Illinois Fighting Illini Thread

[little bear]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,6413217.story

Scheelhaase looks sharp as Illini stomp SIU 35-3

QB shows big-play capability with 54-yard TD pass to Jenkins

CHAMPAIGN — Fireworks over Memorial Stadium for a 35-3 victory against Southern Illinois may have seemed like an overstatement Saturday night, but after last season's 3-9 campaign every triumph is worth a celebration.
"It's hard to win a game," coach Ron Zook said. "A lot of times people don't realize that. … We got better. That's the thing we must continue to do."
Thought Illinois' performance, while solid against its FCS opponent, still left question marks about how it will perform against Big Ten opponents, there were signs of improvement for Illini fans to savor.
After throwing three interceptions last weekend in the opening loss to Missouri, redshirt freshman quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase made good on his promise to not repeat glaring mistakes. Scheelhaase, whose ran just seven times, completed 14 of 18 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
Scheelhaase showed his big-play capabilities with a 54-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Jenkins in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead before the crowd of 52,217.
"In our game plan, I knew I would have to stand in there and take some hits and deliver the football," Scheelhaase said. "(No turnovers) is something that's really important to our team. That's what I focused on all week."
It was a rougher night for Eddie McGee, a former backup quarterback turned wide receiver.
He made his first appearance at quarterback this season, but two of his three passes were interceptions and he left the field for the day with a left ankle sprain. X-rays at halftime did not reveal a break, Zook said.
Southern Illinois turned McGee's second pick deep in Illinois territory into a 30-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-3 with 4 minutes, 58 seconds to go in the half.
Despite the suspension of defensive lineman Michael Buchanan, who was arrested for a DUI a week ago, and a rash of injuries to the secondary, the Illini defense continued its solid play. Southern Illinois' three points were the fewest score on the Illini since they shut out Western Illinois 21-0 on Sept. 8, 2007.
After a 70-7 victory against Quincy in the opener, the Salukis were kept out of the end zone. The Illini held them to just 46 rushing yards and just 1 of 4 passing in the red zone.
Defensive end Whitney Mercilus, who made his first career start, forced a fumble as Southern Illinois threatened to score from the Illinois 10-yard line. Linebacker Ian Thomas recovered the turnover.
"It shows we're coming together as a team and everyone has bought into the system," said Clay Nurse, who moved from defensive end to "bandit" in place of Buchanan. "It's relieving to me and I'm proud of those guys."
On the night the Illini honored Howard Griffith for his eight-touchdown performance against Southern Illinois 20 years ago, current running back Mikel Leshoure put in another noteworthy performance.
He posted his second straight 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 115 yards on 15 carries. Leshoure scored his second touchdown of the night with an 8-yard run less than three minutes before halftime. He also rushed for a 1-yard score in the first quarter.

[little bear]

