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  • July 21, 2008 09:36 PM ET

Penn State will finish ahead of Illinois in the Big Ten.

Bigdleech (147-55-0) vs travis31; on and off (62-39-10)
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So let's be honest, chances are that Ohio State and Wisconson finish one-two. There are teams that don't have a legitimate chance at the top three spots. Really, third place comes down to Penn State and Illinois.

What is the one problem that people see in Penn State? The quarterback. Well, they are much better off than people realize. They can run a very good spread with Clark or Devlin(the kid can move), and they should probably have the best running back duo in the conference. Evan Royster looks like he could be one of the better backs in the conference, and redshirt freshman Stephfon Green looks like he could have the best collegiate career for a Penn State back, which is saying a lot. They also have one of the better offensive lines around, as well as a very talented and experienced receiving corp.

The defense is always good. One of the best d-lines in the nation, with a very talented group at linebacker, and in the defensive backfield. Sean Lee being out for the year hurts, but they can manage.

Illinois lost their best defender, and te player that made Juice Williams look good. For Juice to play well, they will have to rely on Benn being a home run threat all the time


The one problem that everyone sees when they look at Illinois is RB. People fail to see that Juice Williams stop throwing so many INTs at the end of the year and really took a step forward.

Dennis Dufrain is the likely replacement for Mendehall at running back. Dufrain did not have a ton of carries last year, but when he was on the field he did great things. Dufrain had a 6.3 avg which was good for 332 yards on 47 carries. Dufrain will be able to carry the load at runnig back. So that takes care of one of the issues.

The next issue is the replacement for J Leman. The Illini already have his replacement lined up. Who? Martez Wilson. Wilson is one of the most athletic players in the country and will be able to fill in for Leman after playing part tiem in 2007.

Illinois also has one fo the best CBs in all of the Big Ten with Vonta Davis Davis will make plays in the secondary and will shut down other teams top WRs.

Illinois will finish ahead of PSU in the Big Ten.........


Good Luck


Juice relied completely on Mendenhall. Look at the Rose Bowl. The team was terrible, and they got destroyed. Except for Mendenhall. Juice was embarassing.

Dufrain barely played, so you can not really rely on him to do anything special. Evan Royster did a lot more for Penn State last year as their backup. Royster and Green will be much better than Dufrain. Penn State's got a superior line(arguably the best in the conference), and a better set of receivers. Illinois' only advantage is experience at quarterback. But again, he was never really that good. Whoever starts for Penn State, be it Clark or Devlin, will be more talented than Williams.

The team of Maurice Evans and Josh Gaines will terrorize every quarterback they face, including Williams. That pair might be the best in the country at that position.

VD may be good, but he can't stop the other team's by himself. A.J. Wallace showed his true talent in the Alamo Bowl, so you can expect him to do the exact same thing, but possibly be better than VD. And Anthony Scirrotto might be the best safety in the Big Ten. He can cover, pick it off, and he makes massive hits. And he is one of the best defensive leaders aound.


Why do you think every one that Illinois has on their team sucks?

Juice Williams made a great improvement last year and will do it again this year. He will be fine with out Mendenhall. He has great chemistry with Arrelious Benn and will connect with him often along with the massive Jeff Cumberland who is probably the biggest WR in all of college football.

VD is better than Wallace. Wallace showed his "true" talent in one game while Davis showed it over a whole season. Martez Wilson is one of the most atheletic LBs in the country and there is absolutely no arguing that. He has the speed of a running back.

Juice Williams is a great running QB. He will not be terrorized by that tandem. Illinois will be fine with Dufrain in the place of Mendenhall and williams will be much improved and will have a great experiemce factor over whoever plays QB for PSU.


I don't think that they all suck. Bet let's be honest, Juice has shown that he can't do anything without the Big Ten player of the year before. So how do we know that he can do it now? He could improve, or he could go back to what he was as a freshman.

Dufrain may be fine, but he still doesn't beat Penn State's tandem of running backs. No doubting Wilson's talent here. But even with him, Penn State still has a better run defense. Wallace didn't just show it in one game. My point was that it was his breakout game.

Penn State has the special teams advantage easily. With a team of Wallace/Williams, or even one of this with Green returning kicks, they will have probably the best set of kick returners in the conference. Along with that, place kicker Kevin Kelly has a ton of big game experience, a great leg, and confidence. After all, he has won the Orange Bowl in overtime. They also have Jeremy Boone punting it. Last year, he had the best punt average in the Big Ten.

The game could come down to the head to head matchup. That game is a night game at Beaver Stadium. It will probably be a White Out, and that makes for one of the toughest environments in college football.


Head to head matchup could go either way.

And Juice Williams will not be the reason that Illinois fails this year, if they do. Eddie McGee is a solid backup who has proved to be a better passer than Williams but is not as good with the option. So if Williams falls on his face McGee can step in and do a solid job.

While Mendenhall is gone, Arrelius Benn should be ready to break out and elevate his game to All American status. If Williams gets the ball anywhere close, Benn is bringing it in.

Bottom line is that PSUs QB situation is too shaky right now to predict 3rd palce in the big ten. Juice Williams was terrible as a feshman and there is no guarantee PSUs QBs will be any different.

July 21, 2008  10:34 PM ET

I will due this 2morow. Bad weather at my place and I dont want to lose my argument....

July 21, 2008  10:42 PM ET

That's fine.

July 24, 2008  12:49 AM ET

Juice is a good player and I like your agruments Longoria. But I still believe Penn ST will finish ahead of the Fighting Zooks.

 
July 24, 2008  01:57 PM ET

That was a pathetic rose bowl for illinois

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