Illinois, Indiana mirror images set to clash

When the nation's 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams are listed in alphabetical order, Illinois and Indiana find themselves right next to each other.

That close-knit fit carries over to the field, where the Illini and Hoosiers might as well be the same team seeking the same rare boost from their Big Ten opener.

A win Saturday at Indiana could well lead to Illinois' first winning season since 2001 -- or the Hoosiers' first since 1994.

"Our programs are very, very similar," said third-year Illinois coach Ron Zook. "We kind of started at the same time. We're both kind of improving at the same rate. The thing that they've done is they've beaten us."

If the Illini are to overturn last year's last-second heartbreaker against Indiana, then they'll have to crack the Hoosiers' attack that looks suspiciously like Illinois'.

While the Illini (2-1) rank eighth nationally in rushing with 258.0 yards per game, the Hoosiers (3-0) are listed immediately ahead of them with a Big Ten-best 258.67 yards per game.

If you think Illinois relies heavily on sophomore quarterback Juice Williams in the running game (he produced 90 yards and a score last week against Syracuse), then recalibrate your scale upon looking at Indiana redshirt sophomore Kellen Lewis' numbers.

He leads the Hoosiers and the nation's quarterbacks with 105.7 rushing yards per game (fittingly, the neighbor directly above him on the national list is Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall).

Of course, Lewis has done his running while remaining a top-flight thrower. He has clicked on 60 percent of his passes and thrown 3 touchdown passes in each game.

Zook has already met with Illinois defensive line coach Tom Sims and determined that sacks shouldn't necessarily be the No. 1 goal with Lewis.

"You might be able to get in there on occasion," Zook said. "But if you don't have all your rush lanes and if you're not in position, then he's going to scramble out of there. It is definitely a problem for defensive coaches."

After watching tape of Lewis, running back/kick returner Marcus Thigpen and 6-foot-8 receiver James Hardy, Zook went so far as to dub Indiana's offense "scary-good."

If that's the case, then Illinois' offense must live somewhere in the scary-good neighborhood.

For the first time in Zook's tenure at Champaign, the Illini have reeled off three consecutive games with 400-plus total yards.

Williams, who completed just 39.5 percent of his passes a year ago, has clicked on 60.8 percent this season as he continues to learn to take what defenses allow.

Of course, it's easier to throw when opponents fear the running game. Mendenhall has the chance to become the first Illini back since Robert Holcombe in 1997 to string together three consecutive 100-yard games.

But first, Mendenhall (and backup Daniel Dufrene) must have their sprained ankles heal.

"It's not something that we're too concerned about," Zook said. "It's kind of funny the two running backs that had the same kind of shoes both got tweaks (at Syracuse), but we called Nike and there doesn't seem to be any problem."

So don't blame the shoes if the Illini don't take advantage of this chance to ascend the Big Ten ladder.