Oct. 15, 2001
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FOR OPENERS
Illinois looks to improve to 6-1 for the first time since 1990 when the Illini started the year with a 6-1 mark and went on to win a share of the Big Ten title ... The Fighting Illini have an above-.500 Big Ten record for the first time since 1994 when they also started the year 2-1... Illinois senior punter Steve Fitts, already the Illini career leader in punting average (41.7 avg.),is first on the school career chart for punting yards (9,359 yards), and is five punts away from taking the top spot in number of punts (224 after six games) ... Illinois has three of the top fourBig Ten leaders in passes defended with Eugene Wilson (1st, 14), Christian Morton (2nd, 11) and Bobby Jackson (tied for 3rd, 9) ... The Fighting Illini rank fourth in the Big Ten, and rank 12th nationally, with a turnover margin of +8 (15-7) ... Illinois quarterback Kurt Kittner leads the Big Ten in passing yardage with an average of 239.7 yards per game, and is second in total offense at 240.0 ypg ... The Illini rank second in the Big Ten in passing yardage as a team with an average of 244.8 yards per game ... Illinois rank second in the Big Ten with 20 quarterback sacks (3.3 avg.), and ranks second with just seven sacks (1.2 avg.) allowed in six games ... The Fighting Illini lead the Big Ten in net punting with an average of 39.0 yards ... Illinois has the most field goals made by any Big Ten team this year (12), by three different kickers ... Illini sophomore kicker John Gockman has the Big Ten's longest field goal so far this year at 51 yards ... Illini sophomore Brandon Lloyd is the first Illini receiver since Shawn Wax in 1990 to top 100 yards receiving yardage three times in the same season ... Illinois now has five blocked kicks on the season with two field goals, two punts and one PAT.
THE COACHES' CORNER
RON TURNER, Illinois (21-30 in his fifth year at Illinois, 28-34 overall) - Ron Turner is in his fifth year at Illinois and enters the Wisconsin game with a 28-34 coaching record, including 21-30 at UI. Turner is 0-2 against the Badgers after a 31-7 loss at Madison in 1997 and a 37-3 loss at Champaign in 1998.
After sub-par seasons in 1997 and 1998, Turner led the Illini to an 8-4 record and a 63-21 thumping of Virginia in the Micronpc.com Bowl in 1999. For his efforts, Turner finished fourth in the Associated Press Coach of the Year voting. Turner came to Illinois after a four-year stint as the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears (1993-96). In 1992, he was the head coach for San Jose State where he turned in a 7-4 record and a second-place finish in the Big West Conference. Turner has served as an assistant at Stanford, Texas A&M, Southern California, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Arizona working mainly with quarterbacks and receivers during his 20+ years in college coaching.
BARRY ALVAREZ, Wisconsin (83-51-4 in his 12th year at Wisconsin and as a collegiate head coach) - Barry Alvarez is in his 12th year as head coach at Wisconsin and has led the Badgers to seven bowl appearances, including three trips to the Rose Bowl. He has served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame and Iowa. Alvarez is 5-3-1 vs. Illinois while at Wisconsin.
COACHING CONNECTIONS
Illinois defensive coordinator Mike Cassity coached the Badger secondary in 1995 and 1996 before moving to Baylor as defensive coordinator. Illini tight ends/special teams coach Greg McMahon, Wisconsin offensive coordinator Brian White and Badger quarterbacks coach Jeff Horton were on the same UNLV staff from 1990-91. McMahon and Horton were both graduate assistants at Minnesota in 1984. Wisconsin offensive line coach Jim Hueber and defensive line coach John Palermo were on the Minnesota staff in 1984 as well. Wisconsin defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove was on Mike White's staff at Illinois from 1980-87.
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois leads the all-time series by a 33-29-7 margin, including an 18-13-3 advantage at Champaign. After the Illini won 11 of 12 in the series from 1981 to 1992, the Badgers have taken five wins in the last six games with a 3-3 tie in 1995. The teams have not met on the football field since 1998 when the Badgers posted a 37-3 win at Memorial Stadium. The Badgers have never won four in a row against Illinois, but have won three in a row at Memorial Stadium. The last Illini win in the series came in 1992 with a 13-12 victory at Madison.
