BearcatReport.com - The 2009 Schedule: Illinois

August 13, 2009

Chuck Saffell
Special to BearcatReport.com

ABOUT THE SCHOOL: When the Morrill Act of 1862 was signed several cities placed bids to become the home of the Illinois' land grant institution. Ultimately Urbana was chosen in 1867 and the Illinois Industrial University opened its doors to a handful of students and two faculty members a year later. In 1885 it was renamed the University of Illinois to reflect the curriculum which was no longer solely industrial based. The named remained unchanged until 1982 when it officially became the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in order to differentiate the school from other members of the state university system. As of last year enrollment for undergraduate students was just more than 31,000 and with more than 10,000 graduate students, it is the 10th largest university in the nation. The Fighting Illini compete in 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports in the Big Ten.

HEAD COACH: Ron Zook started his coaching career right after graduating from Miami University where he played defensive back. As an assistant he coached at several college programs including Ohio State, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Florida. He also spent some time in the NFL as an assistant with the Saints, Chiefs and Steelers. In 2002 he was hired by Florida to replace Steve Spurrier as head coach of the Gators. In three seasons at Florida he compiled a record of 23-14 and led the team to three bowl appearances. While respectable, the record wasn't good enough for Florida fans and he was fired at the end of the 2004 regular season. He found a job immediately when Illinois hired him in 2005. In four seasons there he has been known more for his recruiting ability than results on the field. He has just one winning season and one bowl trip, a 49-17 loss to USC in the 2008 Rose Bowl. His record at Illinois is 18-30 for a total head coaching record of 41-44.

2008 IN REVIEW: Expectations were high in 2008 for the Illini after a successful 2007 season in which they went 9-4 and went to the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately they lost several close games and finished with a 5-7 record. The high point of the season was a 27-24 victory over a solid Iowa team. They followed that game with their most disappointing loss, a 23-17 defeat at the hands of Western Michigan at Ford Field in Detroit.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Illinois finished second of eleven teams in total offense in the Big Ten (438.8 yards per game); third in scoring offense (28.7 points per game); fifth in rushing offense (169.5yards per game); and first in passing offense (269.3 yards per game). On defense they finished sixth in total defense (350.3 yards per game); ninth in scoring defense (26.6 points per game); ninth in rushing defense (152.9yards per game); and sixth in pass defense (197.4 yards per game). They forced 20 turnovers (14 fumble recoveries and 6 interceptions) and committed 26 (10 lost fumbles and 16 interceptions) which placed them ninth in the conference with a turnover margin of -2.

Dual threat quarterback Isaiah "Juice" Williams led the team in both rushing and passing. He threw for 3173 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions while running for 923 yards and 5 touchdowns. Arrelious Benn was the top receiver with 1055 yards and 3 touchdowns.

2009 OUTLOOK: Ron Zook has been known as a great recruiter, but has not shown consistency coaching those players on game day. If he struggles this season he could find himself on the hot seat. The schedule is tough, but with the talent and experience returning he has no excuse if his team does not finish near the top of the Big Ten. The Illini open the season with a neutral site game against Missouri in St. Louis. They follow that with a tune up game against Illinois St. and a week off before opening the Big Ten season. They get the toughest portion of the conference slate early playing Ohio State on the road followed by home games with Penn State and Michigan State. The rest of the Big Ten schedule is very manageable and they do not have to face either Wisconsin or Iowa this season. The season ends with two non-conference games, a trip to Cincinnati and a December home game against Fresno State.

Juice Williams showed last year that he was more than just a running quarterback and could beat teams with his arm, but needs to improve on his consistency in 2009. He only completed 58% of his passes and turned the ball over too much with 16 picks. Behind him is junior Eddie McGee who has seen some time on the field in mop up duty and at receiver. He is an outstanding athlete with a big arm who has the tools to get the job done if Williams gets banged up.