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nc...meId=302820213

Illinois earns 1st win in Happy Valley: 33-13

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Mikel Leshoure ran for 119 yards, Nate Bussey had a 16-yard interception return for a score and Illinois pounded injury-depleted Penn State in a 33-13 win on Saturday to spoil the Nittany Lions' homecoming in Happy Valley.
Derek Dimke added four field goals and the Illini overcame three fumbles on special teams by return man Jack Ramsey by pounding away at a short-handed defense. The bruising 6-foot Leshoure and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase softened the Nittany Lions on the run, and Scheelhaase took advantage of soft coverage over the middle with an 18-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to A.J. Jenkins.
By the time halfback Jason Ford hit Evan Wilson with a 4-yard TD pass on a trick play for a 14-point lead with 8:30 in the third quarter, the Illini (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) were well on their way to their first victory in seven tries in Happy Valley.
It was another confidence-building performance for Illinois after a closer-than-expected 24-13 loss last week to Ohio State. They face another tough road trip next week at No. 17 Michigan State.
On offense, Penn State's season-long troubles in the red zone continued after settling for field goals off two Ramsey punt-return fumbles inside the 30 in the first half. Illinois' rejuvenated defense held the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-2) to season-lows of 235 yards and seven first downs in freshman quarterback Rob Bolden's choppiest game of his young career.
They were lucky to be trailing just 20-13 at halftime following a first half in which they managed just three first downs.
The second half wasn't much better.
Coach Joe Paterno's crew opened with a three-and-out drive. Illinois, the Big Ten's best team in the red zone, then gave its opponents an offensive lesson with a nine-play, 68-yard drive that sapped the enthusiasm out of Beaver Stadium.
Troy Pollard had a 20-yard run up the middle. Scheelhaase scrambled for 16 yards, then hit Jenkins for a 14-yard gain to the 9.
Against a defense littered with inexperienced backups, Illinois coach Ron Zook went to a trick play when Scheelhaase pitched back to Ford, who found Wilson in the end zone from four yards out for a 27-13 lead.
Scheelhaase finished 15 of 19 passing for 151 yards, and ran for 61 yards on eight carries.
The Illini defense frustrated Bolden and the struggling Penn State offense -- with the Nittany Lions' only bright spots coming on the young quarterback's 80-yard touchdown pass to Derek Moye.
It followed one of Bolden's biggest mistakes -- a telegraphed attempted swing pass to Devon Smith that was tipped in the air and recovered by Bussey, who ran untouched into the end zone for a 14-3 lead at 9:39 of the second quarter.
Bolden finished 8 of 21 for 142 yards, while tailback Evan Royster had another subpar outing with 35 yards on 11 carries.
Illinois held the ball for 38 minutes, and limited Penn State to just 2 of 14 on third-down conversions.

[little bear]

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nc...meId=302960356

QB Nathan Scheelhaase, defense power Illinois' rout

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase turned a quiet 123 yards of passing into a pair of touchdowns and the Fighting Illini returned interceptions for two more Saturday in a 43-13 rout of Indiana.
Illinois (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) led 27-10 at the half and held on through a sloppy, mostly defensive second half, all with the help of five Indiana turnovers.
The Illini talked all week about two keys to the Indiana game: blunting the effectiveness of quarterback Ben Chappell and, after losing the turnover battle and the game a week earlier at Michigan State, finding a way to separate the Hoosiers from the ball.
In a first half they couldn't have drawn up much better, the Illini did both.
Chappell averages just shy of 310 yards a game and is almost never sacked. He spent the first 30 minutes Saturday under pressure and, while sacked just once -- a loss wiped out by a face mask penalty -- he was hurried and hit often.
The senior quarterback had 178 yards at halftime, and Indiana had 227 total yards to Illinois' 164.
But the Illini forced three first-half turnovers, two of them Chappell interceptions and all of which led to points.
The first was a pick by defensive back Tavon Wilson deep in Hoosier territory that set up a Derek Dimke field goal for a 3-0 first-quarter lead.
The second and third were due in large part to Justin Staples, playing in the freelance pass-rushing position Illinois calls a bandit.
First, Staples stripped the ball out of Wildcat quarterback Dusty Kiel's arms, wrestling it away for linebacker Ian Thomas to grab at the Indiana 23. The Illini turned that into a 17-yard touchdown pass from Scheelhaase to Jarred Fayson and a 17-7 lead midway through the quarter.
Minutes later, Staples hit Chappell as the quarterback threw the ball, forcing it off target for backup defensive back Patrick Nixon-Youman to pick off on the run. Nixon-Youman glided 68 yards down the left sideline for another TD and, with 7:07 to play in the first half, a 24-7 lead.
A pair of late field goals made the score 27-10 at the half.
Illinois padded its lead at 29-10 with a third-quarter safety, blocking a Chris Hagerup punt in the Hoosier end zone.
Indiana pulled backed to within two touchdowns at 29-13 on Mitch Ewald's 21-yard field goal with 1:53 to play in the third quarter, but the Hoosiers never looked like they had the pieces still missing from a comeback in them.
The Hoosiers last four possessions ended with a punt, a pair of interceptions -- one of them another return for a touchdown, this one 75 yards by Jonathan Brown -- and the end of the game.
Chappell finished 26-48 with 279 yards and a touchdown for Indiana (4-3, 0-3) but threw three interceptions that buried the Hoosiers. Receiver Ted Bolser had four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.

