Sept. 8, 2014
Beckman Press Conference: Video | Quotes
Monday Interviews: OC Cubit | DC Banks | QB Lunt | WR Hardee | DB Barton
OPENING KICK
•The 2-0 Fighting Illini will hit the road for the first time in 2014 this Saturday, Sept. 13, when they head to Seattle to face the 2-0 Washington Huskies (1 p.m. PT/3 CT on FOX).
•Illinois has had to mount two fourth-quarter comebacks en route to its 2-0 start. The Illini trailed Youngstown State 9-7 after three quarters before ripping off 21 fourth quarter points to win going away, 28-17. Then against Western Kentucky, the Illini trailed 27-21 entering the fourth before scoring 21 straight on the way to the 42-34 victory. It is the first time Illinois has executed consecutive fourth-quarter comeback wins since the 2001 season. The Illini last did so against Penn State (Nov. 10, 2001) and Ohio State (Nov. 17, 2001).
•Sophomore quarterback Wes Lunt followed up the best QB debut in school history (285 passing yards, four TDs vs. YSU) with an even better performance against Western Kentucky. Lunt nearly broke the Memorial Stadium passing record with 456 yards in the win over WKU, just six yards shy of Juice Williams' stadium record from 2008, and also added three more touchdowns to bring his season total to seven.
•Lunt has been nearly perfect in the fourth quarter while leading Illinois back-to-back comeback wins. Lunt is 19-of-22 for 309 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions, good for an FBS-best 264.34 fourth-quarter efficiency rating (min. 10 att.). He also leads the nation in fourth quarter passing yards (309) and completion percentage (86.4 - min. 10 att.).
•Lunt and WR Mike Dudek both took home Big Ten honors after the WKU win. Lunt was named Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his big day against the Hilltoppers, while Dudek earned Freshman of the Week honors after catching four passes for 55 yards and a TD, giving the true-frosh a TD in each of his first two games.
•Sophomore FS Taylor Barton took an interception 77 yards to the house against WKU, the first interception return for a touchdown by an Illini since Ashante Williams vs. Western Michigan on Sept. 1, 2012. Barton's pick six extended Illinois' lead to 35-27, as the Illini scored 14 points in the first 4:45 of the fourth quarter.
•The Fighting Illini have been excellent on third down in 2014, converting 17-of-28 third-down attempts (61 percent), which ranks ninth nationally and second in the Big Ten. Illinois has been especially good on fourth-quarter third downs, converting 7-of-8 times in the final stanza (5-of-5 vs. YSU, 2-of-3 vs. WKU)
•Illinois has streaks of 63 games and 184 attempts without missing a PAT kick, which both rank as the third-longest active streaks in the nation. The Illini's last missed PAT kick was on Sept. 5, 2009, against Missouri.
•Thirteen (13) players have made their Illini debuts this season: three true-freshmen (Mike Dudek, Paul James III, Malik Turner), one redshirt-freshman (Nathan Echard), one sophomore (Michael Martin), one senior (Davontay Kwaaning) and seven transfers (Geronimo Allison, Clayton Fejedelem, Joe Fotu, Dallas Hinkhouse, Wes Lunt, Carroll Phillips, Jihad Ward).
•Nineteen (19) former Illini were on NFL opening-day rosters, tied for sixth-most among the 14 Big Ten teams.
LUNT'S FAST START ONE FOR THE AGES
•Sophomore quarterback Wes Lunt has started his Illini career in impressive fashion, recording both the best debut and best first two games by an Illini signal-caller in school history. He completed 24-of-38 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in the opener against Youngstown State, then connected on 35-of-50 passes for 456 yards, one interception and three scores against Western Kentucky.
•Lunt's 456-yard performance against WKU ranks second on the all-time Memorial Stadium passing yardage list, just six yards shy of the stadium-record 462 yards set by Juice Williams vs. Minnesota (Oct. 11, 2008). Lunt's performance stands fourth, meanwhile, on the Illini all-time single-game passing yardage list.
•Lunt's aerial display vs. WKU also broke his previous career high of 436 yards set during his true-freshman season at Oklahoma State (at Arizona on Sept. 8, 2012). And Lunt recorded the longest pass of his career against the 'Toppers, a 62-yard TD strike to Justin Hardee.
