College football previews
Illinois (3-7) at Cincinnati (10-0)
When: 11 a.m. at Nippert Stadium
TV: Channel 7; Radio: WIND 560-AM
Series: First meeting
Coaches: Ron Zook (21-37, fifth year at Illinois; 44-51 overall); Brian Kelly (32-6, third year at Cincinnati; 169-57-2 overall)
Players to watch: After sitting out the Big Ten finale against Northwestern with a high ankle sprain, Illinois QB Juice Williams is ready to make his 43rd career start. He needs 22 total yards to become the first Illini (and sixth Big Ten player) to hit the 10,000-yard career mark. Senior RG Jon Asamoah, who'll play in the East-West Shrine Game along with TE Michael Hoomanawanui, was Illinois' only all-Big Ten selection. WR Arrelious Benn, who's wearing a different helmet after suffering two recent "dings" in the head, owns 33 catches for 370 yards and 1 TD.
Cincinnati QB Tony Pike should start for the first time since injuring his left forearm Oct. 15. Pike has hit 64 percent of his throws for 1,649 yards, 17 TDs and just 3 INT. Senior WR/KR/PR Mardy Gilyard leads the Big East in receiving and returning. He owns 68 catches for 930 yards and 8 scores. Junior Armon Binns (44 catches, 693 yards, 8 TDs) is the No. 2 target.
The skinny: Since shocking No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 10, 2007, Illinois has lost six straight games to Top 25 teams. If the Illini are going to ruin the No. 5 Bearcats' perfect season, they're going to have to foil the Bearcats' near-perfect passing attack. Cincy, which will honor 16 seniors before the game, leads the nation in passing efficiency (170.0 rating) as Pike and sophomore Zach Collaros have combined for 27 TDs and just 5 INTs. That's not a good sign for an Illini squad that ranks ninth in the league in pass-efficiency defense. While they've allowed just 11 passing TDs, they've picked off just 4 passes. Freshman CB Terry Hawthorne will be among the youngsters who'll gain valuable experience today. What are the odds either Zook or Kelly will be in these same jobs when Cincinnati makes the return trip to Illinois in 2013?
Northern Illinois (7-4, 5-2) at Central Michigan (9-2, 7-0)
When: Noon at Kelly-Shorts Stadium
Internet: ESPN360.com
Radio: WAUR 930-AM
Series: Central Michigan leads 23-20-1.
Coaches: Jerry Kill (13-11, second year at NIU; 117-68 in 16th year overall); Butch Jones (25-13, third year at CMU)
Players to watch: In his first start since Oct. 17, NIU sophomore QB Chandler Harnish posted a career-high 24 completions and 337 total yards last week against Ohio. RB Chad Spann shrugged off shoulder issues to score 2 more TDs. His 19 TDs rank fifth nationally - and he needs 138 rushing yards to hit 1,000. Junior WR Landon Cox nearly doubled his previous career bests with 11 catches for 132 yards last week.
There are lots of ways to quantify Central Michigan senior QB Dan LeFevour's career. Let's sum it up thusly: If the 2005 Benet Academy graduate accounts for 4 touchdowns today, he will become the Football Championship Subdivision's all-time leader. LeFevour owns 143 TDs (96 passing, 46 rushing, 1 receiving). Hawaii's Colt Brennan and Texas Tech's Graham Harrell share the record with 146. LeFevour ranks second all time in total yards (14,861), though he'd need to average about 700 yards in his last three games to catch Hawaii's Timmy Chang (16,910 yards). LeFevour's top weapon is junior WR Antonio Brown (80 catches, 904 yards, 9 TDs).
The skinny: This could have been a season-ending battle for the MAC West title, but NIU came up short 38-31 at Ohio last Saturday. West champ Central Michigan will operate on three extra days of rest on Senior Day, which won't help the Huskies improve their bowl-worthiness. While NIU already has enough wins to accept an at-large berth, there could be as many as 73 teams battling for the 68 bowl slots. An 8-4 record with a win over CMU would be tough to overlook.