[little bear]

http://espn.go.com/chicago/ncf/recap?gameId=303170356

DeLeon Eskridge scores 3 TDs as Gophers come back to upset Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- DeLeon Eskridge rescued Minnesota from its tenth loss Saturday, leading the Gophers to a 38-34 comeback upset of Illinois with a last-minute touchdown run.
Eskridge scored three touchdowns for the Golden Gophers (2-9, 1-6 Big Ten) and rushed for 49 yards on 14 carries.
The last, a 2-yarder, came with 16 seconds to play and capped an 80-yard drive engineered by quarterback Adam Weber.
Trailing 34-31 and facing a third and 10 at his own 20 with 2:30 to play, Weber dropped back to pass and didn't see an open receiver. Instead he saw a huge hole in the middle of the Illinois defense, and ran straight into it for 29 yards and a first down at the Minnesota 49.
Six plays later Eskridge gave the Gophers the lead.
Weber, who some fans have said should give way to sophomore MarQueis Gray, was 20 of 26 for 225 yards and two TDs. He was seldom pressured by the Fighting Illini.
The loss keeps Illinois (5-5, 3-4) a game short of bowl eligibility. Illinois hasn't been to a bowl in three years.
With just over eight minutes to play, the Illini looked close to locking up that key sixth win when Mikel Leshoure burst around the right end for a 55-yard touchdown that, with the extra point, gave Illinois a 34-24 lead.
Leshoure finished with 141 yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Badly needing an answer to Leshoure's potentially back-breaking run, the Gophers got a 92-yard kickoff return by Troy Stoudermire. Justin Green's tackle at the Illinois 4 only delayed the inevitable.
It was Eskridge this time, too, running 4 yards on second down for a score that pulled the Gophers back to within three at 34-31 with 7:55 to play.
The Gopher defense, which sacked quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase three times, quickly stopped the Illini on their next two possessions, not allowing Illinois even one clock-draining first down.
Minnesota led 17-7 at the half on Eskridge's first touchdown run, a scoring pass from Weber to Tiree Eure and a line-drive 45-yard field goal by Eric Ellestad.
Illinois turned that halftime deficit into a lead in the first eight minutes of the second half.
Leshoure's first touchdown ended an 80-yard drive that made the score 17-14.
Minutes later, Illinois linebacker Nate Bussey recovered a fumble by Gopher Eric Lair at the Minnesota 37.
From there, Scheelhaase guided Illinois to the 17, where he flawlessly led Spencer Harris on a crossing route into the end zone. Illinois blew the extra point, but was back in the lead, 20-17, with 7:59 to play in the third quarter.
Scheelhaase was 10 of 21 for 172 yards and two TDs. He found A.J. Jenkins six times for 137 yards and a touchdown.
Illinois has two shots left at the sixth win that would make it bowl eligible. Both are on the road, at Northwestern and Fresno State. Illinois hasn't been to the postseason since the 2008 Rose Bowl.

[little bear]

