Illini not quite ready for Big Ten?
CHAMPAIGN - Since it's election season, let's put Illinois' final Big Ten tuneup into political terms for easy reference.
The Illini expected to gain a hefty post-nonconference bounce vs. Louisiana-Lafayette on a sunny, muggy Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Instead, they're going to have to deal with some serious recoil after a tense 20-17 victory that had the local electorate unhappy and the national pollsters sure to notice.
Thanks to two late touchdown drives by the Ragin' Cajuns, this one couldn't be projected into No. 24 Illinois' win column until Downers Grove North graduate Garrett Edwards recovered an onside kick with 17 seconds to go.
The Big Ten's leading offense managed just 341 yards and 13 points against a ULL defense that surrendered 633 yards and 51 points to Southern Mississippi in its only other game.
If not for senior middle linebacker Brit Miller's first-quarter strip of quarterback Michael Desormeaux - when he wrenched the ball out of his hands and returned it 27 yards for his first career touchdown - the Illini (2-1) could be limping into their Sept. 27 league opener at Penn State after a debilitating loss.
"I'm hoping and praying that it really opens our eyes, myself included," said junior quarterback Juice Williams. "I didn't have a stellar game at all, but I'm not going to cry about it. I've got to go out there and play better - and I know that."
Williams, who entered the game sixth in the nation in total offense, didn't accumulate half of his 379.5-yard average as he threw for just 147 yards and ran for 35 more.
Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley even singled him out for throwing way behind Jeff Cumberland on an open slant that would've been an easy touchdown right before halftime.
Williams (13-for-25, 1 interception, 1 touchdown) could have blamed the vicious crosswind for his miscue, but he declined.
"Just an inaccurate pass," he said. "No excuses."
That wasn't the only touchdown the Illinois offense left on the turf.
Leading 17-3 early in the fourth quarter, running back Dan Dufrene (19 carries, career-high 126 yards) had a 34-yard touchdown sweep called back when receiver Will Judson was flagged for holding.
On the ensuing play, Chris Duvalt dropped Williams' sure touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone.
Illinois then capped that drive by failing to convert on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 dives at Lafayette's 25. The Ragin' Cajuns (0-2) eventually fed off that stand and turned the game into a nail-biter.
Desormeaux ran a keeper 34 yards for a score, as he faked true freshman backup linebacker Russell Ellington at the line and ran through Bo Flowers' arm tackle before diving over the pylon for the touchdown.
After Matt Eller's 27-yard field goal offered a little breathing room at 20-10, Desormeaux hit tight end Erik Jones on fourth-and-10 for an 11-yard score with 0:18 left.
Afterward, Illinois' coaching staff pointed again to a lack of emotion as the team's biggest issue.
"Good teams go out there and take care of business," said co-defensive coordinator Dan Disch. "And they come out there every week, it doesn't matter who they're playing and they play lights out."
Head coach Ron Zook, with his typical impatience, wants the lesson to sink in immediately - if not sooner.
"We've got some guys - maybe we've got to soul search," he said. "If they don't want to play with emotion, then they probably don't need to be around."