•Lunt's 285 yards in the season-opener out-paced the 257 that Eddie McGee threw for against Missouri in 2007 after entering in relief of an injured Juice Williams, which was the previous high-water mark for an Illini QB's debut.
•Lunt's 741 yards and seven TDs in the first two games obliterate the previous records, as Tony Eason posted 498 yards in his first two starts and three QBs (Nathan Scheelhaase, Jason Verduzco and Jack Trudeau) shared the record for TDs with three.
•Lunt was named the starter on Aug. 21, beating out senior Reilly O'Toole and sophomore Aaron Bailey in an offseason competition to replace four-year starter and UI all-time total offense record holder Nathan Scheelhaase.
•Lunt started five games at Oklahoma State in 2012 before transferring to Illinois during the summer of 2013 and redshirting last season. He completed 81-of-131 passes (61.8 percent) for 1,108 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions in six games at OSU.
WASHINGTON SERIES NOTES
•Washington leads the all-time series with the Illini by a 6-4 margin after beating the Orange and Blue 34-24 at Chicago's Soldier Field in 2013, the teams' lone meeting since 1972. The two programs are 2-2 in games played in Champaign, while Washington holds a 3-1 margin in Seattle. The Illini notched a 17-7 win in the 1964 Rose Bowl.
ILLINOIS AGAINST THE PAC-12
•Illinois has split its last four meetings against Pac-12 teams: beating Arizona State 17-14 on Sept. 17, 2011, and beating UCLA 20-14 in the 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, while falling 34-24 to Washington in Chicago in 2013 and 45-14 to ASU in Tempe in 2012. The 2011 victory over the Sun Devils was the Orange and Blue's first win over a current Pac-12 team since Sept. 1, 2001, when they won at California, 44-17. Illinois is 4-7 in its last 11 meetings with Pac-12 foes.
•The Illini are 29-47 all-time against current Pac-12 teams and 11-21 in games at Pac-12 opponents' home fields. Illinois is 14-22 all-time in games played in the Pacific time zone. The Orange and Blue have faced 10 Pac-12 teams in the last 14 years, dating back to 2000. That's the most of any other conference, narrowly surpassing Illinois' nine meetings with Mid-American Conference foes over that span.
•Illinois head coach Tim Beckman is 1-3 against current Pac-12 teams, beating Colorado in 2009 (when they were in the Big 12), losing to Arizona in 2010, Arizona State in 2012 and Washington in 2013.
•Illinois hasn't won a non-conference regular-season road game since 2007, when they notched a 41-20 victory at Syracuse, but have played only two true road games during that span (at Arizona State in 2012 and at Fresno State in 2010) in addition to five neutral-site games (Washington in 2013, Missouri in 2008, '09 and '10, and Western Michigan in 2008).
•Over the last 17 years (Beckman, Zook and Turner eras), Illinois is 4-9 in true non-conference road games during the regular season. And the Illini are 6-24 in non-conference regular-season road games since 1980. Twelve of those contests have been against Pac-12 teams, with Illinois going 2-10 in regular-season games at Pac-12 opponents since 1980.
CUBIT KEEPS ILLINI `O' CLIMBING
The Illinois offense made huge improvements in 2013 under OC Bill Cubit and continues to make strides in several areas in 2014. The Illini jumped at least 50 spots in the national rankings from 2012 to 2013 in first downs, passing offense, long scrimmage plays, total offense, passing efficiency and scoring offense, with the biggest move a 95-place jump in first downs per game. The passing game has gone up another notch in 2014.
| Illinois' Offensive Improvement Under Cubit |
|---|
| Category | 2012 (Nat'l Rk) | 2013 (Nat'l Rk) | 2014 (Nat'l Rk) |
| Passing Offense (ypg) | 138.83 (107) | 287.7 (22) | 370.5 (8) |
| Scrim. plays of 20+ yd | 34 (122) | 64 (44) | 12 (23) |
| Passing Efficiency | 113.42 (102) | 140.63 (35) | 161.75 (24) |
| Scoring Offense (ppg) | 16.67 (119) | 29.7 (61) | 35.0 (52) |
| Total Offense (ypg) | 296.67 (119) | 426.7 (46) | 441.5 (62) |
| First Downs (per game) | 16.4 (120) | 24.0 (25) | 21.0 (71) |
FOURTH-QUARTER MAGIC
Illinois has had eight comeback wins since 2001 when trailing after three quarters. Two of those eight have come in the first two games this season.
