Football
Season Preview 2- Illini Must Get Better
By Tom Orr
It's only been three years since the Illini were on top of the Big
Ten at 10-1, league champions, and headed for a date in the Sugar
Bowl. Somehow, it seems much longer than that.
Illinois got throttled in that bowl game (giving up 47 points to
LSU), then forgot how to play defense in 2002 and finished with a
5-7 record.
Last season, the bottom fell out. Injuries piled up on offense, the
defense ranked among the nation's softest, and things got uglier than
the team's all-orange uniforms. The Illini failed to beat a single
D-1A team, winning only against in-state patsy Illinois State. They
didn't just lose, they lost big. At one point, they dropped six straight
games by 18 points or more.
Where does the program go from here? It's in Ron Turner's best interest
to answer that question quickly. After earning a spot as the school's
Golden Boy by turning a winless 1997 team into a champion four years
later, Turner has turned back into a pumpkin.
If the Illini don't show serious progress this season, Turner may
find himself out of a job.
Team Name: Illinois Fighting Illini
Head Coach (years at school): Ron Turner (eight)
Coach's record at school: 39-53
Coach's record vs. OSU (vs. Tressel): 2-4 (1-1)
School's all-time record vs. OSU: 29-58-4
Current streak vs. OSU: Lost one
Last win vs. OSU: 2001 (34-22 in Columbus)
2003 Record: 1-11
Records for last 5 seasons (2003 first): 1-11, 5-7, 10-2, 5-6,
8-4, 3-8
Last bowl game: Lost 2001 Sugar Bowl
Last conference title: 2001
Returning starters on offense: 9
Senior QB Jon Beutjer is a preseason pick for 2nd team all-Big 10,
and also a finalist for this year's Cardinal-Settles Trophy. The award
is named for former Purdue basketball player Brian Cardinal and former
Iowa hoops star Jess Settles. It's handed out each year to the Big
Ten player in any sport who makes me say "how the hell does that
guy still have eligibility left?" the most times during that
season.
Beutjer started his college career as an Iowa Hawkeye (backing up
Chuck Long, I think) and even started four games there before transferring
to Illinois. He split time with Dustin Ward in 2002, and took over
as the starter last fall, before a back injury cut his season short.
He started seven games, throwing for almost 1,600 yards, 10 TDs and
9 INTs. He threw for almost 300 yards and 3 scores in the spring game,
and looks like he's healthy again heading into the fall.
Sophomores Chris Pazan and Tim Brasic will serve as backups. Pazan
started two games last season in Beutjer's absense, throwing for a
little more than 500 yards, 2 scores and 2 picks.
Sophomore E.B. Halsey returns as the starting halfback, and is a
preseason 3rd team all-Big 10 pick in some places. Halsey ran for
525 yards and 2 TDs last fall before he, too, missed time because
of an injury. He had 60 yards and a touchdown in the spring game.
Sophomores Pierre Thomas (233 yards, 2 TDs) and Marcus Mason (214
yards) are listed as backups on the depth chart. Senior Morris Virgil
would have seen time, but he was shifted to safety this spring.
Junior Jason Davis looks like he'll take over as the team's starting
fullback. He's not a prototypical Big Ten fullback, at just 5-foot-11
and 220lbs, but he can catch the ball. He had a 36-yard TD catch in
the spring game. Freshmen Brock Bolen and Brian Grzelakowski are the
next two in line.
It's starting to sound like a broken record, but the Illini are getting
back the core of their WR group after a season plagued by injuries.
Senior Ade Adeyemo played in just eight games last season because
of a rib injury, and caught 16 passes for 205 yards and a score. Sophomore
Lonnie Hurst broke out to an impressive start as a true freshman before
he broke his leg. Hurst went for 315 yards and a TD in 10 games. Senior
Mark Kornfeld caught 44 passes for 527 yards and three TDs.
Redshirt freshman DeJuan Warren had a 56-yard TD catch in the spring
game, and could push for playing time. Junior Kendrick Jones and sophomore
Franklin Payne provide some depth.
Last season's leading receiver, senior Kelvin Hayden was shifted
to CB this spring.
Sophomore Melvin Bryant is the starting TE. He started six games
last season, catching 12 passes. Senior Anthony McClellan was the
starter in 2002, and started three games last year before Bryant took
over. McClellan played in all 12 games, but only caught three passes
all year.
