Penn State Series Notes

• This week's game marks 14th meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State leads the series 11-2 and is undefeated against the Illini in State College (4-0).

• Illinois has no players on the roster from the state of Pennsylvania and Penn State has no native Illinoisians.

• Illinois head coach Ron Zook is 0-1 against Penn State, after a 63-10 loss to the Nittany Lions in 2005.

Youth Gone Wild

• Through seven games this season 16 true freshmen have logged mintues. They are: OL Jon Asamoah, S Travon Bellamy, PK Michael Cklamovski, TE Jeff Cumberland, CB Vontae Davis, CB Chris Duvalt, CB Dere Hicks, TE Michael Hoomanawanui, DE Antonio James, WR Chris James, WR Joe Morgan, DL Clay Nurse, LB Rahkeem Smith, WR Marques Wilkins, QB Juice Williams, P Kyle Yelton.

• Illinois' debut of 16 true freshmen this year are the second-most of any team in Division I-A. Temple has played 20, followed by Illinois and Florida State with 16.

• Illinois has played 67 athletes this season, 27 of which have made their first collegiate appearance for Illinois, over 40 percent of the team.

• Five true-freshmen have made starts this season -- QB Juice Williams, TE Jeff Cumberland, CB Vontae Davis, TE Michael Hoomanawanui and P Kyle Yelton.

Records to Watch

• Illini running back Pierre Thomas has 588 all-purpose yards this season and is 755 yards short of the Illinois career all-purpose yardage record, which is currently held by Robert Holcombe (4,737). Thomas topped 1,300 all-purpose yards in 2004 and 2005.

• Both Thomas and senior running back E.B. Halsey rank among the school's best runners. Thomas has compiled 2,292 career rushing yards and with a strong senior year could break into Illinois' top-5. He needs 193 yards to improve to sixth on the all-time list. Halsey is currently 20th on that same list with 1,443 yards. He will improve to 19th with 98 yards.

• Junior kicker Jason Reda has made 26 field goals in his two-plus year career at Illinois, which ranks seventh on the all-time field goal list. He connected for seven as a true-freshman, 13 last season and currently has six made field goals this season. The school record is 53 held by Chris White, with eight more made field goals, Reda will move to sixth on the list.

• Illinois quarterback Tim Brasic rushed for 420 yards in 2005, the most in a single season by an Illinois quarterback. With 71 yards so far this season, Brasic needs 25 yards to surpass the 516 yards recorded by Fred Custardo from 1963-65, which is the most on the ground by an Illinois signal-caller. Wiliams has 306 yards rushing in seven games.

The Juice is Loose

• Illinois true-freshman quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams led the Illini to a victory at Michigan State on Sept. 20 in just his second career start. He is one of four Illinois quarterbacks to win the second game of their careers -- Kurt Kittner (1998), Jason Verduzco (1990) and Jack Trudeau (1983).

• Williams has proven he has quick-strike, big-play ability. His seven of his eight touchdown passes this season have been for 76, 69, 69, 53, 44, 35 and 31 yards. The scoring drives have been 1, 1, 3, 4, 4, 5 and 6 plays in length with the longest time elapsed being 2:22.

• Williams got his first collegiate start in the Illini's Big Ten opener against Iowa. He was the first true-freshman QB to start for the Illini since Kurt Kittner opened the game against Iowa on Sept. 26, 1998.

• With Williams' TD passes of 76 and 69 yards (against Syracuse) and 69 yards (at Michigan State), he became the first quarterback in school history to throw three touchdown passes of more than 65 yards in a career.

• He is also the team's second-leading rusher at this point in the season with 306 yards. His yards on the ground are the second-most in a single season by an Illinois signal-caller. The current record is held by fellow teammate Tim Brasic, who rushed for 420 last season.

• Williams made his college debut in the season opener in the second quarter and led the Illini on a 61-yard, 12-play drive for a touchdown. With that score, he became the first true-freshman quarterback in school history to lead a scoring drive on his first collegiate try.

