Illinois Fighting Illini Football

Last week, I got my feet wet with Illinois, looking at the program, what it has done over the last five years and what that might tell us about what the Illini will do this season.

This week, I'll look at the 2012 Illinois offense.

Offensive Overview

2011 scoring offense: 22.6 PPG (ninth in the conference), total offense: 355.7 YPG (ninth), rushing YPC: 4.06 (eighth), passing efficiency: 123.52 (eighth)

Average scoring offense conference ranking over last five years: 6.2

Best scoring offense conference ranking over last five years: Third (2008)

Worst scoring offense conference ranking over last five years: Ninth (2011)

Returning starters: QB Nathan Scheelhaase, WR Ryan Lankford, WR Darius Millines, WR Spencer Harris, TE Evan Wilson, C Graham Pocic, OL Hugh Thornton, OL Simon Cvijanovic, OT Michael Heitz

Open Positions: RB, OL

Offensive Formation: Spread

Offensive Philosophy: Up-tempo

Passing Scheme: Possession

Rushing scheme: Read Option

Offensive Breakdown

As was mentioned in the first installment of Illinois' breakdown, the Illini began 2011 on a tear. They won six straight games by an average score of 34.7-17.8. They then lost their final six games of the season, including an embarrassing 7-27 end-of-the-regular-season loss to three-win Minnesota.

While the second half of the season was more challenging and included two ranked opponents and three road games, the first half of the season was not easy enough to account for the collapse of the team, and specifically the collapse of the offense.

The first half of the season did only include one road trip, but the Illini faced four bowl-eligible teams, one 10-win team—albeit a 10-win Sun Belt team—and an Arizona State team that was also ranked before it faced its own end-of-the-year skid.

Getting back to the offense, the defense maintained respectability during the end-of-the-year slide. The issues were almost entirely on the offensive side of the ball.

Illinois averaged 11 points-per-game during the six-game slide, only once breaking 14 points.

However, that was then, and this is a brand new age with a brand new coach and a brand new offense.

The new coach, Tim Beckman, has a defensive background, but is more well-known for his offenses. His Toledo Rockets were the Nos. 1, 3 and 2 ranked offenses in the MAC between 2011-2009.

The quarterback coach and co-coordinator is Chris Beatty. This will be his first play-calling assignment on the FBS level. He has previously worked as a position coach at Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Northern Illinois. He was also the OC at FCS Hampton.

The bigger star is the other OC, Billy Gonzales, who owns two national championship rings. He spent the last two seasons as LSU's passing coordinator and before that, he was with Urban Meyer at Florida, Utah and Bowling Green from 2001-2009.

The Illinois offense will become a spread team, which is vague, as even Iowa and Wisconsin employ elements of the spread.

That said, according to Gonzales via the Big Ten Network, "'We want to be a team that establishes dominance at the line. From there, we will build on. We want to make the defense defend the entire field.'"

Again, somewhat vague coachspeak, but Illinois fans can expect an offense that lines up sideline-to-sideline, creates and exploits mismatches and open up lanes for a multi-headed, multifaceted, multi-directional rushing attack.

It is no coincidence if this sounds like Urban Meyer's or Mike Gundy's offense, as Beckman has worked under both of them.

Quarterbacks

Returning junior quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was symptomatic of whatever ailed the Illinois offense in the second half of last season.

Scheelhaase, like his fellow Fighting Illini, began the season on a tear. Along with six straight wins, Scheelhaase posted an efficiency rating of 174.16. If he had continued that production for the remainder of the year, he would have finished 2011 as the fourth-most efficient quarterback in the country, ahead of Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley and Case Keenum.

Nevertheless, he didn't finish the season the way he started. In fact, in the final six games, Scheelhaase's efficiency rating was a pathetic 103.67, which, if it had been indicative of how he played the entire year, would have left him as the least efficient quarterback in the country by a wide margin.

As it happened, his cumulative 133.38 efficiency rating left him almost in the middle of the pack.

If last year is proof of anything, it is that Scheelhaase has the tools to be a successful quarterback.

While he isn't as good as those first six games indicated, he is closer to his early-season apex than his end-of-the-season nadir.

And that should be good enough to get the Illini offense moving.

Perhaps a new coach and a new offensive system will give him the consistency he needs. After all, Ron Zook was, well, Ron Zook.

