The Zooker is gone after a 6 game swan dive to close out 2011. Enter former Toledo bench boss Tim Beckman and BOOM, you have the delusional Illini faithful thinking their squad can compete.
Illinois is hoping junior quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase can take the next step this fall after a disappointing 2011. Injuries and inconsistant play from Scheelhaase were the main factor in the Illini falling from the top 20 to 6-6. The offensive line figures to be the strength of this unit which will benefit the backfield of
Donovonn Young and Jason Ford.
Defensively, Illinois hopes to duplicate a strong season last fall as they held opponents to an average of less than 20 point per game. Linebackers Jonathan Brown and Michael Buchanan will roam sideline to sideline while 3 starters return to a deep secondary.
A solid Western Michigan squad visits Champaign to kickoff the season before Illinois travels to Tempe to square off against Arizona State. Illinois figures to split these two games and enter October 3-1. Indiana, Penn State and Minnesota look to be the only wins on the conference schedule.
PREDICTION: 6-6 OVERALL 3-5 CONFERENCE
No comments:
Post a Comment