- With the win over Louisiana, the Illini are riding a four-game home winning streak, dating back to the final two games of last season. Illinois also has won seven of its last eight at Memorial Stadium after posting a 5-1 record in 2007.
- Illinois' attendance for the home opener against Eastern Illinois was 60,131, the most for a home opener since hosting 70,193 against No. 13 Michigan in 1995. In the second game of the home schedule, the Illini drew 58,632. With the four-game Big Ten portion of the schedule already announced as sell outs, the Illini will average over 60,000 fans for the entire season. That number will be the most since the 1995 season.
- Illinois' 47-point performance vs. Eastern Illinois is the highest in the Ron Zook era and marks the fourth time in the Illini's last seven games that they have topped the 40-point mark.
- Illinois converted 8-of-12 third downs against Eastern Illinois, including 8-of-10 tries in the first half. Conversely, EIU was just 3-of-13 on third down and 1-of-9 in the first three quarters (0-for-5 in the first half).
- The 94 total points scored by Missouri and Illinois (52-42) marks the highest combined scoring game in school history.
- The Illini linebacking duo of Brit Miller and Martez Wilson rank 1-6, respectively, in the Big Ten in total tackles with 12.0 and 8.7 per game. The pair also are Nos. 2 and 5 in tackles for loss on the conference leaderboard with 6.0 and 4.5.
- Twelve Illini true freshmen have played through the first two games: RB Mikel LeShoure, WR A.J. Jenkins, WR Cordale Scott, RB Jason Ford, DB Tavon Wilson, DB Supo Sanni, LB Russell Ellington, FB Zach Becker, OL Jeff Allen, WR Fred Sykes, TE Hubie Graham and DT Corey Liuget. In addition, redshirt-freshmen Matt Eller, Ian Thomas and Daryle Ballew also are playing their first season of collegiate football.
- This week's game marks the 16th meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Nittany Lions. PSU holds a 12-3 series advantage, and a 6-0 winning margin in State College. The Illini won its most recent contest vs. Penn State with a 27-20 victory in Champaign last season.
- PSU coach Joe Paterno is 10-2 vs. the Illini, while Ron Zook is 1-2 vs. Penn State.
- Illinois has three freshmen from the state of Pennsylvania on its roster -- Hubie Graham (Scranton/West), Corey Lewis (Cresco/East Stroudsburg) and Tyler Sands (Boyertown/Area Senior). In addition, Illini defensive end Will Davis and cornerback Travon Bellamy hail from Eleanor Roosevelt High School, as does PSU wide receiver Derrick Williams. Penn State receiver James McDonald is a Dunbar graduate, along with Illini defensive backs Vontae Davis and Nate Bussey and receiver Arrelious Benn.
- Then-freshman Arrelious Benn had a career day with six catches for 84 yards and a 29-yard touchdown catch, as well as a first-quarter 90-yard kickoff return for a score.
- The defense posted 10 tackles for loss against Penn State last year, including efforts from returning starters Dere Hicks (1.5), Brit Miller (0.5), Will Davis (1.0) and David Lindquist (0.5).
- Illinois' win over 19th-ranked Penn State in 2007 was its first victory over a top-25 opponent since Nov. 1, 2001 against No. 25 Ohio State, and first win over a ranked opponent at Memorial Stadium since defeating 25th-ranked Louisville on 9/22/2001.
- Juice Williams needs eight yards to improve to 19th on the all-time rushing list in the Illinois record books, 15 yards for 18th and 23 for 17th.
- Williams already holds the career record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,550 in his first three seasons.
- Senior defensive end Will Davis needs a half-sack to move to ninth on the career quarterback sacks list.
- Illinois will be facing its second ranked opponent of the season when it squares off with No. 12/12 Penn State. The Illini dropped the season opener to No. 6/7 Missouri.
- Illinois' 27-20 win over Penn State in 2007 marked the first time Illinois had beaten a ranked opponent in its previous 19 tries against top-25 foes and the first time an Illini team defeated a ranked Big Ten foe in Champaign since 1991.
- Last season, the Illini were 3-2 vs. top-25 opponents and 2-1 against top-10 foes (wins over No. 19 Penn State, No. 5 Wisconsin and No. 1 Ohio State and losses to No. 24 Michigan and No. 7 USC). In the Ron Zook era, the Illini are 3-10 against ranked teams.