True sophomore Reilly O'Toole will back up Scheelhaase. O'Toole gained valuable experience last year, picking up 67 passing attempts in a late-season effort to reinvigorate the offense (it didn't work).

He is less of a rushing threat than Scheelhaase, but he is not a statue, and Beckman's offense does not require a dual-threat signal-caller.

According to The Daily Illini, the two quarterbacks "split reps with the first team in spring practices, but head coach Tim Beckman said the job is currently Scheelhaase’s to lose."

It is likely Scheelhaase will hold onto the job when Illinois begins its season, and all eyes will be on him, given the dearth of proven playmakers at running back and wide receiver.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: Four

Running Backs

Illinois is understaffed in the running back department, given what new head coach Tim Beckman hopes to accomplish with his offense.  

Last season at Toledo, Beckman had the 24th-most rushing attempts in the country. He had two running backs with 125 carries or more and three with 90 or more.

This season, his top two running backs will probably be true sophomores.

In 2011, Donovonn Young was impressive in limited appearances, carrying the ball 87 times for 451 yards and 5.18 YPC. However, the majority of his carries, yards and success came in the first half of the season; not during Illinois' six-game slide at the end of the year.

Josh Ferguson got 14 carries in garbage-time duty in the first three games, after which he was injured and missed the rest of the season. Nonetheless, Ferguson was the offensive star of the spring game, gaining 130 yards on 20 carries (stats via The Daily Illini).

Young and Ferguson may turn out to be quality players, but they are the beginning and end of experienced scholarship backs currently in Champaign.

In effect, true freshmen Dami Ayoola and Devin Church will have a good chance of seeing early playing time.

Also, former quarterback Miles Osei moved to tailback during bowl game practices and continued to see reps there, as well as at receiver and quarterback, during spring.

Finally, Beckman isn't known for utilizing a fullback, but if he chooses to, he has some experience in senior Zach Becker, who moved into the starting spot after the transfer of Jay Prosch.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: Nine

Pass Catchers

Illinois returns three receivers that started multiple games last year, along with three experienced tight ends.

The problem is that all returning Illinois receivers combined for 63 receptions, 577 yards and two touchdowns.

That is 27 receptions, 699 yards and six touchdowns fewer than departed-Illini receiver A.J. Jenkins posted by himself in 2011.

The three most notable returning receivers are all juniors: Spencer Harris, Darius Millines and Ryan Lankford.

There are a number of other receivers on the roster, but most of them are sophomores or freshmen that have yet to distinguish themselves or record a collegiate catch.

This lack of proven playmakers has opened the door for senior cornerback Terry Hawthorne to see some offensive snaps. According to Beckman via the State Journal-Register, "'We’re trying to create playmakers and give opportunities for our team to be successful.'" Apparently, Hawthorne, as well as safety Jack Ramsey—the Illini are loaded in the secondary—give Illinois that chance.

One of the few success stories to end 2011 was the emergence of tight end Jon Davis. He finished the season with 22 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown. He was especially strong during the six-game skid. He posted 19 catches for 170 yards in that stretch.

Junior tight end Evan Wilson and senior Eddie Viliunas also have starting experience.

New head coach Tim Beckman is not known for involving his tight ends too heavily in the passing game, but Davis might have too hot a hand to use strictly as a blocker.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: Eight

Offensive Line

Illinois boasts the third-most experienced returning offensive line (per Phil Steele) in the conference, despite losing two full-time starters. Of course, at 68 returning starts, it is not that much experience, but that speaks to how much the conference graduated in this area in 2011.

Three-year starting senior Hugh Thornton will lock down a guard spot or right tackle and will vie for all-conference honors. Two-year starting senior Graham Pocic will do the same from center.

After that, there are a number of options for Beckman to juggle. Most notably, sophomores Michael Heitz and Simon Cvijanovic shared the left tackle position last season.

Fellow sophomore Alex Hill grabbed two starts at right guard in 2011.

According to ESPN, senior Corey Lewis was set to push for starting time in 2010 when he tore his ACL. He missed last season with further knee injuries, but he will look to get playing time this season.

Also, senior Tyler Sands will try to end his thus far uneventful career on a high note.

Any one of the aforementioned could wind up in the starting five along with Thornton and Pocic. They should produce solid results at worst, and they could be the top line in the conference at best.

