Touchdown Times: October 17, 2013

Touchdown Times A publication of THE DAILY ILLINI Thursday, October 17, 2013

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Thursday, October 17, 2013

Defense

Offense

Joel Stave 2 QB James White 20 RB Derek Watt 34 FB Jacob Pedersen 48 TE Brian Wozniak 85 TE Jared Abbrederis 4 WR Jordan Fredrick 9 WR Tyler Marz 61 LT Ryan Groy 79 LG Dallas Lewallen 73 C Kyle Costigan 54 RG Rob Havenstein 78 RT

Wisconsin

Pat Muldoon 92 DE Beau Allen 96 DT Ethan Hemer 87 DE Ethan Armstrong 36 LB Chris Borland 44 LB Derek Landisch 30 LB Brendan Kelly 97 LB Sojourn Shelton 8 CB Dezmen Southward 12 SS Michael Caputo 7 FS Peniel Jean 21 CB Darius Hillary 5 NB

Passing

C-A-INT

Joel Stave

97-157-6

Rushing

Carries

Yards 870 574

Avg

TD

90 88

Receiving

Catches

Yards

TD

Long

5 0 2

65 35 27

Defense

Tackles

Sacks

TFL

INT

Melvin Gordon James White Jared Abbrederis Jared White Jacob Pedersen Chris Borland Michael Caputo Conor O’Neill Etha Armstrong Sojour Shelton

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com

2

35 18 12 56 27 26 25 19

Yards 1,297

646 160 131 2.0 0 1.0 1.0 0

TD 11

9.7 6.5

3.0 2.5 2.5 3.0 0

Long 65 8 5

0 0 0 0 3

Offense

Sat., Sept. 7 vs. Cincinnati W 45-17

Sat., Oct. 26 vs. Michigan State 2:30 p.m. | ABC

Sat., Nov. 2 @ Penn State TBD

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Illinois C-A-INT

Yards

Long

95-148-4

1,297

TD

Nathan Scheelhaase

Rushing

Carries

Yards

Avg 4.4 6.3

TD

269 310

Receiving

Catches

Yards

TD

Long

1 1 3

72 30 53

Defense

Tackles

Sacks

TFL

INT

Donovonn Young Josh Ferguson Ryan Lankford Martize Barr Josh Ferguson Jonathan Brown Mason Monheim Eaton Spence Earnest Thomas III Austin Teitsma

Sat., Sept. 14 vs. No. 20 Washington (Soldier Field) L 34-24

Sat., Nov. 9 @Indiana TBD

Tim Kynard 59 DE Jake Howe 95 NT Austin Teitsma 44 DT Houston Bates 55 LEO Jonathan Brown 45 WLB Mason Monheim 43 MLB Mike Svetina 34 STAR V’Angelo Bentley 2 CB Earnest Thomas 9 SS Taylor Barton 3 FS Eaton Spence 27 CB

Passing

Schedule Sat., Aug. 31 vs. Southern Illinois W 42-34

Defense

Nathan Scheelhaase 2 QB Josh Ferguson 6 RB Donovonn Young 5 RB Ryan Lankford 12 WR Miles Osei 8 WR Spencer Harris 80 WR Evan Wilson 89 TE Simon Cvijanovic 68 LT Michael Heitz 74 LG Alex Hill 52 C Ted Karras 69 RG Corey Lewis 70 RT

61 49

11 15 20

60 42 25 39 24

236 155 344 1.5 1.0 0 0 0

12

6.5 4.0 0 1.0 2.5

72 3 1

0 0 0 0 0

Games in bold are at home

Sat., Sept. 28 vs. Miami (Ohio) W 50-14

Sat., Oct. 5 @ Nebraska L 39-19

Sat., Oct. 19 vs. No. 25 Wisconsin 7 p.m. | Big Ten Network

Sat., Nov. 16 vs. No. 2 Ohio State TBD

Sat., Nov. 23 @ Purdue TBD

Sat., Nov. 30 vs. Northwestern TBD

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Thursday, October 17, 2013

3

Illinois face Big Ten’s top rushing attack in Wisconsin

BY SEAN HAMMOND SENIOR WRITER

The Wisconsin football team has lost two games by a combination of seven points and a head-scratching 18 seconds.

A seven-point Badgers loss was the closest anyone has come to toppling undefeated Ohio State. A chaotic 18-second sequence — during which quarterback Joel Stave seemingly set the football on the ground for the taking — punctuated (with a question mark) a two-point loss to Arizona State.