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nc...ory?id=5824661

One end zone for offense at Wrigley

Only one end zone will be used for offense Saturday at Wrigley Field for the Illinois-Northwestern game because of safety concerns, the Big Ten announced Friday, and the Chicago Cubs said the decision caught them by surprise.
NCAA rules state the field dimensions must have adequate space surrounding the playing surface: "Limit lines shall be marked ... 12 feet outside the sidelines and the end lines, except in stadiums where total field surface does not permit. In these stadiums, the limit lines shall not be less than 6 feet from the sidelines and end lines."
Wrigley's east end zone is a few feet away from the right-field wall, and although there is padding, there were concerns players could be injured there.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald had said this week he would have different game plans for each end zone to avoid the possibility of injury.
When a team is on offense Saturday, it will be positioned to head to the west end zone.
"Though it's not ideal, it's the right thing," Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "We've been planning for this for a while, there were no surprises. The field came out the way we thought, it ended up maybe being a little closer with some of the padding.
"As we looked at it -- the visual aspect of it -- this week, we just felt there was a low probability that something would happen. ... And the more we thought about it, the more we talked about it, we looked at it, we just felt like this was something we needed to do. And it was complete uniformity between the Big Ten conference, and Northwestern and Illinois. At the heart of it was to make sure we had done everything we could to make it safe."
Cubs president Crane Kenney released a statement Friday saying the Big Ten and both universities approved the field dimensions in relation to player safety. As recently as last week, the Cubs said in the statement, the Big Ten "participated in a field walk-through and raised no issue with the field dimensions."
The Cubs also said they "are surprised by the Big Ten's last-minute statement regarding changes for tomorrow's Northwestern-Illinois football game at Wrigley Field, Let there be no doubt: The safety of the student-athletes has been -- and remains -- the No. 1 priority since the concept of this game was first discussed more than a year ago, and all parties have gone to complete lengths to ensure student-athlete safety for this contest."
Kenney referenced Saturday's game between Notre Dame and Army at Yankee Stadium, and said the dimensions are similar.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said Friday the conference "had never been put on notice that this was anything other than tight, not a blatant violation of NCAA playing rules. There wasn't much thought in my mind than to make the necessary changes."
Delany also said the "issue was never vetted until two days ago," but felt the change was necessary.
"The timing is late. The decision is right," he said. "You could maybe make a decision not to change and take the risk; but if my kid out there, I know how I'd feel about this."
Delany said Philips told him the dimensions would be similar to Idaho's Kibbie Dome and the football setup at AT&T Park in San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl.
"Since the bowl game was NCAA-certified, I just presumed if it was going on out there, it must be close but legal," Delany said. "I found out later that wasn't the right assumption."
After deciding the initial setup would not work, the Big Ten and the two schools discussed several options, including cutting 2-3 yards off of each end zone. This would have required an NCAA waiver, but it is possible.
"I was still concerned that even if you cut it off by 2 yards, you're still in the suspect zone of 6-12 feet," Delany said.

According to a statement issued by the Big Ten, the following changes will be made:

•All offensive plays will head toward the west end zone, including all extra points and all overtime possessions.
•All kickoffs will be kicked toward the east end zone.
•After every change of possession, the ball will be repositioned for the offense to head toward the west end zone.
• As a result of a coin toss held by the conference office Friday morning, Illinois will occupy the west team bench in the first half and Northwestern will occupy the west team bench in the second half and for all overtime periods.
"The health and safety of our student-athletes is of the utmost importance," Delany said in the statement. "Both Illinois and Northwestern did significant due diligence over the past 18 months, but after seeing the actual layout of the field, all parties felt that it was appropriate to adjust the rules to further enhance the safety of our student-athletes. Wrigley Field is one of the most historic venues in the country, and playing the Illinois-Northwestern game at this facility will provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience for student-athletes, coaches and fans."
Fitzgerald applauded the decision.
"To me, it doesn't change a whole lot," he said. "Pictures can say a million words, but reality is reality. When you got up close to it, it was really tight. The No. 1 priority is healthy, safety and well-being. It doesn't matter if that decision was made tomorrow at 1:30 or 1:45 or 2:25 [kick-off is at 2:30 CT].
"I think this is a great decision. I think it is a tremendous show of leadership and commitment by the commissioner, both ADs and both coaches. We're going to do what was right. All the other things are irrelevant."

