Illinois Fighting Illini Football

San Francisco, here come the Illini. The Illinois faithful have seen this season extended by one game as the Illini have been selected to play UCLA in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on December 31st.

This will be the first appearance for the Illini in this bowl and their fourth bowl game against the Bruins, most recently a 6-3 loss in the 1991 Sun Bowl.

UCLA will be making their second appearance in this bowl (in 2006) is currently on a two-game losing streak, losing three out of their last four. Illinois and UCLA have played 11 times; the Bruins holding a 6-5 edge.

University of Illinois

While it will be too lateto add to his chances to get the head coaching position, interim coach Vic Koenning will try to lead the Illini to their first back-to-back bowl wins and avoid being the first FBS team to end their season on a seven-game losing streak after starting 6-0.

The Illini wrapped up bowl eligibility back on October 8th with at 41-20 win at Indiana. Since then, the Illini offense has struggled mightily. First-half scoring was a key problem for the Illini during their losing streak as they only scored 17 points in the last six contests. This is in stark contrast to the first six games where the Illini averaged 18.2 points.

The Illini offense averaged 179 yards less a contest with the passing game dropping 59 yards a game and 120 less yards rushing. The ability to figure out the option, stop the run and cover A.J. Jenkins led to a significant amount of frustration for Paul Petrino's offense.

Vic Koenning's defense was a mixed bag in the second half of the season. They saw its total yards allowed improve by 10 yards a game. As the Illini faced teams with better running games (Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota), they struggled to stop the ground game, giving up 185.7 yards a contest over the last six, which was 106 yards worse than the first six games.

During this same time, the defense made their opponent's passing game irrelevant, giving up only 101.2 yards a contest. Most impressive was the effort the defense had against Russell Wilson (90 yards passing), who has proven to be one of the best signal-callers in the conference this season.

UCLA

Head coach Rick Neuheisel was fired prior to the the Pac-12 title game. Like the Illini, the Bruins will be coached by an interim coach. According to the Washington Post, offensive coordinator Mike Johnson will lead them in their bowl effort. 

The Bruins initially wrapped up bowl eligibility following a 45-6 win over Colorado on November 19th. However, because of their loss in the Pac-12 championship, UCLA had to get special permission from the NCAA to take part in the a bowl game. This bowl game will have the distinction of being the first with the teams having a combined 13 losses.

The offensive attack that is led by junior QB Kevin Prince. The Bruins have a balanced offense, averaging 198.1 ypg passing and 190.7 ypg rushing. Like the Illini's quarterback, Prince is active in the running game, being the teams third-leading rusher with 455 yards on 110 carries. Senior WR Nelson Rosario is Prince's big-play target, pulling in 61 catches for 1106 yards.

Defense is a weak spot for the Bruins. They give up 32.2 points per contest, which ranks 96th.  Additionally, UCLA has shown that they can be beaten by both the air and the ground. In the Pac-12 title game, they gave up 352 yards rushing. In their showdown with USC, they allowed 423 yards passing.

Keys to the Game

Illinois will win if...they channel their inner Washington Sentinels (of The Replacements) and realize that to come back from the last six weeks they are “gonna need heart.” Over the past six games, the team lost its passion despite being a team that showed throughout the season that they could compete and play good defense.

However, it seems as the losses mounted, the team lost their love for the game and stopped believing in the offense. Coach Koenning needs to develop a solid game plan, focusing on using ONE quarterback and make sure to focus on the things that led to the 6-0 start.

The offense starts with QB Nathan Scheelhaase. He needs to feel comfortable in the pocket and get back to being the dual-threat QB that led them to their fast start. While it's important to develop Riley O'Toole, the switching in and out is taking away momentum and creating frustration for Scheelhaase if one watches his play. For this game, Paul Petrino's offense has to be all in with No. 2 to succeed.

Another key player who will have to find September versions of himself is A.J Jenkins. During the first six games, Jenkins averaged 135.8 yards per game receiving. During the losing streak, that number was cut by more than half as he averaged only 63.5 yards a contest. Defenses have focused in on him, but if he is truly among the conferences elite receivers, he will need to work on getting separation and catching the passes headed his way. 

UCLA will win if...Defensive Coordinator Joe Tresey figures out how to get pressure on QB Nathan Scheelhaase and can contain A.J. Jenkins. Offensively, the Bruins need to figure out to stop first team Big Ten DE Whitney Mercilus. Mercilus, who has been named one of six finalists for the Ted Hendricks Award, has 14.5 sacks and has nine forced fumbles.

