(Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images)
The Fighting Illini football team has surprised a lot of people over the course of the past few seasons.
As Illini fans found out, that's not always a good thing.
After a breakout 2007 that ended with their first Rose Bowl appearance since the 1983 season, they stumbled to a 5-7 record in 2008, and missed the bowl postseason.
It's sufficient to say the 2009 season is anybody's guess.
Their struggles in '08 were a result of untimely turnovers and largely ineffective defense, so those two areas will be of highest concern in the coming season.
The offense is still incredibly dynamic with senior quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams and wide receiver Arrelious Benn as the two biggest weapons.
Williams is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback—he can hurt a team with his arm or his legs.
And, in his two years at Illinois, Benn already has a receiving, rushing, and return touchdown to his name. He had 1,055 receiving yards and three receiving touchdown in 2008, standing out as one of the brighter spots in the down year.
One thing that will be different about the offense in '09 is the coach calling the plays.
After Mike Locksley left to be the head coach at the University of New Mexico, Illini head coach Ron Zook brought in another Mike, Mike Schultz of Texas Christian University, to be the new offensive coordinator.
The TCU offense set single-season school records for points scored and touchdowns in 2008 with Schultz calling the shots.
One thing the TCU offense did especially well was run the ball, ranking 13th nationally. That's a good start for a team that likes to run and utilizes a lot of different looks in their offensive backfield.
After Rashard Mendenhall graduated in 2007, the team turned to a running back-by-committee in 2008, utilizing Jason Ford, Daniel Dufrene, and often Williams on designed scrambles.
While the group was fairly effective, the signings of four-star recruit Bud Golden and three-star Greg Fuller should give the Illini even more options on the ground in '09.
Williams will almost certainly retain his starting role, but he will be pushed by another four-star recruit, Nathan Scheelhaase. Even if Scheelhaase sees limited time in '09, he looks to be the heir to Williams in the future.
With Benn and A.J. Jenkins, the Illini have two top receivers returning, and the addition of Terry Hawthorne, yet another four-star athlete, makes the unit that much more of a strength.
Hawthorne is rated as one of the top deep threats in this year's class by rivals.com.
The Illini also improved on the offensive line, adding four linemen. The group is headed by Leon Hill, a four-star prospect out of Chicago.
The offensive line's improvement will be key in reducing the number of sacks sustained by Williams.
The front five allowed over two sacks per game in '08, putting them in the bottom half of the category nationally. The loss of tackle Xavier Fulton to the NFL won't help, but the unit is still strong with seniors Eric Block and Jon Asamoah returning.
While offensive improvements will help the Illini put up even more points in '09—they were 19th in the nation in total offense in 2008—defensive improvement is what will win the Illini more ballgames.
The defense took a hit when standout cornerback Vontae Davis left early for the NFL.
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