HOMECOMING - AN ILLINOIS ORIGINAL
Wisconsin visits Memorial Stadium this season as part of the 91st Homecoming on the campus of the University of Illinois. The UI is credited with conceiving the original idea of Homecoming with a campus-wide celebration the weekend of Oct. 14-16, 1910. The Homecoming celebration was conceived in 1909 by UI students Dab Williams and Elmer Ekblaw, members of the Shield and Trident senior society. The very first Illinois Homecoming saw more than 1,500 graduates return to Champaign-Urbana, one-third of all its graduates at the time. Illinois is 39-49-2 all-time in Homecoming contests and has a record of 7-2 against Wisconsin in UI Homecoming games.
Shutting Down the RUN
One of the keys to the Illinois surge atop the Big Ten standings has been the play of its defense, in particular, its play against the run. In the six games this season, the Illini have shut down their opponent's top-ground gainers and have turned their opponents into one-dimensional offenses.
Northern IllinoIS: The Huskies' running back Thomas Hammock entered the game averaging 177 yards rushing per game and the Illinois defense held him to 111 yards on 23 carries, 68 yards shy of his average.
Louisville: UL's top back T.J. Patterson had a season average of 70.3 yards per game which was cut short to only 7 yards on 7 attempts (1 yard per carry). As a team, the Illini held the Cardinals to only 29 yards on the ground, instead of their usual 131 yards per game.
Minnesota: In the two previous meetings with the Gophers, the Illini had given up an average of xx yards rushing. However, the 2001 defense held Minnesota to only 149 yards rushing, more than 50 yards below its season average, while also keeping Tellis Redmon under the 100-yard mark.
Indiana: One week after Indiana tailback Levron Williams rushed for 280 yards, the Illini defense stopped him with 91 yards, while also keeping the team rushing numbers 40 yards below their average.
KITTNER SEEKS WINNINGEST ILLINI QB HONORS
Following the Illini's impressive 5-1 start in 2001, senior quarterback Kurt Kittner is looking to become the school's winningest quarterback in modern history with four more wins this season. Former QB Jack Trudeau, who played from 1983-85, finished his career with 23 wins, while Kittner currently has 19 under his belt as the starting quarterback.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
Illinois' two-headed tailback of Rocky Harvey and Antoineo Harris has just added another apendage, fullback Carey Davis. Against Indiana, Harris racked up his second 100-yard game of the season, followed by a career-high 83 yards by Davis and 76 by Harvey. It is the second straight game that the Illini running backs have used three players to establish the ground game. Two weeks ago against Minnesota all three backs tallied 65 yards apiece for a team 198-yard effort.
Illinois' passing offense ranks second in the Big Ten and 37th in the nation with a 244.8 yards per game average. Although sophomore Brandon Lloyd has topped 100-yards receiving in three games and has 581 yards through six, 10 Illini players have hauled in catches for the other 857 yards, including junior Walter Young who is averaging 49.0 yards per game.
The Illini offensive line has allowed only seven sacks, which ranks second in the conference. They have held opponents without a sack in three games (Minnesota, Louisville and California).
The trio of Brandon Lloyd, Walter Young and Carey Davis combine for 12.3 catches per game which ranks fifth in the nation in the category. Davis ranks ninth in the nation in catches by a running back with 4.0 per game.
The Illini offense has scored 25 points or more 19 times in the last three seasons (dating back to 1999, 28 games) and has topped the 40-point mark eight times during that same span.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
In the past six games, the Illini have forced 15 turnovers which ranks 14th in the nation. The team also ranks 12th in the nation in turnover margin with 15 turnovers forced and only seven given up. The Illini have scored 41 points off turnovers, putting points on the board following seven of the 15 take-aways. Senior safety Muhammad Abdullah recorded his third interception of the season, while cornerbacks Christian Morton and Eugene Wilson each have two apiece.
The Illini defense is third in the Big Ten in sacks with 21 for a loss of 168 yards through six games. Eleven Illini defenders have recorded sacks with defensive linemen Terrell Washington, Derrick Strong, Brandon Moore and Jeff Ruffin leading the way with three apiece. In addition to the 21 sacks, Illinois has 21 other tackles for loss.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
For the last three years the Illini have had the threat of the two-headed tailback. Now they boast a trio of kickers that have combined for 12-of-15 field goals on the season, which ranks first in the Big Ten. Sophomore JJ Tubbs began the season as the team's kicker hitting 5-of-8 field goals. After missing field goals against Louisville, sophomore Peter Christofilakos took over as the full-time placekicker and has made six straight (long of 38). In the Illini's game vs. Minnesota, junior college transfer John Gockman was called on to and made his first collegiate attempt, a 51-yarder.
