Fighting Illini should be healthy at Ohio St.

Juice Williams' strained thigh is fine. Martez Wilson's sprained neck, too.

In fact, unless some misfortune occurs over the next nine days, Illinois should be at full strength for its Big Ten opener Sept. 26 at 11th-ranked Ohio State.

That would be a far cry from the Illini's first two games where six key players (Williams, Wilson, wide receiver Arrelious Benn and running backs Jason Ford, Daniel Dufrene and Mikel Leshoure) essentially missed one game or the other.

To ensure their health, Illinois coach Ron Zook plans to wrap up this week's practices Wednesday before giving his players a four-day weekend.

"I think it's important to get some rest before this gigantic challenge that we're getting ready for," Zook said. "Not only this next game, but this stretch of games that we're getting ready to play."

For the 11th time in 16 years, Illinois opens its Big Ten season against a ranked team. Not coincidentally, the Illini have lost 14 of their last 15 conference openers.

But this year's schedule presents a different twist. For the first time since 1997, Illinois' first two Big Ten games come against ranked teams (barring a stunning Penn State loss to Temple this week).

The No. 5 Nittany Lions come to Champaign on Oct. 3, then Michigan State shows up on Oct. 10.

"The schedule's the schedule," Zook said. "There's no use complaining about it. It is what it is and nothing's going to happen.

"Do you like playing those first three Big Ten games that we're playing? Probably not. There's no use bringing that up. No one cares anyway."

Northwestern

After Northwestern surrendered 172 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground against Eastern Michigan on Saturday, coach Pat Fitzgerald asked to see the game tape before passing judgment on his defense.

Upon official review, Fitzgerald saw issues aplenty.

"I didn't see fundamental attack and get-off that we stress here with our front," Fitzgerald said. "I didn't see linebackers trigger and attack gaps properly.

"And I didn't see, across the board on defense, tackling technique and fundamental that I think we've been pretty sound at for the last 18 months to two years."

Senior defensive end Corey Wootton, who has just 1 tackle and 2 hurries in his first two games as he regains trust in his repaired right knee, suggested the Wildcats didn't focus correctly in practice and it carried over against Eastern Michigan.

"It came to one of the drills we do every day, (the) combo drill," Wootton said. "We just weren't focused on our key and it basically comes down to that.

"It wasn't that they beat us with tremendous plays or anything. They ran simple zone schemes. We were out of our gaps and that's why they creased us."

The combo drill, by the way, involves the defensive linemen trying to be aggressive as offensive linemen and tight ends carry out their zone blocking.

Syracuse, which Northwestern visits on Saturday (6 p.m., no TV), has been one of the nation's worst rushing teams.

The Orange posted a total of 155 rushing yards against Minnesota and Penn State. They've averaged 2.5 yards per carry, though that is skewed by the 5 sacks they have allowed.