Football news 05 10 2007

Illini are a work in progress
BY JOHN SUPINIE CHAMPAIGN – Illinois football coach Ron Zook doesn’t want his players listening to all the talk. “We haven’t done anything yet,” Zook said. …

Can Illini pull a 2nd shocker?
By Lindsey Willhite | Daily Herald Staff Known as “Mr. Illini” for his lifelong devotion to his alma mater, Eliot served as Illinois’ head coach for two of …

Illinois and Wisconsin Looking To Take Control of Big Ten
Wisconsin is often overlooked when it comes to the Big Ten conference. Michigan and Ohio State receive so much of the attention that often not much is left …

Oddsmakers pick Illini over Badgers, to the surprise of the Illini

By Stu Durando With each of its past four wins, Illinois has had benefits not seen during the Ron Zook era. By defeating Penn State, the Illini nearly …

Badgers football preview
Coaches: Wisconsin, Bret Bielema, second season (17-1 at Wisconsin and overall); Illinois, Ron Zook, third season (8-20 at Illinois and 31-34 in six seasons …

No. 5 Badgers a surprise underdog
(10-04) 19:24 PDT — What is going on in college football when the No. 5 team in the country, owner of the nation’s longest winning streak, is an underdog …

Illinois’ early-season success builds confidence
By Jack Carey, USA TODAY Confidence, Illinois sophomore quarterback Isiah “Juice” Williams points out, can be a dangerous thing when it’s acquired by a …

College Football – Wisconsin Badgers (+2½) vs Illinois Fighting Illini
The fans at Memorial Stadium will be treated to a game between two of the top rushing teams in the Big Ten, the undefeated Wisconsin Badgers and the …

Five story lines to follow: Wisconsin at Illinois.
Illinois’ fantastic frosh, Arrelious Benn, earned Big Ten special teams player of the week honors for his 90-yard touchdown return in the first quarter last …

Radio: Illini Sports Network
Coaches: Ron Zook, 8-20 in third season at Illinois, 31-34 in sixth year overall; Bret Bielema, 17-1 in second year at Wisconsin and overall. …

High 5: Big Ten showdown
By Teddy Greenstein Is Wisconsin the fifth-best team in the nation or the luckiest 5-0 team in the land? Maybe both. The Badgers’ last three games against …

Illini enjoy hype, but Zook says they haven’t done much yet
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois football fans this week are enjoying something they haven’t experienced in six years — a little hype. …

Badgers are a whole new animal
Chicago Sun-Times, United States - Oct 5, 2007
BY HERB GOULD hgould@suntimes.com By knocking off Penn State 27-20 last week, Illinois put itself in position for an overachieving season. …

TCT’s Inside Take: Wisconsin at Illinois
Members of The Capital Times staff forecast Saturday’s football game between No. 5 Wisconsin (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) and Illinois (4-1, 2-0) at Memorial Stadium …

Badgers head to Illinois
Junior cornerback Allen Langford will have to rebound against Illinois, as he and the Badgers defense try to stop Illinois’ offense. …

Illinois makes leap from conference bottom to giant killer
By Bruce Hooley The guys who build those mammoth casinos out in the Nevada desert have a certain image. Designer suits, silk shirts and the elusive …

Column: Illini might match Wisconsin’s talent
By Daniel Johnson If you asked anyone on campus at the beginning of the year if Illinois football would be 4-1 at this point, tied for first place in the …

Fifth-ranked Badgers Tough Test for Illini
By Jack Lyman The resurgent Fighting Illini football team, uplifted by its big upset of Penn State last week, goes from the frying pan to the fire when the …

FireRonZook.com? Not these days
Ron Zook After two rough seasons in Champaign, former Florida coach has Illinois approaching bowl territory. Prior to this season’s remarkable start by …

Victories allow Zook to stop looking behind
By JOHN SUPINIE CHAMPAIGN – There were tough times in the previous five years for Illinois football coach Ron Zook. Fired two seasons and seven games into …

200th TV Game
Once again, this Saturday, the Wisconsin football game will be shown on national television allowing people throughout the country to watch the No. …

UW has score to settle
By JEFF POTRYKUS Champaign, Ill. – PJ Hill insists he has nothing to prove today against the Illinois defense. PJ Hill spent most of last year’s game …

Dave Lubach column: Illini by 3? Motivation for Badgers
University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema — and many coaches before him — claim to know nothing about point spreads. Still, those same coaches …

UW plays role of underdog
by Ben Voelkel When the Big Ten schedule first came out, many cited the upcoming weekend as a “trap” game of sorts for the University of Wisconsin football …

Oates: Fifth-ranked UW an underdog?
By TOM OATES CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Yes, it’s the year of the underdog in college football, but this latest development is so … well, allow Illinois coach Ron …

Bielema Says He’s Not Frustrated With Defense Heading Into Game
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema wants to be clear about how he feels about his defense that gave up 564 yards against Michigan State on …

Badgers 2 1/2 point underdogs at Illinois
By Bill Scott The 5th ranked Wisconsin Badgers will face Illinois in Champaign on Saturday as an underdog. When the oddsmakers created the early week …

Illini face big challenge in Badgers’ massive offensive line
By Mark Tupper CHAMPAIGN — It often begins as an exciting challenge, jumping into a sumo wrestler pose, pads low, cleats digging into the turf and straining …