Senior punter Steve Fitts is averaging 43.3 yards per punt ranking fifth in the Big Ten and 26th in the nation. He has increased the team's net punting average from 36.3 last season to 39.0 (first in the Big Ten). He has booted a long of 68 yards this season and has placed five inside the 20 yardline.
The Illini have blocked five kicks this season (two punts, two field goals and an extra point). The two field goals came against Northern Illinois when senior DE Terrell Washington got a hand on two potential scores for the Huskies. Washington recorded his third blocked kick when he swatted an extra point attempt at Indiana. Wide receiver Dwayne Smith and safety Nick Piazza have blocked punts for the Illini this year.
Junior punt returner Eugene Wilson ranks fifth in the Big Ten with his 12.2 average yards per punt this season. He broke free for a 46-yard return in the Illini's win at Indiana, taking the return to the Indiana 5 yardline. Wilson ranks fourth on Illinois' all-time punt return yardage list.
The Illini kickoff unit forced a fumble (Muhammad Abdullah forced, Jamaal Clark recovered) on the 26 yardline to set up a 7-yard TD by Antoineo Harris in the Illini's 44-17 win over Cal.
GENERAL TEAM NOTES
Through six games, the Illini's average starting field position is on the 35 yard line and have started 15 drives in plus territory, while opponents are beginning their drives at the 26 yard line and have started 13 drives within their own 20.
With its 34-10 win over No. 25 Louisville, Illinois won its 10th straight game over non-Big Ten foes and registered its third straight season with an undefeated record heading into conference play.
Five true-freshmen have seen action through six games: FB Cory Flisakowski, S Taman Jordan, DB Sedrick Davenport, LB Matt Sinclair and LB Brian Schaefering. Both Flisakowski and Jordan got on the field in the Illini's 44-17 win at Cal and have played in all four games. Sinclair joined the special teams units against Northern Illinois. Davenport has gotten special teams work against Louisville and LB Brian Schaefering saw some defensive snaps at linebacker at Michigan.
Redshirt freshman Patrick Babcock and junior college transfers Mario Ivy and Michael Hall are the only first-year players to start for the Illini this season. Babcock is Illinois' starting right guard, Ivy started at linebacker in the first two games and Hall made his first start at cornerback against Louisville.
Home Cookin'
Illinois has improved its home record at Memorial Stadium each season under Ron Turner. After going 0-6 in his first year, the Illini have improved to 2-4 in 1998, 3-3 in 1999 and 4-2 in 2000. So far in 2001, the Illini are a perfect 3-0 on the home turf.
ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
After a 5-1 start to the season, the Illini are teetering on the verge of a Top-25 ranking with enough votes for 26th in both polls. The Illini broke into both the Associated Press and ESPN/Coaches Polls following their win over No. 25 Louisville with No. 22 and No. 23 rankings, respectively, but dropped after the team's only loss of the season.
To begin the year, the Football Writers Association ranked Illinois 22nd, while ESPN The Magazine picked the Illini 24th in their preseason polls.
The squad opened the 2000 season ranked 24th and jumped as high as No. 17 following a three straight wins in non-conference play.
KITTNER EARNING NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Averaging 239.4 yards per game, Kittner leads the Big Ten in passing offense and ranks second in total offense. He also ranks 34th in the nation in total offense.
Kittner, with 34 starts under his belt, has amassed over 6,900 yards passing and 53 touchdowns in his career. He is two touchdown passes shy of the Illinois career record, currently held by Jack Trudeau (55). Illini teams are 17-5 when Kittner throws a touchdown pass, dating back to 1999.
With 239 yards passing against Minnesota, Kittner recorded his 18th career 200-yard passing game. He has also topped 1,400 yards for the third time in his career.
For the second straight year, Illini quarterback Kurt Kittner has been named to the 30-man watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top collegiate quarterback.
He also appears on the 20-player list as a Johnny Unitas Award Candidate, given to the top senior quarterback.
ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., lists Kittner as the No. 21 player on his "Big Board" of the top-25 senior prospects in the 2002 NFL Draft. He is rated the No. 1 quarterback and the third-highest Big Ten athlete.
He was an honorable mention Football News All-American in 2000 and was named the ESPN Player of the Game with his career-high 352-yard performance against Michigan last season. In 1999, he led the Illini's record-breaking offense and engineered road wins at Ohio State and Michigan.
LLOYD'S BACK AND EARNING HONORS
With 168 yards receiving vs. Minnesota, sophomore Brandon Lloyd topped the 100-yard mark for the third time this season, marking the first time an Illini receiver has has three 100-yard receiving games since Shawn Wax accomplished the feat in 1990. He also scored two touchdowns against the Gophers, which were his first touchdowns scored at Memorial Stadium.
Lloyd is averaging 96.8 yards per game which ranks thrd in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation.
In the Illini's first game of 2001 and Lloyd's first back after a one-year hiatus, the receiver caught eight passes for 178 yards, the fifth-highest single-game receiving total in Illinois history.
For his performance at Cal, Lloyd earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
California head coach Tom Holmoe was quoted as saying, "He was the difference-maker. We knew that going in. But he just dominated situations."
In six games this season, Lloyd has hauled in six passes over 30-yards bringing his "Big Play" total to 19 in 18 career games played.
BUTKUS NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
Illinois senior center Luke Butkus was named to the Scripps Howard preseason All-American team. He has also been selected to the Lombardi and Rimington Award Watch Lists.
Butkus started his 29th consecutive game for the Illini against the Indiana Hoosiers and has helped the Illini become one of the most explosive offenses in the Big Ten. The Illini lead the Big Ten in passing and the offensive line has allowed only seven sacks in the first six games, which ranks third in the Big Ten.
Butkus earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season in leading Illinois to a second straight 2,000-yard passing, 1,700-yard rushing season.
FITTS ON RAY GUY WATCH LIST
With 466 yards punting against Michigan, Fitts became the school's career punt yardage leader (currently has 9,359). He needs just five punts to top the career punt list and since his freshman season has had the highest punting average in school history (41.7)
With a 43.3 season average, senior punter Steve Fitts has been named to the Ray Guy Award watch list for the second straight year. The Ray Guy Award is in its second season and is given to the nation's best collegiate punter.
Fitts, who has been the team's regular punter for the last four seasons, has been an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection for the last two. He has landed 44 career punts inside the 20 yardline and has a net punting average of 39.0 yards in 2001.
With a 52.0 punting average against Indiana, Fitts has averaged over 40 yards a punt in 28 career games.
ILLINI VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
The Illinois football team defeated No. 25 Louisville, 34-10, and fell to No. 17 Michigan 45-20 to record a 1-1 mark against opponents ranked in the Top-25 this season. Currently the Illini have two nationally ranked future foes on the schedule with a contest at No. 24/24 (Coaches/AP) Purdue on Nov. 3 and vs. No. 20/22 Northwestern on Nov. 22. The last time an Illini squad beat two ranked teams was in 1999 when it defeated both No. 9 Michigan and No. 25 Ohio State. Illinois is 25-87-3 all-time against opponents ranked in the Top-25.
CONVERTED QUARTERBACKS
Illinois wide receiver Walter Young and cornerback Chrisitan Morton were two key players in Illinois' 35-14 win over Indiana. Morton led the team with eight tackles and four passes broken up, while Young caught an 18-yard touchdown pass to jump start the Illini offense and take a 14-6 lead. Other than having a great game against the Hoosiers, these players have one more thing in common - they came to Illinois as quarterbacks.
During the 1999 season, Young was competing for a back-up QB spot with senior Kirk Johnson. To get some playing time on the field, Young worked out part-time with the receivers. During that season, he caught 14 passes for 267 yards and a key touchdown at Michigan. In 2000, he moved to the position permanently, recording 403 yards receiving and a 14.9 yard per catch average. This season he is the team's second leading receiver with 294 yards on 19 catches and three touchdowns.
Morton had dreams of being an NFL quarterback, but was competing behind Kittner and current QB back-ups Dustin Ward and Mark Kornfeld. After talking with head coach Ron Turner, Morton decided the best way to get on the field was to go to the opposite side of the ball, turning the cornerback position from a concern to a strength. Through six games he has 38 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes broken up.
