 1. Ron Zook -- the recruiter: We knew Zook could recruit.
Everywhere he has gone, he has found success on the recruiting
trail. But we begin with this point because the No. 1 reason
Illinois beat the Bucks is because Illinois' talent level is at an
all-time high. But here is my twist on things: Most people point to
the Vontae Davises of the world, the Regus Benns of the world, the
Martez Wilsons of the world -- and they should. But Zook did a great
job creating good depth at Illinois -- and it was players like true
freshman Miami Thomas and Will Davis, a former TE converted to DE,
who came up huge for Illinois against the Buckeyes. And what was one
of Zook's first comments after the game? "We need to go get some
more ballers." My guess is many a high school senior is thinking:
Why not Illinois?
2. Ron Zook -- the game coach: If I've
heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times: "Ron Zook can
recruit, but he can't coach his way out of a paper bag." And after
Saturday, my guess is that ridiculous and false assertion will go
away and hide. Zook and his staff clearly out-coached a much more
heralded sideline; and not once, but twice, Zook rolled the dice and
went for key fourth-down attempts to keep drives alive. I'm not
saying Zook is the Bill Walsh of college football, but Zook and
staff made some great calls Saturday and they deserve credit for
doing so. The real test in many ways will be this coming week -- a
home finale against Northwestern. Can Zook and staff get Illinois up
for this game after the emotion and excitement of the game in
Columbus?
3. Juice Williams -- the running QB: At times this year,
fellow QB Eddie McGee has looked better than Juice, and many an
Illini fan has called for a permanent switch. Juice showed the
nation Saturday what Zook and staff have seen all along
-- great leadership and decision-making. Juice threw four touchdown
passes and was just named Big Ten Player of the Week, but it was his
running and decision-making -- especially on the eight-plus-minute
drive that ended the game -- that really won the game for Illinois.
If Ohio State would have gotten the ball back, my guess is they
would have had a great chance to tie the game and then win in
overtime. Juice said, "No way -- not today," and made run and run to
seal the victory. You've read it here before, but Juice is becoming
the Dee Brown of Illinois football and might just become the Dee
Brown of college football if he continues to perform like he did on
Saturday.
4. J Leman -- my Butkus Award winner: The senior from
Champaign found out before the game that he had been eliminated from
Butkus Award contention -- the award for the best linebacker in
college football. All he did was play maybe his best game of the
year and show the nation why he will play on Sundays for several
years to come. Not your typical college superstar, Leman is a devout
Christian who speaks regularly about his faith. I absolutely love
this kid and am in awe of the linebacker he has become. Without a
doubt, he was the best defensive player on the field Saturday. I
wonder if the Butkus Award crew might reconsider their final three
candidates. I know I would.
5. The running game -- Illinois' strength: Congratulations to
Rashard Mendenhall for becoming the all-time single-season rushing
leader in Illinois history -- 1,402 yards this year with one more
regular-season game to play. Mendenhall ran hard and strong, even
though it was obvious OSU schemed their defense to stop the stud
from Skokie. And how about juco transfer Daniel Dufrene's 80-yard
scamper on Illinois' second play from scrimmage? Did you know
Dufrene lined up at the fullback position on that play and had the
speed to get down to the OSU 3-yard line? Bottom line? Illinois
rushed for 260 yards against the best defense in the land, and the
offensive line should get a ton of the credit. Illinois has become
the premier running attack in the conference -- and it is no
accident!
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6. The defensive line -- the pressure cookers: Jeff Mayfield
and I have been screaming for years about the lack of pressure the
defensive front four have created for Illinois. We are still
screaming -- but now with excitement -- as Tommy Sims' 10-man
rotation is getting regular pressure on teams each week. Will Davis
has become the recognizable DE for Illinois, but guys like Doug
Pilcher, Jerry Brown, Chris Norwell, Josh Brent, Derrick Walker and
Doug Linquist are all creating a strong push and forcing QBs to make
quick and sometimes bad decisions (see Saturday at Columbus). Best
news of all? Of the 10 who play these four positions in the
rotation, only two are seniors.
7. The receivers -- and not the ones you would think: The two
guys we hear and read most about are Benn, the superstar freshman,
and Kyle Wilson. Juice threw four touchdown passes and they went to
four different receivers -- three of them backups. All told, Juice
found eight different receivers for his 12 pass completions, and
guys like Brian Gamble, Decatur's Marques Wilkins and Jacob Willis
caught TD passes. Benn didn't even play in the second half due to a
concussion, but it didn't matter -- other receivers stepped up. Both
Wilkins and Willis were hit hard on their TD catches, but they both
held on and contributed greatly to the Illinois win.
8. The composure -- just one penalty all day: I really
thought Illinois kind of melted down against Michigan a couple of
weeks ago. They committed way too many penalties and didn't have
composure when they needed it most. Saturday at Ohio State was the
exact opposite. Illinois committed just one penalty all day -- zero
false starts and zero mental mistakes. When Ohio State took a 7-0
lead just two plays into the game, no one on the Illinois sideline
panicked -- no looks of "here we go again." Instead, Illinois
promptly answered with a score of their own and played the Buckeyes
tough all day long. Illinois didn't look surprised at their success
-- they looked like they expected to be where they were -- and that
is composure.
9. The reserves -- it takes more than a superstar: Illinois
lost Vontae Davis for the final three-quarters of the game, and true
freshman Marcus "Miami" Thomas stepped up, made four tackles, tipped
a pass that turned into an interception, and then got an
interception of his own on a great play in the fourth quarter. Regus
Benn was lost for the entire second half, and Marques Wilkins
stepped up with his first collegiate touchdown reception. Russ Weil,
the starting fullback, went out with a strained MCL early in the
game, and Illinois ran the ball all day long anyway due to great
blocking from backup tight end Tom Sullivan. Guys like Juice, Regus
and Vontae are the faces of Illinois football -- and rightfully so
-- but it takes more than a couple of superstars, and many
unheralded heroes emerged on Saturday.
10. The officials -- it finally evens out for Illinois: I
admit -- I've thought for years the fix was on. It seemed every time
Illinois was close to beating Michigan in football or North Carolina
in hoops, one of our buddies wearing the stripes would step in and
spoil the fun. Well, let me go on record and say the following,
"Illinois caught a couple of huge breaks from the guys in stripes on
Saturday." There -- I said it -- mark it down. Dufrene's long run
ended in a fumble and OSU should have had the ball -- Illinois
caught a break. Gamble's TD reception probably happened because Benn
"picked" an OSU defender and it wasn't called. And if there was ever
a team in line for a couple of breaks, it was your Fighting Illini!
So let's recap: Illinois beat No. 1 for the first time in 51
years. Illinois looks to be in great shape for a Jan. 1 bowl game in
Florida. Illinois football is one of the great stories in all of
college football. Not bad for a program with a head coach who can't
coach and a quarterback who can't throw the football, eh? It's a
good day, a good week -- heck, a good year to be an Illini fan!
[By GREG TAYLOR] |