Freshmen Quarterbacks

• Williams is one of five true-freshmen quarterbacks starting for their respective teams this year, and one of seven seeing time on the field. Here is how he compares:

  Player, School	GS-GP	Record as starter	Att.	Comp.	Pct.	Yds.	YPG	TD	INT
  Nate Davis, Ball State	3-7	1-2	120	86	71.7	1077	153.9	12	2
  Thaddeus Lewis, Duke	5-6	0-5	146	75	51.3	913	152.2	3	5
  Mitch Mustain, Arkansas	5-6	5-0	88	45	51.1	625	104.2	7	5
  Jevan Snead, Texas	0-4	0-0	18	13	72.2	181	45.3	1	1
  Matthew Stafford, Georgia	2-7	2-0	93	47	50.5	582	83.1	1	4
  Tim Tebow, Florida	0-6	0-0	14	10	66.7	152	25.3	2	1
  Juice Williams, ILLINOIS	4-7	1-3	133	57	42.9	925	132.1	8	5

Two-Sport Double-Duty

• Sophomore receiver Kyle Hudson returned to the football field this fall after leading the team in 2005 in receiving yards. He compiled 469 yards receiving on 31 catches, falling just 42 yards short of the Illinois freshman receiving record. He also was Illinois' deep threat a year ago, posting seven catches over 25 yards. During his offseason, Hudson was the starting centerfielder for the Illini baseball team, also leading the squad with a .375 batting average. Working around the spring football season, Hudson started in 34-of-35 games played. He also stole 10 bases. For his efforts, he was named the University of Illinois' Male Newcomer of the Year.

Versatile Warren

• Soon the Illinois roster will need to list junior DaJuan Warren as a slash. In seven games, the Southfield, Mich., native has played his regular position of wide receiver and added punter to the mix. He has 13 catches for 175 yards and has seven punts. To make things even more confusing, he has thrown a touchdown pass and has 26 yards rushing on three carries.

What's In a Name?

• It is hard not to pay attention to the 12-letter long last name of freshman tight end Michael Hoomanawanui. The difficulty in its pronunciation has caused coaches and teammates to nickname Michael "Huh-oh" representing the first two syllables of his name. The name is one of Hawaiin decent, which he gets from his father, Isy's, side of the family, who hails from Oahu. The name is not the most common in its native land, but retains the special meaning "patience".

1,000-Yard Rushing Duos

Through the seventh week of the 2006 season, Illinois is one of two Big Ten teams to boast a pair of career 1,000-yard rushers on its current roster in seniors Pierre Thomas (2,292 career yards) and E.B. Halsey (1,443 career yards). Michigan State is the other. In all, there are 12 1,000-yard career rushers currently listed on Big Ten rosters:

Transfers Making a Difference

• In addition to the many members of the freshman class making an impact in the season opener, three transfers have found themselves in the starting lineup to begin their first season at Illinois: OT Akim Millington, S Justin Sanders and LB Antonio Steele.

• Steele and Sanders came to the Illini via the junior college route, Steele from Long Beach City College and Sanders from NE Mississippi Junior College. Both players have NFL bloodlines with Steele's older brother, Markus, having played for five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. Sander's father, John, played for six years with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.

• Millington was a transfer from Oklahoma, where he was slated to be in the starting lineup. A family situation forced him to leave the Sooners and sit out the 2005 season. He arrived in January to begin working out with the Illini. Millington has only played football for a short time, beginning in high school. He grew up in Trinidad playing soccer and fishing. He taught himself to play football by reading books in the library.

Sharing the Wealth

• The Illini once again have a triple threat at the tailback position in seniors E.B. Halsey and Pierre Thomas and sophomore Rashard Mendenhall.

• The Illini have rushed for over 200 yards on four occasions this season.

