Illini: Questions Surround Defense

Aaron Partridge — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:12:34 -0400

There are a couple reasons many people believe the Illini will take a step back this season. The first is obvious; Rashard Mendenhall. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand that argument. Then there's the other "obstacle"; replacing fan favorite J. Leman.

Leman brought back the prestige that once reigned over the linebacking core at the University of Illinois. Last season he became a household name by averaging 10.36 tackles per game, which ranked 21st in the entire nation and 3rd in the Big Ten

He was named first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association, and All-Big Ten by media members and the league's coaches.

Those are some rather big shoes to fill.

No need to worry however, a linebacker by the name of Brit Miller is ready to make a name for himself this season.

Former strong-side linebacker, Brit Miller, who is a 6'1'', 240-pound senior out of Decatur, Illinois, has replaced him in the middle, and will be the vocal leader of this year's Illinois defense.

Last season, Brit vastly improved with his play, recording 63 tackles.

This senior strives in situations where he can make his leadership presence known. He was a three-year starter on the outside, and knows the defense inside and out better than any player on the field.

Miller is a much faster and at times a more aggressive linebacker, which will come in handy against many tough offensive foes this season. Lining up beside Miller are Martez Wilson and Rodney Pitman, who may be the most athletic duo in the Big Ten.

Illinois was one of the better teams in the Big Ten at creating turnovers and absolutely suffocating against the run. With backs like P.J. Hill and Beanie Wells in the Big Ten, the faster the linebacker the better the results.

Miller, Wilson and Pitman fit the bill perfectly.

But where the defense is great up the middle, the problem rests in the secondary.

There were countless passes thrown into the secondary over the middle that were way too frequent. The bigger question is will the Illini be able to replace the likes of Justin Harrison and Kevin Mitchell.

A man by the name of, Donsay Hardeman, who was well known in high school for knocking his own players out during practice, should be a huge lift. Hardeman is a JUCO transfer out of Florida who was highly recruited. Also, helping at safety is Travon Bellamy, who has moved from cornerback, and has looked very impressive at the camp in Rantoul, IL.

Not to mention Preseason All-American, Vontae Davis, who is patrolling the secondary at CB, which only helps the Illini's weak spot on defense.

Replacing Leman will be easier than you think, while replacing starters Mitchell and Harrison will be a problem.

With the way camps have gone in Rantoul, it's a good problem to have.

Competing for those positions only helps players in the long run.

Juice Williams and Illinois Look to Turn Heads Two Years In a Row

Aaron Partridge — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:30:20 -0400

Juice Williams came to the University of Illinois with one goal, winning a National Championship. This goal was fortified by Ron Zook, who was committed to putting together the pieces that would allow Williams to succeed.

However, Williams wasn’t always the “fan favorite” in Champaign-Urbana. Anytime Juice would struggle with his passing, fans would want to see their other young quarterback, Eddie McGee out on the field.

Juice proved all of his critics wrong last season by going up in every offensive category. The major upgrade was with his completion percentage, which went up an entire 18 points.

Pressure is something Williams doesn't fear. Heading into the Nov. 10 game last year against Ohio State, Juice looked nothing but confident. The Illini were coming off two straight quality wins and were ready to take on a foe of a caliber they hadn’t seen since Missouri in week one.

Williams went 12-for-22, throwing four touchdowns and zero interceptions. That was against the nation's No. 1 defense in the country. This was a whole different kind of sophomore quarterback.

The season came to an end with a mouth-dropping 9-3 record. Not many people in central Illinois expected that from a team that couldn’t even win three games in previous years.

How about a Rose Bowl versus USC? Fans have to realize that in this game, Juice grew up. He had one of his better games, even though the stats don’t speak for themselves. He was 21-35 throwing the ball, zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

These dismal stats overshadow how well Williams truly played. There were at least four dropped passes that could have changed the entire game. Juice took the entire thing in stride and knew this wasn’t his time to shine.

This is the "Year of Juice"; he will take the step from average to great. Yes, they did lose star running back Rashard Mendenhall to the NFL, which might slow down the option.

The Illini will replace Mendenhall with young running backs, Danielle Dufrene and Troy Pollard. However, there isn’t a single team in the entire country that has a wide receiver core as talented as that of the Illini.

Arrelious Benn is at full strength this season and so is Chris James. He will be the break out player of the year for this Fighting Illini team. Oh, and let’s not forget about Jeff Cumberland.

He’s only 6-foot-5, 240 pounds and runs a 4.5. If that doesn’t create match up problems at WR, I don’t know what does. There won’t be dropped passes this year my friends.

How about that defense? The defensive line is the best, not only in the Big Ten, but the best in the entire nation. Will Davis and David Lindquist should stop anything coming their way.

Then there is the line backing corps. How will the Illini fare without J. Leman? They will be just fine, replacing Leman with a much faster Brit Miller, who, last season, proved he can be just as good as Leman.

Then there is the “Tezmanian Devil,” Martez Wilson. This kid is the next Patrick Willis. There isn’t a running back or quarterback in the country that can get by him.

The biggest question, how will the secondary fare without the likes of Harrison? They will be just fine with the help of All-American, Vontae Davis patrolling the backfield. The man who will replace Harrison is Donsay Hardamen, who was known for knocking his own players out in practice.

The Illini are in for a tough year, and it all starts with the season opener. They play Missouri in St. Louis in the Arch Rivalry game. Then later in Big 10 play, they go to Happy Valley for the "White Out" game.

They also play in the Big House versus Michigan and go to Wisconsin. Finally, Ohio State takes a visit to the newly renovated Memorial Stadium for one of the biggest games of the year.

This season will definitely show if this team is prepared to take another huge step for the program.

Overall, the defense will be just as good if not better than last year, while the entire offense rests on the shoulders of Junior QB Juice Williams. Look for another nine-win season and a possible return to the Rose Bowl for the Illini.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Aaron Partridge

Illini: Questions Surround Defense

Juice Williams and Illinois Look to Turn Heads Two Years In a Row