- In his seven years as a head coach, Ron Zook has posted nine wins over ranked opponents.
The 2008 edition of the Ron Zook TV Show has seen a complete overhaul. Not only can it be seen on a brand-new network, WICD/WICS, but it sports a format unlike any other coaches' show. The Ron Zook Show features the latest and best in graphics and creative video. Each week, Zook and the show's host Brian Barnhart will discuss the previous week's game, issues in college football and the current Illini team in a Sportscenter-like format. The show begins with a recap of the game and ends with a quick-hitting music video. This year's show is sponsored by Dish Network.
- The Big Ten Network original series Illinois Football: The Journey airs each Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT/9:30 PM ET. The fourth show of the season, which airs on Sept. 23, shows Illinois against Louisiana-Lafayette, a visit with Will Davis and his mother, Pearine Davis-Parkinson, who is the Deputy Prime Minister of Liberia, while also following Illinois players to study hall and a leadership seminar.
- New episodes will air at 8:30 p.m. CT/9:30 p.m. ET every Tuesday during the football season, with the previous week's show preceding the new episode. Viewers can follow The Journey online with a producer's diary, bonus video clips, photos, archived segments and a five-minute video preview of the season premiere by visiting www.BigTenNetwork.com/Journey.
Eight Illini football players have been named to preseason watch lists for national awards.
- Vontae Davis - Thorpe, Nagurski, Bednarik: Davis has 23 tackles, four pass break-ups and a QB hurry in three games this season. Last year, he was the only sophomore on the the semifinal list for the Jim Thorpe Award. He recorded four interceptions and eight additional passes defended last season, which ranked sixth in the Big Ten in both categories. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2007 and earlier this year was named to the Playboy All-America team.
- Arrelious Benn - Biletnikoff, Maxwell, Walter Camp: Benn has 15 catches in his first three games of this season and nine carries for 53 yards (5.9 ypc) and two touchdowns on the ground. He has also returned six kicks for 91 yards and two punts for 27 yards. Last season, he earned freshman All-America honors and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He broke Illinois' freshman receiving and receptions record, which were previously held by Brandon Lloyd and Ty Douthard, respectively. He also returned kicks in 2007 and has added punt returning to his repetoire this year.
- Juice Williams - Davey O'Brien: Williams has done it with his arm and legs thus far in 2008. After throwing for a career-best 451 yards and 5 TDs vs. Missouri in the opener, Williams ran all over Eastern Illinois last week, racking up 174 yards on 16 carres (10.9 ypc) and two TDs on the ground. He has tossed seven touchdown throws and is now 55-for-92 (59.8 percent) for 722 yards on the season. Williams led the Illini to the 2008 Rose Bowl his sophomore year after improving his passing accuracy from 39 to 57 percent in one season and leading an offense that posted the best total offensive numbers in school history with 5,500 yards. He is currently 20th on the Illinois all-time rushing list with over 1,500 yards.
- Will Davis - Hendricks, Lombardi: Davis has 11 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in three games this year. He is now 10th on the Illinois career sacks list with 13.5 He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2007 after leading the team in tackles for loss with 12.5 and sacks with 9.5.
- Ryan McDonald - Rimington: McDonald is in his fourth year as a starter on the offensive line. He has helped pave the way Illinois' 224.7 rushing yards per game this year. The Illini offense piled up over 500 yards in each of the first two games this season. Last season, he started every game for an offensive line that posted the best rushing and total offensive numbers in school history and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. The line also set a school mark for fewest sacks allowed in a year with 1.23 per game. In his two years as starting center for the Illini, the offense has led the Big Ten in rushing.
- Xavier Fulton - Lombardi: Fulton is in his second year as a starter on the offensive line. He has helped pave the way Illinois' 224.7 rushing yards per game this year. The Illini offense piled up over 500 yards in each of the first two games this season. In 2007, he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in his first year on the offensive line. He played a team-high 997 offensive snaps last year and led the team with 109 knockdowns. He also was instrumental in protecting QB Juice Williams and allowing only 1.23 sacks per game.