• In the season opener, the three tailbacks combined for 283 yards -- Thomas led the team with 126, followed by Halsey's 82 yards and Mendenhall's 75. In the season opener against Eastern Illinois, the trio combined for 283 yards (the first 300-yard rushing game for an Illini team since the 1999 Micronpc.com Bowl game). The last time an Illinois team had three backs with over 75 yards in a game was in the 2001 Big Ten Championship year against Indiana. The trio also averaged 7.9 yards per carry against EIU.

• For years, the Illinois running game has consisted of the multiple tailback philosophy. Dating back to 1998 (and with the exception of the 2002 season), two or more running backs have split time in the backfield. With all three tailbacks contributing in the 2006 season, the running game is much of the same. The following is a list of Illinois' tailback tandems:

  1998	Rocky Harvey (634) & Steve Havard (584) 1,218 (110.7 ypg)
  1999	Rocky Harvey (774) & Steve Havard (806) 1,580 (131.7 ypg)
  2000	Rocky Harvey (683) & Antoineo Harris (772) 1,455 (132.3 ypg)
  2001	Rocky Harvey (620) & Antoineo Harris (629) 1,249 (104.1 ypg)
  2002*	Antoineo Harris (1,330) 1,330 (110.8 ypg)
  2003	E.B. Halsey (525) & Pierre Thomas (233) 758 (62.2 ypg)
  2004	Pierre Thomas (893) & E.B. Halsey (461) 1,354 (123.1 ypg)
  2005	Pierre Thomas (664), E.B. Halsey (349) & Rashard Mendenhall (218) 1,277 (116.0 ypg)
  2006	Pierre Thomas (502), E.B. Halsey (108) & Rashard Mendenhall (283) 893 (127.6 ypg)
  * only season since 1998 Illinois has had one featured back

Retooled Offensive Line

• With the additions of large bookend tackles Akim Millington and Charles Myles, the Illinois offensive line has increased its size to over 1,500 pounds. Each starter weighs in at over 300 pounds and the five starters average 308 pounds. Millington joined the team in the spring as a transfer from Oklahoma, where he played in 2004. Myles is a transfer from the defensive side of the ball, where he played defensive tackle for the Illini in 2003 and 2004.

• Despite returning all five starters to the offensive line, only left guard Martin O'Donnell is in the same position as a year ago. Myles and Millington joined at the tackle positions, giving the coaching staff the ability to move sophomore Ryan McDonald inside to his more natural center position. Senior Matt Maddox, who played center in 2005, has returned to right guard where he played in every game as a freshman and sophomore.

Classroom Standouts

• Illinois junior linebacker J Leman is not only a standout on the field, but his accomplishments in the classroom include a bachelor's degree in just three years. He maintained a 3.7 GPA in communications, graduating this past August. He is currently pursuing a master's degree with two seasons of eligibility still remaining.

• The Illini's starting center Ryan McDonald is pursuing his undergraduate degree in one of the most difficult academic fields at the University of Illinois. Illinois is known for its engineering ciriculum, ranking in the Top-10 in all nine disciplines, including the top-rated civil engineering program. McDonald has recorded a 3.87 in aeronautical engineering, a program which ranks eighth nationally.

Offensive Notes

• The Illini have taken advantage of opportunities in the red zone, scoring on 14 of 15 trips inside the 20. The 93.3 percent success rate ranks first in the Big Ten.

• In the Sept. 1 issue of The Sporting News, Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley was named one of the top-5 minority assistant coaches on the rise in the hunt for head coaching positions.

• Illinois running back Pierre Thomas (110) and quarterback Juice Williams (103) both rushed for over 100 yards in the victory over MSU. It was the first time the Illini had a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game since Rocky Harvey and Antoineo Harris accomplished the feat at San Diego State in 2000. It was the first time in school history that a pair of 100-yard rushers were a running back and a quarterback.

• The Illini have rushed for over 200 yards four times this year. They piled up 211 vs. Ohio, 209 yards against Indiana, 252 at MSU and posted 345 vs. EIU earlier this season.