| Illinois Fourth Quarter Comebacks (since 2001) |
|---|
| Date | Opponent | Trailed (entering 4th) | Final Score | QB |
| 9/6/2014 | Western Kentucky | 27-21 | 42-34 | Lunt |
| 8/30/2014 | Youngstown State | 9-7 | 28-17 | Lunt |
| 10/1/2011 | Northwestern | 28-17 | 38-35 | Scheelhaase |
| 9/3/2005 | Rutgers | 27-10 | 33-30 (OT) | Brasic |
| 11/6/2004 | Indiana | 22-14 | 26-22 | Beutjer |
| 11/17/2001 | at Ohio State | 22-21 | 34-22 | Kittner |
| 11/10/2001 | Penn State | 21-14 | 33-28 | Kittner |
| 9/8/2001 | Northern Illinois | 6-3 | 17-12 | Kittner |
BENTLEY PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF
•Junior cornerback/kick returner V'Angelo Bentley has already shown why he's a preseason candidate for the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the most versatile player in major college football. Bentley is averaging 26.4 yards on seven kick returns this season, including a 67-yard return in the second quarter of the YSU victory to setup the first Illini score. He ranks third in the nation in combined kick returns with 210 kick and punt return yards. On defense he has tallied 13 tackles, a PBU and a fumble recovery.
•Bentley was one of the top return men in the country in 2013, leading the Big Ten in punt return average (15.8 ypr) and becoming the first Illini ever to return a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in one season. He had a 100-yard kickoff return against Southern Illinois and a 67-yard punt return against Ohio State.
FERGUSON A DUAL THREAT
•Junior running back Josh Ferguson, a preseason Doak Walker Award candidate, has 132 yards from scrimmage in the first two games (74 rushing, 58 receiving) and has found the end zone both on the ground and through the air this season.
•Ferguson ranks second on Illinois' career receiving yardage list for a running back. He has 858 career receiving yards, which trails only Ty Douthard's 1,250 yards from 1993-96.
•Ferguson had a breakout year on the ground in 2013, rushing for a team-high 779 yards and seven touchdowns, but he might have been more dangerous catching passes out of the backfield. He caught 50 passes for 535 yards, the second-most by a running back in the nation, and added four more TDs through the air last season. His 112.6 all-purpose yards per game ranked ninth in the Big Ten.
•In 2013, Ferguson broke Kameno Bell's Illinois record for single-season receiving yards by a running back. His 535 receiving yards surpassed Bell's total of 503 yards from 1991.
TOUGH SLATE AWAITS ILLINI IN 2014
•Illinois faces a formidable schedule in 2014, as four opponents were ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 - and all four of those games are on the road in the first eight weeks of the season. Illinois travels to Washington (No. 25 in preseason poll and currently receiving votes) on Sept. 13 as the return game for last year's meeting at Soldier Field in Chicago, visits Nebraska (No. 22 in preseason poll, currently RV) on Sept. 27 for the Huskers' Homecoming game under the lights, travels to Wisconsin (No. 14 in preseason poll, currently No. 18) on Oct. 11 and heads to Ohio State (No. 5 in preseason poll, currently No. 22) for a prime-time meeting with the Buckeyes on Nov. 1. Michigan and Rutgers are the only other Big Ten teams to face more than two preseason Top-25 teams on the road, as they each visit three ranked opponents.
•Based on opponent winning percentage from 2013, the Fighting Illini's schedule ranks second in the Big Ten and No. 21 nationally. Illinois' foes combined for a 59.6 winning percentage (90-61) last season, with all four non-conference opponents winning at least six games. Only Rutgers' 62.6 opponent winning percentage (97-58), which ties for ninth-toughest in the nation, is stronger among Big Ten teams.