Prediction

Illinois breaks their six-game slide and finishes 7-6 with a 17-14 win over UCLA.

Here's to 2011-12 being better for the next head coach and the Illini fanbase.

Bachelor's degree required. Minimum of five years coaching experience required; Division I level preferred. Knowledge of, and compliance with, specific NCAA, Big Ten Conference and institutional rules that relate to this position is required.

Those are the requirements that the Illini are looking for in their next head football coach according to their job posting on HigherEdJobs.com. The biggest concern about the posting is that the position is open until December 6. According to the News-Gazette's Julie Wurth, the December 6 deadline is an expedited deadline in accordance to the University of Illinois human resource policies.

While other institutions are seeking out candidates, those who are interested in the job with the Illini have to follow the following procedure laid out in the HigherEdJobs.com posting: Applications not submitted through the University of Illionis job website will not be considered. Candidates must upload a letter of application and resume. Online applications will require the names and contact information for three references.

What does this mean? While those wanting the Illini position are calling potential references to apply,  other schools are moving past the orange and blue. Washington State fired Paul Wulff Tuesday, and the Cougars introduced Mike Leach as their new head man today. A coach interested in the Illini position is working on their cover letter, and Arizona State is trying to woo Houston coach Kevin Sumlin.

With each day that passes, more and more openings will come up, and unlike the University of Illinois, most are not tied by policy and procedure that will allow candidates to slip through their hands like a mishandled snap. So even off the field, the Illini are fumbling away the game.

Next week, the Illini will have to launch their hurry-up offense to catch up in the coaching game. Hopefully, it will not fall short like the Illini this season.

Bob Asmussen of The New-Gazette is reporting that Ron Zook has been fired. An official announcement is expected later today.

Zook was considered to be on the hot seat entering this season. In fact, his performance was one of the five worst in the Big Ten since Penn State joined the league in 1993.

Since 1993, the Illini have struggled, with their last three coaches posting a winning percentage below .450. Winning may not be a part of the Illini football pedigree, but the head coaching job is a position that is desirable as it is in a premier conference with an athletic administration looking for a fresh start. 

Here's a look at some coaches that could step in and lead the program next year:

Chris Petersen

Petersen is the head coach at Boise State. Prior to that, he had served as offensive coordinator at Boise State for five seasons. Petersen has led the Broncos to six straight seasons with at least 10 wins and has had two undefeated seasons on his way to a 71-6 mark.

In 2010, the Idaho Board of Education approved a five-year deal worth approximately $1.6 million per year. With this being the case, he could be had for a salary that would be in line with some of the recent conference hires. 

Gary Patterson

Patterson is currently the head coach at Texas Christian University. Prior to assuming the reigns in 2000, he served as the defensive coordinator at TCU and New Mexico. He has led the Horned Frogs to seven straight winning seasons and to an undefeated season in 2010. 

According to USA Today, Patterson is making just over $2 million this season, so the Illini would have to move past the $1.75 million that Zook was paid this season.

Mike Leach

Leach is currently an announcer for CBS College Sports Network. Prior to this, he served as the head coach of Texas Tech University. He led the Red Raiders to a 84-43 record and 10 straight bowl games. 

Leach's name has been thrown about for several positions recently, including the University of Arizona and the potential opening at Washington State University. Despite the interest in this offensive-minded coach, there are concerns about past controversies, including an outburst regarding Big 12 officials and inappropriate approach to addressing the concussion suffered by Adam James.

Moving Forward

Over the upcoming weeks, Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas will have a lot to consider as he will be making his first significant hire since taking the job in August. The Illini faithful are hopeful for change, as .500 ball and below is just not enough. 

So who do you think should be the next head man at Illinois? 

The Badgers have had their way on the ground throughout much of the first half. For the remainder of the game, the Illini need to step up their run D and lock down on RB Montee Ball. The Badger RB has had over two touchdowns in every game this season and Illinois must keep an eye on him in the red zone. 

Take Chances on Offense

The Illini need to continue to roll the dice and play like they have nothing to lose. They should keep switching up their play call, perhaps lining up QB Nathan Scheelhaase as WR or running reverses to WR A.J. Jenkins. 

Keeping the Badgers on their heels will be key to completing this upset. 

Constant Pressure

Illinois needs to continue to bring a variety of pressure on Badgers QB Russell Wilson in the second half. If the Illini can keep unloading pressure from all over the field, look for Wilson to be forced into ugly throws that their talented DBs can make plays on.  

