Illinois vs. Ohio State Game Notes in PDF Format

For Openers

• The Illini face their third ranked team this season when they square off against No. 1 Ohio State this weekend. The team lost 24-7 to No. 14 Iowa and 30-24 at No. 17 Wisconsin to post a 0-2 mark against ranked foes this year.

• According to the most recent Sagarin ratings, Illinois is playing the 20th toughest schedule in the nation. Six of Illinois opponents are bowl eligible (Rutgers, Iowa, Ohio, Penn State, Wisconsin, Ohio State)

• Illinois middle linebacker J Leman has recorded seven games of 10-plus tackles to lead the team. For the season, he is averaging 10.9 tackles per game, which ranks first in the Big Ten and eighth nationally.

• Leman is two tackles away from a 100-tackle season.

• Illinois has played five Big Ten contests this year. In games against those same fice opponents last year, the point differential in the outcomes was 33.6 points with no wins. Against Iowa, Michigan State, Indiana, Penn State and Wisconsin this year, the difference is 7.2 points with a victory over MSU.

• With a 181.9 rushing average per game, the Illini are posting the best average for an Illinois squad since the 1978 season. That year the team averaged nearly 200 yards a game, 198.7.

• On the other side of the ball, the Illinois defense is holding opponents to only 124.7 yards rushing per game, which is the lowest average since the 1994 season, when the squad finished with a 121.7 rushing defensive average.

• Illinois true-freshman quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams has proven he has big-play ability. Seven of his nine touchdown passes this season have been for 76, 69, 69, 53, 44, 35 and 31 yards.

• Williams is one of five true-freshmen quarterbacks who have made starts nationally -- Williams, ILL; Mitch Mustain, Arkansas; Nate Davis, Ball State; Thaddeus Lewis, Duke; and Matthew Stafford, Georgia.

• With 2,335 career yards rushing, senior running back Pierre Thomas now ranks seventh all-time on the school's rushing list.

• The Illini have taken advantage of opportunities in the red zone, scoring on 20 of 21 trips inside the 20. The 95.2 percent success rate ranks first in the Big Ten.

• Illinois' win over Michigan State marked some firsts for the Illini. It was Ron Zook's first Big Ten win, his first road win as Illini head coach, kicker Jason Reda's first game-winning field goal and true-freshman quarterback Juice Williams' first career win.

• Sophomore defensive tackle David Lindquist leads the Big Ten with four fumbles recovered.

The Illibuck Trophy

The Battle for the Illibuck

• This week Illinois and Ohio State will play for the coveted Illibuck Trophy. Ohio State leads the "Illibuck" series with a 55-22-2 mark.

• "Illibuck" is--or was--a turtle, destined for long life, it was hoped. But the wear and tear of traveling between Champaign-Urbana and Columbus was too much, even for a hardy marine reptile. "Illibuck" died in the spring of 1927 and his successor is now a wooden replica. Members of two junior honorary societies, Bucket and Dipper of Ohio State and Sachem of Illinois, annually meet at halftime of the Fighting Illini-Buckeye game to present the "Illibuck" trophy to last year's winning school. In the past the ritual also included the smoking of a peace pipe.

• The Illini gave up the "Illibuck" trophy in 2002, but not without a fight as Illinois dropped a close 23-16 loss to the No. 2 Buckeyes in overtime in Champaign. The win for Ohio State sent the team to the national title game the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, which they won over Miami. Ohio State and Illinois did not meet in 2003 or 2004.

Illinois vs. No. 1

• This will be the 17th meeting with a No. 1 ranked team and the 12th time a top-ranked foe has visited Memorial Stadium. In those games, Illinois is 3-13 against No. 1's and all three of those games were at Memorial Stadium. The Illini haven't defeated a No. 1 team since 1956.
• Of those 16 games against No. 1 ranked teams, Ohio State was the opponent eight times, including the last No. 1 to come to Memorial Stadium. In 2002, Ohio State was the No. 1 team in the BCS poll and the Illini dropped an overtime loss, 23-16, to the Buckeyes. Two Illinois endzone receptions, one to Aaron Moorehead and one to Walter Young, were ruled out of bounds to save Ohio State's national championship hopes. Ohio State led 16-13, but the Illini drove down the field to set up John Gockman's tying 48-yard field goal with no time left on the clock. Young had 144 yards receiving and quarterback Jon Beujter passed for 308. But it was a game of field goals as Ohio State's Mike Nugent and Gockman each had three on the day.
• Here is a list of all 16 of Illinois games vs. No. 1 teams:

  Nov. 16, 2002	vs. Ohio State	L	23-16
  Oct. 10, 1988	vs. Ohio State	L	41-0
  Nov. 8, 1975	vs. Ohio State	L	40-3
  Nov. 2, 1974	at Ohio State	L	49-7
  Nov. 3, 1973	at Ohio State	L	30-0
  Sept. 23, 1972	vs. Southern Cal	L	55-20
  Oct. 16, 1971	vs. Michigan	L	35-6
  Oct. 24, 1970	vs. Ohio State	L	48-29
  Oct. 25, 1969	at Ohio State	L	41-0
  Oct. 1, 1966	vs. Michigan State	L	26-10
  Oct. 27, 1956	vs. Michigan State	W	20-13
  Nov. 5, 1955	vs. Michigan	W	25-6
  Nov. 18, 1950	vs. Ohio State	W	14-7
  Oct. 30, 1948	at Michigan	L	28-20
  Oct. 23, 1943	at Notre Dame	L	47-0
  Oct. 11, 1941	at Minnesota	L	34-6

Ohio State Series Notes

• Saturday's game marks 93rd meeting between these two teams, dating back to 1902. Ohio State holds the series lead 59-29-4. OSU also holds the series lead in Champaign, 31-12.

• This will be Ron Zook's second head-to-head meeting with Ohio State, losing his first game to OSU, 40-2 in 2005. Buckeye coach Jim Tressel is 2-1 vs. the Illini.

• Illinois head coach Ron Zook was the defensive backs coach on the Ohio State coaching staff from 1988-90 under John Cooper. The Illini were 3-0 vs. Ohio State during that time, including two wins in Columbus.

• Zook is a native of Loudonville, Ohio and is a 1976 graduate of Miami of Ohio. He was a three-year letter winning defensive back from 1973-75 and a captain of the 1975 team. During his time, Miami was 32-1-1 during that period.

• Illinois wide receivers coach Dino Dawson was a wide receiver and punt returner for Ohio State from 1984-87, lettering as a freshman on the 1985 Rose Bowl team. He later transferred to Kent State, where he led the team in receptions in 1988-89.

• Illini offensive line coach Ed Warinner is an Ohio native from Dover, Ohio and was a standout football and baseball player at Mount Union College from 1980-84.

• In the last five meetings between these two teams, the Illini have won twice in Columbus (1999, 2001), lost 40-2 in Columbus (2005), lost in overtime (2002) and on a last-second field goal (2000) in Champaign.

• The Illini have faced a ranked Ohio State team on 33 occasions in the series history and are 10-23 vs. the Buckeyes in those contests (dating back to 1942 when rankings were recorded in Illinois archives).

• Illinois has nine players on its roster from the state of Ohio, including starting true-freshman tight end Jeff Cumberland (Columbus/Brookhaven), junior defensive tackle Chris Norwell (Cincinnati/Anderson) and junior linebacker Antonio Steele (Cleveland/St. Peter Chanel).

Illini Highlights vs. Ohio State

• In 2005, Kevin Mitchell returned a botched OSU PAT, 75 yards for a defensive two-point conversion.

• Last season, then-freshman linebacker Brit Miller led the team with a career-high 11 tackles.

Records to Watch

• Linebacker J Leman is approaching the 100-tackle mark for the season. He is totaled 98 tackles in nine games and has seven performances of over 10 tackles in a game this year. The last time an Illinois defender posted 100 or more tackles was in 2003 by middle linebacker Matt Sinclair (129).

• Both Thomas and senior running back E.B. Halsey rank among the school's best runners. Thomas has compiled 2,335 career rushing yards and with a strong senior year could break into Illinois' top-5. He needs 150 yards to improve to sixth on the all-time list. Halsey is currently 20th on that same list with 1,446 yards. He will improve to 19th with 95 yards.

• Junior kicker Jason Reda has made 31 field goals in his three-year career at Illinois, which ranks seventh on the all-time field goal list. He needs three more to move to sixth.

• With two more field goals, Reda will tie his 13 made last season, the most in a single season for him.

• Illinois quarterback Juice Williams has racked up 364 rushing yards this season, which ranks second in a single-season by a quarterback (Tim Brasic's 420 yards from 2005 is the record). With 56 yards, he would set the single-season record and 152 yards would give him the career record.

