Oct. 27, 2014
Beckman Press Conference: Video | Quotes
Monday Interviews: OC Cubit | DC Banks | DB Bentley | QB O'Toole | STAR Thomas III
QUICK HITS
•The Fighting Illini (4-4 overall, 1-3 B1G West) travel to Columbus this Saturday to face No. 13/13 Ohio State (6-1, 3-0 B1G East) in prime time (8 p.m. ET/7 CT, ABC). After Saturday's win over 6-1 Minnesota, Illinois is seeking back-to-back Big Ten wins for the first time since 2011.•With Minnesota ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll last week, the Illini win was the first over an opponent ranked in either the Associated Press or coaches poll since a 17-14 victory over No. 22 Arizona State on Sept. 17, 2011.•Illinois' offense has thrived on big plays, racking up 47 scrimmage plays of 20+ yards, 17th-most in FBS.
• The Illini passing game is averaging 284.0 yards per game, tops in the Big Ten and 30th in FBS.
•With his 12-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown against Minnesota, junior
V'Angelo Bentley became the first Illinois player in school history to record a kick return, punt return, interception return and fumble return for TD in his career. His game-changing play gave the Illini a 28-24 lead with 6:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. See page below for more on Bentley's return prowess.
•Bentley ranks third in the nation in combined kick return yards with 677 on 35 returns (24 KR for 554, 11 PR for 123). His punt return average (11.2 ypr) ranks 17th nationally.
•The Illini defense has scored three times this season, which ranks 10th in FBS and is tied with Ohio State for the Big Ten lead.
V'Angelo Bentley has both a fumble return and an interception return for touchdown this season, and
Taylor Barton also has a pick-six.
•Freshman WR Mike Dudek has 639 receiving yards on 42 catches this season, meaning he needs only 38 more yards to break Arrelious Benn's school record for freshman receiving yards (676), which was set in 2007.
•Senior STAR
Earnest Thomas III forced his seventh career fumble against Minnesota, moving him into a tie for fourth place on UI's career fumbles forced list. The top four players on the list are all All-Americans: Simeon Rice 13,
Whitney Mercilus 11, Dana Howard 8 and Kevin Hardy 7.
•Junior RB Josh Ferguson is one of only five FBS players with over 500 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards on the season. See below for details.
•Ferguson is one of only two active FBS players with more than 1,500 career rushing yards (1,661) and 1,000 receiving yards (1,102). Arizona State's D.J. Foster (1,642 rush yds / 1,610 rec. yards) is the other.
•Senior punter Justin DuVernois earned Big Ten Special Teams player of the Week honors after averaging 48.7 yards on nine punts, including two 61-yarders and four punts over 50 yards. He pinned the Gophers inside the 20 four times and inside the 10 twice on the day, helping give the Illini a nine-yard advantage in average starting field position.
•DuVernois leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh in the nation in punting average (45.8 ypp), putting him on pace to break
Steve Weatherford's single-season record of 45.4.
THE BATTLE FOR THE ILLIBUCK
•This week, Illinois and Ohio State will play for the coveted Illibuck trophy, one of Illinois' three trophy games. Ohio State leads the "Illibuck" series with a 62-23-2 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 Atius-Sachem of Illinois, annually meet at halftime of the Fighting Illini-Buckeye game to present the "Illibuck" trophy to the previous year's winning school.
•Illinois last took the "Illibuck" with a 28-21 win at Columbus in 2007, but Ohio State took it back with a 30-20 win in Champaign in 2008 and retained it the last five years with a 30-0 win at Ohio Stadium in 2009, a 24-13 win at Memorial Stadium in 2010, a 17-7 win in Champaign in 2011, a 52-22 win at Columbus in 2012 and a 60-35 win in Champaign in 2013.
OHIO STATE SERIES NOTES
•Saturday's game between Illinois and Ohio State will mark the 101st meeting between the two teams, with the series dating back to 1902. OSU holds the series lead, 66-30-4, and also leads in Columbus, 28-18-4. But the Illini's last win over OSU was in Columbus in 2007, when
Juice Williams led Illinois to a 28-21 win over the top-ranked Buckeyes.