[little bear]

http://scores.espn.go.com/chicago/nc...meId=303240077

Mikel Leshoure runs rampant as Illinois stomps Northwestern at Wrigley

CHICAGO -- If football comes to Wrigley Field again, Mikel Leshoure wants to be there.
"I think that would be fun," he said.
Particularly after a performance like this.
Leshoure ran for a school-record 330 yards and two touchdowns, and Illinois beat Northwestern 48-27 Saturday in a game played under unusual circumstances at Wrigley.
The Wildcats and Fighting Illini were looking for publicity when they scheduled the first football game in 40 years at the old ballpark -- and did they ever get it.
Anybody who wasn't aware of this one certainly knew about it after the Big Ten announced Friday the schools had agreed on several rule changes because of safety concerns.
The most notable: Offensive plays ran only toward the west end zone near the third-base dugout. The east end zone in right field came within a foot or so of a heavily padded brick wall. So after changes in possession, the ball was repositioned.
An interception return by Northwestern was the only touchdown scored in the east end zone.
Not since the Bears left for Soldier Field following the 1970 season had football been played at Wrigley. It had been even longer since the last college game. That was the 1938 clash between DePaul and St. Louis, and Illini coach Ron Zook didn't hesitate when asked about a return appearance.
"Absolutely, I'd like to do it again," he said.
During the walkthrough Friday, Zook noticed White Sox and Cubs fans on his team talking trash, having fun at each other's expense.
"It was just a great venue," he said. "It was exciting. You think about all the great players that have played here and gone through here, I think it was something that our guys are going to remember for the rest of their lives."
Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase called it "a great atmosphere, something I'm always going to look back on."
And Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said the atmosphere was "incredible" and that running offenses to the west was "the right move."
The controversy surrounding the late rule changes and the novelty of playing in the Chicago Cubs' beloved home overshadowed the fact that Illinois (6-5, 4-4) was trying to become bowl-eligible and Northwestern (7-4, 3-4) was going with a freshman quarterback.
Leshoure was simply spectacular, doing a good impression of Gale Sayers in the Bears' old home.
"The No. 1 thing was to get the win, help my team out and get to that bowl game," he said. "I'm happy the stats were the way they were, but that definitely wasn't on my mind going into the game."
His 330 yards were a Wrigley Field record, eclipsed the previous school mark of 315 set by Robert Holcombe in 1996 and were the most by an FBS running back since Navy's Shun White had 348 on Aug. 30, 2008. His day included 4- and 1-yard touchdown runs on the first two possessions, plus a 70-yard gain in the first quarter.
Scheelhaase ran for 97 yards and Illinois finished with 559 yards in all -- 519 coming on the ground.
Northwestern got 129 yards from Mike Trumpy, including an 80-yard touchdown that was the longest run by a Wildcat since 1986, but it was a rough afternoon for quarterback Evan Watkins.
Making his first start after Dan Persa ruptured his Achilles' tendon while throwing the winning TD against Iowa last week, he was 10 for 20 with an interception for 135 yards.
Leshoure ran for 156 yards in the first quarter alone. The Illini sealed it early in the fourth, after another big run by Leshoure -- this one a 62-yarder that put the ball on the 8 and set up a TD run by Jason Ford.
Northwestern and Illinois last played at Wrigley in 1923, when Cubs fans bemoaning a 15-year championship drought had no idea what they were in for.
The same could probably be said for the officials who organized this game. When they saw the plans, they thought there would be just enough room between the back of the right-field end zone and the wall.
When they actually saw the field, they had second thoughts. So they altered the rules, and the result was something straight out of a backyard game.
NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said that, to his knowledge, there had never been a game played under circumstances like these.
The goal post mounted on the right-field wall served as nothing more than a hood ornament, with all kicks going the other way. The right-field end zone rarely came into play, one exception coming in the first quarter when Northwestern's Brian Peters returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown. Even so, he was all alone and in no danger of crashing into the wall.
With the west end zone only in use, the quarterbacks at times had to turn all the way around rather than simply glance toward their side to get calls from the coaches. The teams shared a sideline but switched spots at halftime.
"It was different to get adjusted to at the start," Scheelhaase said. "Minor things. Like the first time our defense got an interception, we were all ready to run that way. No, go back."
Quirky rules aside, the stadium had a different look, too -- no mound, no home plate. Turf covered the infield and much of the warning track, and the third-base dugout was sealed off.
The famed marquee above the main entrance was painted purple, and panels along the stadium's facade showed past and present Northwestern players instead of Cubs stars.
There were purple and white flags with the letter "N" flapping above the roof and along the foul pole, too. And inside, there was one memorable game unfolding.
"It was a great experience, no doubt," Watkins said. "It was awesome. The fans were awesome."