And now the Badgers make their way to Champaign to take on an Illinois team under the Memorial Stadium lights. Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) is coming off a 35-6 pounding of Northwestern. Illinois (3-2, 0-1) is coming off a bye week following a 39-19 thrashing at the hands of Nebraska.

The No. 25-ranked Badgers pose another tall order for a struggling Illini defense.

Wisconsin comes in boasting the Big Ten’s best offense (519.5 yards per game) and best rushing attack (267.3 yards per game), led by sophomore Melvin Gordon.

Gordon leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally in rushing yards per game at 145.

He has a lot of help from the big guys up front. Wisconsin is known for having a perpetually large offensive line, and this year is no exception.

The Badgers starters on the offensive line average 319.2 pounds. In comparison, the Illini average 308 pounds per starter.

Illinois head coach Tim Beckman didn’t have any other way to put it.

“Big, extremely big. And physical,” he said of the Badgers offensive line. “Our players understand that. They understood that they were a little bit manhandled in Lincoln.”

An Illinois defense that surrendered 335 rushing yards to Nebraska in its last game will have its hands full. Senior linebacker Jonathan Brown knows there will be no surprises from this Wisconsin attack.

“What you see is what you’re going to get,” Brown said. “One thing they do well, they do a good job of sticking to the game plan and wearing teams out throughout the game.”

That’s exactly what the Badgers did to the Illini in 2012. Illinois trailed Wisconsin 10-7 going into the fourth quarter at Camp Randall Stadium last season, but the Badgers wore the Illini down and eventually Illinois made mistakes. Wisconsin won 31-14, handing Illinois its second Big Ten loss.

If the Illini want to avoid a second Big Ten loss in 2013, they will have to be able to get something going offensively, something that didn’t happen against Nebraska until it was too late.

Badgers linebacker Chris Borland will have something to say about that.

“I love watching him,” Illinois offensive coordinator Bill Cubit said. “I hate to say it because we’re facing them, but that guy plays college football the way it’s should be played.”

Between Borland and Brown, Saturday’s matchup features two of the best linebackers in the nation. Borland has 56 tackles

DARYL QUITALIG THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois’ Jonathan Brown attempts a tackle on Washington’s Bishop Sankey at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 14. Brown leads the Big Ten with 60 tackles this season. through six games. Brown has 60 through five. Both were named to the preseason watch lists for the Bednarik Award (best defensive player), Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player) and the Butkus Award (best linebacker).

“As a linebacker you dream of playing games like this in the Big Ten,” Brown said.

“It’s going to show who’s the toughest team.”

Sean can be reached at sphammo2@ dailyillini.com and @sean_hammond.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

4

ILLINOIS’ BIG TEN LOSING STREAK

AT WISCONSIN, 10/6/12

VS. OHIO STATE, 10/15/11

AT MICHIGAN, 10/13/12

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com

ILLINI LOOKING TO AVOID THE LONGEST BIG TEN LOSING STREAK IN SCHOOL HISTORY O

BY STEPHEN BOURBON

AT PURDUE, 10/22/11

VS. INDIANA, 10/27/12

AT PENN STATE, 10/29/11

AT OHIO STATE, 11/3/12

VS. MICHIGAN, 11/12/11

VS. MINNESOTA, 11/10/12

VS. WISCONSIN, 11/19/11

VS. PURDUE, 11/17/12

STAFF WRITER

ct. 8, 2011, marked a “take care of business” sort of road game for the then-No. 19 Illini.

Illinois football was 5-0 against an unranked and overmatched Indiana squad. The Illini cruised to a 41-20 victory and became bowleligible at a perfect 6-0, with two of those wins coming against Big Ten teams.

Since that day, Illinois hasn’t won a conference game.

After that win, the undefeated Illini would finish 7-6, with the lone win coming in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl against UCLA. After the implosion that season, head coach Ron Zook was fired and Tim Beckman was brought in to become the head man. In Beckman’s maiden voyage, the Illini were 0-8 in conference play and won just two games all season. After a 39-19 loss at Nebraska on Oct. 5 this season, the conference losing streak now stands at 15.

When the Illini take the field Saturday night against the Wisconsin Badgers, it will have been two years and 12 days since Illinois has won a conference game.

Fifteen straight contests, 15 straight defeats — tying the longest conference losing streak in the program’s history.

“It’s really not something we hear about much,” senior linebacker Jonathan Brown said. “We know what’s been done in the past, or what hasn’t been done in the past.

70

VS. PENN STATE, 9/29/12

AT NEBRASKA, 10/05/13

NUMBER OF LOSSES

50

AT NORTHWESTERN, 11/24/12

We work each week to win the game, and that’s something we’re going to do this week especially and work even harder.”