- Martez Wilson - Butkus: Wilson is averaging 8.7 tackles per game. For the season, he is second on the team and fourth in the Big Ten in tackles with 26, and is second on the team in TFL with 4.5. Prior to the season, Wilson was added to the Butkus Watch List before even starting a game at Illinois. His athleticism has earned him the nickname of "Freak 2" and he runs a 4.4 40. He played in all 13 games last year and recorded 29 tackles, three for loss.
- Brit Miller - Lott: Miller leads the Big Ten in tackles and has caused three turnovers in three games. To this point in the season, he has 36 stops, six tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. It is Miller's first season as a middle linebacker after starting at OLB for the past three seasons, a move geared toward maximizing his experience, stability in play calling and leadership on the defense. His nomination for the Ronnie Lott award combines athletic excellence with off the field character. Miller is a staple in the Champaign and Decatur communities, volunteering every week with elementary and middle schools, military veterans and children's hospitals.
Illinois remains in the top-25 for the fifth-straight week in 2008 with its win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 13. Below are the rankings for the 2008 season.
- Preseason 20 (AP) / 19 (USA Today/Coaches)
- Week 1 24 (AP) / 25 (USA Today/Coaches)
- Week 2 24 (AP) / RV (USA Today/Coaches)
- Week 3 22 (AP) / 23 (USA Today/Coaches)
- Week 4 22 (AP) / 21 (USA Today/Coaches)
The Illini are ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll and No. 21 in the Coaches poll, marking their seventh-straight week in the rankings, dating back to the end of the 2007 season, which is the most since the 1989, '90 and '91 squads put together 24 consecutive weeks in the top-25. Here is a list of the Illinois records for consecutive weeks ranked in the top-25:
- 24 - Sept. 4, 1989-Jan. 1, 1991
- 9 - Oct. 6, 1951-Jan. 1, 1952
- 8 - Oct. 8, 1983-Jan. 1, 1984
- 5 - Nov. 17, 2007-present
- 7 Oct. 17, 1953-Sept. 25, 1954
- 6 Oct. 19-Nov. 28, 1963
5 - Nov. 3, 2001-Jan. 1, 2002
5 - Sept. 2-Sept. 30, 2000
5 - Oct. 19-Nov. 28, 1963
5 - Oct. 17-Nov. 14, 1942
The Big Ten boasts nine career 1,000 yard rushers. Illinois quarterback Juice Williams ranks sixth among active players and is tops among the two quarterbacks in the rankings. Indiana's Kellen Lewis is the only other signal-caller on the list.
- Javon Ringer, RB, Sr., Michigan State 3,460 yards
- Tyrell Sutton, RB, Sr., Northwestern 3,383 yards
- P.J. Hill, RB, Jr., Wisconsin 3,184 yards
- Kory Sheets, RB, Sr., Purdue 2,562 yards
- Beanie Wells, RB, Jr., Ohio State 2,296 yards
- Juice Williams, QB, Jr., Illinois 1,550 yards
- Kellen Lewis, QB, Jr., Indiana 1,509 yards
- Jaycen Taylor, RB, Sr., Purdue 1,237 yards
- Marcus Thigpen, RB, Sr., Indiana 1,141 yards
- Evan Royster, So., Penn State 892 yards
- Adam Weber, So., Minnesota 716 yards
Illinois senior center Ryan McDonald has started 39 consecutive games during his four-year career. That number is among the best in the nation, ranking as the fifth-longest active streak. He is tied for the 13th-longest starting streak in the nation. Below is the list of consecutive starts among Division I collegiate football players.
43 - Andrew Gardner, OL, Georgia Tech; Andrew Hartline, OL, Central Michigan
42 - Kraig Urbik, OL, Wisconsin; Cody Lubojasky, LB, Houston; Dallas Reynolds, OL, BYU
41 - Matt Kroul, DL, Iowa; Kenneth Fontenette, S, Houston; Pat Brown, OL, UCF
40 - Maurice Crum, LB, Notre Dame; Jervonte Jackson, DL, Florida Atlantic; Clint Sintim, LB, Virginia; Dan Gerberry, OL, Ball State
39 - Ryan McDonald, OL, Illinois; Robbie Felix, OL, UTEP
- Juice Williams had a career day for the Illini in the season opener against MU, throwing for a career-high five TDs as well as a career-best 451 yards on a career-high 26 completions. His 451 passing yards rank third all-time at Illinois behind Dave Wilson's 621 yards (11/8/80) and Tony Eason's 479 (10/23/82). Williams now holds the Illinois records for passing yardage and TDs in a season opener. He out-passed Chase Daniel 451 yards to 323 and threw two more TDs than the Missouri senior. Williams' performance also marked the second-straight year that Illinois has thrown for more than 250 yards against the Tigers.
