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Rashard Mendenhall’s fumbling problems notwithstanding, the sophomore back got a vote of confidence from Illinois coach Ron Zook, who gave him his first career start at Penn State. To make room for Mendenhall, senior Pierre Thomas–who’d started every game but one at running back–was at fullback. Mendenhall gained a career-high 161 yards on 14 carries, while Thomas had a season-low 20 yards. However, Thomas delivered a block that enabled Mendenhall to break loose on a 79-yard run. . . . Zook plans to continue employing Thomas and senior E.B. Halsey as part-time fullbacks. . . . Freshman QB Juice Williams suffered a cut on his right index finger against Penn State but didn’t need stitches.