• Two Illinois touchdown passes have come from non-quarterbacks this season. Running back E.B. Halsey tossed a touchdown to Jacob Willis vs. Michigan State and wide receiver DaJuan Warren threw a touchdown to Jody Ellis vs. Indiana.

• Against Michigan State, the Illini offensive line, while missing left tackle Akim Millington, helped block for 252 yards rushing and didn't allow a sack, for the first time this season.

• Thomas has rushed for over 100 yards eight times in his career, following his 126 yards against Indiana. He scored two touchdowns in a game for the fifth time in his career with his two TD runs against EIU.

  Kyle Hudson has been one of Juice Williams' many targets in the passing game this season.

• In seven games this season, sophomore wide receiver Kyle Hudson has converted first downs on 12-of-19 catches. Including his freshman year, Hudson now has 34 first-down catches in 50 career receptions.

• Of Illinois' 152 carries by running backs this year, only five have been for negative yardage (-14).

• Thomas has rushed for 2,292 yards in three-plus seasons, carrying the ball 412 times. During that time, Thomas is averaging 5.6 yards per carry, while scoring 18 career touchdowns.

• Illinois tied its longest drive in school history with a 99-yard drive against Syracuse that resulted in Kyle Hudson's 69-yard TD catch. It was the third time that the Illini have had a 99-yard drive, and the first time since Oct. 7, 1989 vs. Ohio State.

• For the season, the Illini have recorded 22 big plays over 25 yards. Against both EIU and Indiana, the Illini offense posted six big plays.

• With a 76-yard pass to Rashard Mendenhall and 69-yard hookups with Kyle Hudson and Jacob Willis this season, Williams has engineered the program's first- and third-longest completions in school history since the 1994 Liberty Bowl.

• Not only does the Illini offense spread the wealth in the rushing game, but Illinois quarterbacks have found 13 different targets for 88 completed passes.

• Illinois had six rushing touchdowns against Eastern Illinois. The last time Illinois had six rushing TDs in a game was in the Micronpc.com bowl victory over Virginia on Dec. 30, 1999.

Defensive Notes

• The Illini defense held Michigan State's potent running game to a mere 82 yards rushing, 173.5 yards below their average. The Spartans were averaging 476.8 yards of total offense for the season and the Illinois allowed only 259 yards, 217.8 below their average.

• Illinois middle linebacker J Leman has recorded six games of 10-plus tackles to lead the team. For the season, he is averaging 11.1 tackles per game, which ranks first in the Big Ten and sixth nationally.

• Against Michigan State, the Illini defense posted five sacks, the most in a game during the Ron Zook era.

• The Illinois defense has allowed 19 touchdowns and 11 field goals this season. However, nine of those 17 touchdowns came on a short field when the opponent started in Illini territory, as well as seven of the 11 field goals.

• The Illinois defense has recorded eight scoreless quarters this season.

• The Illini defense held the Iowa offense scoreless for the game's first 24:05, marking the longest scoreless time span to start the game by an opponent in the Ron Zook era. Iowa did not score in the first or third quarters, which mark the fifth and sixth scoreless quarters of the season by UI opponents. After giving up 21 points in the final 5:55 of the first half, the defense shut down the Hawks for only three points in the final half.

  Derek Walker has been a stalwart on the Illini defensive line so far this season.

• Sophomore defensive end Derek Walker leads the team in sacks in just his second year as a starter. In seven games, he has recorded 5.5 sacks for a loss of 25 yards. He ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally.

• Sophomore defensive tackle David Lindquist has a knack of being around the ball. This season he has recovered three fumbles, which leads the Big Ten.

• In seven games this season, the Illini have forced 10 turnovers, surpassing the number recorded during the entire 2005 season. The squad posted a season-high three turnovers against Rutgers.

