 Mich St L 24-14
10/17 at Indiana L 27-14
10/24 at Purdue L 24-14
10/31 Michigan W 38-13
11/7 at Minnesota W 35-32
11/14 NWestern L 21-16
11/21 OPEN DATE
11/27 at Cincinnati
12/5
Fresno State |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
6-6
2008 Record: 5-7
Aug. 30 Missouri (St.
L.) L 52-42
Sept. 6 Eastern Illinois
W 47-21
Sept. 13 UL Lafayette W
20-17
Sept. 20 OPEN DATE
Sept. 27 at Penn State L 38-24
Oct. 4 at Michigan W 45-20
Oct. 11 Minnesota L 27-20
Oct. 18 Indiana W 55-13
Oct. 25 at Wisconsin L 27-17
Nov. 1 Iowa W 27-24
Nov. 8 WMU (Detroit) L
23-17
Nov. 15 Ohio State L 30-20
Nov. 22 at Northwestern L 27-10 |
Illinois Fighting Illini
Nov. 14
Northwestern 21 … at Illinois 16
Northwestern solidified its bowl position by getting up 21-3 on a 28-yard Zeke Markshauen touchdown catch, a one-yard Mike Kafka run, and a one-yard Arby Fields run. But Illinois didn’t quit with Jacob Charest running for a ten-yard score and hitting Chris Duvalt for a 32-yard touchdown to pull within five with just over four minutes to play. The Illini got the ball with one final shot, but sputtered deep in its own end.
Player of the Game: Northwestern QB Mike Kafka completed 23-of-37 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for 12 yards and a score.
Illinois: Passing: Jacob Charest, 14-27, 145 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: XX, Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 4-31
Northwestern: Passing: Mike Kafka, 23-37, 305 yd, 1 TD
What It All Means: And there goes that. There’s no more pie-in-the-sky dreaming about going to a bowl, and the team turned out to be really as mediocre as it played early in the year. On the plus side, now it’s time to work for next year and not even think about trying to get by Cincinnati or Fresno State for nothing more than cosmetic record-padding. Jacob Charest wasn’t bad under center, and while he didn’t get the offense moving until it was too late, he showed promise and potential. It’s his show the rest of the way, and he needs to show he can be the main man for next year with a strong showing.
Nov. 7
Illinois 35 … at Minnesota 32
Illinois lost QB Juice Williams to an ankle injury, but the defense came up with seven sacks and got a 44-yard interception return for a score from Terry Hawthorne as part of a 28-7 run to start the game. Justin Green and Jason Ford each ran for short scores and Arrelious Benn caught a four-yard touchdown pass, but the Illini had to hang on for dear life. Minnesota overcame a miserable first half with a Jon Hoese touchdown catch from ten yards out and a three-yard run to get back into the game. Ben Kuznia returned a blocked punt for a score to pull the Gophers within three, but the onside kick went out of bounds and Illinois hung on.
Player of the Game: Illinois DE Clay Nurse made seven tackles and four sacks.
Minnesota: Passing: Adam Weber, 14-30, 221 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kevin Whaley, 8-41, 1 TD, Receiving: Brandon Green, 4-64
Illinois: Passing: Jacob Charest, 10-19, 185 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jason Ford, 20-82, 1 TD, Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 3-41, 1 TD
What It All Means: Illinois might not have been perfect, especially in the second half, and the offense didn’t do anything special, but a win is a win for a team in desperate need of them. On a two-game winning streak, a bowl bid is still alive with Northwestern coming to town next week. However, the defense has to keep getting into the backfield, and the secondary has to tighten up even more. Things are starting to turn around, but this is hardly a polished product. Everything will have to break the right way to keep winning.
Oct. 31
at Illinois 38 … Michigan 13
Michigan was up 13-7 at halftime helped by a two-yard Carlos Brown touchdown run, and then it was all Illinois with 31 unanswered points in the second half with Mikel LeShoure tearing off a 70-yard touchdown run and Juice Williams running for a three-yard score and throwing a two-yard pass to London Davis. Jason Ford capped off the blowout with a 79-yard touchdown run. Even with the two big plays from the offense, the Illinois The Illinois defense came up with the play of the day with a big tackle from Terry Hawthorne, who sprinted to catch up with Michigan’s Ray Roundtree and forced him down at the one. The Illini D held firm on four plays, and the offense responded with a 99-yard scoring drive. Illinois outgained the Wolverines 500 yards to 377 and forced three turnovers.
Player of the Game: Illinois QB Juice Williams completed 8-of-11 passes for 123 yards and a score, and ran 21 times for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Michigan: Passing: Tate Forcier, 13-23, 257 yds
Rushing: Carlos Brown, 24-94, 1 TD, Receiving: Roy Roundtree, 4-92
Illinois: Passing: Juice Williams, 8-11, 123 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Mikel LeShoure, 21-150, 1 TD, Receiving: Jeff Cumberland, 2-51
What It All Means: So what does this really mean? Does the blowout of Michigan show that the Illini were good all along and weren’t playing up to their capabilities, or was this just an aberration? There’s still time to get to a bowl game, and the season could go from disastrous to amazing with a win at Cincinnati in a few weeks, while games against Minnesota, Northwestern, and Fresno State are winnable. The running game finally showed up a Mikel LeShoure was fantastic and Juice Williams came up with his best game of the season. Now the pressure is back on again to play up to this level. Can the team handle it?
