Fighting Illini Football: Rose Bowl Repeat for Illinois in 2008?

The University of Illinois Fighting Illini football team is the quintessential Cinderella story.  In 2007, it went from being the laughingstock of the Big Ten (finishing 2-10 in 2006) to becoming a Rose Bowl participant.

The Illini finished 9-3, and served Ohio State its only non-National Championship defeat in two seasons. So what’s next for the newly reformed Fighting Illini?

The team’s biggest loss of the year was Rashard Mendenhall, who was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in April. Mendenhall was the team’s top running back, and rushed for 1,681 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. He was a major asset to a team which relies on its formidable running game.

Coach Ron Zook’s toughest job this off-season is replacing Mendenhall. Thankfully, he already has some great prospects, including local favorite Mikel LeShoure.

LeShoure led his team, the Champaign Centennial Chargers, to regional games against respectable Chicago schools. In 2006, he was named an All-State performer, rushing for 2,454 yards and 29 touchdowns. Though LeShoure is not Zook’s top choice, I feel like he would be a great fit to the program. He has the same workhorse build as Mendenhall and explosive speed.

Juice Williams is another key to the future success of this team. This season he needs to prove himself to be more than a one-dimensional quarterback, and refine his passing game.

Williams spent almost the whole 2007 season running for yards. When he broke free from running and passed for yards in the Ohio State game, he led the Illini to their greatest victory of the season.

Williams has talent at wide receiver in Big Ten Freshman of the Year Arrelious Benn. Benn needs to see more passes thrown his way this year. Without Mendenhall’s power, the team needs to turn into a passing offense.

Defensively, the Illini need to work to replace linebacker J. Leman, who averaged 10.36 tackles per game and was a fantastic leader. Zook has Dustin Jefferson, who played in a limited role last year. Though not the powerhouse Leman was, Jefferson was an All-State player in high school and could serve as a solid replacement for Leman.

Overall, the Illini need to focus on training their young team to not only win and prove that last year wasn’t a fluke, but to also cope with national attention. Zook has the potential to form a Big Ten championship contender; he just needs to broaden the offensive capabilities and make sure the defense plays with the same strength and mental toughness as in the 2007 season.

If he does this, I smell a Rose Bowl repeat—and this time, they won’t be overmatched.