KARRAS CONTINUES FAMILY'S B1G LEGACY
Junior offensive lineman Ted Karras started at right guard in the first two games of 2014, giving him 24 career starts. If that name seems familiar, that's because it's familial. Karras is the seventh member of his family to play football in the Big Ten, including his great-uncle, Alex, who was a four-time Pro Bowler before starting an acting career that resulted in a starring role in the 1980s sitcom "Webster." In addition, his grandfather, Ted, played at Indiana; his father, Ted Jr. - now the coach at Division II Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio - played at Northwestern; his great-uncle, Paul, played at Iowa; his great-uncle, Lou, played at Purdue; and his uncle, Tony, played at Northwestern.
WARD MAKING THE MOST OF OPPORTUNITY
Junior defensive end Jihad Ward earned starting duty in Illinois' first two games after projected starter Kenny Nelson was sidelined with an injury prior to the Illini's opener against Youngstown State. Ward has produced immediately, notching 10 tackles, 1.5 TFLs - including a half-sack - forcing a fumble and posting a QB hurry in his first two career games. His half-sack came at a key point in the Western Kentucky game, as he and Dawuane Smoot combined to force a fumble by WKU QB Brandon Doughty in the fourth quarter. V'Angelo Bentley scooped it up and the Illini scored five plays later to seal their second victory of 2014.
Ward has an interesting story, as one of five children of a single mother who had him at the age of 17 - the reason he wears No. 17 on the field. A receiver and safety in high school, Ward hit a growth spurt during his senior year and moved to defensive line. He went to Globe Institute of Technology in Manhattan, taking on the role of big brother to the teammates he lived with in Staten Island. He helped the group navigate the two-hour journey to Globe's campus near Times Square via bus, ferry, train and foot every day, often leaving their housing at 4 a.m. and not returning home until as late as 11:30 p.m. Ward posted 10 sacks in two seasons at Globe Tech, earning recognition as the No. 2 junior college defensive tackle by 247sports in 2013.
TRANSFER U
•For the second-straight season, Illinois welcomes six junior college transfers to the roster. In 2014, WR Geronimo Allison, WR Raphael Barr, DL Joe Fotu, LEO Carroll Phillips, WR Tyrin Stone-Davis and DL Jihad Ward all will look to make an immedate impact. Allison and Ward both started the opener against Youngstown State, while Fotu and Phillips saw significant time. That sextet will try to follow in the footsteps of six JC transfers who made a big impact in 2013 - WR Martize Barr, DL Abe Cajuste, STAR Eric Finney, TE Dallas Hinkhouse TE Trevor Kanteman and DB Zane Petty. All but Hinkhouse and Kanteman, who both redshirted, contributed on the field last season.
•In addition to the junior college transfers, three traditional transfers are expected to impact this season after sitting out 2013 due to NCAA rules. Starting QB Wes Lunt, who came to Illinois after starting as a true-freshman at Oklahoma State, is the most notable, but transfers DB Clayton Fejedelem (St. Xavier University), who saw action against WKU, and WR Zach Grant (St. Ambrose University/Northern Illinois University) also could contribute in 2014.
LINEBACKER U, IT'S NOT WHERE YOU THINK IT IS
•Like many Illini teams over the years, the 2014 Illini defense will be led by the linebacking corps of senior STAR Earnest Thomas III, junior Mason Monheim, a 2014 Butkus Award candidate, and sophomore T.J. Neal Jr., a potential breakout player in 2014. The trio has combined for 47 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, two PBUs, one sack and a QB hurry in the first two games. Monheim, a preseason Butkus Award candidate, has racked up 21 tackles in the first two games, which ranks third in the Big Ten (10.5 tpg) and 28th nationally.
•Thomas was Illinois' leading returning tackler from 2013, as he made 101 stops last season as a safety. This year, he moves closer to the line of scrimmage as a STAR, a linebacker/safety hybrid. Monheim has piled up 204 tackles, 12.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks in his first two-plus seasons. He earned second-team freshman All-America honors in 2012 after becoming the first true-freshman ever to lead the Illini in tackles.
•Illinois' history at the linebacker position is up there with any program in the nation. It begins with the greatest linebacker in football history, Dick Butkus, who was a two-time All-American and led the Fighting Illini to a 1964 Rose Bowl win over Washington. The Orange and Blue boast two Butkus Award winners, Dana Howard in 1994 and Kevin Hardy in 1995, and several other first-team All-Americans like Darrick Brownlow (1990), Simeon Rice (1994 & `95) and J Leman (2007), not to mention current NFL players Martez Wilson (Cowboys) and Jonathan Brown (Cardinals).