Oct. 24
at Purdue 24 … Illinois 14
Purdue went on a 21-point run in the first half with Jaycen Taylor ripping off a 44-yard touchdown run and Ralph Bolden and Joey Elliott each running for short scores. Illinois fought back, with a six-yard Juice Williams touchdown run in the third, but head coach Ron Zook soon after changed quarterbacks with true freshman Jacob Charest coming in. He appeared to lead the offense on a touchdown drive, but an Arrelious Benn end-around for a score was called back by a penalty. The Boilermakers got some breathing room in the third with a 25-yard Carson Wiggs field goal.
Player of the Game: Purdue QB Joey Elliott completed 15-of-24 passes for 166 yards, and ran nine times for 62 yards and a score.
Illinois: Passing: Juice Williams, 9-18, 77 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Mikel LeShoure, 15-122, Receiving: Jack Ramsey, 3-44
Purdue: Passing: Joey Elliott, 15-24, 166 yds
Rushing: Ralph Bolden, 21-78, 1 TD, Receiving: Keith Smith, 5-61
What It All Means: There was the dreaded “vote of confidence” from the Illinois higher-ups on the future of head coach Ron Zook, and now it’s time to start playing for next year. With 2009 firmly established as a disaster, with a bowl bid all but out of the question at 1-6, it’s time to look at redshirt freshman Jacob Charest at quarterback to develop him for the future. What is there to lose? Juice Williams isn’t moving the offense, and while the games against Michigan, Minnesota, and Northwestern coming up next are winnable, a losing season, even with a few more wins, doesn’t help anyone.
Oct. 17
at Indiana 27 … Illinois 14
Indiana QB Ben Chappell threw for a career-best 333 yards with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Damarlo Belcher, a 44-yard scoring pass to Tandon Doss, and a 13-yarder to Troy Wagner. Illinois held an early 7-3 lead on a Juice Williams 30-yard touchdown pas to A.J. Jenkins, but two Williams fumbles proved costly. The Hoosiers were up 27-7 before the Illini got back on the board with a three-yard Jeff Cumberland touchdown catch with just under five minutes to play.
Player of the Game: Indiana QB Ben Chappell completed 23-of-38 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns
Illinois: Passing: Juice Williams, 22-37, 258 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Mikel Leshoure, 12-78, Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 9-95
Indiana: Passing: Ben Chappell, 23-38, 333 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Mitchell Evans, 9-84, Receiving: Tandon Doss, 7-130, 1 TD
What It All Means: Juice Williams came back and had one of his best games of the year, but the three turnovers, with two fumbles from Williams, proved to be the difference. The defense is awful, and after making IU QB Ben Chappell look like Ben Roethlisberger, there are plenty of reasons to be worry with a hot Purdue offense up next. The only win this year was against Illinois State, and with the way the offense is sputtering, it’s last in the Big Ten in scoring, and with the defense failing to provide any pressure, things are going to get worse before they get better.
Oct. 10
Michigan State 24 … at Illinois 14
MSU scored the first 24 points of the game as Larry Caper ran for a 17-yard touchdown and Glenn Winston ran for a two-yarder. Danny Fortener added to the Illinois misery with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown that sent Eddie McGee, who got the start in place of Juice Williams, to the bench. Mikel LeShoure scored for the Illini on a three-yard run and a 41-yard pass play. McGee completed just 2-of-11 passes for 31 yards.
Player of the Game: Michigan State LB Greg Jones made 11 tackles and a sack.
Illinois: Passing: Juice Williams, 7-17, 109 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jason Ford, 4-40, Receiving: Chris Duvalt, 3-47
Michigan State: Passing: Keith Nichol, 13-25, 179 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Larry Caper, 16-95, 1 TD, Receiving: Blair White, 4-50
What It All Means: Well that didn’t work out well. Eddie McGee finally gets his big chance to show what he can do and he completes 2-of-11 passes for 31 yards. The hits just keep on coming for a miserable Illini season, and while the passing game is a disaster, the lack of support from the running backs continues to be the biggest problem. There’s simply nothing the Illini can count on to move the ball consistently. While Indiana and Purdue are on the road, this is when the team has to turn things around. It’ll only happen, though, with improved play from the O line and a spark from someone, somewhere. The team is too good to play this poorly.
Oct. 3
Penn State 35 … at Illinois 17
Penn State rumbled for 338 rushing yards as Stephon Green and Evan Royster each went over 100 yards in the easy win. The Nittany Lions were only up 7-3 at halftime on a 52-yard Stephfon Green scoring dash, but the floodgates opened up with two one-yard Daryll Clark touchdown runs and a 15-yarder from Evan Royster. The Illinois scores came late in the fourth quarter when the outcome had been decided. Juice Williams ran for a three-yard score and threw a 17-yard touchdown pass for the Illini.
