Illinois Fighting Illini Football

Although the No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini's National Championship dreams were dashed with a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes last week, they will still be in the thick of the Big Ten race when they travel to take on the 3-3 Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday.

Prior to the loss to Ohio State, Illinois was 6-0 and among the nation's biggest surprises. With so many undefeated teams ahead of them it was unlikely that they would make it to the national championship game, but it was still a possibility.

The Fighting Illini still may have roses in their future, though, but they must first defeat an up-and-down Purdue squad. The Boilermakers have certainly looked impressive some weeks, but can just as easily look terrible as evidenced by their losses to Rice and Notre Dame.

Illinois is rightfully favored, but if the good Boilermakers decide to show up, then we should have a very entertaining game on our hands.

Where: Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.

When: Saturday, Oct. 22 at 12 p.m. EDT

Watch: ESPN2/ESPN3

Spread: Illinois (-4)

Purdue hasn't played many good teams this season, but when they have the results have been mixed. The Boilermakers lost by just five to a solid Penn State squad last week, but was thrashed by four touchdowns by Notre Dame a couple weeks prior.

Illinois has played plenty of close games in its own right regardless of opponent, but the Illini are clearly the better team in this game, and I think they should be able to cover the modest four-point spread.

Over/Under: 47

Both Purdue and Illinois are very inconsistent offensively, so it's almost impossible to tell how they will fare this week. The Fighting Illini's defense has been very solid this year, though, so I think they should be able to hold down the Boilermakers pretty well. Because of that I would go with the under.

Illinois Key Injuries

Questionable: OL Corey Lewis (knee)

Probable: RB Jason Ford (shoulder), WR Darius Millines (foot), DB Terry Hawthorne (foot)

Purdue Key Injuries

Doubtful: DL Robert Maci (foot)

Questionable: OL Justin Kitchens (shoulder)

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implications

At 3-3 with a loss to Rice, Purdue likely won't be sniffing the BCS rankings or the Top 25 polls unless they beat Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin in consecutive weeks. That is highly unlikely, but beating the Fighting Illini on Saturday would be a good start.

Illinois was ranked No. 16 last week, but has since fallen to No. 23 after losing to the Buckeyes. If the Illini want to stay in the Top 25 and remain in contention for the Big Ten Championship, then Purdue is the type of team that they absolutely must beat.

Keys to Illinois Win

If Illinois is to win this game then it pretty much all lies on the arm and legs of quarterback Nate Scheelhaase. He is the player that makes the Illini offense go as he leads the team in passing yards (1,407), rushing yards (396) and total touchdowns (15).

Scheelhaase will also need help from his No. 1 target in the passing game, A.J. Jenkins. Through seven games Jenkins incredibly has 895 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. The Illini will have to remain stout on defense as well, where they rank 17th in the nation in points allowed. Purdue averages over 30 points per game.

Keys to Purdue Win

For Purdue to pull off the big upset, it will need to continue to be well-balanced on offense. Caleb TerBush has had his moments at quarterback while the running back combination of Ralph Bolden and Akeem Shavers has been very effective, as they both average over five yards per carry.

Purdue has also been pretty solid defensively and that will have to continue. Perhaps the most important thing the defense will have to do is contain Scheelhaase in the pocket. He is perfectly capable of escaping and making something out of nothing, so the Boilermakers need to keep a spy on him at all times.

Prediction

Illinois 28, Purdue 14

The 60th edition of the battle for the Purdue Cannon will be underway this Saturday.

The Illinois Fighting Illini are heading to Indiana to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in a Big Ten showdown that should be awesome to watch.

This is an intense rivalry, and it could go either way, so take some time to read on and learn everything you need to know about this upcoming game.

Where: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN

When: 12:00 p.m. EDT

Watch: ESPN2, ESPN3

Listen: WDWS-AM 1400—Illinois, WAZY-FM 96.5—Purdue

Betting Line: Illinois -4.5 (via ScoresAndOdds)

Latest Injury Report for Illinois (via CollegeInjuryReport.com)

WR Darius Millines—QST (Foot): Millines hasn’t played in three games and most likely won’t see the field this Saturday. He was second on the team in receptions and yards. The team has been struggling to replace him.