Illinois' Defensive Improvements

• What was once considered the achilles' heel of the 2005 squad, the defensive unit for Illinois has made vast improvements that are astounding when looked at in comparison. The rushing defense has improved its attack allowing 109 yards less than it did a year ago, going from the league's worst to fifth-ranked. The total defense was giving up nearly 500 yards of offense in 2005 and now has stopped opponents to around 300 yards on the average.

• The Illini defense has held three rushing offenses under 100 yards (Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin).

• Wisconsin entered its game vs. the Illini as the Big Ten's leading rushing team with 196.2 yards per game. Illinois held them to 99 yards.

• Illinois' defensive unit shut down a Penn State offense that had averaged 375.1 yards per game, allowing only 184. Their rushing offense led by running back Tony Hunt (100.3 ypg) was recording 162 yards per contest and were held to just 40 by the Illini, while Hunt ran for 52.

• The Illini defense held Michigan State's potent running game to a mere 82 yards rushing, 173.5 yards below their average. The Spartans were averaging 476.8 yards of total offense for the season and the Illinois allowed only 259 yards, 217.8 below their average.

  Defensive Category	2005 Average	2006 Average	Difference	2005 Big Ten Rank	2006 Big Ten Rank	Difference
  Scoring Defense	39.5	26.1	13.4	11th	7th	+4
  Rushing Defense	234.0	124.7	109.3	11th	6th	+5
  Passing Defense	235.3	175.7	59.6	5th	3rd	+2
  Total Defense	469.3	300.3	169.0	10th	5th	+5

The Juice is Loose

• Illinois true-freshman quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams led the Illini to a victory at Michigan State on Sept. 20 in just his second career start. He is one of four Illinois quarterbacks to win the second game of their careers -- Kurt Kittner (1998), Jason Verduzco (1990) and Jack Trudeau (1983).

• Williams has proven he has quick-strike, big-play ability. Seven of his nine touchdown passes this season have been for 76, 69, 69, 53, 44, 35 and 31 yards. The scoring drives have been 1, 1, 3, 4, 4, 5 and 6 plays in length with the longest time elapsed being 2:22.

• Williams got his first collegiate start in the Illini's Big Ten opener against Iowa. He was the first true-freshman QB to start for the Illini since Kurt Kittner opened the game against Iowa on Sept. 26, 1998.

• With Williams' TD passes of 76 and 69 yards (against Syracuse) and 69 yards (at Michigan State), he became the first quarterback in school history to throw three touchdown passes of more than 65 yards in a career.

• He is also the team's third-leading rusher at this point in the season with 364 yards. His yards on the ground are the second-most in a single season by an Illinois signal-caller. The current record is held by fellow teammate Tim Brasic, who rushed for 420 last season.

• Williams made his college debut in the second quarter of the season opener and led the Illini on a 61-yard, 12-play drive for a touchdown. With that score, he became the first true-freshman quarterback in school history to lead a scoring drive on his first collegiate try.

Illini Get Ground Game on Track

• The Penn State defense is one of the most stingy against the running game, allowing an average of 84.7 yards on the ground prior to the Illinois game. The Illini racked up 202 yards rushing, the most by any team vs. the Nittany Lions this year.

• With a 181.9 rushing average per game, the Illini are posting the best average for an Illinois squad since the 1978 season. That year the team averaged nearly 200 yards a game, 198.7.

• The Illini have rushed for over 200 yards five times this year. They piled up 202 at Penn State, 211 vs. Ohio, 209 yards against Indiana, 252 at MSU and posted 345 vs. EIU earlier this season.

• Illinois running back Pierre Thomas (110) and quarterback Juice Williams (103) both rushed for over 100 yards in the victory over MSU. It was the first time the Illini had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game since Rocky Harvey and Antoineo Harris accomplished the feat at San Diego State in 2000. It was the first time in school history that a pair of 100-yard rushers were a running back and a quarterback.

• Thomas has rushed for over 100 yards eight times in his career, following his 126 yards against Indiana. He scored two touchdowns in a game for the fifth time in his career with his two TD runs against EIU.

• Of Illinois' 190 carries by running backs this year, only six have been for negative yardage (-15).

• Thomas has rushed for 2,335 yards in three-plus seasons, carrying the ball 426 times. During that time, Thomas is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, while scoring 19 career touchdowns.