NEW LOOK FOR THE FIGHTING ILLINI
Illinois athletics completed a large-scale, 18-month brand evaluation program with Nike in 2014. The collaboration began in January 2013 and resulted in an updated brand and identity system starting in 2014-15, including logos, marks, uniforms, equipment, lettering, numerals and consistent colors for all 19 Fighting Illini sports, including football, and the Division of Intercollegiate as a whole. The rebranding was unveiled on April 16, 2014, at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Get a look at the new Fighting Illini identity here: http://www.fightingillini.com/identity.
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. 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 |
OFFENSIVE NOTES
•Illinois scored 21 points in the fourth quarter of each of the first two games this season, equaling the most points scored in the final quarter in 32 years since putting up 22 points on Oct. 2, 1982, at Minnesota. The Illini have posted 21 points in the fourth quarter 10 times since 1982.
•After accounting for 146 yards on nine receptions in the season-opener against Youngstown State, wide receiver newcomers Geronimo Allison, Mike Dudek, and Malik Turner combined for 18 catches and 208 yards against WKU. Through two games, the trio has accounted for 45.7 percent of Illinois' receptions (27 of 59) and 47.7 percent of Illinois' receiving yards.
•The 62-yard TD strike from Lunt to WR Justin Hardee in the fourth quater vs. WKU was the Illini's longest play from scrimmage since a 72-yard TD pass from Nathan Scheelhaase to Ryan Lankford vs. Washington (Sept. 14, 2013). Along with catching his first career touchdown pass, Hardee set career highs for both receptions (6) and receiving yardage (110) in the game.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
•Before facing Illinois on Sept. 6, WKU had scored a touchdown in nine consecutive quarters, which was the third-longest streak in the nation. The Fighting Illini defense ended the streak in the first quarter.
•The Illini defense took over in the second half against WKU, holding the Hilltoppers to 76 yards on its first five offensive drives of the half. On those five drives, WKU went three-and-out, was held to a field goal after getting a turnover deep in Illinois territory, had an interception returned for a touchdown, punted after a four-play drive and lost a fumble.
•Against WKU, Illinois had three takeaways (two fumbles, one interception) in a game for the first time since Sept. 22, 2012, when it recovered three fumbles against Louisiana Tech. The total equals the most takeaways since notching four in the season opener against Western Michigan on Sept. 1, 2012, a stretch of 25 games.
• Illinois held Youngstown State and Western Kentucky to just 12-of-35 on third downs (34.3 percent).
•Sophomore DB Taylor Barton tallied a career-high 13 tackles Youngstown State, including two touchdown-saving stops where he ran down a receiver from behind. He followed that up with eight tackles and accounted for two turnovers against WKU. In the first half, Barton forced a fumble that the Illini recovered, then, in the fourth quarter, Barton made the biggest play of the game with a 77-yard interception return for a touchdown.
•Junior LB Mason Monheim got off to a fast start to 2014 with 14 tackles against Youngstown State. The 2014 Butkus Award preseason candidate currently stands 10th on the FBS tackles per game active career leaders list with 7.85 and is the Big Ten's active career leader ahead of Northwestern's Ibraheim Cmapbell (7.03 tpg). He is tied for third in the Big Ten and 28th nationally in tackles per game in 2014 (10.5).
125 YEARS OF ILLINOIS FOOTBALL
•Illinois is celebrating its 125th football season in 2014. Numerous festivities to welcome former players, coaches and staff back to campus, including a reunion, are planned for the weekend of Oct. 4, when the Fighting Illini host Purdue. UI's first football season was in 1890.
GAME CAPTAINS
The coaching staff designates different team captains for each game week throughout the season. Here is a list of this year's game captains:
Youngstown State - OL Ted Karras, LB Mason Monheim, QB Reilly O'Toole, DL Austin Teitsma
Western Kentucky - DB V'Angelo Bentley, TE Jon Davis, OL Michael Heitz, STAR Earnest Thomas III
Complete Illinois-Washington Game Notes (PDF)