Jason Ford on the Outside

The Illini need to get RB Jason Ford on the perimeter in the second half. Ford has not been successful running through the middle like a power back, but he does have the quickness and athleticism to make plays on the outside. Illinois should try to get him involved in some sweeps or screens in the second half. 

Turn out the lights Illini fans, the party's over.

After last Saturday's 31-14 loss to Michigan, the Illini have now dropped four straight games after starting the season with six straight victories. Not only that, but with the way they are playing there is a good chance that they will finish the season with six straight losses and end up at 6-6, which would be the same record as last year.

It's been a tale of two seasons for the Illini as they have been finding ways to lose games after finding ways to win them in their first six contests.

Most of the blame lies with the offense who has failed to score a single point in the first half of all four losses, and has only put up 42 points overall during that span.

I'm not going to lie, it's been nauseating to watch the Illini defense play solid almost every week, only to have the offense do absolutely nothing to help them out. 

It's as if Ron Zook and offensive coordinator Paul Petrino have absolutely no game plan every week. They continue to come out flat, run the same predictable plays, do nothing and expect their defense to somehow bail them out.

Here's an idea, maybe draw up a passing play that goes to someone other than A.J. Jenkins. I know the guy is an All-American, but I think the opposing defenses may have figured out the plan of throwing it to him on every play. 

The return game on special teams has also been abysmal. The Illini have had 12 punt returns in Big Ten play this season for a total of 20 yards, which pencils out to less than two yards per return for those of you that have difficulty with math.

Really, not even two yards per return? I'm pretty sure that you could trip and fall forward for at least three yards—that is just hard to believe. 

And they aren't any better on kickoff returns, where they rank last in the conference in yards per return at 13.9.

When your team is already having trouble moving the ball and scoring points, and then you add to that a non-existent return game, then what you get is one tired defense.

The Illini defense—which still leads the Big Ten allowing only 289 yards per game in conference play—has been great all year, but they just haven't gotten any help.

Honestly, Illinois could realistically be 10-0 at this point in the season had they gotten anything offensively over the past four games, but instead they sit at 6-4 and have become completely insignificant.

It's just been tough to watch—and at this point I don't know how many people are going to be watching anymore.

Does anyone honestly think that Illinois has a shot to beat Wisconsin this Saturday? I'm guessing not.

If they somehow manage to win their last two games, they will have a chance at a decent bowl game with a record of 8-4.

However, more realistic thinking has the Illini finishing at 7-5 or 6-6, and if that's the case nobody really cares what bowl they go to.

Yes, they will be headed to back to back bowl games for the first time in 20 years, but it could have been so much more.

Let the "Fire Ron Zook" campaign begin.

It's time for me to switch over to basketball season.

Illinois linebacker Trulon Henry was shot in the hand at a party near the campus and is going to miss the rest of the 2011 season. 

According to a report from Bob Asmussen in the Champaign News-Gazette, Henry only went to the party to help players get home because it was getting out of control, and he was shot.

Members of the Illinois football were at the party when a fight broke out. One of the players called Henry to have him help get the players away from the scene. Shots were fired into the crowd and Henry was hit in the hand.

Henry has been one of the best and most inspirational stories in a season that has been riddled with scandals. He has worked hard to rehabilitate his image and life after serving five years in prison for his role in robbing a Washington grocery store. 

Stu Durando of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch did a feature story on Henry and his path to redemption earlier this year. It was not easy for him to get onto a college football team after serving time in prison. 

Upon release, he wanted to pursue college football. But he found that many schools didn't embrace the idea of taking a player with a criminal record. Then Henry was given a chance at the College of DuPage, a junior college in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

At one time considered a marginal junior college talent, Henry played his way into a scholarship in Champaign. He visited his half-brother, Arrelious Benn, repeatedly while at DuPage. He is now expected to start at safety for the Illini.

Henry will now miss the rest of the season, but the injury is not considered to be life-threatening. He will have surgery on Sunday. 

Head coach Ron Zook will address the media via teleconference this afternoon. 

1. Get on Robinson

Denard Robinson is by far the most dangerous person on the Wolverines offense. He isn't a huge threat through the air, but can still make some things happen. Where he's most dangerous is breaking off runs either on designed scrambles or making something out of broken plays. 

The Illinois defense really needs to key in on him, or they are going to get beat. Robinson already ran in two touchdowns in the first half, and allowing him to do more damage is going to slowly drain the blood from this Illini team. Have a linebacker spying on him the whole time.

2. Protect Scheelhasse

The Michigan defense comes in ranked sixth in the nation overall, and for good reason. They need to get Nathan Scheelhaase time in the pocket so he can either find time to hit an open man or make a play with his legs. He's very dangerous in both aspects.