Big Ten Position Group Ranking: Two

Offensive Outlook

Nathan Scheelhaase is one of the more overlooked quarterbacks in the Big Ten. He has proven he can play at a high level; he hasn't proven he can play at a high level for the duration of a football season.

Given the regression of former Illinois signal-caller Juice Williams, as well as Scheelhaases's collapse, it is evident the problem was programmatic and had everything to do with the head coach.

In short, a new coach could give Scheelhaase just what he needs to take the next step.

The offensive line is an asset, and there is no bigger asset for a run-first team than a strong, experienced offensive line.

The issue concerns the playmakers, particularly at receiver.

Illinois' offense has the pieces to be in the top half of the conference if a couple of receivers pop up and force defenses to play honestly.

If those playmakers don't pop up, the offense will still be much better than the offense that could only eke out seven points against lowly Minnesota in 2011.

In short, look for anywhere from minimal to substantial improvement from the 2012 Illini offense.

Coming next Wednesday, an overview and breakdown of Illinois' defense.

Team Overview

The Fighting Illini boast five national championships. They have been to the Rose Bowl five times, which is tied with Iowa for the fourth-most appearances by any Big Ten team.

With 15 Big Ten championships to their credit, they only lag behind Michigan, Ohio State and...uh...Minnesota (yes, the Gophers were once really good).

They produced such legendary stars as Red Grange, Dick Butkus, George Halas and Jim Grabowski.

The state of Illinois regularly produces the second-most FBS football players within the Big Ten footprint, (far) behind only Ohio.

Yet, since Ray Eliot retired in 1959, only two of nine coaches have posted winning records: Mike White, who (via the Chicago Tribune) was forced out due to recruiting violations, and John Mackovic, who spent four years in Champaign before bolting for Texas.

Add Ron Zook to the fire after 2011's schizophrenic season, a year in which the Illini started out 6-0 and finished 0-6, which Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire aptly describes as "Illinois football in a nutshell during the Zook era."

Losing Zook might be the biggest comedic loss in Big Ten history, but the rest of the Big Ten's loss is, in all probability, Illinois' gain.

New head coach Tim Beckman will be the latest in what has been a coaching shuffle—six new or second-year head coaches will be on the sidelines this year, to go along with four fully or semi-revamped staffs—in the Midwest's favorite football conference.

The good news is that like almost every other new hire in the Big Ten, Beckman looks to be a decided step up from his predecessor.

Now, can he win?

Team Breakdown

2011 Record: 7-6

2011 Conference Record: 2-6

2011 Home/Away/Neutral Record: 5-3/1-3/1-0

2011 Record vs. Ranked Teams: 0-2

Record Last Five Seasons: 31-32 (t-68th-winningest FBS program over that period of time)

Conference Record Last Five Seasons: 17-23

Home/Away/Neutral Record Last Five Seasons: 20-12/8-14/3-6

Record vs. Ranked Teams Last Five Seasons: 3-14

Best Record Last Five Seasons: 9-4 (2007)

Worst Record Last Five Seasons: 3-9 (2009)

Number of Coaches Last 10 Seasons: Three

Coach Overview

Tim Beckman is originally from Ohio. He played college football at the University of Findlay—located in Findlay, Ohio—and has spent over half his coaching career within the Buckeye State. Furthermore, his father, Dave Beckman, was an offensive line coach for Iowa (1973-1978) and spent 1979-1984 with the Cleveland Browns.

While this is not a guarantee of Big Ten success, it does guarantee that he knows the lay of the land.

After graduating Findlay, Beckman worked as a graduate assistant at Auburn. He moved to Western Carolina in 1990, where he served as secondary coach and recruiting coordinator until 1995.

He then went on to serve as the defensive coordinator (DC) for FCS's Elon University, where he stayed for two years.

In 1998, he was hired by Gary Blackney to be the defensive coordinator for the MAC's Bowling Green Falcons.

Beckman was retained when Urban Meyer succeeded Blackney, and further retained when Gregg Brandon succeeded Meyer. Beckman remained at Bowling Green through 2004, at which point he became the Ohio State cornerbacks coach under Jim Tressel.

In 2007, he became the DC at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy. Though his Cowboy defenses weren't impressive from a statistical standpoint—28.8 PPG over his two-year tenure—one has to remember that Mike Gundy's focus is and has always been offense, and the Big 12 is and has been an offense-dominant conference.