The current streak matches the program’s all-time record for consecutive losses, set in 1996-98. The Illini lost their final six conference games in 1996 and all eight the following year before earning a victory in the second Big Ten game (first losing to Iowa) of the 1998 season against Northwestern.

Its ranks tied for the seventh longest streak for all Big Ten teams, with Northwestern owning the most futile stretch of 38 losses from 1978-82.

Although the most consecutive losses for the program is 15, the Illini went 19 straight games without a conference victory in the late ’70s. Illinois under head coach Gary Moeller went 0-16-3 over a three-season span (two years, 27 days) before finally breaking through against Northwestern in the final game of Moeller’s tenure in 1979 — as part of Northwestern’s 38-game drought.

The current losing streak exemplifies a pattern, rather than an anomaly. The Illini averaged only 2.09 conference wins per season from 2002-12. The high water marks for the program were a 2002 Sugar Bowl berth and 2008 appearance in the Rose Bowl Game, but Illinois hasn’t been able to sustain any long-term success.

What makes the lack of success more perplexing is that these Illinois teams have had individual players succeed at the next level. Earlier this month, The Wall

Street Journal ranked Illinois as the No. 1 “Quiet football factory.” The criteria examined the lowest wins per season in the past 10 seasons against current NFL starters. The Illini had the highest ratio of starters per win (11 starters per 4.1 victories) for teams that averaged fewer than seven wins per season.

This week, only 44 of 116 players on the Illinois squad were on the team for that Indiana victory. Fewer than half of the team has experienced what it’s like to earn a conference win. Even with the lack of experience, sophomore linebacker Mason Monheim said the ugly mark on Illinois’ resume isn’t brought up around the locker room much.

“We don’t really talk about it,” he said. “We’re focused on beating Wisconsin and not focused on what’s happened in the past.”

After the loss at Nebraska, Illinois’ bye week provided the team a chance to re-evaluate itself and learn from mistakes made thus far in the season.

“We really called it a ‘Bus Week,’” Beckman said. “It goes back to coach (John) Groce and a book that he had called ‘The Energy Bus.’ It talks about being positive and building on history, and it talks about taking your program and doing what you need to do to make it better.”

“That’s something he really tries to stress,” Brown added. “The positive nature of things and speaking positivity in everything you do. That’s something we’ve been listening to.”

A DECADE OF CONFERENCE DIFFICULTIES FOR ILLINOIS 60

AT MINNESOTA, 11/26/11

Thursday, October 17, 2013

5

40

From 2003-2012, the Illini lost three times more conference games than nonconference. In total, they lost twice as many games as they won over the decade.

NON-CONFERENCE WINS BIG TEN WINS

30

NON-CONFERENCE LOSSES BIG TEN LOSSES

20

10

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS BY EUNIE KIM THE DAILY ILLINI

Stepping away from the historical ramifications of this Saturday’s outcome, the Illini have work to do. After two byes in the schedule’s first seven weeks, the Illini now face seven games in as many weeks — all against Big Ten teams — needing three more wins to become bowl eligible this season.

The team’s 45-17 win over Cincinnati on Sept. 7 was thought to be a signature win in the Beckman Era, but a conference victory would continue the message of progress in the coach’s second season.

“There’s a huge sense of urgency that everything counts from this point,” quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase said. “You’re playing a team that’s on our side of the division this year, and we’re playing in games that really matter for what we want to have in the postseason. There’s a huge sense of urgency in every practice, every lift, every film study.”

For the senior Brown, this week’s game represents not only a chance to get a win, but to send a statement to the rest of the league that the Illini won’t be intimidated by anyone.

“We’re going to fight every play,” he said. “Letting everybody know that we’re not a team that’s going to be pushed over, not a team that’s going to lay down, not a team that’s going to die.”

Stephen can be reached at sbourbo2@ dailyillini.com and @steve_bourbon.

SINCE ILLINOIS’ LAST CONFERENCE WIN

22 743 12 13-3 44/116

STARTS FOR QB NATHAN SCHEELHAASE DAYS SINCE LAST WIN (FROM OCT 19, 2013) ILLINI PLAYERS DRAFTED IN THE NFL OHIO STATE’S BIG TEN RECORD PLAYERS STILL ON ROSTER FROM LAST BIG TEN WIN

IOWA, BIG TEN TEAMS THAT MICHIGAN HAVEN’T BEATEN ILLINOIS STATE DURING STREAK

Thursday, October 17, 2013

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com

6

Matchups to watch Clash of top coordinators in Champaign

BY TORRENCE SORRELL ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Nathan Scheelhaase vs.