OL Corey Lewis—QST (Knee): This kid tore his ACL in spring practice and has been rehabbing since. He may be back in time for the Purdue game, but it’s questionable.

Latest Injury Report for Purdue (via CollegeInjuryReport.com)

DE Robert Maci—QST (Foot): Maci did not play in the Penn State game, and the team is heavily feeling his absence. He is a leader for them in the TFL category.

OL Ken Plue—QST (Disciplinary): Plue was slated to start at right guard this season, but he has yet to see the field. It is unknown when he will be allowed back on the field.

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implication

Illinois took a big hit last week with their loss to unranked Ohio State. The team only had one narrow win over a No. 22-ranked Arizona State team at home this season.

They are currently No. 23 in the BCS polls, but could easily fall out if they don’t win this game and win it big.

Purdue is 3-3 so far this season, with no games against ranked opponents. An upset victory would give them huge momentum going into their upcoming games against Michigan and Wisconsin. They have a slim chance, but you never know during these crazy times in college football.

Key Storyline

Illinois is trying to catch up in the victory column of the Purdue Cannon, the trophy awarded to the winner of this annual rivalry game.

Purdue currently is ahead in the series at 30-27-2.

Illinois won last year for the first time since 2002 and would like to get a repeat here.

Purdue wants to steal it back after losing it for the first time in six games between the two rivals.

What They’re Saying

PurdueSports.com is saying the team is playing for a fallen teammate.

Fifth-year running back Sean Matti passed away on Sunday, July, 3, 2011. The Shoreview, Minn., native will be missed by his family, friends, coaches and teammates. The Boilermakers have dedicated their season to him and will honor him with a 22 decal, Sean's number, on their helmets. Purdue athletics also held a moment of silence for Matti prior to the home opener against Middle Tennessee on Sept. 3.

Loren Tate at IlliniHQ says Ron Zook isn’t to blame for the Illini loss against Ohio State.

TV color analyst Bob Davie and various ESPN gurus questioned UI strategy Saturday and said coach Ron Zook "must answer" for his fourth-down decision late in the 17-7 loss to Ohio State.

That's not entirely fair. There were two reasonable approaches to a near-hopeless situation as the clock ran down. In either case, Illinois would need to recover an onside kickoff. And it was Zook's view that it would be preferable to score a quick touchdown and follow it in the closing seconds with a field goal to tie.

Zook opted to attempt the TD first instead of the field goal, and many believe he should have done the opposite. I guess we’ll never know the right answer.

Illinois Player to Watch: A.J. Jenkins

Jenkins has emerged as an absolute beast this season for Illinois. He is easily one of the best receivers in the country, and he is a huge reason why Illinois has been playing so well this year.

Purdue Player to Watch: Ricardo Allen

The Boilmakers have a game-changer at the cornerback position. Allen has three pick-sixes in his year-and-a-half of college football experience. He is one of the nation's most promising young CBs and isn’t afraid to take a risk to make the big play.

Key Matchup: Purdue’s No. 24 rushing attack vs. Illinois’ No. 18 rushing defense.

This is going to be a great battle.

Purdue is not going to shy away from their ground attack, but Illinois has shown they are capable of shutting teams down in that area.

Whoever wins this battle has a great chance of winning the game.

Prediction

Illinois 27-Purdue 20

It's official, Illini Nation has now gone into meltdown mode.

On Saturday, the Illini dropped their first game of the season 17-7 to an underwhelming Ohio State team and by doing so have sent many of their fans into a state of panic.

Yes, for the first time this year Illinois football has to rebound from a loss—and they only have themselves to blame for it.

Spin it however you want, but the Illini lost this game because of turnovers, period.

There have been many questioning Ron Zook and his coaching decisions, which is certainly a debatable topic, however Zook didn’t lose this game—the players did.

The Illini turned the ball over three times to OSU’s zero—and there’s your ball game.

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller completed one pass the entire game, granted it went for a touchdown, but again he completed one pass all day—one pass.

If a team only completes one pass throughout an entire game, they probably have no business winning that game.

Yes, the Buckeyes rushed for 211 yards, but the only time they really threatened to score was after Illini turned the ball over in their own territory, twice.

Make no mistake, this one is on the offense and they will tell you the same.

