Zook must squeeze more from Juice

Illinois quarterback Juice Williams poses a dilemma for Illini head coach Ron Zook.

Of course, Zook pretty much always looks like a big galoot befuddled by game situations.

The scouting report when Zook came to Illinois was that he could recruit but not coach. Nothing much has been rewritten over his four-plus seasons in Champaign.

Still, Williams must have caused Zook to be especially flummoxed this week after Ohio State shut out the Illini last weekend.

After four seasons at Illinois, Williams still isn't a high-level quarterback at college football's highest level.

For all his flashiness Williams looks similar to - maybe worse than - when he was a sophomore. He still has terrific athletic ability from arm to legs to size, yet he still lapses into horrific habits from mechanics to instincts to inconsistency.

Maybe Williams isn't coachable enough to improve. Or maybe Zook and his staff aren't capable of coaching him up. Or maybe Illinois' supporting cast isn't helping.

Regardless, the results are that Illinois is 1-2 this season while being outscored 67-9 by Missouri and OSU. Quarterbacks receive credit for offensive production and blame for offensive failure, don't they?

The Illinois alumnus in me knee-jerked that the futility at Columbus meant Zook has to think of switching permanently to junior Eddie McGee.

Then a sports writer's reality struck home.

Zook can't surrender to Williams' flaws. He has to keep trying to squeeze all the Juice possible out of him.

Why? Because Illinois' football program can't afford to even indicate it couldn't maximize a heralded player from the Chicago Public League.

Williams was supposed to be all-Big Ten, All-America, all-world by now, perhaps even a Heisman Trophy winner worthy of having his uniform number retired.

Zook's responsibility has been to win games while coaching Williams into an NFL player. The last impression the Illini can afford to leave is that they lost while failing Juice Williams, whether they actually did or he failed himself.

Illinois athletics need Chicago high school players. Historically many of the best have gone to Champaign and must continue to do so for the Illini to survive, much less thrive.

Public League coaches are fickle, however. Just ask Joey Meyer what happened to him when they turned on DePaul's basketball program.

A decade ago the Public League might not have mattered as much to Illini football because it wasn't producing major-college prospects.

That changed. Football players are matriculating out of the Public League and onto big-time college rosters. Illinois can't forfeit them. It has to recruit them and then develop them into all they should be.

Illinois football would suffer a setback if an alleged prize like Williams didn't evolve into an pro quarterback. Public Leaguers might become reluctant to join the Illini.

So Zook must stay the course with Williams even though the Chicago Vocational product looks like he hasn't progressed since leading Illinois into the Rose Bowl two years ago.

Zook has nine games left on a tough schedule to help Williams become a quarterback with an NFL future.

And to make himself look less befuddled as a college head coach.

mimrem@dailyherald.com