[little bear]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...5966038.column

Illini claim title as Chicago's team


Illinois shows off the Land of Lincoln Trophy to their fans after defeating Northwestern 48-27.

Leshoure a big-league run producer as Illini claim title as Chicago's team

Of all the public-relations problems surrounding Saturday's 48-27 Illinois victory over Northwestern at Wrigley Field, the one that most impacted the outcome came from a marketing campaign that had nothing to do with bad planning or field dimensions.

As much as any factor in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates, Illinois came committed to questioning truth in advertising.

"When I heard Northwestern called 'Chicago's Big Ten team' all week, yes, that bothered me," Illinois linebacker and Simeon graduate Martez Wilson said after making two sacks. "I'm from here. I also heard it said that they don't recruit the type of player Illinois does. Well, our game plan showed who was Chicago's Big Ten team, and we did a good job proving it."

Chicago's supposed Big Ten team, please stand up.
After you are done wiping Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure's cleat marks off your backs, that is.

It didn't matter what direction Leshoure ran against Northwestern. Everything tilted downhill for the Illini running back after the Big Ten hastily decided Friday both offenses would head westward because the right-field wall was too close to the east end zone.

It would be a juicier story if the Wildcats could blame the loss on a Cubbie occurrence such as a Billy Goat curse. But the truth is Illinois beat Northwestern in an uncomplicated, timeless manner that would have worked the last time they played each other on this field in 1923. The Illini gave the Wildcats an old-fashioned whipping.

"I'd look back after I carried out my fake and (Leshoure) would be going down the sideline," Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase said.

After Leshoure set a school record with 330 rushing yards on 33 carries, add his name to a list with Adam Dunn and Mike Schmidt of players who ruined the day for the home team. It's not the first time the holes in the middle of the Cubs infield here were that big. But these were gaping.

Northwestern's defense was so bad I starting looking for Soriano on their roster.

"Pretty much everything we were calling, we were executing," Leshoure said.

During the extra pregame hype for this historic event, the Illini apparently noticed the building perception that Northwestern recruited a higher quality of student-athlete. That only made them more determined to create their own reality.

"I think they always make a big thing, they recruit a different kid than we do. Well, our kids are pretty smart because they executed a lot of different schemes in the running game," offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said.

Seeing Northwestern 21, Illinois 0 on the scoreboard during Friday's walk-through -- mentioned by more than one Illini player -- only added to the motivation. I can't help but wonder if all the perceived slights contributed to Ron Zook electing to score a meaningless touchdown with 36 seconds left rather than take a knee in the name of good sportsmanship.

But if it didn't bother Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald -- "Nope, not at all," Fitzgerald answered when I asked him -- it's not worth belaboring. Until next year, perhaps.

Speaking of next year, they should move this rivalry to Soldier Field in what could become an annual event for The Chicagoland Bowl. The baseball field concept that cannot continue sounded great until it dawned on Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, who realized months after he should have, that the details don't make Wrigley the right venue. Delany might want to start double-checking the particulars for next season's Big Ten title game over Thanksgiving, just in case.

Having both teams on the same sideline and running plays the same direction didn't affect the outcome as much as two key sequences for each offense.

For Illinois, the turning point came on the opening series of the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-1 at the Northwestern 16, Zook called on Leshoure instead of kicking the safe field goal. He converted the gutsy call and three plays later, the Illini led 34-24.

