UPDATED: Illinois surprised Ohio State in 2007 by throwing with a quarterback who didn't have a great reputation for using his arm. Could the underdog Illini try that against with freshman quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase?
In 2007, Juice Williams (7) and Illinois pulled off a stunning win over the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium. Williams threw four TD passes and picked up some crucial first downs in the fourth quarter to lead the Illini.CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It's an Ohio State team on a national championship track against an Illinois team with a stud running back and a quarterback with questionable passing skills.
The Buckeyes vs. the Fighting Illini in 2010 bears at least a passing resemblance to the matchup three years ago, the high point of coach Ron Zook's tenure at Illinois.
In November 2007, with future NFL first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall joining him in the backfield, mobile Illinois sophomore quarterback Juice Williams entered the game with a completion percentage of 56.1. He had more interceptions than touchdowns, and an average of 113 passing yards and 57 rushing yards per game.
And then he tossed the Illini to the upset, throwing what was then a career-high four touchdown passes in a 28-21 stunner against the nation's No. 1 team.
Now, it's October 2010. The game is in Champaign, not Columbus. But the Illini have another reliable back in Mikel Leshoure, who ranks seventh in the nation in rushing, averaging 132 yards per game. And they have mobile redshirt freshman quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who enters his fourth career start with a completion percentage of 54.4, the same number of interceptions and touchdowns, and an average of 127 passing yards and 68 rushing yards per game.
Now, just like three years ago, there's little reason for the No. 2 Buckeyes to expect this quarterback to beat them with his arm.
Then, the Buckeyes made a few wrong half-steps in the secondary that led to big Williams throws, including two touchdowns of more than 30 yards. Now, the Buckeyes are coming off a game against Eastern Michigan when their defense controlled the game -- save for a few missteps in the secondary that helped the Eagles hit five passes of at least 19 yards and score three touchdowns.
"We just made some mental mistakes last week, lack of communication back there, things we can't have," OSU senior safety Jermale Hines said. "When you start having that, that's when you start giving up the big plays."
OSU linebacker Ross Homan said the Illinois running game is the best the Buckeyes have faced. Leshoure has rushed for 100 yards in four straight games dating back to last season, but Ohio State also hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in its past 27 games.
"He's a bruiser," OSU defensive lineman John Simon said of Leshoure.
Yet it's hard to imagine a team, at least one without an All-Big Ten-caliber offensive line, beating the Ohio State front seven by pounding the run. If there's a soft spot in the OSU defense, it's probably in the secondary, where safety Orhian Johnson still is finding his way entering his third career start. He was out of position on some of Eastern Michigan's bigger throws.
The Eagles also picked on some young OSU corners while starter Chimdi Chekwa was out in the middle of the game with back spasms. Chekwa is back, but that doesn't automatically cure every secondary issue. The OSU linebackers were beaten by some well-designed throws to the tight end as well.
"There's a lot of things that concerned us," OSU co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said of the pass defense. "We've got to play better; we've got to play more soundly and disciplined."
One wrong step again, and the Buckeyes know what can happen. The Illini have to decide whether they're going to let Scheelhaase put the defensive backs to the test.
"If a defensive lineman misses a tackle, you've got the linebackers there. If the linebacker misses a tackle, you've got the safeties. So [after] the safeties, they might be off to the races," Hines said.
"There will be about three to five plays that will determine the game, and you don't know when those three or five plays are coming," Hines added. "The play you take your eyes off your read, the big play might happen and that might be the outcome of the game."
Against Eastern Michigan, OSU coach Jim Tressel was excited about the 10 series when the Buckeyes forced EMU to punt after three plays, the most three-and-outs he could remember from his defense. But just a few throws soured that memory.
Scheelhaase hasn't done it before, but neither had Williams. It's that element of surprise that could work in Illinois' favor, especially with Tressel repeating the idea that the Illini, coming off a bye week, had a lot of practice time to put in new wrinkles on both sides of the ball.
"They run a lot," Simon said. "But we don't know what they're going to do."