w w w 6B - The Michigan Daily - FOOTBALL SATURDAY - Friday, September 28, 2001 w w W w w w W' Friday, September 28, 2001- FOOTBALL SATURDAY - The Michigan Daily - 7B Wolverines, Illini set to kick off Big Ten season Kittner expect ing statement game PROCRASTINATION STATION By Arun Gopal Daily Sports Writer Now that the nonconference portion of the schedule is out of the way, Michigan can turn its attention to beginning the defense of the Big Ten championship the Wolverines shared with Northwestern and Purdue last year. Michigan will open conference play tomorrow against Illinois, which is hungry for revenge after a 35-31 home loss to the Wolverines last year. These are two teams with legitimate Big Ten title aspirations, so the winner of this game will have a great start to league play. MICHIGAN RUSH OFFENSE VS. ILLINOIS RUSH DEFENSE' Illinois' defense was so comprehen- sively bad last year that the Fighting Illini fired their entire defensive staff. Illinois head coach Ron Turner was hoping for a lot of improvement from his defense, and so far, the results have been good. The Fighting Illini haven't given up more than 17 points in any game en route to a 3-0 start. Last week, Illinois throttled Dave Ragone and a high-pow- ered Louisville offense en route to a 34- 10 win over the Cardinals. But, Louisville isn't Michigan, and the Fighting Illini have yet to face a running attack the caliber of the Wolverines'. Chris Perry's MCL injury has left his status for the game in doubt, but fortunately for Michigan, B.J. Askew appears to be up to the task. The junior has been a pleasant surprise in the first three games and scored three touchdowns last week against Western Michigan. Askew's emergence, combined with the continuing maturation of Michigan's talented offensive line, should be far too much for Illinois to handle. Edge: Michigan MICHIGAN PASS OFFENSE VS. IWNOIS PASS DEFENSE Illinois' pass defense certainly made a statement last week by holding pass- happy Louisville to only 10 points. The Cardinals' Dave Ragone came into the game with some lofty numbers but was intercepted three times while only throwing one touchdown pass. Based on that, it might seem like Illinois has a clear advantage. But, Michigan's offense has a way of throw- ing when it wants to, where it wants to. The Wolverines make such liberal use of screens and passes to the tight end that it's difficult to completely shut down Michigan's passing game. Plus, if Illinois plays zone to take away the deep ball, offensive coordinator Stan Parrish will call 10-yard outsuntil the cows come home. Illinois might be able to take away sose of Michigan's deep passing game, but it won't completely neutralize. Marquise Walker, Calvin Bell and Ron Bellamy. This matchup looks like it will go both ways. Edge: Even ILLINOIS RUSH OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN RUSH DEFENSE Illinois' duo of Rocky Harvey and Antoineo Harris is strong. Harris rushed for over 100 yards against Louisville, and Harvey tortured Michigan when these teams played at Michigan Stadium two years ago. Michigan's run defense looked sus- pect against Miami (Ohio), but the Wolverines were spectacular against Washington's Rich Alexis and Willie Hurst, holding the tandem to 91 yards and neutralizing the Washington offense. Last week, aside from one draw play, the Wolverines throttled Western Michigan's running game, allowing just 13 yards on the ground. Led by linebackers Larry Foote, Victor Hobson and Eric Brackins, the Michigan defense is starting to round into form. If the Wolverines can shut down Alexis and Hurst - who are arguably the best tailback tandem in the nation - they should be able to handle Harris and Harvey. Edge: Michigan ILLINOIS PASS OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE Illinois' senior quarterback Kurt Kittner is being touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate. In his fourth year as a starter, Kittner has shined in Turner's passing offense. A big reason for Kittner's success has been the return of sophomore wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, who missed all of last year with a broken leg. Lloyd gives the Illinois offense a bonafide home run threat who can score any time he touches the ball. As for Michigan's pass defense, the Wolverines have almost all of the com- ponents in place. Michigan's pass rush recorded seven sacks last week, and safeties Julius Curry, Cato June and Charles Drake have been solid. Conspicuously absent from praise are Michigan's cornerbacks. The thought of Brandon Lloyd (and later on, Charles Rogers, Ron Johnson, Lee Evans, Antwaan Randle El, John Standeford, etc. ) being defended