College football: Illinois scouting report

Western Michigan (2-1) at Illinois (3-0)

When: 2:37 p.m. at Memorial Stadium

TV: BTN

Radio: WIND 560-AM

Series: Illinois leads 2-1.

Coaches: Bill Cubit (42-34, seventh year at WMU; 76-52-1 overall); Ron Zook (31-45, seventh year at Illinois; 54-59 overall).

Players to watch: Western Michigan boasts a long history of terrific passing teams. QB Alex Carder and WR Jordan White are the latest top-flight combo. Carder, who ranks 12th nationally in passer efficiency, has thrown for 3,832 yards and 35 TDs in the last 14 games. White, a sixth-year senior who earned all-MAC honors last year, leads his league in receptions (8.5 pg) and yards (122.0 ypg) — and those totals don’t include the 12 catches and 119 yards he produced against Michigan in less than three quarters on Sept. 3. Neuqua Valley’s Josh Schaffer serves as White’s backup while true freshman James Kristof (Barrington) and junior Ben Samson (Libertyville) are WMU’s backup guards.

Illinois knocked off No. 22 Arizona State last week thanks to yeoman work from its defense. Sophomore WLB Jonathan Brown (3.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT) earned the Big Ten’s defensive player of the week honor, but DE Whitney Mercilus (2 sacks) and Bandit end Michael Buchanan (1.5 sacks) deserved some love, too. Sophomore QB Nathan Scheelhaase continues to rise in the national passer efficiency ratings. Though he threw his first INT of the year, Scheelhaase jumped to No. 6 with a 180.95 rating. Of the top 10 passers, nobody comes close to Scheelhaase’s 184 rushing yards. Senior WR A.J. Jenkins ranks second in the Big Ten for receptions (22) and yards (322).

The skinny: For the first time since Sept. 27, 2008, the 24th-ranked Illini take the field as a Top 25 team. Despite their new standing, the Illini aren’t going to gaze past the Broncos toward next Saturday’s Big Ten opener against Northwestern. Ten likely Illinois starters were on the roster when Western Michigan pulled off a 23-17 surprise at Ford Field in Detroit on Nov. 8, 2008. The Broncos are going to try to throw at least as often as Arizona State did last week, so it’s on defensive coordinator Vic Koenning and his staff to come up with new twists to get to Carder. Western Michigan’s defense has been more susceptible to the run than the pass, so this is the time for senior Jason Ford and freshman Donovonn Young (who hasn’t carried since fumbling last week) to get back on track.

Fast facts: Western Michigan is 0-20 against nationally ranked foes. Illinois is 2-2 against Mid-American Conference teams during Zook’s tenure.

— Lindsey Willhite