• Illinois had six rushing touchdowns against Eastern Illinois. The last time Illinois had six rushing TDs in a game was in the Micronpc.com bowl victory over Virginia on Dec. 30, 1999.

True Freshmen Quarterbacks

• Williams is one of five true-freshmen quarterbacks starting for their respective teams this year, and one of seven seeing time on the field. Here is how he compares:

  Player, School	GS-GP	Record as starter	Att.	Comp.	Pct.	Yds.	YPG	TD	INT
  Nate Davis, Ball State	4-9	2-2	152	101	66.4	1245	138.3	14	6
  Thaddeus Lewis, Duke	6-7	0-6	186	96	51.6	1197	169.6	4	9
  Mitch Mustain, Arkansas	7-8	7-0	121	64	52.9	853	106.6	10	7
  Jevan Snead, Texas	0-4	0-0	18	13	72.2	181	45.3	1	1
  Matthew Stafford, Georgia	4-9	3-0	158	80	50.6	1000	111.1	3	9
  Tim Tebow, Florida	0-6	0-0	14	10	66.7	152	25.3	2	1
  Juice Williams, ILLINOIS	6-9	1-5	195	83	42.6	1252	139.1	9	8

1,000-Yard Rushing Duos

Through the ninth week of the 2006 season, Illinois is one of two Big Ten teams to boast a pair of career 1,000-yard rushers on its current roster in seniors Pierre Thomas (2,335 career yards) and E.B. Halsey (1,446 career yards). Michigan State is the other. In all, there are 12 1,000-yard career rushers currently listed on Big Ten rosters:

Sharing the Wealth

• The Illini have a triple threat at the tailback position in seniors E.B. Halsey and Pierre Thomas and sophomore Rashard Mendenhall. Thomas has rushed for over 100 yards three times this season and Mendenhall once.

• The Illini have rushed for over 200 yards on five occasions this season.

• In the season opener, the three tailbacks combined for 283 yards -- Thomas led the team with 126, followed by Halsey's 82 yards and Mendenhall's 75. In the season opener against Eastern Illinois, the trio combined for 283 yards (the first 300-yard rushing game for an Illini team since the 1999 Micronpc.com Bowl game). The last time an Illinois team had three backs with over 75 yards in a game was in the 2001 Big Ten Championship year against Indiana. The trio also averaged 7.9 yards per carry against EIU.

• For years, the Illinois running game has consisted of the multiple tailback philosophy. Dating back to 1998 (and with the exception of the 2002 season), two or more running backs have split time in the backfield. With all three tailbacks contributing in the 2006 season, the running game is much of the same. The following is a list of Illinois' tailback tandems:

  1998	Rocky Harvey (634) & Steve Havard (584) 1,218 (110.7 ypg)
  1999	Rocky Harvey (774) & Steve Havard (806) 1,580 (131.7 ypg)
  2000	Rocky Harvey (683) & Antoineo Harris (772) 1,455 (132.3 ypg)
  2001	Rocky Harvey (620) & Antoineo Harris (629) 1,249 (104.1 ypg)
  2002*	Antoineo Harris (1,330) 1,330 (110.8 ypg)
  2003	E.B. Halsey (525) & Pierre Thomas (233) 758 (62.2 ypg)
  2004	Pierre Thomas (893) & E.B. Halsey (461) 1,354 (123.1 ypg)
  2005	Pierre Thomas (664), E.B. Halsey (349) & Rashard Mendenhall (218) 1,277 (116.0 ypg)
  2006	Pierre Thomas (545), E.B. Halsey (111) & Rashard Mendenhall (470) 1,126 (125.1 ypg)
  * only season since 1998 Illinois has had one featured back

Freshman DB Vontae Davis

Youth Gone Wild

• Through nine games this season 16 true freshmen have logged mintues. They are: OL Jon Asamoah, S Travon Bellamy, PK Michael Cklamovski, TE Jeff Cumberland, CB Vontae Davis, CB Chris Duvalt, CB Dere Hicks, TE Michael Hoomanawanui, DE Antonio James, WR Chris James, WR Joe Morgan, DL Clay Nurse, LB Rahkeem Smith, WR Marques Wilkins, QB Juice Williams, P Kyle Yelton.

• Illinois' debut of 16 true freshmen this year are the second-most of any team in Division I-A. Temple has played 20, followed by Illinois and Florida State with 16.