Wisconsin defense

BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI

Nathan Scheelhaase struggled against Nebraska last time out, and he will have another tough test in a top Badgers defense.

Scheelhaase did not have the biggest passing yard total against Nebraska with 134 yards, far under his average (259.4). It’s not going to be any easier this weekend when the Badgers come into Memorial Stadium, fresh off a 35-6 blowout victory against a ranked Northwestern team. The Badgers forced seven sacks against the Wildcats, all from different players. Scheelhaase will be put to the test once again against another tough defense as Wisconsin ranks second in the Big Ten in total defense with 267.3 yards allowed per game.

MARK HOFFMAN MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

Wisconsin’s defense had seven sacks against Northwestern last weekend. The Badgers could have even more against a young Illini offensive line.

Josh Ferguson vs.

Melvin Gordon

BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois’ Josh Ferguson has been the life of the Illini offense this season, gaining yards through the air and on the ground.

One of the premiere matchups during Saturday’s game will come from the running back position as both sophomores are at the top of their games so far this season. Despite a loss to Nebraska, Ferguson once again led the team in rushing yards with 114 yards to go along with an additional 82 yards from his eight catches.

Another running back emerging in Madison, Wis., is Melvin Gordon, who leads the conference in rushing and is third in the nation.

He hoisted up 171 yards against a strong Northwestern defense and likely won’t look to stop when traveling to Champaign this weekend. The outcome of this game could likely be determined by one of those players coming up big.

MARK HOFFMAN MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon has emerged as one of the best rushers in the nation.

He could be in for a big day against a struggling Illinois rush defense.

Bill Cubit vs. Dave Aranda

MICHAEL BODJA THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois offensive coordinator Bill Cubit has turned the Illini offense around this season. For Illinois to have a shot, Cubit’s unit must find success.

While Bill Cubit’s offense did not come up big during the Nebraska game, he has still changed the culture of the offense that ended 2-10 season last year. But with his team on the brink of reaching the .500 mark, the offense has to show up if it wants to stay in contention for bowl eligibility. Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator Dave Aranda held Northwestern’s offense to just six points, its lowest total since 2006. His defense forced Northwestern into eight three-and-outs to go along with the seven sacks from multiple players on the field. For Illinois to win this week, the offense has to be efficient once again, which won’t be an easy task against a confident defensive-minded Wisconsin team looking to make a statement in the Big Ten.

JANE THOMPSON THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda held Northwestern to just 6 points last weekend, its lowest total since 2006.

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com

Thursday, October 17, 2013

7

OURPICKS Eliot Sill Sports editor

(23-7)

Sean Hammond Stephen Bourbon Torrence Sorrell Senior writer Staff writer Assistant sports editor

Erik Prado On-air reporter

Michael Wonsover Videographer

(22-8)

(23-7)

(24-6)

(20-9)

(25-5)

35-21

35-20

35-20

28-21

42-27

No. 25 Wisconsin at Illinois 27-20

No. 5 Florida State at No. 3 Clemson

31-20

27-23

41-38

41-38

21-17

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45-42

No. 9 UCLA at No. 13 Stanford 30-27

31-28

34-27

34-27

24-21

24-14

28-14

38-21

28-17

28-17

17-14

17-14

No. 22 Florida at No. 14 Missouri

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No. 24 Auburn at No. 7 Texas A&M

43-10

42-24

38-29

38-29

Standings

35-17

41-24

Saturday, Oct. 19 Minnesota @ Northwestern 11 a.m. | ESPN2

LEGENDS

CONF

OVR

LEADERS

CONF

OVR

MICHIGAN STATE

2-0

5-1

OHIO STATE

2-0

6-0

NEBRASKA

2-0

5-1

WISCONSIN

2-1

4-2

MICHIGAN

1-1

5-1

INDIANA

1-1

3-3

2:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network

IOWA

1-1

4-2

PENN STATE

1-1

4-2

Iowa @ No. 4 Ohio State

MINNESOTA

0-2

4-2

ILLINOIS

0-1

3-2

NORTHWESTERN

0-2

4-2

PURDUE

0-2

1-5

Purdue @ Michigan State 11 a.m. | Big Ten Network

Indiana @ Michigan

2:30 p.m. | ABC

No. 25 Wisconsin @ Illinois 7 p.m. | Big Ten Network

$J 6WUHDP DW :3*8 FRP

Thursday, October 17, 2013

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com

8

Don’t be afraid of hope: Why Illinois can beat Wisconsin ELIOT SILL Sports editor

I

llinois fans have learned to loathe this kind of a situation.