Player of the Game: Penn State RBs Stephfon Green and Evan Royster combined for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
Illinois: Passing: Juice Williams, 20-36, 263 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Juice Williams, 20-58, Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 5-96
Penn State: Passing: Daryll Clark, 17-25, 175 yds
Rushing: Stephfon Green, 13-120, 1 TD, Receiving: Andrew Quarless, 5-26
What It All Means: The disaster continues. It’s not just that the
defensive front is having such a nightmare of a time, it is, and it’s
not that the team is missing talent; it has it. It’s that the offense is
so utterly inept against defenses with a pulse. Against Ohio State and
Penn State, forget it. The Illini bombed away to make it cosmetically
close in the final few minutes, but it was never a game in a home
appearance that had to be a good one after such a clunker against the
Buckeyes. There were several big plays in the passing game, but not
enough of them proved to be meaningful. There’s still time to turn
things around with winnable games against Indiana and Purdue up next,
but they’re both on the road.
Sept. 26
at Ohio State 30 … Illinois 0
In the rain, Ohio State’s defense forced three turnovers and allowed just 170 yards of total offense, while the Buckeye ground game ran for 236 yards with short touchdown runs from Dan Herron and three field goals from Aaron Pettrey including a 50 and 46-yarder. Terrelle Pryor threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Dan Sanzenbacher in the final moments.
Player of the Game: Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor completed 8-of-13 passes for 82 yards and a score and ran 11 times for 59 yards
Illinois: Passing: Juice Williams, 13-25, 77 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Mikel Leshoure, 4-25, Receiving: Arrelious Benn, 4-33
Ohio State: Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 8-13, 82 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Saine, 13-81, Receiving: Dane Sanzenbacher, 3-36, 1 TD
What It All Means: Where is the Illinois passing game? Ohio State’s defense is strong, but the Illini has one of the best receiving corps in America and a veteran in Juice Williams to lead the way, and the offense is doing absolutely nothing. It’s too early to suggest that the team has quit, but things could go downhill in a big hurry if something positive doesn’t happen. This isn’t exactly a team built to deal with adversity, and now it has to try to handle Penn State and Michigan State in season-makers over the next two weeks.
Sept. 12
at Illinois 45 ... Illinois State 17
Juice Williams suffered a leg injury on an early
run, but Eddie McGee was able to step in and produce
leading the offense to 31 straight points to start
the game. The Illini put it on cruise control from
there with McGee finishing with two touchdown runs
and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Chris Duvalt.
Illinois State managed 398 yards, but only got 44 on
the ground and never threatened.
Player of the Game: Illinois RB Eddie McGee completed 13-of-17 passes
for 164 yards and a touchdown with an interception,
and he ran 18 times for 55 yards and two scores
Illinois State: Passing: Matt Brown, 27-45,
312 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Geno Blow, 9-46, Receiving: Eyad Salem,
7-103, 2 TD
Illinois: Passing: Eddie McGee, 13-17, 164
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jason Ford, 10-137, 1 TD, Receiving: Jarred
Fayson, 4-39
What It All Means: Arrelious Benn is trying to fight through an ankle
injury. Star LB Martez Wilson has a neck injury, and
now it's Juice Williams hurting with a quad injury.
This is not the way the team wanted to go into the
huge showdown against Ohio State, even though the
offense cranked out 548 yards in the laugher. With
all the injuries, and with 13 penalties and two
turnovers, the Illini is having problems and is
hardly sharp. At some point this year, the team will
be fully-functional and will blast someone good.
However, it might be too late.
Sept. 5
Missouri 37 … Illinois 9
Blaine Gabbert threw three touchdown passes including a 49-yarder to Wes Kemp and a 46-yarder to Jared Pery, and he ran for an eight-yard score as Missouri surprisingly blew away a lifeless Illinois. The Illini lost star WR Arrelious Benn to an ankle injury on the first drive and never got anything offensively going. The Tigers held a 30-3 lead before Illinois finally got into the end zone in the fourth ona one-yard Mikel Leshoure run.
Player of the Game: Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert completed 25-of-33 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 39 yards and a score.
Missouri: Passing: Blaine Gabbert, 25-33, 319 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Derrick Washington, 14-61, Receiving: Danario Alexander, 10-132
Illinois: Passing: Juice Williams, 18-28, 179 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Mikel Leshoure, 10-38, 1 TD, Receiving: Jarred Fayson, 4-50
What It All Means: It was almost as if Arrelious Benn’s ankle injury took the life right out of the Illini. The passing game never quite clicked, even though Juice Williams wasn’t awful, and the running game was non-existent because the O was in comeback mode. The defensive front didn’t generate nearly enough pressure and the secondary got torched. Now it’ll be up to Ron Zook to show what kind of coach he can be during serious adversity. After last year’s clunker, he could be in danger of losing his squad with a murderous Big Ten schedule coming up quickly.
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