• Illinois has played 67 athletes this season, 27 of which have made their first collegiate appearance for Illinois, over 40 percent of the team.

• Last season, two Illini freshmen earned freshman honors. DE Derek Walker earned Freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News, while OL Ryan McDonald was named to the Freshman All-Big Ten team.

• Five true-freshmen have made starts this season -- QB Juice Williams, TE Jeff Cumberland, CB Vontae Davis, TE Michael Hoomanawanui and P Kyle Yelton.

Offensive Notes

• The Illini have taken advantage of opportunities in the red zone, scoring on 20 of 21 trips inside the 20. The 95.2 percent success rate ranks first in the Big Ten.

• Illinois has outgained 6 of 9 opponents so far this season: EIU, Syracuse, Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio, and Penn State. Illinois outgained only 2 of 11 opponents during the entire 2005 season.

• In the Sept. 1 issue of The Sporting News, Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley was named one of the top-5 minority assistant coaches on the rise in the hunt for head coaching positions.

• Two Illinois touchdown passes have come from non-quarterbacks this season. Running back E.B. Halsey tossed a touchdown to Jacob Willis vs. Michigan State and wide receiver DaJuan Warren threw a touchdown to Jody Ellis vs. Indiana.

• Senior offensive guard Matt Maddox is in his fourth year as a starter and has started 43 consecutive games at Illinois.

• Against Michigan State, the Illini offensive line, while missing left tackle Akim Millington, didn't allow a sack, the only time this season.

• In nine games this season, sophomore wide receiver Kyle Hudson has converted first downs on 15-of-25 catches. Including his freshman year, Hudson now has 37 first-down catches in 56 career receptions.

• Illinois tied its longest drive in school history with a 99-yard drive against Syracuse that resulted in Kyle Hudson's 69-yard TD catch. It was the third time that the Illini have had a 99-yard drive, and the first time since Oct. 7, 1989 vs. Ohio State.

• For the season, the Illini have recorded 25 big plays over 25 yards. Against both EIU and Indiana, the Illini offense posted six big plays.

• With a 76-yard pass to Rashard Mendenhall and 69-yard hookups with Kyle Hudson and Jacob Willis this season, Williams has engineered the program's first- and third-longest completions in school history since the 1994 Liberty Bowl.

• Not only does the Illini offense spread the wealth in the rushing game, but Illinois quarterbacks have found 13 different targets for 114 completed passes.

Defensive Notes

• Illinois middle linebacker J Leman has recorded seven games of 10-plus tackles to lead the team. For the season, he is averaging 10.9 tackles per game, which ranks first in the Big Ten and eighth nationally.

• Sophomore defensive end Derek Walker leads the team in sacks in just his second year as a starter. In nine games, he has recorded 5.5 sacks for a loss of 25 yards. He ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 47th nationally.

• Sophomore defensive tackle David Lindquist has a knack of being around the ball. This season he has recovered four fumbles, which leads the Big Ten.

• Against Michigan State, the Illini defense posted five sacks, the most in a game during the Ron Zook era.

• Fighting Illini defenders racked up 12 sacks in 11 games in 2005; they've surpassed that mark this year, with 16 sacks through the Wisconsin game.

• The Illinois defense has allowed 23 touchdowns and 14 field goals this season. However, 11 of those 23 touchdowns came on a short field when the opponent started in Illini territory, as well as eight of the 14 field goals.

• The Illinois defense has recorded 10 scoreless quarters this season.

• The Illini defense held the Iowa offense scoreless for the game's first 24:05, marking the longest scoreless time span to start the game by an opponent in the Ron Zook era. Iowa did not score in the first or third quarters, which mark the fifth and sixth scoreless quarters of the season by UI opponents. After giving up 21 points in the final 5:55 of the first half, the defense shut down the Hawks for only three points in the final half.

Forcing Turnovers

• In nine games this season, the Illini have forced 13 turnovers, surpassing the eight recorded during the entire 2005 season. The squad posted a season-high three turnovers against Rutgers.

• Of those 13 turnovers, eight have been interceptions, which surpasses the total number (4) from a year ago. Linebacker Brit Miller leads the team with two picks. Both freshmen Vontae Davis and Travon Bellamy, juniors Kevin Mitchell and Justin Sanders posted their first collegiate interceptions this season.

• Bellamy's interception was returned 41 yards for the touchdown. It was the first interception return for a TD since 2004 when Kelvin Hayden did it against Florida A&M.