•Interestingly, Illinois' last five wins in the series have come in Columbus, with the Illini taking victories in 2007, 2001, 1999, 1994 and 1992. UI is 5-5 against the Buckeyes at The Horseshoe since 1992 but OSU has won the last two meetings there.
•Illinois has fared relatively well against Buckeyes recently, posting a 9-15 record dating back to 1988. Only Michigan has more victories over Ohio State during the span, posting a 12-13-1 record vs. OSU.
•This will be Illinois coach Tim Beckman's fifth head-to-head meeting with Ohio State. He is 0-4, losing to the Buckeyes 27-22 in 2011 and 38-0 in 2009 while at Toledo, then 52-22 in 2012 and 60-35 in 2013 with Illinois.
•Beckman considers Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to be one of his mentors in the coaching profession, as Beckman worked as Meyer's defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Bowling Green from 1998-2004. The duo led the Falcons to two bowl games, a MAC East division title and a standing in the final national rankings in 2003. Saturday will mark the third meeting between the two as head coaches, with Meyer holding a 2-0 head-to-head edge.
•Beckman was the cornerbacks coach on the Ohio State coaching staff from 2005-06 under Jim Tressel, helping the Buckeyes to the 2006 Fiesta Bowl and the 2007 BCS National Championship Game. The Buckeyes were 22-3 during Beckman's tenure in Columbus, as he coached six All-Big Ten defensive backs and five future NFL players.
•Beckman is a native of Berea, Ohio, and is a 1988 graduate of the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. He was a two-year letter-winner at defensive back from 1984-87.
•Illini tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Alex Golesh is a 2006 Ohio State graduate. As an undergraduate student, Golesh got his start in the coaching business by spending two-and-a-half years aiding the Buckeyes' defensive coaches. Illinois running backs coach Tim Salem spent four seasons on the Ohio State staff, serving as quarterbacks coach from 1997-99 and as QB/wide recievers coach in 2000. Additionally, Illini director of football game analysis Dane Chester was Ohio State's assistant director of football video operations in 2011.
•Illinois has 17 players on its roster from the state of Ohio, more than any other state except Illinois, including the following 10 players who have seen regular time on the field in 2014: junior DB
V'Angelo Bentley (Cleveland/Glenville), sophomore DL
Jarrod Clements (Dayton/Trotwood Madison), senior OL
Simon Cvijanovic (Cleveland/Benedictine), sophomore DB
Caleb Day (Hilliard/Darby), redshirt-freshman
Christian DiLauro (Uniontown/Green), junior WR
Justin Hardee (Cleveland/Glenville), junior LB
Mason Monheim (Orrville/Orrville), sophomore
Dawuane Smoot (Groveport/Groveport Madison), sophomore OL
Joe Spencer (Mason/Mason) and sophomore LB
LaKeith Walls (Cleveland/Rhodes).
FOURTH-QUARTER MAGIC
•Trailing 24-21 after three quarters on Oct. 25, Illinois mounted its fourth fourth-quarter comeback this season to defeat Minnesota, surpassing the 1992 and 2001 seasons when the Illini had three fourth-quarter comeback wins. Illinois overcame a 9-7 deficit against Youngstown State in its season opener and won 28-17; then beat Western Kentucky 42-34 after trailing 27-21 entering the fourth quarter; UI also trailed 28-25 entering the final quarter against Texas State before winning 42-35.
•Illinois has had 10 comeback wins since 2001 when trailing after three quarters. Four of those 10 came in the first eight games this season.
