Before the season, Illinois coach Ron Zook likened the upcoming Memorial Stadium renovation project to “what is going on with this football team.”
With the season 75 percent completed, the Illini (2-5 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) still look shabby in the win-loss column. But the defense, previously an eyesore, is showing signs of Urbana renewal.
Coming up are the two most important inspections of the season: Saturday at 17th-ranked Wisconsin and the following weekend against top-ranked Ohio State. If the young Illini, with only two seniors starting on defense, can contain the conference’s two highest-scoring offenses, it would seem the most important piece of Zook’s construction project is nearing completion.
The defense was very bad during Ron Turner’s last two seasons. It was even worse when Zook took over. Opponents’ scoring soared from 29.4 points per game to 39.5; their average yards gained climbed from 423.9 to 469.3.
But now the numbers have improved significantly. The Illini have given up an average of 25.6 points and have held opponents to 298.2 yards.
“We have a lot more guys around the ball,” junior defensive tackle Chris Norwell said. “I definitely think our pursuit is a lot better. We’ve also gotten bigger. People don’t bounce off tackles like they did last year.”
The Michigan State and Penn State games illustrate the Illini’s improvement. Last year, the Spartans won in a 61-14 landslide; this year, they lost 23-20. In 2005, Penn State obliterated the Illini 63-10; last weekend, the Nittany Lions won 26-12, with nine points coming in the final 80 seconds.
The Nittany Lions finished with 184 yards of total offense, 191 under their average and 64 fewer than they had against No. 1 Ohio State.
“We weren’t surprised by our performance,” junior strong safety Kevin Mitchell said after the Penn State game. “We keep improving. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re much better than we were.”
One defender making an impact is sophomore tackle David Lindquist, the conference leader in fumble recoveries with three.
Because his team is so young, Zook is aware that Wisconsin’s senior quarterback John Stocco and P.J. Hill, the Badgers’ freshman sensation at running back, may do some damage to the defensive rebuilding project.
“It’s an age-old problem–high school, college, the NFL,” Zook said. “How do you get a young guy to play at this level every single game?”
Making a stand
Illinois’ defense has made great strides, reducing points and yards allowed per game:
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CATEGORY 2005 2006
Scoring defense 39.5 25.6
Rushing defense 234.0 127.8
Passing defense 235.3 170.5
Total defense 469.3 298.2
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nmilbert@tribune.com
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