• Seven times this season opponents drives deep in the red zone have been thwarted by turnovers. Against Eastern Illinois, freshman corner Vontae Davis' endzone interception halted an EIU goal line stand, Alan Ball recorded an endzone interception at Rutgers, linebacker J Leman forced a fumble at the goal line against the Scarlet Knights, safeties Justin Harrison and Kevin Mitchell have intercepted passes at the one yardline and Harrison stripped MSU's Drew Stanton at the two-yardline. Justin Sanders picked off an Ohio first half hail mary in the endzone.

Special Teams Notes

• Illinois placekicker Jason Reda earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors after his game-winning field goal against Michigan State on Oct. 7.

• Junior placekicker Jason Reda converted his first career last minute game-winning field goal when he connected for a 39-yard kick with six seconds left at Michigan State, to lift Illinois over the Spartans, 23-20. It was the first game-winning field goal for an Illini kicker since Chris Richardson made a 41-yarder against Ohio State for the 10-7 win on Oct. 22, 1991.

• Reda has been the model of consistency when it comes to extra-point kicking. In three seasons, he is a near-perfect 65-of-66, including his last 55 attempts.

• Reda has also connected on 31 made field goals in three seasons as the starter, which ranks seventh on the Illinois career list. He needs three more to move up to sixth.

WR Jacob Willis

Walk-ons Welcome

The Illini football team has received many contributions from players that arrived on the Illinois campus as walk-ons. Through the years some of those players began receiving aid after proving themselves on the field and some still fall under the walk-on category. These are those players:

• Conor Gillen, LB, So. - Has played in five games on special teams.
• Spencer Jensen, WR, Jr. - Has played in two games, and has one catch.
• Frank Lenti, WR, Jr.* - Has caught three passes for 68 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown vs. Ohio ... Team's full-time holder.
• David Lindquist, DT, So.* - Leads the Big Ten in fumble recoveries ... Has played in every game, starting two at defensive tackle ... Has 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
• Drew McMahon, DB, Jr. - Has played in four games on special teams
• Josh Norris, DT, Sr.* - Has started eight of nine games at defensive tackle ... Totaled 29 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
• Tyler Rouse, DB, Jr. - Has played on special teams in every game this year.
• Tom Sullivan, TE, r-Fr. - Has played in every game as a third tight end, starting once against Rutgers.
• Jacob Willis, WR, Jr. - Has started in four games this year ... Second leading receiver on the team with 14 catches for 287 yards ... Also has three touchdown catches.

Two-Sport Double Duty

• Sophomore receiver Kyle Hudson returned to the football field this fall after leading the team in 2005 in receiving yards. He compiled 469 yards receiving on 31 catches, falling just 42 yards short of the Illinois freshman receiving record. He also was Illinois' deep threat a year ago, posting seven catches over 25 yards. During his offseason, Hudson was the starting centerfielder for the Illini baseball team, also leading the squad with a .375 batting average. Working around the spring football season, Hudson started in 34-of-35 games played. He also stole 10 bases. For his efforts, he was named the University of Illinois' Male Newcomer of the Year.

Versatile Warren

• Soon the Illinois roster will need to list junior DaJuan Warren as a slash. In eight games, the Southfield, Mich., native has played his regular position of wide receiver, punted seven times, thrown a touchdown pass and rushed three times for 26 yards. He has 13 catches for 175 yards.

What's In a Name?

• It is hard not to pay attention to the 12-letter long last name of freshman tight end Michael Hoomanawanui. The difficulty in its pronunciation has caused coaches and teammates to nickname Michael "Huh-oh" representing the first two syllables of his name. The name is one of Hawaiin decent, which he gets from his father, Isy's, side of the family, who hails from Oahu. The name is not the most common in its native land, but retains the special meaning "patience".

Transfers Making a Difference

• In addition to the many members of the freshman class making an impact in the season opener, three transfers have found themselves in the starting lineup in their first season at Illinois: OT Akim Millington, S Justin Sanders and LB Antonio Steele.

• Steele and Sanders came to the Illini via the junior college route, Steele from Long Beach City College and Sanders from NE Mississippi Junior College. Both players have NFL bloodlines with Steele's older brother, Markus, having played for five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. Sander's father, John, played for six years with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.

