Scouting college football: Illinois, Notre Dame, NU, NIU
Illinois (1-1, 0-0) at Ohio State (2-1, 0-0)
When: 2:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium
TV: Channel 7; Radio: WIND 560-AM.
Series: Ohio State leads 61-30-4.
Coaches: Ron Zook (24-37, fifth year at Illinois; 47-51 overall); Jim Tressel (85-20, ninth year at Ohio State; 220-77-2 overall)
Players to watch: Illinois QB Juice Williams (strained thigh) has the green light to make his 37th consecutive start. He needs 171 total yards to pass Kurt Kittner as the school's all-time leader in total offense. All of Illinois' other skill-position players are healthy and eligible, which means Arrelious Benn (1 catch), Jarred Fayson (8 catches) and RB Jason Ford (137 rushing yards) have a chance to feed off each other's skills. Redshirt freshman Evan Frierson replaces Martez Wilson (herniated disk in his neck) at middle linebacker.
Ohio State sophomore QB Terrelle Pryor is coming off his most productive collegiate game. He threw for 262 yards and ran for 110 yards last week against Toledo, which pushed him to the top of the Big Ten's total offense charts (263.0 ypg). Sophomore RB Dan Herron owns TDs in each of OSU's last seven games. That includes a rushing score last year at Illinois, when the Bucks rushed for 305 yards in a 30-20 win. Junior MLB Brian Rolle, the heir to the graduated James Laurinaitis' throne, leads the defense with 25 tackles.
The skinny: Ready for an astounding factoid? Every year since 1983, when a huge home win sparked the run to the Rose Bowl, the verdict in the Illinois-Ohio State game has foreshadowed whether the Illini get to play in a bowl. Every time Illinois has beaten Ohio State, it made a bowl. Every time Illinois has lost, it failed to make a bowl. In a somewhat related factoid, Illinois has lost all four of its games against Top 25 opponents since shocking the top-ranked Buckeyes in 2007 on its previous trip to Columbus. The Illini committed no turnovers and 1 penalty in that win, but more importantly used Ohio State's fear of RB Rashard Mendenhall to run play-action stuff that allowed Williams to find open receivers downfield (4 TDs in 22 attempts). Illinois boasts five solid running backs, but none have Mendenhall's cachet. In other words, it'll be hard to reclaim "Illibuck."
Notre Dame (2-1) at Purdue (1-2)
When: 7:06 p.m. at Ross-Ade Stadium
TV: ESPN; Radio: WLS 890-AM
Series: Notre Dame leads 27-11-0.
Coaches: Charlie Weis (31-22, fifth year at Notre Dame); Danny Hope (1-2, first year at Purdue; 36-24 in sixth year overall)
Players to watch: Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen ranks second nationally in pass efficiency (188.6 rating), but he lost his most explosive playmaker when Michael Floyd broke his collarbone last week. Duval Kamara, who has just 1 reception since 2007, takes Floyd's spot at flanker. Golden Tate (19 catches, 301 yards, 3 TDs) remains the top possession target. SS Kyle McCarthy is one of five FCS players to pick off a pass in each of the first three games this year. He's the first Notre Dame player to pull off this season-opening hat trick since Tom Schoen in 1966.
Purdue RB Ralph Bolden rushed 12 times for 64 yards last week against Northern Illinois, which dropped Bolden to second place on the national rushing list (62 carries, 421 yards, 4 TDs). QB Joey Elliott scrambled for 2 touchdowns against NIU, but hasn't been too efficient as a thrower (61 of 100, 674 yards, 4 TDs, 5 INTs). LB Jason Werner leads a struggling defense with 27 tackles, 6 TFLs and an interception.
The skinny: In Charlie Weis' opening game of this northern Indiana rivalry, the Irish knocked off the Boilers 49-28. That set the standard for combined points for Notre Dame and Purdue, but it's a record that could be threatened today - especially if Clausen's turf toe and RB Armando Allen's ankle don't affect them much. Notre Dame averages 34 points and 479 yards per game and gets to face a Purdue defense that ranks last in the Big Ten in scoring defense (32.3 ppg) and total defense (434.3 ypg). At the same time, the Irish allowed Michigan and Michigan State to move almost at will the last two weeks. Expect Notre Dame to follow Northern Illinois' lead and focus on stopping the run first.