Four of the starting OL return this year, lead by senior RT Bucky
Babcock. Babcock is a 2nd team all-Big 10 selection this fall, and
a four-year starter, who moved over from guard before last season.
Senior C Duke Preston will start for the third year in a row, sophomore
RG Matt Maddox is a returning starter, and senior LG Bryan Koch started
seven games last season before (surprise!) he got hurt.
Sophomore J.J. Simmons came out of spring ball as the starting LT,
with redshirt freshman Jim LaBonte backing him up.
The line as a whole is very, very young. Juniors Jordan Kruger and
Kyle Schnettgoecke are on the two-deep, but the rest of the backups
are all either true or redshirt freshmen. Overall, it's three seniors,
two juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen. It's great that young
guys are getting a chance to play, but if the experienced players
go down with injuries, things could get ugly.
Returning starters on defense: 6
The good news is that the Illinois defense pretty much has to be
better than it was a year ago. The 2003 stop troops had big trouble
trying to stop anyone, giving up 223.4 rushing yards per game (worst
in the Big 10, 111th out of 117 teams nationally), and 425.8 yards
per game overall. They also struggled to force big game-changing turnovers,
finishing minus-18 on the season, worst in the conference, and 112th
nationally. The Illini picked off exactly TWO passes all year.
The answer? Turner shifted some of his offensive skill guys to the
defensive side of the ball, hoping they can get things turned around
in a hurry.
If things are going to get better, it has to start up front. History
has made it pretty clear that teams won't compete in the Big 10 unless
they can stop the run.
Two starting DL return with that goal in mind. Juniors DE Scott Moss
(34 tackles, 4 sacks in 10 starts) and DT Ryan Matha (25 tackles,
1 sack in 8 starts) will have to step up their play.
Senior DE Mike O'Brien could provide a big boost. He's undersized
(listed at 225 lbs), but started 10 games in 2002, and recorded 9
tackles against Missouri in last season's opener, before hurting his
knee and missing the rest of the year. The NCAA granted him a sixth
year of eligibility, and if he can stay healthy, his experience should
be invaluable.
Senior Mike Maloney and redshirt freshman Chris Norwell will probably
split time at the other DT position. Maloney is listed first on the
depth chart right now. Norwell was recruited as an OL, but switched
to the defensive side of the ball this year.
Sophomore Charles Myles (6-foot-6, 310 lbs) provides the big body
that the team has lacked up front. He isn't listed on the depth chart
right now, but could contribute if he's eligible in the fall. He sat
out spring ball because of grade issues.
Senior Lee Robinson, sophomore Arthur Boyd, and redshirt freshman
James Stevenson are next in line at DE are the backups.
Talking about the Illinois defense without mentioning OLB Matt Sinclair
would be like talking about the worst shows on TV without mentioning
the UPN Network. It's not much of a conversation.
Sinclair overcame a summertime illness to win honorable mention all-Big
10 last year (team-high 129 tackles, 4 sacks), and is poised to bring
home a boatload of honors this season. He's a preseason 3rd team all-American
and 1st team all-Big 10 on many (so far unofficial) lists. He began
his career as an OLB, then moved to MLB last year. He could play either
place this fall, depending on the development of the rest of the unit.
Right now, he's slotted back on the outside.
Senior MLB Mike Gawelek is listed as a starter on the depth chart
right now, but that could change, depending on the development of
redshirt freshman Joe Mele. Gawelek is a career backup with 25 career
tackles. Mele was Illinois' scout team player of the year last season,
and the coaches talk about his potential in glowing terms.
Junior WLB Antonio Mason made seven starts a year ago, racking up
an impressive 90 tackles, and seemed poised to take the starting spot
full-time. But junior Josh Tisher is on top of Turner's depth chart
coming out of spring ball. Tisher made just 14 tackles all of last
season, but lead his team with seven, including five solos in the
spring game.
Redshirt freshmen Anthony Thornhill (2 tackles in the spring game)
and Jeremy "J" Lemen (5 tackles in the spring game) could
grab some minutes as well. Incoming freshman Sam Carson was a highly-touted
member of Illinois' recruiting class.
The defensive backfield was a disaster last year, and now two starters
and a top backup from that unit are all gone. What's a coach to do?
How about shifting a bunch of his offensive skill position guys to
the other side of the ball?