Trailing 3-0 coming out of halftime, the Illini got the ball first and promptly turned the ball over on the first series as QB Nate Scheelhaase threw an interception that OSU returned to the 12-yard line.  That set up the first score for the Buckeyes—a 12-yard run by Dan Herron.

Then trailing 10-0 to begin the fourth quarter and still very much in the game, A.J. Jenkins fumbled the ball and it was recovered by the Buckeyes on the Illinois' 37. Throw in a personal foul penalty and Ohio State had the ball first and 10 at the Illini's 22—thanks offense.

Three plays later Buckeye QB Braxton Miller completed his only pass of the day, a 17-yard touchdown pass to put Ohio State up 17-0 with 13 minutes to play in the game.

Illinois outgained the Buckeyes 285 to 228 on the day, but just couldn’t sustain anything offensively until late in the fourth quarter, when they finally punched the ball in.  Give some credit to the Ohio State defense as they played a solid game, but honestly Illinois just gave this one away.

The better team did not win this game, but that’s going to happen.  Now it’s up to Illinois to learn from this game and get back on track next week against Purdue.

Despite what many fans may think, this loss is not the end of the world for Illinois. It’s just disappointing.

They still have a chance to make some noise in their remaining five games as they play both of the teams—Penn State and Wisconsin—that are ahead of them in their division.

It’s not going to be easy by any means as they also have a date with Michigan on the schedule, but if they can eliminate the mistakes, the Illini will be fine.

To quote Cosmo Kramer, "let's not press the panic button."  Not yet, anyway.

High school football teams in Northeastern Illinois have grown accustomed to wide receiver J.J. Robertson making big plays.

Robertson has been so effective that Illinois has already snagged him in its 2012 recruiting class.

The 6', 190-pound Lincoln-Way East senior runs a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and has a 37.5 inch vertical jump.

In his junior year, Robertson was converted from running back to receiver. He made coach Ron Zvonar look like a genius as No. 1, with 23 catches for 615 yards and nine touchdowns.

2011 has been even stronger. After missing the season's first two contests, Robertson has 25 receptions for 696 yards and nine touchdowns.

Against Homewood-Flossmoor Sept. 16, Robertson exploded for 230 yards on five catches. Two of those catches were 66 and 67-yard touchdowns, and another was a 50-yard grab. He was named Chicago Tribune Player of the Game for his efforts.

Facing Lincoln-Way Central Oct. 7, the Illini recruit had touchdown catches of 10, 37 and 75 yards. The 75-yard score was on a swing pass by senior quarterback Blake Winkler.

This past Friday, Robertson showed his explosive playmaking abilities against Joliet Central. He made some defenders miss on a 37-yard screen pass, resulting in a touchdown.

“It all started with the offensive line,” Robertson said of the screen pass. “Blake got up top just giving me the ball. I got to get yards after the catch and that’s what I did.”

Numerous times in the game, he would streak past the cornerback and would have posted a tally if Winkler had better timing.

Robertson can even return kickoffs. In 2010, he had a touchdown return. Friday almost saw Robertson break another.

He caught a punt at the 20-yard line, made a few tacklers miss, bolted through the wedge and returned the ball to the opponents' 1-yard line for a 79-yard return. The play, though, was wiped away with a blocking penalty.

Before his freshman season with Illinois, Robertson said he will work hard in the offseason with practicing his skills and working out.

He also wants to improve a certain aspect of my game.

“I know I’m kind of relying on my speed right now,” Robertson said. “I think my routes and my effort in those routes can be better.” 

Bob Bajek is a writing intern at Bleacher Report. He is also a freelance reporter and can be followed at Patch.com and Twitter.  Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

No. 16 Illinois (6-1, 2-1) turned the ball over three times en route to a 17-7 loss against Big Ten rival Ohio State (4-3, 1-2) on Saturday. The loss puts an end to the Fighting Illini's undefeated season and proves the Buckeyes are still a threat despite the massive offseason turmoil in Columbus.

Biggest Winners: Penn State and Wisconsin

A Fighting Illini loss leaves just two undefeated teams in the Big Ten Leaders division, Penn State and Wisconsin. Since those two teams play each other in the regular season finale, they now control their own destiny in hopes of playing in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Does Illinois still have a BCS chance?

