Less than 48 hours before the Illini kick off the 2010 season against Missouri, here’s a crash course on the latest news involving both teams.
Similar to Writing Illini’s Saturday Afternoon Gridiron Wrap, the Thursday Cram Session will replace the football weekend recap during the regular season. The Saturday Afternoon Gridiron Wrap will return in the offseason.
With that said, here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s Illinois-Missouri game.
The Essentials
Here are some notes to have a look at before the game or by your side during it.
→ ILLINOIS (0-0) VS. MISSOURI (0-0) TV FACTS AND STATS
→ ILLINI GAME NOTES, STATS AND DEPTH CHART (VIA UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS)
→ MISSOURI GAME NOTES, STATS AND DEPTH CHART (VIA UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI)
→ SCOUTING: ILLINOIS AT MISSOURI
→ MISSOURI-ILLINOIS FOOTBALL PREVIEW
→ PREVIEW: MIZZOU VS. ILLINOIS
→ 2009 MISSOURI FOOTBALL STATISTICS
Some Information about the Arch Rivalry
This will be the last Arch Rivalry game between Missouri and Illinois for a while, with both universities deciding to suspend the series after this season.
→ TATE: SERIES WAS GOOD IDEA GONE WRONG
→ DON’T GIVE UP ON ST. LOUIS, ILLINI
→ REST IN PEACE, ARCH RIVALRY GAME
→ PUZZLING AND DISAPPOINTING TO SEE ILLINI/MISSOURI FOOTBALL SERIES ENDING
→ MISSOURI-ILLINOIS MEET SATURDAY IN FINAL GAME OF SERIES
→ DOME FIELD ADVANTAGE PAYS OFF FOR MIZZOU
→ WILL YOU MISS THE MISSOURI-ILLINOIS FOOTBALL GAME IN ST. LOUIS?
What to Keep Your Eye On
The Illini secondary is banged up big-time, and the Tigers are expected to take advantage by throwing the ball down the field early and often.
→ KOENNING HAS HIS HANDS FULL IN SECONDARY
→ ILLINI DEFENSIVE BACKS TO BE TESTED
→ CAN ILLINOIS COMPETE WITH THIS SECONDARY?
→ ZOOK: EXPECT MISSOURI TO THROW INTO ILLINI SECONDARY
→ ILLINI SECONDARY A PRIMARY CONCERN
→ ILLINI OFFENSE LENDING HAND TO THIN SECONDARY
→ ILLINI DEFENSE ADAPTS TO PERSONNEL CHANGES (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
→ TIGERS WILL FACE BANGED-UP ILLINI SECONDARY
→ ILLINOIS GOING THROUGH CHANGES IN DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD
Illinois’ Biggest Concern…
Has to be the injuries and lack of experience in the defensive backfield, closely followed by starting an inexperienced redshirt freshman quarterback, adjusting to new systems on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, dealing with the reality of having a head coach on the hot seat, and of course not beating Missouri in a long time.
→ ILLINOIS PREPARES TO OVERCOME INJURIES VS. MISSOURI
→ ILLINOIS HOPES TO OVERCOME MIZZOU BLUES
→ MYSTERY ILLINI MAKE DEBUT ON SATURDAY
→ ILLINI HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND TALENT TO START SEASON
With that said, the expectations are not all that high for the Illini football team this season, which could take off some of the pressure and be a blessing in disguise.
→ FORGET 2009, ILLINI FOOTBALL OPENS WITH CLEAN SLATE
→ ILLINI DETERMINED TO IMPROVE
→ IMPROVEMENT AS A MEASURE OF SUCCESS FOR ILLINI
→ ILLINI ATHLETES TAKING ON GREATER TEAM OWNERSHIP
Missouri’s Biggest Concern…
Has to be focusing after a couple of weeks of bad public relations off-the-field. In August alone, Missouri had three players arrested for Driving While Intoxicated and permanently dismissed running back Derrick Washington this week after he was charged with sexual assault.