As most quarterbacks do, Scheelhaase gets a little skittish when pressured in the pocket. The only difference is he's one of the guys who can turn it into a positive gain with his running ability. If the Illinois offensive line can make sure to create a safe pocket around their star QB, he'll have a chance to make some big plays.

3. Bust Out Jenkins

A.J. Jenkins has already been targeted around 10 times in the first half. He's the most explosive weapon they have, and even this solid Wolverines defense will not be able to stop him all game. They need to continue to go to him, and design a play that gets him a little space from the DBs.

Illinois has the dual-threat ability of Scheelhaase at QB, but they need him to have a partner in crime in the passing game if they want to put up enough points to come back and win. Jenkins is that guy. Get him loose on a couple plays and take a shot. See what happens. It could be the break they need.

4. Keep the Momentum

In any college football game, home-field advantage is huge. The Illini need to keep the crowd on its feet, screaming. To do that, they must stay close, and not let this Michigan offense run them down. On the flip side, they need to put together some big drives when they have the ball.

The last thing Illinois wants to do in this must-win game is let the wind out of those sails and allow Michigan to steal all the momentum. Coming out strong in the second half will be absolutely key to climbing back into this game. The deficit right now is not unbearable.

5. Stuff the Run

This should go without saying. Even if you've been living under a rock, you know that Michigan beats you with their legs. Robinson, Fitzgerald Toussaint and the rest of their rushing attack is really quick and really tough. So the Illini need to force Robinson to beat them with his arm.

And considering his arm really isn't that accurate, this strategy should allow Illinois to climb back into the game and take a shot at the lead. If they can stack the box on obvious passing downs and keep a spy on Robinson in the back field, they should force the ball to the air, where they have a better chance.

It was no secret that Illinois head coach Ron Zook's seat was hotter than a two dollar pistol before the start of the season.

In his six years at the school, Zook has gathered a less than remarkable 28-45 (16-32 Big Ten) record and only one bowl victory. His 2007 squad earned a spot in the prominent Rose Bowl but suffered an embarrassing 49-17 loss to a superior USC team.

Coming into the 2011 season, the general consensus was that this year would be a make or break season for Zook.

It seemed like Zook's job was more than secure after leading his Illini to a 6-0 start and giving the impression that they were a conference contender. Now, after three straight losses in which the Fighting Illini looked like a middle of the road team once again, Zook may just be headed right back to the hot seat.

The Illini skeptics that argued Illinois' early success was solely due to their very favorable schedule have appeared to be right. When facing perennial title contenders Ohio State and Penn State, Illinois failed to execute at the level expected from a top tier team.

Not only did Illinois fail as a team, but Zook and perhaps more so offensive coordinator Paul Petrino failed to adapt and make the necessary adjustments to put sufficient points on the board.

Zook's time management and decision-making abilities have been questioned time and time again. Following a second quarter touchdown against Indiana, which resulted in a 20-13 lead, Zook decided to go for a two-point conversion. The conversion failed and when asked about it after the game, Zook said, "Maybe I didn't know what the score was. That's happened to me before."

Illinois went on to win the game against the Hoosiers, but that is beside the point. I understand that things can get exciting and hectic in the midst of a game. However, when you're the coach of a Division I football team, one can only assume that the score is a pretty important factor to keep track of.

One thing that Zook has excelled at is recruiting. According to Scout.com, he boasted Top 20 recruiting classes in 2007 and 2008 as well as the 28th-ranked recruiting class in 2006. Since 2008; however, Illinois' hasn't managed to crack the Top 35 in recruiting since. Zook's current recruiting class for 2012 is ranked 72nd in the nation and last in the Big Ten.

Other than the 2007 Rose Bowl appearance, Zook hasn't been able to do much, even with his Top 20 classes. The Illini finished 5-7 in 2008 and 3-9 in 2009, before a mediocre 7-6 campaign last year. One bright note is that Zook led the Illini to their first bowl win since 1999.

Illinois still has to play Michigan and Wisconsin the next two weeks, which are sure to be tough games. They close out their regular season at Minnesota. With the way that Illinois has performed in recent weeks, Minnesota may even turn out to be a tough opponent.

The way the Big Ten has been playing out this year, all three of their final games are winnable. At the same time, if Zook and his staff don't make some changes, the Illini very well might finish with another disappointing 6-6 (2-6 Big Ten) record.

If that is the case, and the Illini do in fact drop their final games of the season, there's no doubt that Illini fans will be calling for a change in the near future.