The Quest for Many Trophies. (NCAA 08)

[marioinblack]

Game: NCAA Football 2008
Original team: Illinois Illini
Skill level: AA with sliders
Quarters: 8 minutes
Juice Williams: Stud

Fighting Illini 2007 Preview


Depth Chart

Note: Not all players are accurate, I winged it for a few conflicting areas, so there might be a DT in real life playing DE here, but who cares if they're that far down the roster then they don't deserve to have their name right.

OFFENSE
QB: J. Williams SO 86, B. Garza JR(RS) 78, R. Baise FR 70
HB: R. Mendenhall JR 87, W. Mendenhall JR(RS) 77, D. Dufrene JR 70, T. Pollard FR 71
FB: R. Weil SR 80, J. Ijei SR(RS) 70
WR: A. Benn FR 83, K. Hudson JR 81, D. Warren SR(RS) 81, M. Wilkins SO 80, W. Judson JR(RS) 79, G. McClendon JR 70, C. James SO 80
TE: J. Cumberland SO 81, K. Knezetic SR 66, M. Hoomanawanui SO 73
LT: A. Millington SR(RS) 91, R. Hunt FR(RS) 76, J. Cornell FR 75
LG: M. O'Donnell SR(RS) 84, B. Amundsen SR(RS) 79
C: R. McDonald JR(RS) 84, E. Block JR 71
RG: R. Palmer FR(RS) 74, D. Motuliak JR(RS) 73
RT: C. Myles SR(RS) 83, W. Bergin SO(RS), 73 T. Scott FR 77

DEFENSE
LE: D. Ballew JR(RS) 82, J. Brown FR 76
RE: D. Walker JR(RS) 85, D. Pilcher SO(RS) 80, W. Davis JR 79, J. Brent FR 82
DT: C. Norwell SR(RS) 85, S. Williams JR 79, D. Linquist JR(RS) 76, C. Nurse SO(RS) 74, M. Nabolotony FR 79, X. Fulton FR 76, C. Knuth FR 70
LOLB: S. Carson JR(RS) 85, A. Steele SR 84, R. Pittman JR 73
MLB: B. Miller JR 79, C. Gillen SO(RS) 74, R. Smith SO 79
ROLB: J. Leman SR(RS) 93, A. Thornhill SR(RS) 80, D. Jefferson FR(RS) 71, E. Robertson FR 69
CB: V. Davis SO 87, D. Hicks SO 76, C. Duvalt SO 75, A. Gully FR(RS) 73, B. Gamble FR 66
FS: J. Sanders SR 86, J. Harrison SR 85, G. Edwards FR(RS) 73, I. Thomas FR 70
SS: K. Mitchell SR(RS) 81, T. Ballamy SO 66, D. McCray SO(RS) 54, D. Purcell 78 FR

SPECIAL TEAMS
K: J. Reda SR 67
P/KOS: K. Yelton SO 69
KR/PR: W. Judson
KR: D. Hicks


Schedule
Bold = Big 10 Conference Game

@ Missouri
Western Illinois
@ Syracuse
@ Indiana
Penn State
Wisconsin
@ Iowa
Michigan
Ball State
@ Minnesota
@ Ohio State
Northwestern
Open
Open


Preseason Poll
Coaches only until BCS

1 USC
2 Michigan
3 LSU
4 Florida
5 Texas
6 West Virginia
7 Wisconsin
8 Oklahoma
9 Virginia Tech
10 Arkansas
11 Louisville
12 Ohio State
13 Auburn
14 Nebraska
15 Tennessee
16 Cal
17 Penn State
18 Georiga
19 UCLA
20 Rutgers
21 Florida State
22 TCU
23 Boise State
24 Texas A&M
25 Boston College

Illinois is ranked 54 in the preseason 119

[marioinblack]

Week 1



Illinois Gets Off to Fast Start

Illinois 42, Missouri 30

COLUMBIA, MO- On the very first drive of the game, it took Illinois two plays to put it in the endzone. After the first half, Illinois started pulling away. 229 yards from Williams and Mendenhall with 3 TDs between the two was the main reason Illinois was able to pull away. The Illinois defense also locked down in the 2nd half after a shaky start, holding Missouri to 14 points in the half, 7 of which came after the game was in hand. Williams got hurt late in the 4th, but will be back next week. Chase Daniel was knocked out for 4 weeks after taking a crushing hit in the 4th quarter.

Illinois has to face Western Illinois next week, and start a fairly soft portion of the schedule until Penn State comes to town.


