For Illinois football fans, it’s been a hard couple of years. But patience breeds reward — at least when you’re being patient with Coach of the Year Ron Zook’s Fighting Illini. The 9–3 team arrived in southern California on Christmas night, beginning a week of preparation (and vacation) before they face off with the seventh-ranked USC Trojans in the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl.
As you settle in front of your flat screen with a bowl of orange and blue nacho chips at your side, keep these five questions in mind. In all likelihood, the answers to these questions will play into the outcome of the game.
1. Is the USC defense quick enough to shut down the Williams–Mendenhall backfield duo?
The initial answer is: Yes. Dubbed by MSNBC/The Sporting News as the 2nd ranked defense in college football (compare that to Illinois at #42), USC’s defenders have the jump and the brains to keep up with — and shut down — Illinois’ offensive game. The trouble for Illinois’ high-paced offense is that USC suits up a swift, lithe defensive unit that knows how to cover plenty of ground in short time. “They may be the fastest defense we’ve ever gone up against,” said Illinois wide receiver Arrelious Benn, adding, “but Ohio State was pretty fast, too.”
Which is true — but Ohio State doesn’t have near the giddy-up that the USC boys boast. Nonetheless, at a press conference on Friday, Nick Holt, USC’s defensive coordinator, told reporters, “It’s a different offense than we’ve seen. There are a lot of receivers, a lot of spread stuff. You have got to defend the whole width of the field and the vertical passing game but on the same token you’ve got to prepare for all the runs and the option so it’s almost like you’re playing against 12 guys because the quarterback is like another running back.” Perhaps this brims with a dose of requisite modesty, but Holt knows what he’s talking about. The question is: Can Illinois leverage its “12-man” offense in a way that leaves the Trojan defenders scratching their helmets? For insight, see number 2.
2. Is the Illinois offense balanced enough to keep USC away from the ball?
On the offensive side of the ball, Illinois’ downside is not a lack of talent; it’s a lack of experience. And maybe it’s this lack of experience that has led the Illini to run the option perhaps more than any other team in the history of college football. In other words, the Illini have a tendency to play a one-dimensional game. On the upside, this persistent approach accounts for the dagger that Illinois landed in the hearts of three ranked Big Ten teams this season (including top-ranked Ohio State), but it’s also to blame for the pitiful loss to Iowa, when the Illini offense refused to adjust in the face of a defense that had figured them out.
By now, the secret behind Illinois’ offensive power is out — and you can bet that Pete Carroll and his rugged defense have been prepping for it for weeks. But Illinois can always turn to the capable hands of Arrelious Benn and Jacob Willis to keep the USC defense from stacking the box. The real question, then, is this: Will Juice Williams’ arm be ready to disperse the ball? And will it be accurate enough early on to keep USC on its heels? If so, the running game will still have legs to be a real weapon in the second half.
3. Will USC’s “home-field advantage” hurt the Illini?
It’s little wonder the Trojans love playing at the Rose Bowl; after all, the historic venue is just up the road from the Coliseum, which guarantees a stadium full of USC loyal. But when the Illini went into the Horseshoe at Ohio State and dropped the number one team in the land, they proved that they are able to keep their poise in the face of genuine hostility and tremendous odds.
And let’s not forget January 4, 2006, the day of the instant-classic Rose Bowl match-up between USC and the Texas Longhorns. As history has it, the favored Trojans fell to a Texas team led by an outstanding rush-happy quarterback. Sound familiar?
4. Will the Illini play like the prom king or like the kid just happy to have a date for the dance?
There’s really no telling until game time, though the media has given us the breadcrumbs that may help us, individually, form our own opinions.
For instance, just after learning of the Rose Bowl bid, coach Ron Zook said, “It hasn’t soaked in yet. The Rose Bowl is hard to get to. There’s a reason why they call it ‘The Granddaddy of them all.’”
And in a blog post Saturday, Illini offensive lineman Xavier Fulton wrote, “People out here [in California] have really been taking great care of us, and we really appreciate it. The activities have been lots of fun, and we’ve taken lots of pictures. We just want to finish up the week right with a victory. Some time I’d like to come back out here when I have plenty of time to enjoy a vacation in California.”
Despite his tourist mentality, Fulton did mention a hunger for victory, and that’s a good sign. If the Illini can wipe the stars from their eyes before they hit the grass at the Rose Bowl, they have a decent shot of catching the Trojans off guard.
5. Will any heavyweight pornography moguls be pulling for the Illini?
Ok, this won’t have much effect on the outcome — especially since Illinois graduate (class of 1949) Hugh Hefner didn’t invite the boys over for a pre-game “pep rally” at the Playboy Mansion, as he did with the Fighting Illini in early 1984. But Hef did recently call the Illini “miracle workers,” and maybe, just maybe, if they down the Trojans they’ll earn themselves an invite to the Mansion. Some may call that motivation.
The Details
2008 Rose Bowl
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini vs. The USC Trojans
Coverage: Starts at 3:30 p.m. on ABC
Kickoff: 4:10 p.m. (CST)