The wide receivers are the best group in the Big Ten and should help Juice Williams throw for even more yards than he did a year ago. The star of the unit is junior Arrelious Benn. In addition to being a threat in the passing game, he also ran for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns last season. With all the attention that will be on Benn, Jarred Fayson could have a breakout year on the other side of the field. He is extremely fast and has good size. The only question is how he plays coming back from a foot injury last year. Jeff Cumberland is an imposing player at 6'5" and 255 pounds. Despite that size he was a deep threat a year ago, averaging 17.6 yards per catch. In addition to those three, expect a lot of playing time from senior Chris Duvalt, a 4.4 forty guy, and sophomores Fred Sykes and Cordale Scott who both saw limited time last season. At tight end senior Michael Hoowamanawanui stands 6'5" and 270 pounds and has good hands and route running ability. In 2008 he had 25 catches for 312 yards and found the end zone twice.

All the running backs are back from last year, and leading that group is Jason Ford. As a freshman last year he had 294 yards and 8 touchdowns being used mostly in short yardage situations. He uses his 230 pound body to run through defenses. While Ford will be the first option, Daniel Dufrene will also see plenty of action. He was the second leading rusher behind Juice Williams in 2008 with 663 yards and a 5.7 yard per carry average, but never found the end zone. He is quick is better as an option running around the end than going up the middle. Sophomores Mike LeShoure and Troy Pollard will also probably see a few carries. Both are coming of injuries and saw very little time on the field last season. In the rare occasions in which Illinois uses a fullback, Zach Becker will be play that role, but will see far more time as a special team player.

The right side of the offensive line remains the same as last year with guard Jon Asamoah and tackle Jeff Allen returning. The left side will see some new faces. The starter in 2008 at left guard Eric Block will move to center after the graduation of Ryan McDonald. Stepping in to replace Block will be Randall Hunt who played in five games last season. The new starting left tackle will be sophomore Corey Lewis. There are some young players on the line, but the one thing they all have is tremendous size. Block at 290 pounds is the smallest starter, and they have eight players in the two deep over 310 pounds.
The defensive line has had its share of problems in the last year between an arrest, injuries, and some academic issues. The tackles look to be junior Josh Brent and senior Sirod Williams. Brent missed spring practice following a DUI arrest and Williams is coming off an ACL tear that caused him to miss 2008. The starter at right end will be Doug Pilcher who saw a few starts last season and with increased playing time should improve on his 21 tackles and 3.5 sacks from a year ago. On the left side the starter looks to be senior Antonio James who had just 5 tackles last year. Junior Jerry Brown could also see time at end if he can clear up his academic issues that caused him to lose eligibility.

Martez Williams moves from weakside linebacker to the middle this year. He had 73 tackles last year and could improve on that with the move. Replacing Williams on the weakside will be sophomore Russell Ellington who saw most of his playing time in 2008 on special teams. Sophomore Ian Thomas played middle linebacker in the spring, but really shined when the staff moved him to the strongside and looks to have earned the starting spot there. The linebackers are all talented, but outside of Wlliams, they are inexperienced and need to prove themselves.

The secondary brings back most of its players from last season, but did lose cornerback Vontae Davis who left after his junior year for the NFL draft where he was selected in the first round. Taking over for him will be sophomore Tavon Wilson. Not the player that Davis was, he does have the skills to get the job done. At the other corner spot will be Dere Hicks who has a ton of experience with 26 career starts. Strong safety will be Garret Edwards who had 20 tackles last season as a backup. Senior Donsay Hardeman started eight games in 2008 at strong safety where he had 44 tackles and an interception, but will probably move to free safety this season. He suffered a neck injury in the spring and if he isn't healthy he will be replaced by Travon Bellamy, a big hitter who needs to improve on his ball skills.
The placekicker is set with sophomore Matt Eller returning. He made 15 of his 20 field goal attempts, including 9 of his last 10. The punting job is not as clear cut. Junior Anthony Santella will be fighting for his job after averaging just 39.4 yards per kick last season and only 13 of them landed inside the 20 yard line. His competition will be senior Kyle Yelton. There is plenty of speed on the Illinois team and they should be able to find solid return options. The top candidates look to be Arrelious Benn, Florida transfer Jarred Fayson, and A.J. Jenkins.

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