With so many undefeated teams left, the loss probably ends the slight National Championship Game hopes Illinois had. However, the Illini still have a chance at the Rose Bowl thanks to the Big Ten's automatic bid. They'll probably have to win out to make that happen, though.

What It Means

Illinois now has five games to prove its early season hot streak wasn't a fluke. The Fighting Illini only beat one ranked team during their 6-0 start, so now they'll have to hear how they were never worthy of being ranked No. 16.

They have two ranked teams left on the schedule (Michigan, Wisconsin) and a road trip to Happy Valley to face off with Penn State, so they'll have plenty of chances to illustrate their abilities. Illinois has already secured a bowl bid but are now playing for marquee placement.

Biggest Thing to Fix

It's not often a team (other than Georgia Tech) wins a game when they complete just one pass for 17 yards, but that was the case for Ohio State on Saturday. Illinois couldn't stop the duo of Dan Herron and Jordan Hall, who averaged nearly five yards per carry.

It's hard to pin a loss where the offense scored only seven points on the defense, though. So the biggest thing that needs fixing is the Illini's own rushing attack. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase and the running backs struggled to gain any traction, and it cost them the game.

Pivotal Turnaround Game: Nov. 12 vs. Michigan

Even though they play on different sides of the conference, this will be a de facto elimination game in the Big Ten. A second loss will likely eliminate the losing team from a chance at the Big Ten Championship Game and, therefore, a BCS bid.

Both teams had glaring weaknesses exposed in Week 7, so it will be up to them to fix them before this game, which will probably be the next real test for each side. Illinois will have home field advantage, but the Fighting Illini had it against Ohio State, too.

Illinois' Next Game: Oct. 22 at Purdue (3-3, 1-1)

Pretty interesting game so far as No. 16 Illinois takes on the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium. The Illini are looking to remain unbeaten and avoid a ninth straight home defeat to Ohio State. 

If Illinois wants to move to 7-0 and continue to dominate the B1G, it must make the following five adjustments at halftime. 

Stop the Run/Herron 

Ohio State's offense has relied heavily on the ground and pound. In the second half, Illinois needs to stuff the middle and contain the run. Buckeyes RB Dan Herron is coming off of a long suspension and has fresh legs, so if the Illini want to win, they need to step up their run defense. 

Pressure

Illinois needs to keep bringing the heat in the second half. Whitney Mercilus has been a sack machine throughout the entire season and especially dominant today. The Illini need to keep bringing pressure and put the injured Braxton Miller on the ground.  

More A.J. Jenkins

A.J. Jenkins is a beast. In the final half, the Illini need to get Jenkins more touches with room to create space. Jenkins is considered by many to be one of the best receivers in college football, and if Illinois wants to remain undefeated, it must get its touchdown machine more looks. 

Step Up On Third Down 

Illinois needs to step up its offense in the second half. The Illini have not been able to convert when it counts and have suffered on long-yardage situations. Illinois needs to focus on gaining positive yards on early downs so it is not left with unfavorable third down situations. 

Take Advantage of the Wind

In the second half, Illinois has to take advantage and score points when the wind is on its side. In the first quarter, the Illini failed to score with the wind behind their back and in the final half, they must take advantage when the weather is favorable.

Throughout his career, Illinois head coach Ron Zook has always seemed to mess things up at some point during the season. This year with the Fighting Illini may actually be the year he gets the job done. 

Illinois is currently 6-0 heading into the weekend matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes. It should be a winnable game since Ohio State has struggled on both sides of the ball and is dealing with more distractions.

Although Illinois has gone from unranked to No.16 in the AP Poll, they do not seem to be getting much love. All they do is keep winning games, and they could give Wisconsin a run for their money in the Leaders division in the Big Ten.

Sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase has been a very underrated player and has completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,283 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

The running game is one of the best in the country, averaging 226 yards per game. Four players have over 200 rushing yards on the season.

What may be so surprising about this team is their defense, which gives up only 17 points per game. The secondary has seven interceptions and has forced nine turnovers total.

The defensive line, led by Whitney Mercilus, is spectacular, and the team has a total of 22 sacks on the season. They also have 49 tackles for a loss, and Mercilus has 10.5 of those.

An underrated statistic is always penalty yardage per game, and this team is very disciplined, averaging fewer than five penalties a game.