| Illinois Fourth Quarter Comebacks (since 2001) |
|---|
| Date | Opponent | Trailed (entering 4th) | Final Score | QB |
| 10/25/2014 | Minnesota | 21-24 | 28-24 | O'Toole |
| 9/20/2014 | Texas State | 25-28 | 42-35 | Lunt |
| 9/6/2014 | Western Kentucky | 21-27 | 42-34 | Lunt |
| 8/30/2014 | Youngstown State | 7-9 | 28-17 | Lunt |
| 10/1/2011 | Northwestern | 17-28 | 38-35 | Scheelhaase |
| 9/3/2005 | Rutgers | 10-27 | 33-30 (OT) | Brasic |
| 11/6/2004 | Indiana | 14-22 | 26-22 | Beutjer |
| 11/17/2001 | at Ohio State | 21-22 | 34-22 | Kittner |
| 11/10/2001 | Penn State | 14-21 | 33-28 | Kittner |
| 9/8/2001 | Northern Illinois | 3-6 | 17-12 | Kittner |
BENTLEY IN GOOD COMPANY WITH THE "GALLOPING GHOST"
•After his game-winning 12-yard fumble return for touchdown against Minnesota and his 45-yard interception return for a touchdown earlier this season against Texas State,
V'Angelo Bentley became the only player in Illinois history to record a kickoff return, punt return, interception return and fumble return for touchdown in his career. Football legend Harold "Red" Grange is the only other Illini player with kickoff, punt and interception returns for TDs, but he never returned a fumble for a score. While Grange's offensive and return exploits are well-known, he also took an interception back 90 yards for a score against Northwestern on Oct. 27, 1923. Bentley returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Southern Illinois on Aug. 31, 2013, and notched a 67-yard punt return for touchdown against Ohio State on Nov. 16, 2013.
Bentley Return TDs (4)
KR 100 yards vs. Southern Illinois 8/31/2013
PR 67 yards vs. Ohio State 11/16/2013
INT 45 yards vs. Texas State 9/20/2014
FR 12 yards vs. Minnesota 10/25/2014
Grange Return TDs (6)
KR 95 yards vs. Michigan 10/18/1924
KR 83 yards at Iowa 10/17/1925
PR 70 yards vs. Butler 10/10/1925
PR 66 yards vs. Nebraska 10/6/1923
PR 35 yards vs. Northwestern 10/27/1923 (*returned a blocked punt for TD)
INT 90 yards vs. Northwestern 10/27/1923
FERGUSON AMONG NATION'S TOP ALL-PURPOSE BACKS
•For the second-straight year, running back Josh Ferguson is among the nation's top all-purpose backs. He is one of only five players in the nation with over 500 rushing yards and over 300 receiving yards. Through eight games, he has six rushing touchdowns and two receiving TDs, and is tied for 46th in FBS with 10 20-plus-yard plays from scrimmage (five rushing, five receiving).
| FBS Players with 500+ Rushing Yards & 300+ Receiving Yards |
|---|
| Player | Rush Yards | Rec. Yards | 20+ Yd Scrimmage Plays |
| Javorious Allen, USC | 1,010 | 316 | 11 |
| Jay Ajayi, Boise State | 985 | 343 | 12 |
| D.J. Foster, Arizona State | 648 | 424 | 16 |
| Daniel Lasco, CAL | 608 | 304 | 8 |
| Josh Ferguson, Illinois | 518 | 302 | 10 |
•Ferguson has continued to haul in passes at an incredible rate for a running back, snagging 31 receptions in eight games so far this year to stand third on the team. He now has 112 career receptions, just four shy of tying Tim Brewster for 10th on the Illinois career receptions record list. Ty Douthard is the only other running back in the top 10, with 128 career catches.
DUDEK DOES A BIT OF EVERYTHING
Freshman receiver
Mike Dudek has been the perfect complement to Allison this season, as the newcomer from Naperville, Illinois, has posted 42 catches for 639 yards and three touchdowns.
•He ranks 35th in FBS in receiving yards and fourth among freshmen receivers behind Bowling Green's Roger Lewis (706 yards), Penn State's Daesean Hamilton (686) and Baylor's K.D. Cannon (661). He ranks fourth in the Big Ten in receiving yards, receiving yards per game (79.9) and receptions per game (5.3). He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after grabbing four passes for 55 yards and a touchdown against Western Kentucky.
•Dudek needs just 38 receiving yards to break
Arrelious Benn's school record for receiving yards by a freshman (676 in 2007). He needs 13 more receptions to break Benn's record in that category and four more receiving TDs would break David Williams' freshman TD receptions record of six from 1983.