by some combination of Jeremy LeSueur, Todd Howard and Brandon Williams is downright scary. Michigan has to get consistent pres- sure on Kittner, and the safeties have to always remember to provide deep help. Otherwise, Lloyd will be single-cov- ered by a Michigan cornerback, and, well ... does the name Plaxico Burress mean anything? Edge: Illinois By Raphael Goodstein Daily Sports Editor You can bet that Illinois' star quarterback Kurt Kittner noticed Western Michigan quarterback Jeff Welsh's 374-yard passing performance last week. Kittner, whom Illinois has been hyping as a Heisman contender, played well enough to beat Michigan last year, although Michigan ultimate- ly won 35-31 in controversial fashion. He is arguably the best drop-back quarterback in col- lege football and is a four-year starter. Factor in wide receivers Brandon Lloyd and Walter Young, and the Michigan secondary will need its best performance of the season for Michigan to win. "He'll probably be the first quarterback draft- ed (by the NFL) next spring," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "First of all, he's tough. You're not going to rattle him. He knows where to go with the football. He's smart. He's seen every coverage, every blitz. "He can hurt you running the football, he's just a guy who has a knack, an instinct, when to tuck the ball and run with it. He's without a question the leader of that football team. Anytime you have a quarterback like Kittner, you're tough to beat" And Michigan beat Illinois last year. Kittner, who is averaging close to 300 yards a game this year, is trying to lead the twenty-sec- ond-ranked Fighting Illini to their first 4-0 start since 1951 after wins over then-No. 25 Louisville, Northern Illinois and California. What's more, if he leads Illinois to a win over No. 17 Michigan on national television, more than just the Illinois Athletic Department would consider him a legitimate Heisman contender. In 1994, Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam did just that when he ran wild against the Michigan defense en route to winning the award. "I'm glad we got through the three games with three wins and now we can really concentrate and focus on Michigan," Kittner said. This Saturday, Kurt Kittner will gunning for his second straight win over Michigan at the Big House. "Obviously there's no looking past Michigan. It's a great place and a great atmosphere and it's the Big Ten opener so we need to come out and make a statement this week. Obviously there's a rivalry between us, especially after the last two years." Two years ago, Illinois came to Michigan and overcame a 27-7 deficit to win 35-29. So how do you stop Kittner? What you have to do is pressure the quarter- back," Carr said. "A guy like Kurt (Kittner) and their system, they're going to make it very diffi- cult to sack him. He understands, he knows when to get rid of the ball. The thing you can't do is let him stand back there. "All the guys who are really playing well up front forus are guys who a year ago weren't big enough or strong enough. We have guys who have ability to put pressure on the quarterback without blitzing. It allows you to keep from over-committing to stop the run. You don't have to blitz all the time. Defense is like offense, you want to be balanced." Balance is exactly what Kittner brings to the Illinois passing attack. In last week's 34-10 over then-No. 25 Louisville, eight different receivers caught a pass. Young led the receiving unit with 90 yards on four catches. And that doesn't even include Lloyd. "Add a guy like (Brandon) Lloyd ... we saw what he could do as a freshman, now he's a junior," Carr said. "He missed a year but he has not missed a beat." It's understandable why cornerback Todd Howard is worried about Illinois' star passer. "KurtKittner is an experienced quarterback, a four-year starter," Howard said. "In high school he was a highly touted player. He's developed into one of the best in college. "He has good protection and makes his con- fidence better, knowing he will have time to throw. My knowledge of quarterback is that I'm sure he prepares well and watches more film than most. He knows what he's looking for." Western Michigan's Jeff Welsh passed for over 350 yards last Saturday. Defensive lineman Shawn Lazarus and Michigan will have to contain the pass better against Illinois this Saturday If they expect to win. SPECIAL TEAMS Last weekend, Michigan senior Hayden Epstein handled field goals but surrendered the punting chores to freshman Adam Finley. Overall, the results were mixed - Epstein had a good leg on field goals (even though he hit the goalpost on one) while Finley was nothing