→ DESPITE PRESEASON SETBACKS, TIGERS SEEM READY FOR PRIME TIME
→ IN TUMULTUOUS TIMES, MIZZOU FOOTBALL MUST MOVE FORWARD
→ HEAD COACH GARY PINKEL ‘EMBARRASSED’ BY TEAM’S OFF-FIELD PROBLEMS
→ PINKEL TAKES MIZZOU PROBLEMS HEAD-ON
→ WASHINGTON FAMILY SURPRISED MY MU’S ACTIONS
→ MISSOURI PLAYER CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT
→ MISSOURI FOOTBALL PLAYER CHARGED WITH DWI
→ BRINKLEY HITS WITH MIZZOU’S THIRD DWI OF AUGUST
→ ANOTHER MISSOURI PLAYER ARREST FOR DWI
With this week’s game in perspective, here is some more Fighting Illini information to keep tabs on before the Arch Rivalry.
ILLINI PLAYER NEWS
#1 Terry Hawthorne
→ EAST SIDE GRAD DEALING WITH INJURED FOOT AT U OF I
→ FOOT SIDELINES TERRY HAWTHORNE
→ HAWTHORNE INJURY BRINGS MORE BAD NEWS FOR ILLINI
→ ADD TERRY HAWTHORNE TO ILLINI LIST OF INJURED DEFENDERS
#2 Martez Wilson
→ ILLINI FOOTBALL NOTES: LINEBACKER WILSON TALKS A GOOD GAME
→ WILSON LOOKS TO LIVE UP TO PROMISE FOR ILLINI
→ MARTEZ WILSON: ‘I WANT TO WIN A BUTKUS’
→ WILSON READY FOR BIGGER CHALLENGES
#2 Nathan Scheelhaase
→ ILLINI RELYING ON FRESHMAN QB
→ ILLINOIS’ SCHEELHAASE READY FOR BIG MOMENT
→ TWO NEW QBS SHARE THEIR EXCITEMENT FOR ILLINI, NORTHWESTERN
→ SCHEELHAASE REVVED FOR FIRST CAREER START
→ FORMER ROCKHURST QUARTERBACK SCHEELHAASE SAYS ONE LOSS HAS INSPIRED HIM
→ NATHAN SCHEELHAASE COMES HOME TO DOME – SORT OF
→ SUPINIE: KANSAS KID WANTS PIECE OF MIZZOU
#3 Tavon Wilson
→ TAVON WILSON’S EXPERIENCE VITAL IN SECONDARY (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
#5 Mikel Leshoure
→ MIKEL LESHOURE LOOKING FOR BEST SEASON (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
#7 Supo Sanni
→ H-F GRADS SANNI, ELLINGTON AIDING ILLINI
#10 Eddie McGee
→ MCGEE REMEMBERS PAST SEASONS, INSPIRES CONFIDENCE IN TEAMMATES
→ ILLINI’S MCGEE PROGRESSES IN TRANSITION TO WIDE RECEIVER
#13 Derek Dimke
→ ILLINI KICKER DIMKE PUTS HIMSELF THROUGH BOOT CAMP
#17 Jack Ramsey
→ WITH HAWTHORNE OUT, RAMSEY ON THE MOVE
#21 Jason Ford
→ FORD LOOKING TO DRIVE ILLINOIS RUNNING ATTACK THIS YEAR
#38 Ian Thomas
→ THOMAS PROVIDES PUNCH AT LB FOR ILLINI
→ INSIDE LINEBACKERS TALENTED, EXPERIENCED (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
#40 London Davis
→ ILLINI TIGHT END LONDON DAVIS TO TRANSFER
#71 Jeff Allen
→ JEFF ALLEN READY TO ANCHOR OFFENSIVE LINE (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
→ BLOCKERS COULD BE KEY TO ILLINI OFFENSIVE SUCCESS
#93 Corey Liuget
→ LIGHTER LIUGET EXCITED ABOUT ILLINI POTENTIAL (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
#97 Clay Nurse
→ PHILOSOPHER CLAY NURSE READY TO LEAD ILLINI
OTHER ILLINI TEAM NEWS
→ BIG TEN CONFERENCE: ILLINOIS FOOTBALL PREVIEW
→ BOB ASMUSSEN’S ILLINI DEPTH CHART
→ GOOD THINGS IN FOOTBALL COME IN GROUPS OF 6
→ FRANK LENTI JR. HAS AN ‘EYE’ ON THE ILLINI