•Dudek ranks third in the nation with 269 fourth-quarter receiving yards and is seventh with 439 yards on 27 catches in the second half and overtime. Dudek's 20 first downs after halftime rank fifth nationally, and he leads FBS with 13 plays of 15-plus yards in the second half and OT. Dudek's 12 first downs in the fourth quarter rank second nationally and his eight plays of 15-plus yards in the fourth quarter lead all FBS players.
DUVERNOIS BOOTING HIS WAY INTO ILLINI RECORD BOOK
•Senior punter Justin DuVernois is having a career year, holding a 45.8 yard-per-punt average through eight games, which ranks seventh nationally and leads the Big Ten. DuVernois' season average of 45.8 currently stands as the best punting season in school history, besting record-holder Steve Weatherford's 2004 campaign by 0.4 yards, and he is tied with Steve Fitts for second on the career punting list at 41.7 ypp.
•For the season, DuVernois has 15 punts over 50 yards, including five over 60 yards and a long of 74. He also has had 12 punts downed inside the 20, including seven inside the opponent's 10 yard line.
•The Plantation, Florida, native was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 27 after averaging 48.7 ypp on nine punts against Minnesota, helping Illinois win the field-position battle. He had a pair of 61-yard boots, pinned Minnesota inside its 20 four times and inside its 10 twice.
•DuVernois booted a career-long 74-yard punt in the first quarter at Nebraska, besting his previous long of 72 against Western Michigan on Sept. 1, 2012. He also had a 72-yard punt at Wisconsin on Oct. 11, pinning the Badgers at their own one yard-line. Fifteen of his 47 punts this season have been over 50 yards.
•DuVernois had a career day against at Washington, booting seven punts with an average of 51.7 yards per kick, the fifth-best single-game average in UI history. He had three punts over 50 yards, a long of 60 and one downed inside the 10-yard line, which set up an Illinois safety.
•DuVernois currently ranks second on Illinois history in career punting average (41.7 ypp), third in career punting yards (9,336) and fifth in career punts (224).
HONORING THE GALLOPING GHOST
•The Fighting Illini football team honored Harold "Red" Grange, the Galloping Ghost, by wearing special "Gray Ghost" alternate uniforms for the Homecoming game on Oct. 25.
•The uniforms honored the 90th anniversary of Grange's historic Homecoming performance against Michigan in the Memorial Stadium dedication game on Oct. 18, 1924. In that game, Grange scored four touchdowns and racked up 262 total yards in the first 12 minutes, then ran for a fifth touchdown and threw for a sixth to lead the Illini to a 39-14 victory in what many consider the greatest performance in CFB history.
UNI-WATCH
Thanks to the Nike rebranding process, the Fighting Illini have all new uniforms for 2014. Illinois wore white helmets for the first time in school history in the season-opener against Youngstown State, going with a white-orange-white combination of helmet, jersey and pants. Then at Washington on Sept. 13, the Illini wore all white uniforms (helmet, jersey, pants) for the first time in school history. At Nebraska on Sept. 27, Illinois broke out its new matte finish orange lids for the first time, and then wore all orange against Purdue on Oct. 4. For the Oct. 11 game at Wisconsin, the blue helmets were broken out for the first time, then on Oct. 25 the "Gray Ghost" alternate uniforms were worn for the first time ever. Below is a chart of what uniform combination the Illini wore in each game this season along with their record in that combination:
| Illini Uniform Combos |
|---|
| Opponent | Result | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Rec in Combo |
| Youngstown State | W, 28-17 | White | Orange | White | 1-0 |
| Western Kentucky | W, 42-34 | White | Orange | White | 2-0 |
| @Washington | L, 19-44 | White | White | White | 0-1 |
| Texas State | W, 42-35 | White | Orange | White | 3-0 |
| @Nebraska | L, 14-45 | Orange | White | Orange | 0-1 |
| Purdue | L, 27-38 | Orange | Orange | Orange | 0-1 |
| @Wisconsin | L, 28-38 | Blue | White | White | 0-1 |
| Minnesota | W, 28-24 | Gray | Gray | Gray | 1-0 |
» Complete Illinois-Ohio State Notes (PDF)