Senior Kelvin Hayden was the team's top receiver last season (592
yards, 3 TDs) but he's now listed as a starting CB. Obviously, the
change impressed some people. Hayden is getting some recognition on
a few preseason honorable mention all-Big 10 teams. If he turns into
half the cover guy that fellow flip-flopper Chris Gamble was, the
Illini coaching staff should be very happy.
Hayden's backup, junior James Cooper is a fellow defensive convert.
Cooper runs track, and started his career as a running back.
On the other side of the field, sophomore CB Alan Ball is ready to
take the starting job full-time. Ball was supposed to redshirt a year
ago, but injuries, and the team's disastrous play forced the coaches
to throw him in. He started four games, but got hurt and missed three.
If the injury bug bites again, sophomore Shariff Abdullah is ready
to step in. Abdullah started five games in 2003.
Senior Morris Virgil is slated to start at SS this fall. Virgil is
also a born-again defender, converting after he had trouble cracking
the lineup at RB. He started one game there last year. Virgil's backups,
junior Brian Bosnan (16 tackles in two seasons) and redshirt freshman
Kevin Mitchell, are both short on experience.
FS is the one spot in the backfield that Turner should feel completely
comfortable. Junior Travis Williams has 18 career starts under his
belt, and made 91 tackles and one interception last year. Junior Kyle
Kleckner backs him up.
Returning kickers: 1
If you asked the Illinois coaching staff which kicker they would
have liked to keep for another year, chances are they would have picked
P Steve Weatherford.
Fortunately for them, that's just what they got. Weatherford is just
a junior this year, but is already showing up on a few honorable mention
all-Big 10 lists. He averaged 44.5 yards per kick last season, knocking
eight of 46 inside the 20, and drawing 9 fair catches.
Senior P Matt Minnes is also back. He split time with Weatherford
during the last two seasons (averaging 43.1 yards per kick last year),
and serves as the holder on kicks as well.
Last year's starting K John Gockman is gone, and it's probably for
the best. Anything outside 40 yards was a circus in Champaign in 2003.
Gockman hit just 5-of-12 from outside 40, missing a 43-yarder against
UCLA (a game the Illini lost by 3), and missing 39 and 36-yarders
against Indiana (another 3-point loss for Illinois).
Weatherford looks like the leading candidate to take over as K as
well. He hit a 28-yarder in the spring game. True freshman K Jason
Reda could come in and challenge for the job this fall.
Schedule
Sept. 4: vs. Florida A&M (5:00 pm)
Sept. 11: vs. UCLA (11:00 am)
Sept. 18: vs. Western Michigan (1:00 pm)
Sept. 25: vs. Purdue (11:00 am)
Oct. 2: at Wisconsin (Time TBA)
Oct. 9: at Michigan State (Time TBA)
Oct. 16: vs. Michigan (Time TBA)
Oct. 23: at Minnesota (Time TBA)
Oct. 30: vs. Iowa (Time TBA)
Nov. 6: vs. Indiana (Time TBA)
Nov. 20: at Northwestern (Time TBA)
Biggest Game: at Northwestern. The Indiana game is a big one,
and it would be incredible if the Illini could steal one from the
Boilermakers in Champaign as well. But a four-win year might be tolerable
if it involves a season-ending two-game win streak, including one
over the rival Wildcats. Really, the four outright winnable games
(FAMU, Western, Indiana and Northwestern) are all pretty much must-wins
for this team.
Upset Alert: vs. Western Michigan. On paper, the Illini should
win this game, but it won't necessarily be a walkover. The Broncos
are a decent team, although they're replacing almost all their offensive
skill-position players. The WMU program isn't what it once was, and
this could be coach Gary Darnell's last chance to turn things around.
This will also be a major swing game either way for Illinois. They
will probably split their first two games, and heading into Big Ten
play at 2-1 is worlds better than 1-2. If the Illini dump this one
at home, Turner might want to think about putting his house up for
sale.
Incredible Stat: Illinois has not won a Big Ten opener in
10 years. They beat Purdue back in 1993, and have dropped every conference
opener since then, including a 45-20 loss to Michigan during their
2001 championship season.
The bottom line: Ron Turner's mission is simple: Get better
quickly. Four wins is probably the absolute bare-minimum if he wants
to keep his job. Five wins (stealing one from Purdue or UCLA, perhaps)
would be nice. Six wins, and perhaps a bowl bid, would be nothing
short of a miracle. That will hinge largely on two things: the team
staying healthy, and the defense tightening up. If Turner's smart,
he's got his fingers crossed, and his realtor on speed-dial.