In 2009. Beckman was named the head coach of the Toledo Rockets, a team that had gone a combined 13-21 in the previous three seasons.

In his first year in Toledo, the Rockets went 5-7, but they turned it around in 2010, going 8-4 and securing their first bowl bid since 2005.

In 2011, Toledo went 8-4 and won its bowl, finishing with a 9-4 record.

Illinois hired Beckman (via the Chicago Sun Times) "after striking out or passing on more glamorous candidates."

Though Beckman is not splashy, he could be just the type of under-the-radar, focus-on-fundamentals hire that Illinois needs to purge itself of Ron Zook.

Coming next Wednesday, an overview and breakdown of Illinois' offense.

No. 99: Nathan Scheelhaase, #2, QB, Illinois
2011 Stats: 184-291, 2110 yards, 13 TDs, 8 INTs; 191 rushes, 624 yards, 6 TDs

Strengths

At first glance, Nathan Scheelhaase looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten. He topped 2,700 yards of total offense in 2011, is a two-year starter coming into his junior year, and was the team captain in 2011.

He's even probably the best passer among the Big Ten's coterie of dual-threat QBs; he completed 63 percent of his passes last year, and his release technique isn't a crime against humanity (ahem, Taylor Martinez).

Weaknesses

The major question for Scheelhaase, though, is how many snaps he'll lose to fellow QB Reilly O'Toole. Scheelhaase may have been team captain last year, but O'Toole was named the team's rookie of the year, and he siphoned a significant portion of playing time from Scheelhaase in the second half of the season.

It wasn't for nothing, either. Scheelhaase registered only three passing touchdowns and five interceptions in the final six games.

If Scheelhaase is looking to revitalize his game in 2012 under Tim Beckman, it hasn't happened yet; he was a shocking 11-26 for 65 yards (.PDF file, official Illinois site) in a defense-dominated spring game, though he did rush for one score. O'Toole was moderately better at 19-of-31 for 159 yards, though 5.3 yards per throw isn't all that great itself.

2012 Prediction

Beckman said Scheelhaase is his starting quarterback for now, but that O'Toole will see some action too. That's not terribly confidence-inspiring, but Scheelhaase can't afford to let that affect his performance.

The thing of it is, it's not that Scheelhaase is bad. If Illinois lost games because Scheelhaase was throwing at A.J. Jenkins up to 20 times in one game (that happened), that's on the coaches who thought that game plan up.

So the talent's clearly there to succeed. If Scheelhaase brings the right mentality, he should have a solid rebound year. If all he hears is O'Toole's footsteps, though, look out.

No. 103: Donovonn Young, No. 5, RB, Illinois
2011 Stats: 87 rushes, 451 yards, 6 TDs; 8 catches, 15 yards

Strengths

Donovonn Young burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2011, rushing for 451 yards and six scores in limited action. He's big enough at 6'0" and 215 pounds that Illinois can (and did) use him in short-yardage situations, but he's fast enough that he broke a 41-yard touchdown against South Dakota State. 

Weaknesses

Young's "burst" isn't great, and we haven't seen him get more than 12 rushes in a game yet. With his size, durability probably isn't a concern for him, but some guys struggle with more than 20 rushes week in and week out; some starting experience will be vital as he progresses. It'll be interesting to see how his style of running matures once he's no longer the "change of pace," but, well, the pace itself.

2012 Prediction

Illinois' offense is in such flux with new coach Tim Beckman in town and competition at all the positions that it's hard to lock Young in for 1,000 yards (or, more accurately, enough carries to get to 1,000 yards). Josh Ferguson should push Young for carries, although Young's ahead in that battle of sophomores-to-be.

Young should at least top 800 yards and get close to 10 touchdowns. And if Beckman settles on him as a feature back, we might be able to push those numbers up closer to 1,000 yards and 12 TDs.

Darius Millines, No. 15, WR, Illinois
2011 Stats: 19 catches, 218 yards, one TD

Strengths

When Darius Millines is on the field, good things happen. He's small but shifty, and he's got open-field moves that can break a play open or at the very least keep the chains moving.

Those skills are also well-suited for the kick-return game, and we may see Millines return to that role in 2012.

Weaknesses

Millines has the talent to excel at this level, but he needs to be able to put together a full season. He lost four games to injury in 2011 and wasn't performing at his same level after getting back onto the field.

