Written by Mike Furlan

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The calm before the storm.  The game before THE Game next week against that team from that school up north.  Illinois always gives us fits though.  And this is the best team they've had in a while as coach Ron Zook's highly ranked recruiting classes from the past couple of years are now starting to pay dividends.  Do the Illini worry Furls?  How does he see this one playing out?  He tells us in his preview of today's football game, set to kick off at 3:30 on ABC.

Ron Zook’s highly ranked recruiting classes from the last two years are starting to pay dividends, and the Illini have completed a mad rush to respectability. Remember, it was just last year that I wondered aloud if there was "Any fight in the Illini ?” While it is not likely that Illinois will win this game, there is no question that they could, and that says a lot when you consider how bad this team has been recently.

This week Ohio State will face the best running back, wide receiver, linebacker, and quarterback that they have seen all year. It looks like Ron Zook’s highly touted recruiting classes from the last two years are beginning to pay dividends, now if only Illinois had a coach to match the on field talent…

Also on the line today is the coveted Illibuck Trophy, a big wooden turtle. The Illibuck, if I remember correctly was a real turtle (not the wooden kind) that was passed between the schools in the 20’s. The tortoise passed away within the first couple of years of the award, probably due to an “Animal House” type episode, and thus the wooden one was born. Why a turtle? I am not sure, but the turtle thing makes a lot more sense once you consider that there is also a peace pipe portion of the ceremony. I wonder how long it takes to start the Doritos portion once the peace pipe portion ends.

Without further adieu,

Introducing the 2007 Illinois Fighting Illini.

From the Big Ten Preview:

7. Illinois: The Illini took the Buckeyes to the limit in Champagne-Urbana last year, and given Ron Zook’s masterful recruiting, there is a lot of talk swirling around this Illinois team. I'm not buying it. Zook is a great recruiter, but he is a lousy coach. I have no idea how he developed a good reputation as a coach, or even more astonishingly retained it in spite of the copious evidence to the contrary. My perdiction, Illinois is going to be the most talented team in the Big Ten with a losing conference record and they will hold that distinction until Ron Zook is run out of town. The defense is going to be good, and there is talent on the offense, but neither side of the ball will play consistently or coherently, hallmarks of Ron Zook teams. Folks meet John L. Smith’s replacement as the worst coach in the Big Ten.

Hmm… I guess I could have been wrong there. I thought I was wrong once, it turns out I was mistaken, and I definitely missed the boat on this year’s Illini team. This year’s edition of the Fighting Illini is a surprising 7-3, 4-2 in the Big Ten, and they feature some of the best skill position talent in the Big Ten.

Ohio State struggled with Jake Locker’s ability to run the ball and they will face a much more formidable test this week from the mobile Juice Williams. Williams has really improved in the passing game this year becoming more of a true threat down the field as well, but he is still only completing 56% of his passes for a rather pedestrian 6.0 yards per attempt. Currently Williams ranks last in the Big Ten in efficiency and has thrown more interceptions than TDs (8 to 9). If you were expecting a lot of sacks from the Buckeyes based on last week’s ten sack performance, you might want to temper your expectations some. Williams has only taken 8 sacks thus far for the season. It will probably be more important for the ends to maintain containment than to actually get to the passer this week.

Rashard Mendenhall is the true work horse of this offense. At 5’11”, 225 pounds Mendenhall is a load and is capable of gaining difficult short yards but still has the speed to break the big one. Currently, the Illini ball carrier ranks eighth in the nation (first in the Big Ten) averaging 131 yards per game. He is a stronger faster version of Jevon Ringer. This running back is the first true homerun threat that the Buckeyes have faced in the backfield and if the shoddy tackling continues, well, it could be a banner day for Mr. Mendenhall.

Arrelious Benn, Illinois’ prize recruit from the 2007 recruiting class has not disappointed, he has been “a hold your breath” type of ball carrier all season. He has the strength and speed to break shoulder level tackles and will bounce off the big hit. The Buckeyes secondary, yes you Mr. Jenkins, is going to have to do a better job wrapping up this week because they are not going to run down Arrelious Benn from behind. Benn leads the team with 46 receptions for 573 yards and will present a good test for Jenkins this week.

The Illini defense, anchored by underrated linebacker J. Leman, currently ranks 22^nd in the nation at stopping the run (46^th overall) allowing just a hair over 3 yards per carry (112 per game). The defense will present a formidable challenge for the Buckeye ball carrier should the offense get predictable.

Now the pass-defense, well, that is something totally different. The Illini secondary has been absolutely scorched this year for nearly 242 yards per game (81^st in the nation) and has been very susceptible to the big play. Heck, that Wisconsin passing attack that just left town put up nearly 400 yards on Illinois through the air, and offensively impaired Iowa put up another 325. A large part of this is the amount of single coverage that the Illini play due to the risks they take with their blitz packages. If the line can hold, Boeckman has shown that he will make the right decision and the good throw into the blitz.

The Match Ups:

Ohio State offense vs. Illinois defense: Like the old cliché says, this game will be decided up front. If Ohio State can control the inevitable Illinois blitzes, this game could get ugly early. Additionally, if the coaching staff and quarterback are able to recognize the blitzes early enough, well, then the Buckeyes should be able to run right through it for big gains. Edge to Ohio State as long as the line holds up, and given what we have seen this year, that should happen.

Ohio State defense vs. Illinois offense: Rashard Mendenhall is a beast and the Buckeyes defensive game plan needs to revolve around stopping him and making sure tackles. Next priority has to be Williams’ legs. The defensive line has done a very good job maintaining outside containment this year, sometimes at the expense of interior gap coverage, so it will be imperative that the linebackers recognize the plays early and fill. In the end, I like the Buckeyes to handle this match up with outside speed and disciplined inside play.

Don’t be Surprised if….

-The Buckeyes break big play after big play. The hallmarks of Ron Zook’s teams are talent and predictability along with a lot of risk taking. I expect the Buckeyes to recognize his blitzes and make him pay downfield, to the tune of 250 yards in the air and three long TDs.

-Speaking of long TDs, let’s predict 2 more for Robo. Opposing teams just do not give him the respect he deserves.

-Beanie Well’s runs right past the blitz for four carries in excess of 20 yards.

-Ohio State gives up another return TD. Arrelious Benn is dangerous and the Buckeyes coverage has been porous.

If I were a betting man…

15.5 points is a lot to give the Illini and I am not really comfortable giving them, but I just don’t see how they are going to play with Buckeyes with their one dimensional offense. I guess, like the national media, I will go with the Buckeyes by default. I feel much better about the over at 46. That said, I wouldn’t go with my over/under pick, I have missed the O/U all year.

Final Score: Ohio State 38 Illinois 17.

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