ILL 14-7-14-7 42
MIZ 10-6-7-7 30

Team Stats

Illinois
First Downs 12
Total Offense 393
Passing Yards 154
Rushing Yards 239
Turnovers 2
TOP 13:04

Missouri
First Downs 26
Total Offense 513
Passing Yards 300
Rushing Yards 213
Turnovers 5
TOP 19:01


Key Illini Individual Player Performances
J. Williams 9/14 154 yards, 2 TD, INT; 99 rush yards, 2 TD
R. Mendenhall 16 carries, 130 yards, TD
D. Warren 4 catches, 106 yards, TD
J. Sanders 12 tackles, TFL
K. Mitchell 11 tackles, TFL, INT
D. Walker 7 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 sacks
A. Steele 2 tackles, FR, TD

[marioinblack]

Week 1 Around the Nation

Big 10 Scores
Michigan State 38, UAB 14
#2 Michigan 56, FCS Southeast 3
Northwestern 45, FCS East 0
Indiana 44, FCS Midwest 0
Minnesota 30, Bowling Green 27
Iowa 21, Northern Illinois 16
#17 Penn State 45, FIU 20
#7 Wisconsin 18, Washington State 14
#12 Ohio State 76, FCS Midwest 3
Toledo 35, Purdue 14

Top 25 Losses
Mississippi State 20, #3 LSU 3....seriously
#15 Tennessee 24, #22 California 17

Top 25
1 USC (1-0)
2 Michigan (1-0)
3 Florida (1-0)
4 Texas (1-0)
5 West Virginia (1-0)
6 Wisconsin (1-0)
7 Oklahoma (1-0)
8 Virginia Tech (1-0)
9 Arkansas (1-0)
10 Louisville (1-0)
11 Ohio State (1-0)
12 Auburn (1-0)
13 Nebraska (1-0)
14 Tennessee (1-0)
15 LSU (0-1)
16 Penn State (1-0)
17 Georgia (1-0)
18 UCLA (1-0)
19 Rutgers (1-0)
20 Florida State (1-0)
21 TCU (1-0)
22 Cal (0-1)
23 Boise State (1-0)
24 Texas A&M (1-0)
25 Boston College (1-0)

Big 10 Standings
1 Michigan (1-0) (0-0)
2 Michigan State (1-0) (0-0)
3 Penn State (1-0) (0-0)
4 Indiana (1-0) (0-0)
5 Minnesota (1-0) (0-0)
6 Iowa (1-0) (0-0)
7 Ohio State (1-0) (0-0)
8 Illinois (1-0) (0-0)
9 Wisconsin (1-0) (0-0)
10 Northwestern (1-0) (0-0)
11 Purdue (0-1) (0-0)

Recruit Commits
Chris Rogers, 3 stars, CB

[marioinblack]

Week 2



Illinois Knocks WIU Back to the Stone Age


Rashard Mendenhall eludes WIU defenders for the score.

Illinois 94, Western Illinois 7

CHAMPAIGN, IL- Coach Mario Black couldn't be more proud of his team in today's game. Yes the competition was not FBS caliber, and yes Illinois had a huge talent gap, but the first team offense didn't wait around to start their onslaught. Scoring 62 points in the first half, and getting another TD with the first team offense in the 2nd half. The whole starting lineup for the Illini put up impressive numbers. Rashard Mendenhall was the leader with 158 all purpose yards and 5 touchdowns. Juice Williams had 128 rushing yards of his own with 2 rushing touchdowns and 3 passing. The most impressive performance may have come from Will Judson. He took 7 punt returns and averaged 41.1 yards a return with 2 TDs and nearly a 3rd if he wouldn't have gotten tackled inside the 5. He also set the Illinois record for longest punt return.

Coach Black stated after this game that he will not play a FCS team again.


WIU 0-0-7-0 7
ILL 35-27-21-11 94

Team Stats

Western Illinois
First Downs 17
Total Offense 333
Passing Yards 284
Rushing Yards 49
Turnovers 6
TOP 18:02

Illinois
First Downs 13
Total Offense 619
Passing Yards 243
Rushing Yards 367
Turnovers 3
TOP 14:02


Key Illini Individual Player Performances
J. Williams 4/7 124 yards, 3 TD; 128 rush yards, 2 TD
R. Mendenhall 11 carries, 134 yards, 4 TD; 1 catch, 24 yards, TD
W. Mendenhall 8 carries, 94 yards, TD
M. Wilkins 2 catches, 81 yards, 2 TD
J. Harrison 13 tackles, INT
C. Duvalt 13 tackles, TFL
W. Judson 7 punt returns, 288 yards, 41.1 AVG, 2 TD