The Orange and Blue haven’t laid claim to a national title in a major sport since the football team won the 1951 Rose Bowl.

There have been a couple of close calls, but in general, Illinois early season success presages Illinois late season failure.

So when the Illini surprised even their optimistic fans by carrying a 3-1 record into the conference season, fans were happy but also quite leery.

A drubbing in Nebraska was upsetting, yes, but also more comfortable. As a fan, you get into this cycle of pessimism and selffulfilling prophecies begin to blossom and before you know it, your team is exactly who you thought it was. You knew it.

Illinois in five games has gone from being utterly forgettable, to a buzzworthy team, to a mediocre Big Ten squad. Tim Beckman is hoping his team has one more upward turn for this year to become a respectable conference challenger.

I think they make that turn this Saturday — conventional Illinois fan wisdom can kick rocks.

Recent history against the Badgers tells us that Illinois will play tough, but likely

come up short by a possession or two. Examining the last 10 Illini-Badgers matchups, the average score is Wisconsin 30, Illinois 23, while the median would be Wisconsin 29, Illinois 20. This is pretty good for Illinois considering where these two programs have been recently. That tells us that Illinois typically plays Wisconsin tough, either because Wisconsin has bigger fish to fry or because Illinois sees Wisconsin as a really deliciouslooking fish that it would love to fry.

Of the factors that will play into Saturday’s game, the environment looms large as an area that will differentiate our memory of this game from that of others — usually when Illinois plays Wisconsin, it’s sunny out, the Badgers are in white jerseys, the Illini in blue. Saturday will be the first time Illinois plays Wisconsin under the lights.

Wisconsin’s luck at night has been less than stellar lately. The Badgers have lost their last three regular-season night games.

Of course, they beat Nebraska 70-31 in the Big Ten championship game at night last year, but that’s neither here nor there.

Wisconsin’s firmly affixed itself in the passenger’s seat of the Big Ten next to Ohio State. After exhibiting dominance against Northwestern, and seeing Michigan lose the charm of its undefeated record, the Badgers have emerged alongside Nebraska as conference best-of-the-rests.

Illinois needs Wisconsin to have reason to look past it. A 39-19 loss on its schedule sure makes Illinois look weak, and a 35-6 win against Northwestern makes Wiscon-

sin look strong. But looks can be deceiving, and a couple Wisconsin mistakes coupled with an unfamiliar tenacity from Illinois could make things very interesting indeed.

Common thought is that Illinois can only win in a shootout. Wisconsin allowed 32 points to Arizona State, 31 to Ohio State, and 16 to its other four opponents combined. A score in the forties is a bit unreasonable to expect of this contest. At least from Illinois. If Wisconsin’s on its game, we could be headed there.

Illinois’ secondary will need to survive Jared Abbrederis and company. Illinois’ defensive line will need to withstand the push of Wisconsin’s ever-heavy front line. If you give enough effort to put the game in the hands of Jonathan Brown and Mason Monheim’s playmaking abilities, you’re doing it right.

Illinois needs both its running backs to perform at their best. Donovonn Young — and I believe his efforts will be more crucial than Josh Ferguson’s — needs to be decisive and strong, and not fumble the ball, granted his cough-up against Nebraska was a weird play more so than a product of bad ball security. Ferguson needs to demand focus of Wisconsin’s defense and fi nd at least moderate success anyway. Nathan Scheelhaase has come in two forms this season, on and off. He needs to be on. When he’s been on, Illinois has won.

Bill Cubit’s trickeration needs to be poignant and not overzealous. Trick plays can

Same old story: Illinois vs.

Wisconsin, last 10 games

2012 (L, 31-14) 2011 (L 28-17) 2008 (L 27-17) 2007 (W 31-26) 2006 (L 30-24) 2005 (L 41-24) 2004 (L 24-7) 2003 (L 38-20) 2002 (W 37-20) 2001 (W 42-35) Mean score: Wisconsin 30, Illinois 23 Median score: Wisconsin 29, Illinois 20 change a game, but they also turn momentum against you if they fail and earn you nothing but a lost down.

None of these demands are unreasonable. Illinois has a shot to prove itself, and win an important game for the first time since beating Northwestern in 2011 for a homecoming treat.

Fans are used to the Illini failing to cash in on these opportunities, but it’s a new era now.

I think they do it. Who is history, after all, to say otherwise?

Eliot is a senior in Media. He can be reached at sill2@dailyillini.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotTweet.

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