Shawn,

According to the contract I have, Western Michigan plays at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 24, 2011. You are right that the deal was for one game in Detroit and one in Champaign.

Dan,

I looked at Doug's Top 25 earlier this week after somebody told me he is basing it entirely on this season. That's what we all should do. I think I've been open-minded about my poll, but not like Doug. I like what he's doing and maybe all of us should follow along. But the ballot is persoonal to everyone.
I think it's important to pay attention to what's going on outside your own Top 25. I have a list of 10 other teams I'm watching each week. Plus, I look at everyone's schedule.
His Miami vote isn't going so well today, but I think having them as high as he did was legitimate. I moved them into the Top 10 after the win against Georgia Tech.

Bud,

There's no question the Illini struggled again with tackling. Against a team like Ohio State, with a rugged quarterback and sturdy tailbacks, it became a real problem. Terrelle Pryor is hard to bring down, but not that hard.

Bob,

I think you have to point the finger at three things: the quarterback, the scheme and, at times, the protection.

You would think you could get Benn a few yards off the line and throw him a quick pass. But Illinois doesn't do that much. The coaches want to get him down the field, which makes sense. But the most important item with Benn is to get the ball in his hands often.

I don't think Arrelious is playing any different than a year ago, though he was obviously slowed last week by the sprained ankle.

Mike,

I think the players really like Zook. I wonder if it might be the other way, that they are trying too hard for him. He is definitely in their corner and they are definitely in his. I don't think you will hear any of the players say a bad word about their coach, publicly or privately. That seems to be the consensus on the team. He is their guy, which makes sense since he recruited all of them. There are no divided loyalties.

Steve,

I haven't heard anything about any possible changes. There are a whole lot of items on the board's agenda before it even thinks about sports. Or goes to an event. They have to hire a president and their could be more jobs open. Generally, you don't want your BOT messing with the sports at one of the branches of the university. That would be a major mistake. The board members just arrived. Their knowledge of the teams and programs isn't indepth enough to make smart choices about the future.

I would say Saturday's game between Cincinnati and Fresno State was a worst-case scenario for Illinois. The Bearcats won to stay undefeated, but Fresno State again played well on the road against a BCS team. You'd have to think the Bulldogs will be full of confidence when they visit Champaign in December. And they might need the game to get bowl eligible, which will only add to the effort.

Jack,

Hard to argue against any of your points. Missing Martez Wilson for today's game didn't help Illinois. But he's gone for the season. So is Miami Thomas. It creates an opportunity for other players.

One guy who I thought played well on defense is Clay Nurse. He did have the face mask penalty, but at least he was in position to make the play. He made a really good stop against Terrelle Pryor in the backfield.

Dan,

I wonder if there is some problems in the change from Mike Locksley to Mike Schultz. Locksley and Juice Williams were comfortable with each other. Maybe it's hard to make the transition than anyone realized.
It will be interesting to see how the Illinois offense bounces back against Penn State's defense, which I think is better than Ohio State's.

Jake,

There were many embarrassing games for Illinois early in both the Ron Zook and Ron Turner eras. Remember Joe Paterno calling off his offense early in Zook's career. And the game against Rutgers in 2006, the last shutout before today, was not a good performance by Illinois.
The difference is that the Rose Bowl season raised the expectations at Illinois. Maybe prematurely. The program hasn't been able to sustain the success. Talent, chemistry, scheme, bad luck all plays into it.
The season is still young for the Illini, but it will get shorter soon if the team doesn't win a game or two.

Benny,

It starts with ability. And moves from there to aggressiveness. When you getting shoved around the field a little bit, your aggressiveness is going to fade some. And you have to put yourself in position to make plays.
Two of the top playmakers on the defense, Martez Wilson and Miami Thomas, are out with injuries. That has to be at least a small part of it.