He was also taken off kick-return duty after injury. Millines doesn't have much in the way of size, either, so how Millines can adjust to press coverage will determine his level of success.

2012 Prediction

Illinois is going to miss A.J. Jenkins in 2012, but Millines is probably the closest thing the Illini have to a wide receiver in Jenkins' mold. He and Spencer Harris should prove to be a solid pair of leading wideouts, and something along the lines of 50 catches for 700 yards or so should be Millines' goal.

The injury concerns will be important, of course, but that's true for literally everybody in every sport, so, y'know.

Every week, the Big Ten Blog will break down one classic game from the Big Ten's long, storied history. Today, we're going back almost 60 years, to a fight that derailed a Big Ten rivalry for over a decade.

Many, many thanks to the work of Scott Dochterman of the Gazette for his reporting on this game. His full report is here. It is as entertaining as it is thorough. All block quotes below are from this report.

In terms of on-field importance, a 33-13 win by 4-5 Illinois over 2-7 Iowa is never going to register. That the game was over half a century ago doesn't do it any favors. But what happened on that field that day, both during and after the game, soured two football programs toward each other so completely that they refused to play each other for the next 15 years.

Also, there were the apples.

Illinois came to Iowa Stadium (since renamed Kinnick Stadium) on that fateful November afternoon nursing a 3-3 record while Iowa was 1-4, struggling mightily under first-year head coach Forest Evashevski. Iowa's lone win had come against top-ranked Ohio State two weeks earlier, but by and large the Hawkeyes were not very good.

Indeed, the game itself was hardly a paragon of competitiveness. Illinois took a 27-0 lead into the locker room at halftime and opened it up to 33-0 in the third quarter.

Bad blood was already coursing through the veins of everybody at the stadium at that point, though. Hits were coming late, penalty flags were flying at an extraordinary rate, and the fans—eager to see their Hawkeyes for the first time since the 8-0 upset of Ohio State—were in no mood to see an interstate rival come in and run up the score.

Halftime saw its own ugliness, as Iowa running back Phil Hayman, Illinois tackle Pete Palmer and Illinois center Paul Luhrsen were all ejected for fighting as the teams left the field.

That was only a harbinger of what was to come.

With Evashevski feeding the bad blood by antagonizing the referees—"I swear Evashevski must have stood on the field for most of the half complaining to the officials,” said Illinois student manager Jim Finn—the fans began reacting to what they perceived as poor refereeing by throwing bottles, cans, and fruit at the field.

Even the local press found humor in this reaction, including Gazette Sports Editor Gus Schrader.

“Yes, the fans were wrong for throwing apple cores, but as long as the dastardly deed was done, I want to compliment one fan for his remarkable accuracy,” Schrader wrote. “His apple core hit an official squarely on the neck. I always say, if you’re going to do something unsportsmanlike, do it well.”

The game would end with Illinois securing a 33-13 win, but not before an Iowa offensive pass interference penalty, with five minutes remaining, so outraged Evashevski that he came out onto the field to berate the officials once again. The fans had seen enough.

As players, coaches and referees left the field, the fans became verbally abusive and continued throwing trash. One Iowa student even got onto the field and confronted end John "Rocky" Ryan, and what ensued was exactly what you would expect:

As Ryan approached the dressing area, Wolfe advanced toward him. Wolfe taunted Ryan and allegedly grabbed Ryan by the shoulders. A split-second later, Ryan’s right hand crashed against Wolfe’s face, breaking his jaw. Ryan left the field, as did Wolfe.

Ryan remains unapologetic.

“Our coaches took us out and asked us to get off the field because players were getting pretty violent,” Ryan said. “This fan came out and grabbed my shoulder pad and turned me around. I thought, ‘Well,’ and I hit him because he was going after me. Of course he was stupid for picking on me.”

Ryan, who came into the game with the reputation of a fierce player, didn't enjoy reliving the incident. After Ryan passed away last November, News-Gazette reporter Loren Tate recounted that the last time he had talked to him, Ryan asked him "in no uncertain terms" not to bring up the punch. 

Illinois managed to get out of town without any further serious incidents, and Iowa was not sanctioned by the conference for the incident, but it was enough to frighten Iowa and Illinois into not renewing the series after the two teams were scheduled to cycle off the schedule in 1953 and 1954.

