Can Juice pour it on Ohio State once again?

Sports psychologists suggest it's good for athletes to close their eyes, picture themselves at a particular venue and visualize success.

Illinois senior quarterback Juice Williams doesn't need to pretend how it feels to perform at Ohio Stadium: He impersonated an All-American there two years ago.

Williams played virtually flawlessly when he led the Illini to a 28-21 upset of the top-ranked Buckeyes on Nov. 10, 2007.

Not only did he throw for 4 touchdowns without an interception, he rushed for 4 first downs on Illinois' last drive as the visitors ran out the game's final 8:09.

Then Williams knelt on the 16-yard line and wept as his teammates and coaches went berserk elsewhere on the turf.

But neither Williams nor Illinois coach Ron Zook believes his performance in 2007 carries any benefit into Saturday's Big Ten opener at No. 13 Ohio State.

"I think what happens is people try to bring that game up," Zook said. "That's history. That's something that happened in Juice's career. This is a different ballgame. What happened then, happened then."

"I think the best thing about the situation is we all realize we can't live off that last experience that we had up there," Williams said. "Those guys are really going to come out there because of what happened two years ago. It's two different teams. Two different defenses. Two different offenses."

Williams, by the way, seems fine after straining his thigh on Sept. 12 against Illinois State.

"He doesn't feel like it's an issue," Zook said. "The trainers don't feel like it's an issue. Once he gets out there playing, I don't think he'll even remember."

Leshoure returns: Sophomore running back Mikel Leshoure and redshirt freshman defensive back Ashante Williams are back with the Illini after being suspended for the Illinois State game for violating team rules.

Leshoure was Illinois' best runner in the opener against Missouri (38 rushing yards, 41 receiving yards), but his absence allowed the team's other four running backs to improve their stature.

Zook expects all five (Leshoure, senior Daniel Dufrene, sophomore Jason Ford, sophomore Troy Pollard and freshman Justin Green) to play at Ohio State.

Green, a track star in high school who rushed for his first touchdown against Illinois State, will be intriguing to watch because his brother, Marcus, played at Ohio State and he committed initially to the Buckeyes.

Green switched to Illinois late in the recruiting process as he preferred Zook's offer to play running back rather than OSU's preference that he try cornerback.

"Justin just keeps getting better and better," Zook said. "I'm sure he's going to be excited when he runs out there on the field."

Wilson surgery: Junior middle linebacker Martez Wilson is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday to repair a herniated disk in his neck.

Meanwhile, Wilson likely will travel to Ohio State to mentor the Illini linebackers. Redshirt freshman Evan Frierson moves up to first-string middle linebacker, though coach Ron Zook said sophomore weak-side linebacker Ian Thomas will handle the defensive checks and calls.