Minnesota (2-1, 0-0) at Northwestern (2-1, 0-0)
When: 11:02 a.m. at Ryan Field
TV: BTN; Radio: WGN 720-AM, WNUR 89.3-FM
Series: Minnesota leads 49-30-5.
Coaches: Tim Brewster (10-18, third year at Minnesota); Pat Fitzgerald (21-19, fourth year at NU)
Players to watch: Everyone knows about Minnesota WR Eric Decker, but nobody seems to be able to stop him. Decker's 27 catches rank fourth nationally, while his 415 yards rank third. More impressively, the All-American candidate has accounted for 44 percent of the Gophers' completions this year and 59 percent of their passing yardage. Junior QB Adam Weber has thrown for 668 yards and 6 TDs the last two years against the Wildcats. He's not quite as good this year in Minnesota's revamped offense: 60 of 103 for 693 yards, 3 TDs and 4 INTs. RBs Duane Bennett (121 yards, 1 TD) and DeLeon Eskridge (103 yards, 1 TD) split the carries.
Northwestern senior QB Mike Kafka shared the Big Ten's offensive player of the week honor after accounting for 407 yards and 5 scores against Syracuse. The Wildcats' passing attack couldn't be more different from Minnesota's. Slot receiver Zeke Markshausen and superback Drake Dunsmore have 13 catches apiece while flanker Andrew Brewer and split end Demetrius Fields own 12 catches apiece. OLB Ben Johnson has been a big-play machine the last two weeks with an INT for a score and a forced fumble on a sack that he recovered himself.
The skinny: Northwestern's struggling defense gets crucial reinforcements with the return of senior cornerback Sherrick McManis and junior middle linebacker Nate Williams. McManis, who missed the last two games with a leg injury, might follow the Gophers' Decker all over the field. Usually the Wildcats prefer to keep their corners on the same side all day, but they've broken that tenet the last two weeks without McManis. Meanwhile, Northwestern needs to find its running game without top rusher Stephen Simmons due to an ankle injury. Fleet sophomore Jeravin Matthews returns after missing the last two games with an ankle injury, so he'll join the rotation with between-the-tackles master Jacob Schmidt and high-risk, high-reward freshman Arby Fields.
Idaho (2-1) at Northern Illinois (2-1)
When: 2:30 p.m. at Huskie Stadium
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Series: NIU leads 3-2.
Coaches: Robb Akey (2-1, first year at Idaho); Jerry Kill (8-8, second year at NIU; 112-65 in 16th year overall).
Players to watch: Junior QB Nathan Enderle, the same guy who threw for 423 yards when NIU won 42-35 two seasons ago at Idaho, has completed 50 of 84 passes for 690 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs this year. Senior RB DeMaundray Woolridge, a 5-foot-9, 241-pound bowling ball who started his career at Washington State, owns 152 yards and 4 TDs in just 23 carries. Junior safety Shiloh Keo, the team MVP in 2007, leads the Vandals defense with 24 tackles and 1 interception.
NIU sophomore Me'co Brown and junior Chad Spann are one of the best-fitting 1-2 running-back combos in the country. The elusive Brown leads the MAC in rushing (110.3 ypg) while the powerful Spann leads the MAC and ranks third nationally with 7 TDs. And don't forget QB Chandler Harnish. Not only does he run the option and rank as the MAC's second-best in pass efficiency, he went out of his way to throw blocks for his backfield mates in last week's "boneyard" win at Purdue.
The skinny: Fresh from its second win over a Big Ten team in 35 tries, Northern Illinois takes the field for its 1,000th game. The Huskies lead the Mid-American Conference in three crucial categories: scoring offense (29.7 ppg), rushing offense (208.0 ypg) and turnover margin (plus-4). As long as the Huskies stay strong in the latter two statistics, then the points and the victories should take care of themselves. Akey, the former defensive coordinator at Washington State, has done a fine job rehabbing a program that went 2-10 last year. The Vandals lead the WAC in rushing defense (93.3 ypg) as well as turnover margin (plus-4). Throw in the fact that Idaho lost at Washington by just 19 points the Saturday before USC lost at Washington - and this could be a trap game if NIU looks ahead to next week's MAC opener against Western Michigan. Please note the line judge's presence today: Sarah Thomas is the only female official at the FBS level.
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