→ ILLINI FOOTBALL PEAKS AND VALLEYS
ILLINI COACHING NEWS
Head Coach Ron Zook
→ ZOOK: ILLINI NEED ‘A’ GAME TO BEAT MIZZOU
→ ZOOK’S NEW ILLINI STAFF READY TO BE TESTED
→ RON ZOOK WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
→ ZOOK ON NEW DEFENSIVE BACKS JUSTIN GREEN, JACK RAMSEY AND STEVE HULL
→ ZOOK: ‘NO COMMENT’ ON MIZZOU LEGAL TROUBLES
→ ILLINOIS AND MISSOURI COACHES SPEAK
→ ZOOK EXPECTED TO WIN MORE THIS FALL, ILLINI AD SAYS
Offensive Coordinator Paul Petrino
→ PAUL PETRINO ON PLAY-CALLING: “IT’S A BLAST” (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
→ FORMER PETRINO PLAYER PRAISES ILLINI OFFENSE (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
Linebackers Coach Ron West
→ OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS IMPROVING UNDER WEST (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
MISSOURI TEAM NEWS
→ CUPBOARD NEVER BARE AT MISSOURI
→ SCARY MOMENTS AFTER MU FOOTBALL PLAYER KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS
→ BRINKLEY, EBNER, WASHINGTON NOT ON MISSOURI DEPTH CHART
→ MIZZOU FOOTBALL READY FOR ARCH RIVALRY FINALE AGAINST ILLINOIS
→ QUICK RECOVERY HAS JACKSON READY FOR MISSOURI FOOTBALL OPENER VS. ILLINOIS
→ BARFKNECHT’S BIG 12 RANKINGS: MIZZOU SHOULD ROLL OVER ILLINI
→ QB GABBERT HOLDS THE REINS AT MISSOURI
→ MIZZOURI WR JACKSON HEALS IN TIME TO FACE ILLINI
→ MARQUETTE’S GRABNER GETS HIS KICKS AS MIZZOU PUNTER
→ ILLINI FOE MISSOURI TIGERS LOADED AGAIN (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED)
→ ALEXANDER PREDICTS LOPSIDED MU WIN OVER ILLINI
→ NO PRESEASON HEISMAN HYPE FOR BIG 12 QUARTERBACKS
→ LAWRENCE, MOORE LIKELY TO CARRY THE LOAD OUT OF MIZZOU’S BACKFIELD
→ MISSOURI RECEIVER JIMMIE HUNT GETS FOOTBALL EDUCATION WHILE OUT WITH INJURY
BIG TEN CONFERENCE NEWS
→ WHO’S THE BEST IN THE BIG TEN?
→ PICKIN’ ON THE BIG TEN, WEEK 1
→ BIG TEN INSIDER: IT’S WISCONSIN’S YEAR
→ MARK SNYDER’S GAME-BY-GAME PREDICTIONS FOR MICHIGAN
→ BIG TEN FOOTBALL PREVIEW: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LEAGUE
→ PENN STATE HAS BIG TEN’S TOUGHEST SCHEDULE
→ THREE BOLD PREDICTIONS, BREAKOUT PLAYERS IN BIG TEN
→ FEARLESS PREDICTIONS IN THE BIG TEN
→ MINNESOTA COACH SAYS PROGRAM HAS TAKEN LOFTY STRIDES
→ TRESSEL, BUCKEYES STILL HOLD THRONE IN BIG TEN
ILLINI RECRUITING NEWS
→ FLORIDA WR ISAIAH STALLINGS TALKS ABOUT LEADER
→ EDGY TIM’S RECRUITING RUNDOWN
ILLINOIS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS
Athletic Director Ron Guenther
→ RON GUENTHER GIVEN EXTENSION
→ GUENTHER IN MIDST OF AWKWARD UNIVERSITY TRANSITION
→ ILLINI AD GUENTHER ADDRESSES ZOOK, OTHER ISSUES
→ GUENTHER EXTENDS CONTRACT; PURSUES ARENA RENOVATION
→ ILLINOIS AD: MORE FOOTBALL WINS ARE EXPECTED THIS FALL
And now take a deep breath.
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