For Northwestern, injured quarterback Dan Persa's absence was felt most on the opening series of the fourth quarter. On third-and-11 from the Illini 30, Evan Watkins lost six yards on one of Wilson's sacks instead of throwing the ball away. The lost yardage cost the Wildcats a shot at a field goal and a chance to cut the lead to seven.

Overall, I'm not sure either group of young men forced to go west looked much more impressive than a directional school. But after blowing two straight fourth-quarter leads, Zook will take it.

"We're back on the way of getting back to where we want," he said.

The win made Illinois bowl-eligible. But if this is what bowl eligibility looks like, there indeed is hope for every middling college football program looking for a partner.

"We already beat the two other Illinois teams (Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois)," Scheelhaase said. "It was a turf battle."

The state champion Illini. The slogan's all theirs.

[little bear]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,3490635.story

Ending season in Fresno proves fruitless for Illini


Nathan Scheelhaase reacts after throwing an incomplete pass against Fresno State.

Risky scheduling results in 2nd straight loss to Bulldogs

FRESNO, Calif. — Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema warned Illinois.

He took a phone call from Illinois coach Ron Zook before the Illini headed to the West Coast to play Fresno State late Friday, advising — based on his own 13-10 escape from Fresno in 2008 — that the Illini needed to be prepared to play tough as well as make a long walk from the locker room to the stadium.

At least Illinois made it to the field just fine.

After that, it was a tougher path for the Illini, who left shaking their heads after a 25-23 loss.
"This is probably a little bit harder," Zook said, comparing the meltdown with losses to Ohio State and Michigan State. "This one hurts a little bit more."

Scheduling a nonconference regular-season finale in December more than 2,000 miles from Champaign seemed risky — even against a non-BCS conference opponent that a Big Ten team is expected to roll over.

"It's a tough place to play," Zook said. "A time change. But if we take care of business, we don't feel like we feel right now."

For Illinois, it proved to be a horrible gamble, losing in consecutive years to the Bulldogs.

Illinois' bowl destination will be revealed Sunday night. Despite the loss, the Illini are projected to land in the Texas Bowl against Baylor on Dec. 29 in Houston, but Zook had hoped they might influence bowl representatives to bump them up in the hierarchy.

The biggest benefit Illinois (6-6) probably could have received from beating Fresno State (8-4) was some early bowl preparation and elevated self-esteem. Instead, the defense appears to need to relearn the playbook, and the slow-starting offense needs to buy energy drinks in bulk.

Coaches need to focus on preparing the team in X's and O's as much as id and ego.

"I feel really bad for Coach Zook," defensive coordinator Vic Koenning said. "He tries to get the guys motivated. … We're either here or here. There's not a middle ground. We have to be electric."

Illinois suffered from a jet-lagged start in which it fell behind 16-0 in the first quarter and from some questionable calls on Fresno State's critical final possession that lasted more than 9 minutes.

After playing catchup with three second-half touchdowns, Illinois was within striking distance. Fresno State's last possession was kept alive by a third-down personal foul against Tavon Wilson for a late hit on a "defenseless player."

"From that (official's) judgment 40 yards away, he hit him," Koenning said. "Even if the guy hits a 50-yard punt, you're still close to midfield. That was a big penalty. … It was disheartening."

The Bulldogs converted a fourth-and-1 to keep the clock running thanks to a spot Illinois deemed generous and unsuccessfully challenged.

"We didn't think he made it," Zook said.

Fresno State kept the ball from Illinois until 18 seconds remained.

The Illini have several reasons they lost, but they don't have many good ones for playing in Fresno at this point in the season.

[little bear]

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com...exas-bowl.html

Illinois, Northwestern headed to Texas for bowls

It won't become official until 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, but Northwestern will head to Dallas for the Jan. 1 TicketCity Bowl to play Texas Tech.

And Illinois will take on Baylor in the Dec. 29 Texas Bowl in Houston.

TicketCity Bowl CEO Tom Starr told the Tribune that things "have fallen into place much like people have anticipated."

Another bowl source took it a step further, saying of NU's bowl status: "Things are wrapped up, to be honest."