spectacular. What has been very good for the Wolverines is Julius Curry's play as a punt returner. Curry has 'made Michigan fans forget about the days when forcing the other team to punt wasn't a guarantee that Michigan would get the ball (see: James Whitley.) At one point in the recent past, the Wolverines would be thrilled not to fumble a punt - now, Curry is a threat to break a long return every time he touches the ball. Illinois used two kickers last week, although JJ Tubbs is the primary option. Defensive backs Eugene Wilson and Christian Morton are solid but not spectacular kickoff and punt returners. In a fairly even matchup, Epstein's strong leg and Curry's explosiveness could give Michigan a slight edge. Edge: Michigan INTANGIBLES Two years ago, a 3-3 Illinois team came back from a 27-7 third-quarter deficit to shock the Wolverines, 35-29, at Michigan Stadium. The win was the turning point in Illinois' season, as the Fighting Illini went 8-4 and won the MicronPC.com Bowl. Then, last year, Illinois entered the Michigan game with huge expecta- tions. The Fighting Illini were national- ly-ranked and were shooting for a major bowl bid. Instead, Illinois watched in horror as Michigan scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to escape Champaign with a 35-31 win. The Fighting Illini collapsed after that loss and finished 5-6. The point? Both teams have redemp- tion on their minds. Illinois wants to make up for last year's collapse, while Michigan hasn't forgotten what hap- pened two seasons ago. Plus, both of these teams think they can win the Big Ten, so this game is huge for everyone. So, the intangibles are a dead heat. Edge: Even PREDICTION Illinois has a lot to prove after crash- ing and burning last year, but it won't be easy. The Wolverines recovered after losing to Illinois two years ago to finish 9-2 and advance to the Orange Bowl, but they still haven't forgotten what it felt like to lose a game they had all but won. If Illinois' offensive line can contain Michigan's ferocious pass rush, Kittner and Lloyd could have a field day against the Wolverines' secondary. Harris and Harvey will have a tough time gaining much yardage on the ground, but they will have to do so to prevent the Fighting Illini from becom- ing one-dimensional. Illinois' defense has shown signs of improvement, but Michigan is the most balanced offense the Fighting Illini have faced. Illinois has to find a way to contain Askew while preventing Michigan's wideouts from running wild in the secondary. If they can do those two things, they will reduce Michigan quarterback John Navarre's effectiveness. In what looks to be a close, highly- entertaining contest, Michigan's ability to run and stop the run should be the difference. The guess here is that the Wolverines will get a leg up in the Big Ten race - and erase the ghosts of two years ago - by knocking off Illinois. Michigan 24, Illinois 17 Illinois natives set for personal rivalry week ILLINOIS 28 MICHIGAN 76 Before every football game this season, Daily football writ- ers Jeff Phillips and Jon Schwartz will take the weekend's matchup to the Playstation 2. For this week's matchup, coach Phillips led the visiting Fighting Illini and coach Schwartz took the helm for the Wolverines again. Play of the game - With the score at 28-14 at halftime, Illinois foolishly kicked the ball to RB No. 23. With ample use of the juke button, RB No. 23 was able to take the ball 102 yards to paydirt. Most unrealistic play of the game - See above. Player of the game - Michigan's RB No. 23. Not only did he have a 102-yard kickoff return, but he also ran for 164 yards and four touchdowns on just 21 carries. Michigan key stats Passing: QB No. 16 - 9-of-16, 267 yards passing, 4 TDs, 278.9 pass rating Rushing: RB No. 23 - 21 carries, 164 yards, 4 TDs Receiving: WR No. 4 - 2 receptions, 114 yards, 1 TD; WR No. 19 - 3 receptions, 91 yards; WR No. 27 - 2 receptions, 23 yards, 2 TDs Defense: 2 forced fumbles, 8 sacks, 2 interceptions (LB No. 51: 1 forced fumble, 4 sacks, 6 tackles) Illinois key stats Passing: QB No. 15 - 21-of-40, 431 yards passing, 4 TDs Rushing: RB No. 23 - 6 carries, 19 yards Receiving: WR No. 6 - 6 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD; WR No. 18 - 5 receptions, 134 yards, 2 TDs PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES: Illinois head coach Jeff Phillips: I feel like Bobby Bowden after the North Carolina game. I just couldn't get my players motivated. They have to learn that they can t half-ass their way through life, or college football video games for that matter ... Sources close to the Michigan program indicate that coach Schwartz hasbeen practicing a lot