Illini Running Game, Defense A Saving Grace

In a week of heinousness - the Padres don't make the playoffs, the Bolts lose to the Raiders, Tony Gwynn announces he has cancer - the Illini victory in State College was some kinda nice. Zook's boys dominated both sides of the ball on their way to a 33-13 drubbing of Joe Pa and his Nittany Lions.

Props especially go to the defense and the running game. On the D side, Nate Bussey had a choice pick at a key spot early in the 2nd quarter, and the defense as a whole held Penn St. freshman quarterback Robert Bolden to a 38.1 completion percentage. The team also picked up a couple sacks and held Evan Royster, soon to be Penn St.'s all-time leading rusher, to 35 yards on 11 carries.

And the running game was unstoppable. Mikel Leshoure ran 27 times for 119 yards, Nathan Scheelhaase 8 times for 61 yards, Troy Pollard 8 times for 55 yards, and Jason Ford 9 times for 47 yards. Even Bud Golden had a carry, finishing off the game with a 3-yard run. All told the Illini netted 282 yards rushing at 5.2 yards per rush.

Derek Dimke also deserves special mention. He was perfect on field goals in a hostile, "white-out" environment, hitting 4 out of 4 field goals, including a 50-yarder.

Oh and Scheelhaase, a redshirt-freshman starting in his first real road game, completed 15 of 19 passes for 151 yards and no picks. Clutch.

Many thanks to the Illini for doing their part to save the week.

S-S-S Signing Day!

Way to get r dun today, Zook! Signing day always measures an 11 on the stress-chter scale but I get the sense its one of your favorite days of the year.

You're so cool.

All in all the class seems strong, albeit not spectacular. It would have been nice to top off the class with a 5-star like, say, Jelani Jenkins, but I'm not complaining. As I look over the class I see a lot of guys who look like "football players." They're talented sure, but maybe not so talented that they'll arrive in Champaign and coast. They look like guys who have a little something to prove.

They look like guys with a little bit of hunger.

Here are the main storylines I see with this class:

1. Terry Hawthorne. Getting Hawthorne in the fold was huge. Some experts say he might start opposite Arrelious as early as next September. At a minimum it will be interesting to watch the built-in rivalry with his high-school teammate, Kraig Appleton, who bailed on the Illini for the 'Sconsin Badgers.

2. Nathan Scheelhaase. By my count, now that Nathan has signed, the Illini have four stud quarterbacks on the roster: Nathan, Juice Williams, Eddie McGee and Jacob Charest. I like the way you operate, Zook.

3. Defensive Linemen. Craig Drummond and Tank Carradine were notable drop outs from the class in the last week but I still like what I see here. Lendell Buckner reeks of studlydom, and Michael Buchanan was a choice last-minute addition when he picked the Illini over the Annoilermakers. Not to mention Akeem Spence and Tim Kynard, two guys who I get the feeling fell under the radar but will bloom in college.

4. Running Backs. Bud Golden and the coup of the day, Justin Green. Me likey. Golden seems like an athletic, do-everything back that can make plays, not to mention he has an awesome name. And Green is an absolute speedster who might also run track at Illinois when he's not galloping toward the end zone on Saturday afternoons in the Fall. I sense good things from these two guys.

There are a few more stories with this class, but I'll leave it at that for now. Can't wait to see these guys at Camp Rantoul.