In fact, the "cooling-off period" ended up lasting 15 years before the series finally resumed in 1967.

Illinois would also win that game, 21-19. Presumably, there were no apples thrown that day.

No. 127: Jonathan Brown, No. 45, Illinois, Linebacker

Last year, Brown led the Illini in tackles and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten player. He helped lead the Illini to a seventh-ranked total defense, something not a lot of folks realized about a team that finished the regular season with six straight losses. Brown's now a rising junior and even though Vic Koenning is out for the Illini, the linebacker looks to keep his upward trajectory in the Big Ten.

Strengths:

Speed and tenacity. Jonathan Brown can cover some ground. He moves very well sideline to sideline and has that rare ability to get downhill and fight through the wash in a hurry as well. Not only did Brown put up 108 tackles, he was also second on the team with 19.5 tackles for loss. That 19.5 was also good for second in the Big Ten, ahead of guys like Chris Borland (19) and Denicos Allen (18.5). Just a freak number for a linebacker.

Brown sees the ball well, tracks the ball better and when he gets to the ball carrier he gets there with bad intentions. He plays the game with a chip on his shoulder and truly embodies what coaches are looking for out of their linebackers.

Weaknesses:

Attitude. The young man does play that game with a fire that you want but he's crossed the line one major time and played up to the line more than once. Obviously, folks know Brown for his most public misdeed, the knee to the groin of a Northwestern offensive lineman. He was able to rebound to finish the season on a strong note but he has the eyes of opponents and officials on him now. Brown must control his emotion on the field.

2012 Predictions:

Brown is going to have to fight to elbow his way into the All-Big Ten club at the linebacker position. Denicos Allen, Max Bullough, Chris Borland, Gerald Hodges, Mike Taylor plus Ryan Shazier are all jockeying for those six spots that Brown wants. With Whitney Mercilus gone and a new defensive scheme brought in by Tim Banks, Brown will have to learn on the fly to maintain and increase his production. Things won't be easy but the rising junior is a heck of a talent and definitely capable of being the leader that this Illini defense needs through the transition. Expect him to push for 120 tackles. His tackles for loss will likely come down but as a whole he will be a tremendous player in the Big Ten in 2012.

Coming into the 2012 NFL draft, one name that people expected to hear on Friday (when Rounds 2 and 3 are selected) was Illinois WR A.J. Jenkins.

Jenkins had a monster year for Illinois in 2011, catching 90 passes for 1,276 yards and eight touchdowns. His production tapered off as Illinois slumped down the stretch, though. In the last six games, he averaged only six catches per game and caught one total touchdown.

Between the disappointing end to his (and Illinois') season and a lack of ideal size, Jenkins' draft stock was never exceedingly high (NFL.com says he has "fifth-round value" and manages to make even that sound optimistic).

Nonetheless, production matters, and Jenkins ran a blistering 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, so his potential was evident.

What few people expected, however, was San Francisco making Jenkins its first-round pick, which is what happened at Thursday's first round of the NFL draft.

Jenkins himself didn't even expect it, according to The Washington Post. He was reportedly in the bathroom when a family member told him that his phone was ringing.

Via the Post:

'I sprinted because I didn’t know if they were joking or not because during the middle of the draft my cousin had called my phone, but he was playing with me. I thought it was another joke and it’s just crazy.'

Jenkins wasn’t sure whether he spoke to Coach Jim Harbaugh or General Manager Trent Baalke. Not that it mattered at that moment (as long as it wasn’t his cousin again). 'It was the 49ers. I was so lost for words. I was so out of words. I’m just like, wow, first round?' he said. 'I just heard a voice that said, ‘We’re taking you at pick 30.’ I just started tearing up. I’m just so excited right now. I’m so excited right now.'

Call it a reach or whatever, but San Francisco needed a long-term solution at wide receiver, and Michael Crabtree doesn't look like that solution. But is Jenkins?

Whether Jenkins succeeds in San Francisco depends on how the Niners use him. He does not excel at beating press coverage, and a cornerback can easily disrupt his timing by getting in his face at the snap.

Give Jenkins a free release, though, and he can use his speed to get behind defenses.

Jenkins' adjustment skills are above average, which is good news if Alex Smith continues to display uneven accuracy. Jenkins isn't afraid to lay out for a pass or take a big hit after the catch, though he's not really physically cut out to work the middle in the NFL.

