For the first time in Ron Zook’s three seasons as the coach at Illinois, the concept of going to a bowl game is on the table. Executing that concept is another matter.
“Offensively we’ve made strides,” Zook said. “We were a young football team that continued to grow, and we will be again this year. We led the Big Ten in rushing. We have to continue to do that and get our passing game to the next level.”
That’s where sophomore quarterback Isiah “Juice” Williams comes in. He won the starting job as a freshman and showed flashes of brilliance at times. But he also showed he had plenty to learn, completing only 39.5 percent of his passes.
Williams’ 576 rushing yards last season make him a key element in the running game. But leading rusher Pierre Thomas is gone, which puts pressure on junior Rashard Mendenhall, last year’s No. 2 rusher with 640 yards and an a 8.2-yard average.
“I told Rashard, ‘This is your year,'” Zook said. “If Rashard is able to be the kind of back we feel he can, we’ll be a pretty good rushing team.
“And if we’re a good rushing team, that’s going to give the quarterbacks and receivers and everybody the chance to make the improvement that’s necessary.”
Defensively, the Illini are counting on a big senior year from middle linebacker J Leman, a second-team all-Big Ten performer last year. And sophomore cornerback Vontae Davis got off to a good start by being voted honorable mention all-Big Ten as a freshman.
The Illini were more competitive in Zook’s second season than in his first but won the same number of games: two.
“We’re at that boiling point,” senior guard Martin O’Donnell said.
“Two years ago, coach Zook’s first year, we weren’t in many games. Last year we were playing with all the upper-echelon teams in the Big Ten, and that surprised teams. We won’t be able to surprise them this year, but our guys have matured enough and have enough experience that this is the year we’re set to take off.”
The Illini will contend for a Big Ten title if … Williams emerges as one of the conference’s best quarterbacks, and the highly touted freshman class led by receiver Arrelious Benn and linebacker Martez Wilson makes big contributions. Realistically, the Illini are a year away from even dreaming big dreams.
The Illini will drive Zook nuts if … they turn the ball over the way they did last season. Illinois was last in the Big Ten with a turnover differential of minus-15, a statistic Zook termed “embarrassing.” The Illini lost a league-leading 21 fumbles for a league-high total of 35 giveaways and tied for last with only 20 takeaways, on 10 fumbles and 10 interceptions. “If we don’t put the ball on the ground, we win three more games,” Zook said. “And defensively we have to go get the ball.”
The Illini’s indispensable players are … Leman, Williams, Davis and junior wide receiver Kyle Hudson, who led the Illini in receiving the last two years with 31 catches as a freshman and 30 as a sophomore.
The schedule can be described as … challenging. With the rigors of the Big Ten ahead of them, the last thing the Illini need is to face a bowl-caliber team in non-conference play. They open against Missouri on Sept. 1 in St. Louis. And they play the Big Ten’s top four teams, with Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin visiting Champaign in a four-week span, and the Illini traveling to Ohio State. Illinois does not play Michigan State or Purdue.
Last season’s defining moment was … when the Illini showed they still had to learn how to win Oct. 28 at Wisconsin. They lost 30-24 after leading 21-3 in the second quarter and 24-10 at halftime. It was one of four straight losses by seven or fewer points and part of a seven-game season-ending losing streak.
The season will be considered a success if … the Illini contend for a bowl. Given the schedule and the Illini’s youth, a jump from 2-10 to the 6-6 mark required for bowl eligibility is expecting a lot.
Illini at a glance
Coach: Ron Zook, third season.
Coordinators: Mike Locksley, offense; Dan Disch and Curt Mallory, defense.
Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Astroplay turf.
Avg. att. (capacity): 43,445 (57,078)
%% D OPPONENT SERIES
S1 *-Missouri, 2:30 7-13
S8 W. Illinois, 6 1st game
S15 at Syracuse, 11a.m. 9-2
S22 at Indiana, TBA 41-20-3
S29 Penn State, TBA 2-12
O6 Wisconsin, TBA 35-33-7
O13 at Iowa, TBA 37-28-2
O20 Michigan, 7 21-65-2 %% (The all-time football record between Illinois and Michigan as published has been corrected in this text.) %% O27 Ball State, 11 a.m. 1st game
N3 at Minnesota, 7 26-31-3
N10 at Ohio State, TBA 29-60-4
N17 Northwestern, TBA 51-44-5
*-at St. Louis %%
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tabannon@tribune.com