All along it appeared that Northwestern would play in the TicketCity Bowl, which is one notch below the Texas Bowl on the Big Ten ladder.
After Illinois lost to Fresno State, NU officials debated whether to make a strong push for the Texas Bowl, which has a bowl-exclusive TV window and will get more exposure because of ESPN.

The TicketCity will be on ESPNU and much of the game will go up against the Capital One, Outback and Gator bowls.

But Northwestern will have a far better chance to end its seven-game bowl losing streak in the TicketCity Bowl against a pass-happy Texas Tech team than against Baylor and its dominant option rushing attack.

And the Texas Bowl likely favored Illinois anyway because it has a marquee player in Mikel Leshoure, and Illinois' fan base has been bowl-starved.

Northwestern, meanwhile, will play in the historic Cotton Bowl. And it will be the first trip by a Big Ten school to a Dallas-based bowl since Ohio State played in the Cotton Bowl following the 1986 season.

[little bear]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,2494898.story

Illinois redeems itself with 38-14 victory over Baylor


Evan Wilson holds the Texas Bowl trophy.

Coming back from a 3-9 record, Illini prove themselves in Texas Bowl

HOUSTON — Doused in Gatorade by his players minutes earlier Wednesday night, Ron Zook embraced his wife and daughters on the 40-yard line at Reliant Stadium.
After falling from coach of the year honors after the Rose Bowl in 2008 to a thorny hot seat the previous two losing seasons, the Illinois coach found some redemption after the Illini gave a suffocating hour-long Bear hug to Baylor's high-powered offense for a 38-14 victory in the Texas Bowl.
"I don't know that there were a lot of people who gave us a chance in this," said Zook, who won his first bowl as a head coach. "The competitor in you, you love to compete.
"If you prove people wrong, you get some satisfaction, but that's not why you do it. I'm happy for our players, their parents, people who spent money to come down here."
A 7-6 record on the heels of a 3-9 disaster in 2009 and a bowl victory for the first time since 1999 will supply plenty of smiles in Champaign.
The Illini did it the way they said they would: handing the ball to running back Mikel Leshoure and letting their defense harness and harass Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin.
Leshoure scored three touchdowns, rushed for 184 yards on 29 carries and broke five school records.
"We came down here with the goal, business first," said Leshoure, wearing a cowboy hat as the Texas Bowl's MVP.
While Leshoure lived up to expectations, the defense exceeded them. After letdowns against Michigan, Minnesota and Fresno State at the end of the season, the defense felt defensive in more than the usual way.
Irked by talk of track-star quarterback Robert Griffin and predictions of a shootout, the defense worked to make it a shutout instead as they helped the Illini to a 24-0 third-quarter lead.
Griffin finished with 306 passing yards, but he fumbled twice and was faced with pressure from defensive tackle Corey Liuget, who had a sack and five tackles. Baylor came into the game with the No. 12 offense in the country but finished 18 points under its season average.
"Defensively, they felt like they had something to prove," Zook said. "We hit a couple of bumps in the road. … I'm just proud of them, the way they stood up. Coaches had a great plan and they executed it."
Thunderstorms rumbled outside Reliant Stadium's roof as Baylor finally found its voice, but Illinois got the last word.
Leshoure did most of the talking.
Leshoure broke Illinois records for single-season rushing (1,697 yards), single-season scoring (122), total touchdowns in a season (20), 100-yard rushing games in a season (9) and consecutive 100-yard rushing games (5).
Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase completed his first 13 passes and finished with 242 yards on 18 of 23 passing while also rushing for a 55-yard touchdown with 41 seconds left to spark a long-awaited Illini celebration.
Baylor scored back-to-back touchdowns, including a 39-yard pass from Griffin to Kendall Wright on fourth-and-14, to cut Illinois' lead 24-14 with 13 minutes, 43 seconds remaining.
Leshoure answered with a 5-yard touchdown run with 7:14 left, and Scheelhaase capped the game with his long rushing score.