The only problem with this team is they really haven't played anybody yet. Sure, they've beaten a solid Arizona State team, but their schedule is nowhere near teams in the Big 12 or SEC.

Illinois is underrated, yes, but a more proven team like Clemson should get the title of most underrated team of the season.

The Tigers have gone from unranked to a top-10 team in the country by beating three ranked teams in a row. They have speed on both sides of the ball and as explosive of an offense as you'll see all year. They had nobody talking about them in the beginning of the season, and now they are a favorite to win the ACC.

Illinois can become the most underrated team in the country if they end up beating Wisconsin later in the year.

Until then, they are underrated, but not as much as other teams.

Let's just hope Ron Zook doesn't mess it up.

There are some teams across the country that have yet to lose, but yet to prove their worth as a good team.

In some cases, it is bad preseason scheduling. In other cases, it's because conference rivals are just not very good.

Whatever the reasons may be, these teams are undefeated, but still less than impressive. They will need to do well in the opportunities they have against top teams if they are going to be taken seriously as true National Championship threats.

Stanford Cardinal

Given what they did last year, there shouldn't be much doubt about how good Stanford is. Still, they haven't beaten any quality opponents this year.

The opportunity isn't really there this week, as Washington State isn't much of an opponent. Stanford has potential pitfalls that they must overcome before hosting Oregon.

Washington and USC aren't great teams, but they are potentially strong rivals. If Stanford beats them, Oregon and Notre Dame at the end of the year and whoever they play in the conference title game, their National Championship resume will be strong.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois hasn't been dominant, but they are undefeated, which is all that matters. This week will really begin a test of their value.

They play Ohio State this week, and Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin later in the year. Illinois is still a serious dark horse, even in the Big Ten. But they will need to manage that stretch of games reasonably well if anyone is going to take them seriously.

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan's best test came against Notre Dame. They did survive, but they were quite lucky to do so.

Since then, the road has been relatively smooth for the Wolverines.

Saturday will begin a much more difficult stretch for Michigan. Cross-state rivals and No. 23 Michigan State welcome the Wolverines this week. November dates against Illinois, Nebraska, and Ohio State will also test Michigan. 

As of right now, they are undefeated. But like the other teams on the list, Michigan needs another big win or two to prove just how good they are.

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Illinois Illinni meet up in a matchup of two Big Ten teams in very different positions.

The Buckeyes have fallen from grace, and the top of the college football world. They used to be a perennial Big Ten champion and BCS contender, but an improper benefits scandal forced them to resign longtime head coach Jim Tressel and face a number of other issues.

At this time of the season Ohio State would normally be coming into the game at 6-0 instead of 3-3, but things have changed, and it's the Illini that come into the game undefeated.

This will be a big test for the Illini and will go a long way towards validating their hot start. Even though Ohio State may be down, they aren't out. This will be a hard fought win either way.

Where: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL

When: Saturday Oct. 15. 3:30 p.m EST

Watch: ABC, ESPN, ESPN3

Spread (Bodog.com): Illinois -3 1/2

If the Illini do win this game I expect it to be by at least a touchdown.

Over/Under (thespread.com): 43

This is a pretty safe bet to go over on, but I wouldn't do it.

Key Injuries

Ohio State: Quarterback Braxton Miller probable (knee), linebacker Jordan Whiting out for season (knee), wide receiver Verion Reed out for season (knee), defensive lineman Nathan Williams out for season (knee).

Illinois: Wide receiver Darius Millines day-to-day (foot), offensive lineman Corey Lewis day-to-day (knee).

BCS/Top-25 Poll Implications

This game is huge for Illinois. Right now they are in the thick of a Big Ten championship bid and a potential top-10 spot. A win for Ohio State would at least put this season back into respectable territory.

Keys To Ohio State Win

Running back Dan Herron is returning to the lineup after being suspended as part of the improper benefits scandal. he was a big part of the team last season, so it will be interesting to see how he fits in after being out for so long. 

Keys To Illinois Win

Sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase has done an incredible job leading his team to an undefeated start so far. He's totaled 1,238 yards, 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions so far. He's going to have to have a big day for the Illini.

Prediction

There is a reason Illinois is undefeated. They are the better team here and have the home-field advantage.

Illinois: 21 Ohio State: 17