Considering the team won only two games a year ago, there’s plenty of optimism at Illinois.
This will be Ron Zook’s third year as head coach and Juice Williams’ second as the starting quarterback. The defense features one of the Big Ten’s best linebackers in senior J Leman, and some freshmen will help right away.
So the Illini have become something of a trendy pick to go to their first bowl game since 2001.
“We still have to go do it,” said Zook, whose two Illinois teams have gone 4-19. “If we do the things we think we’re capable of doing, we’ll have a chance of doing it.”
It all starts with the quarterback, and the Illini are looking for Williams to settle down as a second-year starter and improve on his .395 completion percentage without taking away from his ability to make things happen on the fly.
“Juice Williams is a talent, and he’s only going to be better this year,” Leman said. “Sometimes it kind of shocks me what he does. You gulp a little bit, but it works out.”
Illinois won’t move up very far in the Big Ten unless the passing game makes major strides. The Illini led the Big Ten in rushing, partially because of Williams’ 770 yards.
Still, Zook said: “I don’t see telling him not to run. I know what that can do to defenses.”
Running should again be an Illinois strength, despite the loss of Pierre Thomas. Junior Rashard Mendenhall averaged 8.2 yards per carry in backup duty a year ago and becomes the starter.
There are significant changes in the receiving corps, not all of them planned.
Leading receiver Kyle Hudson, with 61 catches over the last two seasons, is back, but Derrick McPhearson (eight starts) and Jody Ellis (four) were kicked off the team after their arrests in March.
And Chris James (three starts) might miss the season with a knee injury suffered during training camp.
That’s where the freshmen come in. Arrelious “Rejus” Benn, one of the Illini’s most highly touted recruits in years, should be a factor right away.
And after James’ injury, Chris Gamble, a high school running back in Ohio a year ago, made a seamless switch from defensive back to receiver.
“Benn adds a whole other dimension — speed, agility, smarts as well,” senior safety Kevin Mitchell said. “Gamble can catch. He’s quick. It’s great to see the offense moving in the right direction.”
Zook has high expectations for the defense, where there are fewer new faces.
Leman leads the list of nine starters back from a unit that ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 33rd in the nation in total defense, allowing 310.2 yards per game.
“We have to continue to get better and not be satisfied,” Mitchell said. “Maybe this year we can break into the Top 25.”
Why not?
“They’ve been doing the same thing for three straight years,” Zook said. “The majority of them are back.
“This defense has to continue to improve like it did last year. We need the same improvement in the third year. Doing it over and over, you get better at it. It’s a pretty confident group now.”
Illinois needs a 6-6 record to be bowl-eligible, four more wins than it managed last season.
The fact that the Illini are even in the bowl discussion is noteworthy after five straight losing seasons.
“We’ve improved the athleticism of the football team,” Zook said.
A year ago, three of the Illini’s losses, and one of the wins, were by seven points or fewer.
“Last year there was a point where we started playing like we could,” senior defensive tackle Chris Norwell said. “Even though we lost those close games, that gave us the mentality we needed to go in and compete, and this year we’ll go in and win those games.”
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tabannon@tribune.com