lately in preparation for this game ... It is always hard to make the transition from the pros back to the college game. I feel I was vastly unprepared for coaching a college game after two weeks of only pro games. Now I know how Pete Carroll feels. I don't think this game has passed me. I just don't know if I can connect with the modern college player. Itsis a different mentality with these kids.. I was surprised by how poorly QB No. 15 played. Yeah, some Heisman Trophy candidate - maybe if he plans on playing at 'Junior Varsity' for an entire season ... Michigan head coach Jon Schwartz: I'll tell you one thing, that was a good team we played today, there was no quit in them. They gave us everything we could handle and my boys responded beautifully ... Game ball gos to RB No. 23. With an injured knee, he still ran for 164fyards and four touchdowns. I don't know too many people that could've done that ... I thought the Illinois defense was really awful. I really don't know what they are going to do to get back. Corso can kiss my ass. I heard him up there in the press box talking about how good Illinois was going to be, but we won by 48 points ... If Illinois' QB No. 15 is a Heisman 'hopeful' then I want to be in New York when they actually give the award to CB 'Just hand him the Heisman' No. 3 ... I told you we were going to shock the world ... By Jon Schwartz Daily Sports Editor When one looks at Michigan's schedule, a few games pop off the page. There's Michigan State, always a huge in-state rivalry. There's Penn State, a matchup between two legendary college football programs, even if one has recently fallen on hard times. And there's Ohio State, year-in, year-out the most anticipated matchup in the Big Ten. Of course, all of Michigan's games are special. On the schedules of its Big Ten opponents, the Michigan date is often circled as a defining game of the season. Still, generally speaking, the Illinois game rarely stands in the same light as those marquee games listed above. But for a few Wolverines, facing the Illini can be the bread and butter of the season. "The last few seasons have made for a great rivalry," senior cornerback Todd Howard said. Howard, a native of Bolingbrook, IlL. is one of four Michigan regulars that hail from the Prairie State. Two of the others, center Kurt Anderson and offensive lineman Tony Pape also spoke of the excitement that comes with playing their home- state school. "It's our Michigan State game and it's really big for me," Anderson said. His brother, Erick, was an All-America linebacker for the Wolverines in 1991. "Growing up before Erick came here, the Michigan game was always a big game. It was evident because I had one neighbor that played at Michigan and one at Illinois so il was a big week'' Part of what makes the game so big for the Illinois natives is the fact that they chose to leave the state, rather than play in Champaign. "When decision time came, Illinois was a school that I thought about," said Pape, a Clarendon Hills native. "Michigan just had more to offer me and it was the same distance from home. I had too many friends going to Illinois so I wanted to go somewhere new and meet new people and find a new experience." Anderson spoke of a similar rationale. "Obviously," he said, "Erick came here and his advice was to go where you felt the most comfortable with the coaching staff and I felt Michigan was the place for me. Nothing against Illinois, but Michigan was wheretmy heart was." The last two times that Michigan faced the Illini were epic battles. In 1999, Michigan blew a 27-7 lead late in the third quarter and lost 35-29. Last year, Illinois was controlling the game until quarterback Drew Henson entered - his first appearance in the season, already three and a half games old - and rallied the Wolverines to a 35-31 win. So for seniors Anderson and Howard, the game has added importance. This is the third time they'll face Illinois - the teams didn't meet in 1998 - and with their record against the Illini standing at 1-1, the two players are hoping to prove that they made the right choice. "Every game is a big game in the Big Ten,"Anderson said, "but there is something special about Illinois. Being from Illinois, it's always going to be a big game for me." As with almost every teamin the Big Ten, Illinois fans have an ingrained hatred for the Wolverines, a point that makes winning even more impor- tant for the players from Illinois. "All the Illinois people I know like me," Howard joked, but added, "I know we have some Illinois people on our side.You go there and they yell out 'you should have come here.' It makes for a great rivalry and it makes it fun to play"