[marioinblack]

Week 2 Around the Nation

Big 10 Scores
Notre Dame 26, #16 Penn State 21
Purdue 46, FCS Midwest 3
Iowa 15, Syracuse 14
#11 Ohio State 37, Akron 7
Northwestern 21, Nevada 6
Minnesota 35, Miami (OH) 30
Michigan State 28, Bowling Green 19
#2 Michigan 41, Oregon 12
Indiana 33, Western Michigan 13
#6 Wisconsin 31, UNLV 7

Top 25 Losses
Notre Dame 26, #16 Penn State 21
Navy 40, #19 Rutgers 37
Colorado State 38, #22 Cal 31
South Carolina 45, #17 Georgia 41
South Florida 28, #12 Auburn 25
#8 Virginia Tech 38, #15 LSU 25
Miami (FL) 30, #7 Oklahoma 14

#3 Florida 17, Troy 14 (not an upset but a very close call)

Seriously that's a lot of upsets.

Top 25
1 USC (1-0)
2 Michigan (2-0)
3 Florida (2-0)
4 Texas (2-0)
5 West Virginia (2-0)
6 Wisconsin (2-0)
7 Virginia Tech (2-0)
8 Arkansas (2-0)
9 Louisville (2-0)
10 Ohio State (2-0)
11 Nebraska (2-0)
12 Tennessee (2-0)
13 Oklahoma (1-1)
14 UCLA (2-0)
15 Florida State (2-0)
16 Auburn (1-1)
17 LSU (0-2)
18 Boise State (2-0)
19 Penn State (1-1)
20 Texas A&M (2-0)
21 Boston College (2-0)
22 Georgia (1-1)
23 Notre Dame (2-0)
24 Hawaii (1-0)
25 South Florida (2-0)

Big 10 Standings
1 Michigan (2-0) (0-0)
2 Michigan State (2-0) (0-0)
3 Indiana (2-0) (0-0)
4 Minnesota (2-0) (0-0)
5 Iowa (2-0) (0-0)
6 Ohio State (2-0) (0-0)
7 Illinois (2-0) (0-0)
8 Wisconsin (2-0) (0-0)
9 Northwestern (2-0) (0-0)
10 Penn State (1-1) (0-0)
11 Purdue (1-1) (0-0)

[marioinblack]

Week 3



Illini Keep Rolling with Third Win

Illinois 52 (3-0) (0-0), Syracuse 21

SYRACUSE, NY- On the first play of the game, Juice Williams option pitched it out to Rashard Mendenhall for a TD. It would not be close again. Mendenhall would have a couple of more touchdowns in Illinois blowout win against Syracuse. The Illini offense left the Orange D laid to waste all day. Meanwhile, the Illini defense held the Orange under 300 yards of total offense. Many of those yards came from the Illini second team defense. The defense also held Syracuse to 14 points with the last 7 points coming from a pick six from backup QB Billy Garza.

Illinois did lose 2 key players on defense to injury. Stud LB Jeremy Leman will be out for 2 weeks with a hip pointer and Chris Devalt will be out 4 weeks with a bruised shoulder.

Next week the Illini go to Bloomington to play the Hoosiers.


ILL 10-14-21-7 52
SYR 0-7-7-7 21

Team Stats

Illinois
First Downs 20
Total Offense 524
Passing Yards 281
Rushing Yards 243
Turnovers 3
TOP 18:55

Syracuse
First Downs 14
Total Offense 269
Passing Yards 232
Rushing Yards 37
Turnovers 4
TOP 13:09


Key Illini Individual Player Performances
J. Williams 14/18 242 yards, 2 TD, INT; 39 rush yards, TD
R. Mendenhall 25 carries, 170 yards, 3 TD; 4 catches, 63 yards
D. Warren 6 catches, 79 yards
J. Sanders 10 tackles, 2 TFL, sack, INT
K. Mitchell 6 tackles, TFL, sack, INT

[marioinblack]

Week 3 Around the Nation

Big 10 Scores
Florida Atlantic 26, Minnesota 21
#6 Wisconsin 61, FCS Southeast 7
Northwestern 37, Duke 10
Pittsburgh 29, Michigan State 26
Central Michigan 20, Purdue 17
Indiana 35, Akron 9
#19 Penn State 34, Buffalo 3
Iowa 38, Iowa State 7
Washington 38, #10 Ohio State 28
#2 Michigan 42, #23 Notre Dame 37