His route-running isn't especially good, but he's not sloppy either.

Jenkins' speed is especially a benefit on drag routes, as he can simply use his sub-4.4 speed to outrun his man to the far side, where hopefully the other receivers have run off any other defenders.

Despite this, he's not really a "circus catch" type of wideout on deep passes—though that may have as much to do with accuracy issues on the part of Illinois QBs Nathan Scheelhaase and Riley O'Toole as anything else.

There is potential in this pick by the 49ers; there's no doubt about that.

Jenkins has shown that he can handle being a top target in an offense, and his speed should open up more options for the 49ers even if he isn't getting the ball more than a couple of times per game. 

Another week and we're running through the players here at Your Best 11. This week, we'll hit 140-135, and that starts today with a trip to the Big Ten. Nathan Scheelhaase gets some run to kick your week off.

No. 140: Nathan Scheelhaase, No. 2, Illinois, Quarterback

The Fighting Illini started out 2011 hot, winning six games in a row and climbing into the rankings. They ended the year in equally surprising fashion, losing six games to close the regular season. Part of their success was thanks to quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase.

Strengths

While he is no Denard Robinson, putting up video game-like stats, Scheelhaase is a solid dual-threat quarterback in his own right. He's got some impressive wiggle and ability to extend the play with his legs and an ability to move the ball through the air as well. Last season saw the sophomore grow his contribution in the air, and that was huge for the Illini.

Scheelhaase's greatest strength is his ability to work the offense. The threat of running causes problems for safeties and linebackers, and then Scheelhaase capitalizes on the errors with his arm and legs.

Weaknesses

Consistency is a big issue with Scheelhaase. He went from playing some lights-out football early to being average, at best, in the back end of the season. The sophomore from Missouri has to find a way to be a constant with this offense. With a 13 to 8 touchdown-to-interception ratio, you can see the kid is not wildly slinging the football to the defense. He had only one multi-interception game all season. Scheelhaase also never threw below 54 percent as a completion rate. His inconsistency comes with extending drives, making the smart read and getting first downs. 

2012 Prediction

This upcoming season will be an interesting one for the junior; he loses his top target, AJ Jenkins, at the wide receiver position, but he picks up a new head coach in Tim Beckman. Beckman comes to the Illini from Toledo, and one thing he was capable of doing was getting good play out of his quarterbacks. Terrance Owens and Austin Dantin were consistent throwing threats a year ago for the exciting Toledo scheme.

Owens, one of the MAC's most fun players to watch, is very similar to Scheelhaase, so we should get to see Beckman unlock Scheelhaase's potential.

Look for Nathan Scheelhaase to get the Illini into another bowl game but without a weapon on the edge he'll again struggle to break into the top of the Big Ten quarterbacks. 

We can all agree that Bobby Petrino is a sneaky, manipulative, cheating snake, but he is still a great coach.

I firmly believe that University of Illinois AD Mike Thomas should pursue signing Petrino. 

I understand that this sounds crappy, but Tim Beckman is not the right person for the Illini football program. U of I fans have been waiting for a coach that can turn a program around and win.

Petrino started his program-changing ways at Louisville in 2003. Four years later, Petrino left the Cardinals with a 41-9 record.

After a failed attempt in the NFL, Petrino signed on to become the head coach of the SEC-afterthought Arkansas program. It took him just one season to turn the Razorbacks into a contender in the SEC and national championship pictures. Before his firing, Petrino compiled an 34-17 record with the Razorbacks.

Despite his questionable antics off the field, Petrino has a proven track record of winning. Unfortunately, former Toledo head coach Beckman is a huge question mark and is already an unpopular hire for AD Thomas.

Beckman has only been a head coach for three years and compiled a record of 21-16 at Toledo. It was the first of two failed hirings by Thomas. (The second was the hiring of Ohio University basketball coach John Groce to take over the down-and-out Illini basketball program.)

Illinois needs a big name to wear the Chief and I block logo proudly. Petrino might be considered scum by many, but he is a proven winner. Thomas should pay Beckman his entire contract—and maybe ask him to move down to defensive coordinator—and hire Bobby Petrino before we lose the chance.

The time is now for the University of Illinois to be aggressive and hire Petrino. Give Bobby at least two seasons, and watch Illinois become the cream of the crop in recruiting and an every-year contender for the Big Ten title.