• Of those 10 turnovers, six have been interceptions, which surpasses the total number (4) from a year ago. Both freshman Vontae Davis, sophomore Brit Miller and junior Kevin Mitchell have posted their first collegiate interceptions this season.

• Seven times this season opponents drives deep in the red zone have been thwarted by turnovers. Against Eastern Illinois, freshman corner Vontae Davis' endzone interception halted an EIU goal line stand, Alan Ball recorded an endzone interception at Rutgers, linebacker J Leman forced a fumble at the goal line against the Scarlet Knights, safeties Justin Harrison and Kevin Mitchell have intercepted passes at the one yardline and Harrison stripped MSU's Drew Stanton at the two-yardline. Justin Sanders picked off an Ohio first half hail mary in the endzone.

Special Teams Notes

• Illinois placekicker Jason Reda earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors after his game-winning field goal against Michigan State on Oct. 7.

• Junior placekicker Jason Reda converted his first career last minute game-winning field goal when he connected for a 39-yard kick with six seconds left at Michigan State, to lift Illinois over the Spartans, 23-20. It was the first game-winning field goal for an Illini kicker since Chris Richardson made a 41-yarder against Ohio State for the 10-7 win on Oct. 22, 1991.

• Reda has been the model of consistency when it comes to extra-point kicking. In three seasons, he is a near-perfect 62-of-63, including his last 52 attempts.

• Reda has also connected on 26 made field goals in two-plus seasons as the starter, which ranks seventh on the Illinois career list. He needs eight more to move up to sixth.

Memorial Stadium Gets a Facelift

• Recently the Illinois Board of Trustees approved a $116 million renovation for Illinois' historic Memorial Stadium. The renovation project is slated to begin following the completion of the 2006 football season and IHSA championship football games. Construction will occur on the north, west and east sides of the stadium, with permanent seating on the north end being completed for the 2007 season. The remaining areas, which include the east and west side, should wrap up in time for the 2008 season.(updated photos and renderings available upon request).

• Among the renovation on the west side is the addition of luxury suites, indoor and outdoor club areas and a refurbishment of the concourses. An outdoor club space, the Colonnades Club, will be added under the west balcony and will allow for indoor game day hospitality, as well as outdoor chair back seats for contest viewing. In the west balcony, a three-level structure will be built to house two floors of suites and an indoor club space as well as a new press box for media seating and game day operations. The indoor club, which seats 200, has been named "77 Club" to honor the retired number of Illinois gridiron legend Harold "Red" Grange.

• The funding comes in large part from the sales of suites, club seats and naming rights, which covers nearly 85 percent of the total cost. The remaining 15 percent will be funded by a ticket surcharge, which was inacted this year.

Illini Gridders Make Impact in the Community

• This summer as part of the team's bonding activities, the seniors decided to have the team come together for a charitable cause. The 10 seniors, led by OL Matt Maddox, JJ Simmons and RB E.B. Halsey, as a group adopted the local Cunningham Children's Home. The home began as an orphanage until the state implemented the foster care system making its residents wards of the State of Illinois. Most the kids in the home are dealing with psychological, behavioral and transitional situations.

• The football team took part in four different events each aimed at providing support and attention to the needs of the Cunningham Home.

• The summer began with 12-hour supply drive to raise goods and money for the home from their Wish List. The team congregated on the West side of Memorial Stadium and along with the help of four local radio stations, solicited the help of community members to give supplies and money to the Home. The goal was to score a touchdown with the goods, laying them out on a 100-yard field. At the last moment, the goals was reached and over $13,000 in goods and money were raised for the Home.

• The other activities included a more hands-on approach to the kids. The team hosted a movie night in the stadium (intended to be shown on the jumbotron, but rain spoiled, so it was moved to the squad room) and watched "Glory Road". They had a Fun Fest with the kids, setting up seven different stations of football equipment, teaching drills and fundamentals in the indoor facility. In the fourth and final activity, members of the team enjoyed a pool party at the Home with the kids.