Top 25 Losses
Washington 38, #10 Ohio State 28
#2 Michigan 42, #23 Notre Dame 37
#3 Florida 35, #12 Tennessee 24
Mississippi State 19, #16 Auburn 16 (OT)
#1 USC 28, #11 Nebraska 10


Top 25
1 USC (2-0)
2 Michigan (3-0)
3 Florida (3-0)
4 Texas (3-0)
5 West Virginia (3-0)
6 Wisconsin (3-0)
7 Virginia Tech (3-0)
8 Arkansas (2-0)
9 Louisville (3-0)
10 Oklahoma (2-1)
11 UCLA (3-0)
12 Florida State (3-0)
13 Nebraska (2-1)
14 Tennessee (2-1)
15 Boise State (3-0)
16 LSU (1-2)
17 Penn State (2-1)
18 Texas A&M (3-0)
19 Boston College (3-0)
20 Ohio State (2-1)
21 Georiga (2-1)
22 Mississippi State (3-0).....no seriously, they beat LSU and Auburn
23 Hawaii (2-0)
24 Auburn (1-2)
25 South Florida (2-0)

Big 10 Standings
1 Michigan (3-0) (0-0)
2 Indiana (3-0) (0-0)
3 Iowa (3-0) (0-0)
4 Illinois (3-0) (0-0)
5 Wisconsin (3-0) (0-0)
6 Northwestern (3-0) (0-0)
7 Michigan State (2-1) (0-0)
8 Ohio State (2-1) (0-0)
9 Minnesota (2-1) (0-0)
10 Penn State (2-1) (0-0)
11 Purdue (1-2) (0-0)

Injury Report
J. Leman, 1 weeks, hip pointer
C. Devalt, 3 weeks, bruised shoulder

Up Next
@ Indiana (3-0) (0-0)

[marioinblack]

Week 4



Illini Hold Off Hoosiers Comeback

Illinois 35 (4-0) (1-0), Indiana (3-1) (0-1) 28

BLOOMINGTON, IN- Even with the the 422 yards and 3 touchdowns Hoosiers QB Kellen Lewis put up, his 6 interceptions cost him dearly. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers did a great job of not letting Indiana catch them on the scoreboard. Indiana did have a touchdown taken off the board early in the 4th quarter after a holding penalty, 2 plays later Lewis threw a pass that was cut off by linebacker Brit Miller to kill the scoring drive. Vontae Davis had 3 picks of his own. Meanwhile on the offensive side of the ball, Juice Williams struggled with no TDs and 2 picks, but he did pick up 3 rushing touchdowns. Mendenhall had another 100 yard game with a touchdown of his own. The key play, however, came in the 2nd quarter when the score was tied at 14. Will Judson took the ensuing kickoff back 96 yards for the score after a nasty move on the kicker left him picking up his jock.

Freshman corner Antonio Gully suffered a torn pectoral and will be out for 8 weeks. This likely means he'll only be able to play in a bowl game.

Next week the Illini get their first real test of the season against a ranked Penn State team in Champaign.


ILL 7-21-0-7-35
IND 0-14-0-14 28

Team Stats

Illinois
First Downs 14
Total Offense 338
Passing Yards 145
Rushing Yards 293
Turnovers 5
TOP 17:00

Indiana
First Downs 14
Total Offense 551
Passing Yards 422
Rushing Yards 129
Turnovers 7
TOP 15:04


Key Illini Individual Player Performances
J. Williams 8/13 145 yards, 2 INT; 54 rush yards, 3 TD
R. Mendenhall 24 carries, 122 yards, TD, 2 fumbles; 2 catches, 4 yards
J. Sanders 11 tackles, TFL
V. Davis 8 tackles, 3 INT
B. Gamble 5 tackes, 2 TFL, sack, INT

[marioinblack]

Week 4 Around the Nation

Big 10 Scores
#6 Wisconsin 19, Iowa 7
#20 Ohio State 30, Northwestern 0
#17 Penn State 20, #2 Michigan 9
Notre Dame 56, Michigan State 14
Purdue 37, Minnesota 14

Top 25 Losses
#17 Penn State 20, #2 Michigan 9
Kentucky 34, #8 Arkansas 28
South Carolina 32, #16 LSU 28.....LSU is 1-3 now