Senior tight end Brian Hodges also reported to Illinois as a future quarterback, but was moved to tight end during his freshman season. He started 11 games as a redshirt freshman and has notched four starts this season. He has four career touchdown receptions.
COACHING STAFF CHANGES
Four new coaches joined the Illini staff for the 2001 season, including three on the defensive side of the ball.
New defensive coordinator Mike Cassity came to Illinois after two seasons at Oklahoma State, where the Cowboy's held the national champion, Oklahoma Sooners, to a season-low 12 points last season. He has 18 years experience as a coordinator and shares the defensive backfield with new secondary coach Mike Mallory.
Mallory, the son of longtime Indiana head coach Bill Mallory and an All-American linebacker at Michigan in 1985, works primarily with the safeties.
Donnie Thompson, a 26-year veteran defensive line coach, came to Illinois after 12 seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels. During his time with the Tar Heels, Thompson tutored 13 defensive linemen to pro careers, including three first-round draft picks. He also developed current Tar Heel, Julius Peppers, who is the top-rated defensive end in the country.
Cassity and Thompson served as co-coordinators together at Western Kentucky in 1985-86.
Dan O'Dell is the lone change on the offensive side of the ball, in his first season with the Illini quarterbacks. He spent the last two seasons at Illinois as the offensive graduate assistant.
TURNER TO COACH EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME
Illinois head coach Ron Turner has been named the East Coach for the 2002 East-West Shrine All-Star Game, along with Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, who will lead the West. The 77th annual game, which is scheduled for Jan. 12 at 12:30 CT on espn2, features the best senior collegiate all-stars. This is the second straight year Turner has been chosen to coach a senior all-star game. He coached in the Blue-Gray Game in 2000.
IT'S IN THE BLOOD
Here is a list of current Illinois football players with NFL lineage:
Luke Butkus, Sr., C - nephew of Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, Father, Ron, played for the Chicago Cardinals ... Lamont Holden, Fr., LB - father, Renwick Atkins played one year with Detroit Lions ... Estus Hood, Fr., TE - Father, Estus Hood, played for Green Bay.
Aaron Moorehead, Jr., WR - Father, Emory Moorehead, played 12 years in NFL with Giants, Broncos and Bears ... Duke Preston, Fr., OL - Father, Raymond Preston, played nine years with San Diego Chargers ... Matt Dlugolecki, Fr., QB - Cousin of QB Ron Powles, Uncle, Bobby Glazebrock, was DB for the Atlanta Falcons ... Mario Ivy, Jr., LB - Cousin of Dallas Cowboy DE Ed "Too Tall" Jones ...Taman Jordan, Fr., DB - Uncle, Jim Moore, played for Baltimore Colts.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Softball-playing football players. That's what the Illini were this summer when the senior class formed a six-team softball league made up solely of football players. The seven-week league began in an effort to give the team a bonding activity off the football field. The Huff City Riders team, made up of players such as linebacker Jerry Schumacher and running back Rocky Harvey, won the league in the championship game played during training camp.
MEMORIAL STADIUM FACELIFT
During the offseason, Illinois' Memorial Stadium got a facelift replacing the 15-year old Astroturf with the state-of-the-art AstroPlay? surface. The artificial turf has the look and feel of natural grass and is the same surface that was installed in the Illini's indoor practice facility last fall. AstroPlay? is a new concept in filled turf systems - a grass-like, non-abrasive, polyethylene fiber matrix is filled with special rubber or rubber granules. Memorial Stadium is one of only a few NCAA football venues to switch to AstroPlay? along with schools such as Oklahoma State and Kansas.
IT'S ALL RELATIVE
For the second straight year, the Illinois secondary will be full of Jacksons. Senior strong safety Bobby Jackson is joined by his brother Marc, who is a junior free safety. Their father is Robert Jackson, wide receivers coach for the Illini ... Sophomore offensive lineman Aaron Hodges earned his first letter in 2000, joining his brother, senior tight end Brian ... Junior, wide receivers Walter Young and Greg Lewis are first cousins.
RON TURNER RADIO SHOW
The Ron Turner Radio Show will once again take its act on the road. Each week the show will visit campus sorority and fraternity houses on Mondays at 6 p.m. CT. The show can be heard on the 45-station Illini Sports Network as well as on the internet at www.fightingillini.com.