• Millington was a transfer from Oklahoma, where he was slated to be in the starting lineup. A family situation forced him to leave the Sooners and sit out the 2005 season. He arrived in January to begin working out with the Illini. Millington has only played football for a short time, beginning in high school. He grew up in Trinidad playing soccer and fishing. He taught himself to play football by reading books in the library.

Retooled Offensive Line

• With the additions of large bookend tackles Akim Millington and Charles Myles, the Illinois offensive line has increased its size to over 1,500 pounds. Each starter weighs in at over 300 pounds and the five starters average 308 pounds. Millington joined the team in the spring as a transfer from Oklahoma, where he played in 2004. Myles is a transfer from the defensive side of the ball, where he played defensive tackle for the Illini in 2003 and 2004.

• Despite returning all five starters to the offensive line, only left guard Martin O'Donnell is in the same position as a year ago. Myles and Millington joined at the tackle positions, giving the coaching staff the ability to move sophomore Ryan McDonald inside to his more natural center position. Senior Matt Maddox, who played center in 2005, has returned to right guard where he played in every game as a freshman and sophomore.

Classroom Standouts

• Four Illini have already earned their college degrees -- CB Sharriff Abdullah (B.S., Recreation, Sport and Tourism), RB E.B. Halsey (B.S., Recreation, Sport and Tourism), LB J Leman (B.S., Speech Communications) and OL J.J. Simmons (B.A., Speech Communications).

• Illinois junior linebacker J Leman is not only a standout on the field, but his accomplishments in the classroom include a bachelor's degree in just three years. He maintained a 3.7 GPA in communications, graduating this past August. He is currently pursuing a master's degree with two seasons of eligibility still remaining.

• The Illini's starting center Ryan McDonald is pursuing his undergraduate degree in one of the most difficult academic fields at the University of Illinois. Illinois is known for its engineering ciriculum, ranking in the Top-10 in all nine disciplines, including the top-rated civil engineering program. McDonald has recorded a 3.87 in aeronautical engineering, a program which ranks eighth nationally.

Memorial Stadium Gets a Facelift

memorial stadium gets facelift
• Recently the Illinois Board of Trustees approved a $116 million renovation for Illinois' historic Memorial Stadium. The renovation project is slated to begin following the completion of the 2006 football season and IHSA championship football games. Construction will occur on the north, west and east sides of the stadium, with permanent seating on the north end being completed for the 2007 season. The remaining areas, which include the east and west side, should wrap up in time for the 2008 season.(updated photos and renderings available upon request).

• Among the renovation on the west side is the addition of luxury suites, indoor and outdoor club areas and a refurbishment of the concourses. An outdoor club space, the Colonnades Club, will be added under the west balcony and will allow for indoor game day hospitality, as well as outdoor chair back seats for contest viewing. In the west balcony, a three-level structure will be built to house two floors of suites and an indoor club space as well as a new press box for media seating and game day operations. The indoor club, which seats 200, has been named "77 Club" to honor the retired number of Illinois gridiron legend Harold "Red" Grange.

• The funding comes in large part from the sales of suites, club seats and naming rights, which covers nearly 85 percent of the total cost. The remaining 15 percent will be funded by a ticket surcharge, which was inacted this year.

Illini Gridders Make Impact in the Community

• This summer as part of the team's bonding activities, the seniors decided to have the team come together for a charitable cause. The 10 seniors, led by OL Matt Maddox, JJ Simmons and RB E.B. Halsey, as a group adopted the local Cunningham Children's Home. The home began as an orphanage until the state implemented the foster care system making its residents wards of the State of Illinois. Most the kids in the home are dealing with psychological, behavioral and transitional situations.

• The football team took part in four different events each aimed at providing support and attention to the needs of the Cunningham Home.

• The summer began with 12-hour supply drive to raise goods and money for the home from their Wish List. The team congregated on the West side of Memorial Stadium and along with the help of four local radio stations, solicited the help of community members to give supplies and money to the Home. The goal was to score a touchdown with the goods, laying them out on a 100-yard field. At the last moment, the goals was reached and over $13,000 in goods and money were raised for the Home.

• The other activities included a more hands-on approach to the kids. The team hosted a movie night in the stadium (intended to be shown on the jumbotron, but rain spoiled, so it was moved to the squad room) and watched "Glory Road". They had a Fun Fest with the kids, setting up seven different stations of football equipment, teaching drills and fundamentals in the indoor facility. In the fourth and final activity, members of the team enjoyed a pool party at the Home with the kids.