- Williams became just the fourth quarterback in Illinois history to throw for five or more touchdowns in a game, joining Dave Wilson (6), Tom O'Connell (5) and Jeff George (5), with his five-touchdown performance against Missouri.
- Williams accounted for 91.7 percent of Illinois' first downs vs. Missouri and 67.6 for the season. He has engineered 46-of-68 on the year, rushing for 14 and passing for 32.
- Juice in the Illinois record books:
- 20th - career rushing yards (1,550) - needs 8 for 19th / 15 for 18th / 23 for 17th
- 5th - career total offense (5,322) - needs 1,498 for 4th
- 8th - career passing yardage (3,807) - needs 1,195 for 7th
- 8th - career pass completions (298) - needs 121 for 7th
- 8th - career pass attempts (595) - needs 153 for 7th
- 8th - career touchdowns (28) - needs 2 for 7th
- 1st - career rushing yards by a quarterback (1,550) - already holds record
- 1st - season rushing yards by a quarterback, 2007 (755) - already holds record
- 2nd - season rushing yards by a quarterback, 2006 (576) - record was broken by 2007 numbers
- 6th - season rushing yards by a quarterback, 2008 (219) - needs 68 yards for 5th
Five of Illinois' 2008 starters came to Illinois on a different path than the one they currently find themselves.
- Wide receiver Chris Duvalt spent his first two seasons as an Illini at cornerback. He played a key role on special teams, but was spending too much time behind other players. This spring, he gave offense a try and the rest is history. He has immediately made an impact with three touchdown catches in the first three games. He is averaging 17.6 yards a catch and nearly 30 yards a game.
- Junior Rahkeem Smith played a season as a linebacker before seeing a straight shot to a starting role at fullback.
- Senior Will Davis came to Illinois as a 235-pound tight end, but quickly saw a chance at success on the defensive side of the ball with his addition of 40 pounds and a move to defensive end. In three seasons, he has totaled 20 tackles for loss, 13.5 quarterback sacks and 19 hurries.
- One of the most immediately effective moves came before the 2007 season when former defensive end Xavier Fulton switched to offensive tackle and earned All-Big Ten honors that same season. In his only year as a starter, the offensive line set new school records for total offense and rushing yards. This season, the Illini are in the top-4 in the conference in rushing, passing, scoring and total offense.
- Jeff Cumberland moved from tight end to receiver in the middle of last season. As a receiver in his final four games of 2007, he caught 11 passes for 221 yards, including 131 yards against Northwestern. He played in his first game of the 2008 season against Louisiana-Lafayette.
- The amount of audio and video wire installed during the renovation is approximately 135 miles of cabling - the approximate distance from Champaign to Indianapolis.
- There are 250 televisions through out the stadium (west, north, and east)
- The west pavilion totals nearly 300,000 square feet, or 150 average family homes.
- The new west pavilion exterior façade encompasses 20,000 square feet of new brick and 75,000 square feet of glass.
- The interior of the west pavilion has nearly two football fields worth of carpet. This carpet is located on the upper floors of the facility.
Illinois defensive end Will Davis' family are natives of the Republic of Liberia. He has spent his entire life in the United States, and was able to visit Liberia as a young child before civil war broke out. Now that the war has ended, his mother, Pearine Davis-Parkinson, recently returned home to become the Deputy Minister in the Ministry of State office. The Ministry of State supports the work of the President of the Republic of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The major departments of the Ministry of State are the Office of the President, Administration, and Public Affairs and Communications Technology. Davis' mother played basketball for the Liberian national team and at the University of Liberia. His uncle, John Davis, played soccer for Liberia. She should be in town in the month of October to attend Illinois football games.
