Illini having to deal with the 'Bear'
CHAMPAIGN - Football is, as Illinois senior center Ryan McDonald noted, a game of copycats.
If one team figures a way to slow down someone's offense, rest assured that future opponents are going to adopt the same strategy.
In Illinois' case, that means beware the "Bear" in 2008.
Ever since Iowa loaded up the tackle box with as many as eight defenders to upset the Illini running game and their Big Ten title hopes last October, most opponents have mined a similar vein.
USC made excellent use of the Bear defense in the Rose Bowl, when Illinois managed 79 of its 144 rushing yards on one long Rashard Mendenhall dash.
Then, in Saturday's 52-42 loss to Missouri, the Tigers jammed the line of scrimmage and dared Juice Williams to beat them with his arm.
Williams finished with a career-high 451 yards and 5 touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to override a running game that totaled 81 yards.
Illinois hadn't finished with so few rushing yards since managing just 66 in its 33-0 wipeout at Rutgers on Sept. 9, 2006.
"If you've got eight people in the box, somebody's going to win defensively," Williams said. "We've got to be able to pass the ball efficiently, get the ball to the edge efficiently and get those guys out of their Bear defense.
"The only way you can beat 'Bear' is to make them pay with the ball in the air."
Actually, the Illini like to think they can beat the scheme while running the ball, too.
Running back Dan Dufrene, who had 7 carries for 7 yards in the first half against Missouri before rushing six times for 68 yards after halftime, admitted the Illini were confused a few times early.
"Really, it's just a matter of concentration," Dufrene said. "We did it the whole week in practice. It was just faster and quicker during the game - and it's a lot harder to pick up."
Eastern Illinois and Louisiana-Lafayette might not have the athletes to throw "Bear" at Illinois over the next two weeks at Memorial Stadium, but don't be surprised when they try it anyway.
"It's probably going to happen until we beat it," McDonald said. "I have complete confidence in our coaching staff.
"A lot of it came down to what we did, too. The fact we didn't execute what we were supposed to do made it look worse than what it was.
"I think it's just a matter of time before we crack that code."
Injury update: Wide receiver Jeff Cumberland (foot) will spend at least one more week on the sidelines at the doctors' request, even though Ron Zook witnessed Cumberland dancing in the training room.
Running back Troy Pollard (ankle) will be able to make his season debut Saturday against Eastern Illinois. He's listed at No. 2 on the depth chart.
Safety Donsay Hardeman (knee) underwent arthroscopic surgery recently and could miss another week. Zook is eager to see the junior-college honorable mention All-American contribute at the position where Illinois has the most inexperience.