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 But given what Illinois endured the last three years as Tim Beckman
steered it into one misadventure after another, you can't debate
that its 14-13 win last week over Nebraska was the kind of good
fortune every team needs if it's going to have a successful season.
Now 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since
2011, the Illini step up in class Saturday with a trip to
22nd-ranked Iowa. But they do so this year with the momentum of a
dramatic, unexpected win in their hip pocket.
"It's not the gloom and doom normally after our first Big Ten game,"
interim coach Bill Cubit said. "Now it's been pretty positive. There
was a lot of fan interest and a lot of people that I think we're
really excited about it so we were really happy for the Illini
family."
How happy they'll be by the middle of Saturday afternoon might
depend on how Illinois can start the game. Coming off a 10-6 upset
win at Wisconsin last week, the Hawkeyes are 5-0 and getting their
turn as a flavor of the week nationally.
If the Illini can score first, and perhaps second, they might make
the Kinnick Stadium crowd a bit anxious. Of course, scoring first
and second might not be so easy against a defense which is allowing
just 15.4 points and 299.8 yards per game.
However, the Illinois defense proved up to the challenge of stopping
the high-powered Cornhuskers, holding them to 292 yards and 12 first
downs. That gave the offense time to construct the fourth quarter
rally that stole a much-needed victory.
"Defense, I thought, just played outstanding," Cubit said. "It gave
us just enough. More so than just a win, it's how we did it. The
resolve, the resiliency of our football team out there."
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NCAAF Team Report - Illinois - NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
--QB Wes Lunt authored the fifth fourth quarter comeback of his year
and a half career at Illinois with his last-minute TD drive that
stunned Nebraska. Lunt didn't have a great game statistically
against the Cornhuskers, hitting only 23-of-45 passes for 251 yards,
but threw two fourth quarter TD passes, the last with 10 seconds
left to WR Geronimo Allison for the win. Lunt has thrown only two
interceptions in 191 passes this year.
--WR Malik Turner hasn't produced as much as he or the coaches would
have liked in the season's first five games, but may have turned a
corner with a big 50-yard catch on the winning TD drive against
Nebraska. That comprises nearly half of Turner's 102 yards through
five games, but also serves as a reminder of what he can do. With WR
Mike Dudek still out with knee problems, the Illini need more from
Turner.
--DE Dawuane Smoot continues to give Illinois the pass-rush threat
it needs, recording his fourth sack of the year with a 15-yard trap
of Nebraska's Tommy Armstrong. Smoot had just 3 1/2 sacks in his
first two seasons, but has played in the opponent's backfield more
consistently this year, notching 8 1/2 tackles for loss in five
games. Those are the kind of plays the defense hasn't made on a
regular basis the last three seasons.
SERIES HISTORY: Illinois leads Iowa 38-30-2 but Iowa captured a
30-14 victory last year in Champaign.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Just seeing our kids in the locker room, that's why
college football is such a great thing, I think, for everybody." --
Illini interim coach Bill Cubit on the last-second win over
Nebraska.
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NCAAF Team Report - Illinois - STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
GAME BREAKDOWN
Scouting the running game: With senior RB Josh Ferguson getting just
four carries last week before leaving with an injury, freshman
Ke'Shawn Vaughn filled in more than adequately with a career-high 98
yards on 24 attempts. Regardless of who runs the ball this week, the
yards might be tough to gain as Iowa limits the opposition to 84.4
yards per game. The challenge for Illinois is to not become
one-dimensional.
[to top of second column] |
Scouting the passing game: QB Wes Lunt faces a challenge this week
against a solid defense. Lunt hasn't completed as high a percentage
as he'd like, but has been careful with the ball, throwing only two
interceptions in 191 attempts. His receivers must step up and make
plays against the best defense they've seen to this point. Marchie
Murdock and Geronimo Allison have been reliable targets in the
absence of Mike Dudek.
Scouting the run defense: The Illini have made their most dramatic
strides here, improving all the way from 115th to 33rd nationally
against the run. This week will provide a challenge as the Hawkeyes
will try to overpower them at the point of attack. If the D-line can
provide a stalemate, LB Mason Monheim should have plenty of chances
to equal his 10 tackles of last week.
Scouting the pass defense: Here's where Illinois shined most last
week. CB V'Angelo Bentley limited the Cornhuskers' top receiver,
Jordan Westerkamp, to one catch for minus-one yard as the Illini
made Tommy Armstrong's life miserable, allowing him to hit only
10-of-31 passes. They enter this week's game ranked 19th nationally
in passing efficiency defense and 29th in passing yards allowed per
game.
Scouting the special teams: PK Taylor Zalewski had the winning boot
for the second straight week, nailing a PAT after the tying TD with
10 seconds left. Illinois continues to make a mark in other areas,
as it's tied for the FBS lead in blocked kicks with three and also
boasts an elite return man in Bentley. But the punting and punt
coverage has left plenty to be desired, and that has to be
corrected.
DRAFT PROSPECTS (includes 2016 NFLDraftScout.com rating as
applicable):
--RB Josh Ferguson (No. 10 running back, 115th overall) -- Appearing
to be on his way to a big game early against Nebraska with 50 yards
on four carries, Ferguson had to leave with a shoulder injury. He
leads the team in rushing this year but hasn't been as prolific in
the passing game with just 12 catches in five games.
--DT Jihad Ward (No. 23 defensive tackle, 269th overall) -- In five
games, Ward is fourth on the team in tackles with 22, an impressive
total for a down lineman. Ward has just two tackles for loss and a
half-sack, but his ability forces offenses to game-plan for him and
gives other teammates opportunities to win one-on-one battles that
lead to big plays.
--OG Ted Karras (No. 17 guard, 301st overall) -- This week's game at
Iowa will mark the 37th career start for Karras, barring an injury
or some other unfortunate development during the week. Karras and
his fellow starters up front have allowed just four sacks of Lunt
through five games, ranking as one of the top pass-protecting lines
in the country.
ROSTER REPORT:
--WR Mike Dudek (knee) has been ruled out for a sixth straight game
at Iowa Saturday. Interim coach Bill Cubit is hopeful that Dudek
could progress enough during Illinois' upcoming bye week to play on
Oct. 24 against Wisconsin.
--WR Justin Hardee (foot) will also sit out another game against
Iowa. As is the case with Dudek, Cubit is hoping that an off-week
next week could enable Hardee to make a comeback for the Wisconsin
game.
--RB Josh Ferguson (shoulder) will make the trip to Iowa, but Cubit
says it's doubtful that he'll be able to play. Ferguson was injured
at the end of a 48-yard run against Nebraska and didn't play for the
final three quarters.
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