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Fighting Illini to Face USC in Rose Bowl
Illinois
Makes 5th Appearance in 'Granddaddy of Them All'; First Since 1984
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[December 03, 2007]
CHAMPAIGN -- The University of
Illinois has been selected to the Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi,
the Tournament of Roses announced Sunday evening, and will face the
University of Southern California on Jan. 1 at 3:30 p.m. CT on ABC
national television. It is Illinois' fifth Rose Bowl appearance of
all time and the first since facing UCLA in the 1984 Rose Bowl.
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 The Fighting Illini have been one of the best feel-good stories of
the season, engineering the biggest turnaround in the country.
Illinois' nine wins this season are seven more than the two games it
won in 2006, marking the biggest recovery in school history and just
the eighth time an Illini team has won nine games in a season. The
Orange and Blue are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2001, and
this appearance will be head coach Ron Zook's fourth bowl game in
six years as a head coach.For his efforts in orchestrating
Illinois' turnaround, Zook was named Big Ten Coach of the Year on
Nov. 19. He was able to take the Illini to the Rose Bowl this season
largely because of Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Rashard
Mendenhall, who has broken Illinois single-season records for
rushing yards (1,526), rushing touchdowns (16) and total touchdowns
(18) while ranking eighth nationally in rushing yards per game
(127.17).
The offense has rushed for more than 3,000 yards for the first
time in school history and has surpassed 5,000 total yards for just
the third time ever. In addition to Mendenhall, wide receiver
Arrelious Benn was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year after he broke
Illinois' freshman receptions and receiving yards marks. Sophomore
quarterback Juice Williams ran the offense proficiently, becoming
the first Illini quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards in his
career and ranking in the school's all-time top 10 for total
offense. Additionally, placekicker Jason Reda has the highest field
goal accuracy in the Big Ten at .938 (15-of-16).
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Defensively, middle linebacker J Leman was named a first-team
all-American by the American Football Coaches Association after
leading the Illini in tackles and leading the Big Ten in tackles for
16 of the last 19 weeks, dating back to 2006. He will finish sixth
on the Illinois all-time tackles list and was a Butkus Award
semifinalist this season. Safety Kevin Mitchell and cornerback
Vontae Davis rank third and sixth, respectively, in interceptions in
the Big Ten, and the defense ranks 12th in the nation in sacks with
3.08 per game.
Illinois is the only Big Ten team to hold a flawless record in
November, and its four-game winning streak is the longest in the
conference. The Illini hold a 3-1 record in the Rose Bowl, winning
in 1947, 1952 and 1964 before falling in the 1984 game. The
appearance is Illinois' first Rose Bowl berth since 1984, although
they likely would have been selected for the 2001 contest had the
Rose Bowl not been the host of the national championship game that
season.
[Text from file received from
Cassie Arner, associate sports
information director,
University of Illinois]
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