Scouting: Illini @Fresno State
Illinois (6-5) at Fresno State (7-4)
When: 9 p.m. Friday at Bulldog Stadium
TV: ESPN2; Radio: WIND 560-AM
Series: Fresno State leads 1-0.
Coaches: Ron Zook (27-44, sixth year at Illinois; 50-58 overall); Pat Hill (107-68, 14th year at Fresno)
Players to watch: Junior Mikel Leshoure became Illinois' second running back in 25 years to earn first-team all-Big Ten honors. He ranks eighth nationally with 124.6 rushing yards per game. He needs 273 yards to wrest the Big Ten regular-season rushing title away from Michigan QB Denard Robinson. P Anthony Santella took the coaches' first-team all-Big Ten vote while MLB Martez Wilson was first-team on the media's ballot. DT Corey Liuget was a consensus second-teamer while OT Jeff Allen (media) and K Derek Dimke (coaches) also gained second-team status.
Players to watch: Fresno State boasts two of the nation's top 10 sack artists in senior DE Chris Carter (10 sacks) and DT Logan Harrell (9.5 sacks). Sophomore RB Robbie Rouse isn't big (5-foot-7, 185 pounds), but he ranks 13th nationally with 109.7 rushing yards per game. Senior LB Ben Jacobs, the first Fresno State player to start every game, makes his 51st start. He has blocked six kicks in his career.
The skinny: If these teams can find a crazier way to close out the regular season than they did last year, the nation would be willing to stay up late to witness it. For those who missed last Dec. 4, Fresno State played for the win at Memorial Stadium and went for 2 with 0:02 left. Ryan Colburn's wild pass bounced off a Fresno receiver and Illini corner Tavon Wilson before winding up in the hands of 350-pound left guard Devan Cunningham. He caught it at the 3 and plunged just across the line for a 53-52 win. At the time, it was the highest-scoring game in Illini history. Illinois has a chance to rack up similar numbers this year as Fresno coughed up 55 points to Mississippi, 51 to Boise and 49 to Hawaii. Leshoure went wild against the Bulldogs last year with 184 yards and 2 TDs in just 11 carries. QB Nathan Scheelhaase has thrown just 1 interception in the last five games.
Bowl ramifications: Both teams already have clinched bowl spots. While the Illini appeared ticketed to the Texas Bowl on Dec. 29 in Houston, a monstrous offensive output could convince one of the better Big Ten-affiliated bowls (Outback, Gator, Insight) to go with the Illini.
He said it: Zook on game's grand theme: “The outcome of this game could have an effect on where we go (for the bowl) and the guys understand that. The biggest thing, more important than that, is our guys, they started something back in September and they want to finish it the way they started it. Even though, as I told them this week, even though we didn't win that first game (Missouri), I think everyone kind of had a feeling that ‘Hey, we have a chance to be a good football team.' ”