Sophomore receiver Arrelious Benn has started every game of his career, 16, at Illinois since he was a true-freshman in 2007. In addition to that, he also has caught at least one pass in each of those games. He leads a group of receivers that are improving each week with an average of 18.7 catches per game. Here is a list of the receivers and their current reception streaks (3 or more games):
Arrelious Benn: 16 games (every game of his career)
Chris Duvalt: 3 games (moved to receiver in 2008)
Will Judson: 3 games (first-year starter)
Michael Hoomanawanui: 3 games (tight end)
Daniel Dufrene: 3 games (running back)
Illinois is auctioning 108 authentic Dick Butkus-era throwback helmets worn by the Fighting Illini football team during the Illinois Renaissance celebration Sept. 6 on fightingillini.com through Sept. 29.
Fans can locate the auctions by clicking the "Auctions" link under the "Multimedia" menu on FightingIllini.com. Proceeds from the auctions will offset the cost of purchasing this entirely new set of uniforms for the Renaissance Celebration game.
- The Illinois offense put up staggering numbers in the first two games of 2008. With 532 total yards against Missouri and 533 against EIU, the Fighting Illini racked-up 500+ yards in consecutive games for the first time since 2002, when it happened three straight weeks (600 vs. Arkansas State on 9/14, 602 vs. San Jose State on 9/21 and 543 vs. Michigan on 9/28). Their point totals of 42 and 47 mark the first time an Illinois squad has scored 40+ points in back-to-back games since 1999 (40 at Iowa on 11/6 and 46 at Ohio State on 11/13).
- For the second-straight year, the Illini are averaging over five yards per rush as a team. Through three games, Illinois has averaged 224.7 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten.
- Junior running bak Daniel Dufrene is picking up right where the running game left off last season. Through three games, he is averaging 100 yards per game and 6.7 yards per touch on the ground. In his career, he is averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
- The Illini passed for 451 yards against Missouri, marking the third-best passing performance in Illinois history.
- In three games, the offense has put together 23 big plays over 20 yards, including three over 40 yards. Among those 23 were nine big passing plays and 12 rushes (two defense).
- Juice Williams was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1 for his performance against Missouri in the season opener. He exploded for career highs of 451 passing yards and five touchdowns to nearly rally Illinois from a second-half deficit against nationally ranked Missouri. His five scoring strikes are tied for second in school history and are the third-highest total in Big Ten annals. Williams' 451-yard effort rates third in the Illini records book and topped his previous career-best by more than 200 yards. Illinois fell behind 45-20 in the third quarter, but Williams broke loose for almost 300 yards through the air and four touchdowns in the second half to nearly pull off the win.
- Tight end Michael Hoomanawanui is quickly emerging as a first-down machine, catching a team-high nine passes that earned a first down, including five first-down catches he has made on third-down plays. Out of his 10 catches so far this season, nine have gone for first downs and the other was a touchdown. Hoomanawanui has become a much larger part of the Illinois offense in his third season, with 10 catches and 146 yards so far in 2008 after catching five passes for 64 yards in his first two seasons.
- Senior receiver Will Judson made the most out of his first collegiate start vs. Missouri, hauling in five catches for 177 yards. His performance was the best for an Illini receiver since Walter Young's 178 yards against LSU?in the 2002 Nokia Sugar Bowl. Of his seven catches for the year, six have converted first downs.
- Judson and Chris Duvalt each hauled in two touchdown receptions in the season opener against Missouri, marking the first time since the 2002 Sugar Bowl that Illinois had two receivers with two TDs in a game (Walter Young and Brandon Lloyd vs. LSU).
- Duvalt caught a touchdown pass (2 vs. Missouri and 1 vs. EIU) in each of the first two games of the season, which also were his first two games as a receiver after switching from cornerback in spring practice. He has three TDs in only five career receptions.
- Sophomore wide receiver Arrelious Benn, 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, has become a big part of this Illini offense. He caught seven passes in each of his first two games and also has been heavily involved in the running game. He is averaging 50 receiving yards per game and 5.9 yards per rush. His two touchdowns scored this season have been on the ground.
- Last season, the offensive line set a school record for fewest sacks per game with 1.23 while posting the best numbers in total offense and rushing with 5,585 and 3,338 yards, respectively. The line blocked for the Big Ten's best rushing offense in 2006 and 2007. This season, the Illini offense ranks among the top-4 in the conference in rushing, passing, scoring and total offense.