Top 25
1 USC (3-0)
2 Florida (4-0)
3 Texas (4-0)
4 West Virginia (4-0)
5 Wisconsin (4-0)
6 Virginia Tech (4-0)
7 Louisville (4-0)
8 Michigan (3-1)
9 Oklahoma (3-1)
10 UCLA (4-0)
11 Florida State (3-0)
12 Nebraska (3-1)
13 Tennessee (3-1)
14 Penn State (3-1)
15 Boise State (3-0)
16 Texas A&M (4-0)
17 Arkansas (2-1)
18 Boston College (4-0)
19 Ohio State (3-1)
20 Georgia (3-1)
21 Mississippi State (4-0).....Cinderella run!
22 Hawaii (3-0)
23 Auburn (2-2)
24 South Florida (3-0)
25 Notre Dame (3-1)

Big 10 Standings
1 Illinois (4-0) (1-0)
2 Wisconsin (4-0) (1-0)
3 Ohio State (3-1) (1-0)
4 Penn State (3-1) (1-0)
5 Purdue (2-2) (1-0)
6 Michigan State (2-2) (0-0)
7 Michigan (3-1) (0-1)
8 Indiana (3-1) (0-1)
9 Iowa (3-1) (0-1)
10 Northwestern (3-1) (0-1)
11 Minnesota (2-2) (0-1)

Injury Report
C. Devalt, 2 weeks, bruised shoulder
A. Gully, 7 weeks, torn pectoral

Up Next
vs #14 Penn State

[cubsfan203]

Re: Week 4 Around the Nation

I'm following. Wouldn't mind seeing another USF dynasty if you get bored with this team.

[marioinblack]

Re: Week 4 Around the Nation

I'm following. Wouldn't mind seeing another USF dynasty if you get bored with this team.

I don't plan on staying at Illinois for long. I'm going to Nick Saban a bunch of teams and try to collect as many conference, bowl, and rivalry trophies out there to go with any player ones.

Plus I just like playing as Juice Williams.

[MidnightPyro]

Re: The Quest for Many Trophies. (NCAA 08)

94 to 7? That's gotta be some type of record. Still not getting any love in the polls though I see.

[marioinblack]

Re: The Quest for Many Trophies. (NCAA 08)

94 to 7? That's gotta be some type of record. Still not getting any love in the polls though I see.

Yeah I noticed when I tried to start a franchise with Florida how easy the FCS teams are. It's like you can score on will on them. I paced myself in the 2nd half so I could just burn clock.

I'm not even in the other receiving votes column, but this game against Penn State could throw me somewhere close if I can pull it out.

[timbeau0805]

Re: Week 4 Around the Nation

I don't plan on staying at Illinois for long. I'm going to Nick Saban a bunch of teams and try to collect as many conference, bowl, and rivalry trophies out there to go with any player ones.

Genius!

[marioinblack]

Week 5



Illini Win Without Mendenhall

Illinois 50 (5-0) (2-0), Penn State 48 (3-2) (1-1)

CHAMPAIGN, IL- It was sloppy, it was bad, the defenses wern't there, but the Illini somehow came through. With a 15 point lead late in the 4th quarter, Penn State had the ball set up for a 55 yard FG. The wind was blowing at about 15 MPH right toward the goalposts they were going for. The kick fell a yard and a half short. In the first quarter of this game both Juice Williams and Rashard Mendenhall got injured. Williams would return in the second quarter, but Rashard was lost for the game and had to turn it to his brother Walter. Walter pulled off 67 yards and 2 TDs on the weak Penn State defense. The killer was Anthony Morelli, he threw 5 TD passes in this game, but the big one was the one he threw to Vontae Davis who returned the throw for 6 Illini points. This gave Illinois a 14 point lead late in the third.

This upset provides great hope for Illinois to get into the top 25, however, Wisconsin comes to town next week with their #5 ranking on the line. Illinois just completed the first game in the 4 game gauntlet that features the Wisconsin game, then a trip to Iowa, and finally coming home against a very good Michigan team. If the Illini can pull off 3 wins, which they already have one, they have a serious shot at the Rose Bowl.

PSU 14-7-14-8 48
ILL 14-21-7-13 50

Team Stats

Penn State
First Downs 27
Total Offense 643
Passing Yards 439
Rushing Yards 204
Turnovers 5
TOP 17:42

Illinois
First Downs 13
Total Offense 457
Passing Yards 281
Rushing Yards 176
Turnovers 5
TOP 14:25

Key Illini Individual Player Performances
J. Williams 8/20 200 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 48 rush yards, TD
W. Mendenhall 9 carries, 67 yards, 2 TD; 2 catches, 17 yards
K. Hudson 3 catches, 162 yards, 2 TD
B. Miller 19 tackles, 2 TFL, sack
C. Norwell 7 tackles, 2 TFL, sack
V. Davis 6 tackles, TFL, INT, TD
J. Leman 3 tackles, sack, 2 INT