Moderator: I hope everbody is ready for the Penn State game this weekend!

Larry, Mahomet, IL: Brian:

Most of the time, Steve Kelly on WDWS sports talk talks to the play by play person for the upcoming opponent. I was wondering if the opponents seek you out, and if they do, what kinds of questions they ask you.

Moderator: Larry,

As a matter of fact they do. I usually get several requests from radio stations in the city or state of our next opponent. I also get requests from other play-by-play announcers around the league to be on their pre-game shows.

The questions are usually about the same. How are the Illni playing? What are their strenghts and weaknesses?....Talk about Juice Williams....Martez Wilson....Ron Zook...etc. What do they need to do to win this week's game?

I enjoy doing the interviews and get a lot of requests during the season. It is all part of the job.

Kenny, Urbana, IL: Brian,

are you able to make it to practive very often?

Moderator: Kenny,

Practices themselves are closed to the media and public and have been for a couple of years....which is not unusual for teams in the Big Ten. Media members can get interviews after practice.

Spring practices and Camp Rantoul practices are open to the media so I attend those practices frequently.

I talk on a regular basis to Ron Zook and his coaching staff in various situations and I can get everything I need to know about the team from those conversations.

When practice was open in previous years...i usually attended 1-2 practices per week.

Travis P, Chicago, IL: Does the fact that Penn State lost last week make this week's game more or less difficult for the Illini?

At first I thought, great now they're gonna come to Champaign and take all their anger out on us. But the more I pictured myself in their shoes, I thought it's probably a pretty down week of practice and they may come to Champaign assuming they can just show up and roll over the Illini.

What do you think? Will Joe Pa have the Nittany Lions ready to go or will they still be suffering from a hangover from last week?

Moderator: Travis,

I actually expect both teams to play well on Saturday. The Nittany Lions were beaten by a solid Iowa team (maybe the sleeper in the Big Ten race this year?) on Saturday night.

They have a good quarterback in Darryl Clark and a dangerous running back in Evan Royster. They do have to replace three NFL receivers and their offensive line has been reshuffled a bit this year.

I probably would have preferred that the Nittany Lions won against the Hawkeyes.... just because the coaches will have their attention this week.

The Illini are looking for some consistency on offense and defense....and I think they will show some of that this week. They need to do so and everyone from the coaching staff on down knows it.

The bad news is the Illini are 1-2...the good news is that they play 3 games at home this month and have 2 road games against teams that are not considered contenders for the Big Ten title.

Scott, Chicago, IL: The reason everyone is so agitated is not the losses, we've had plenty in the past, and losing to OSU and Mizzou is no great disgrace. It's the way we have lost: disorganized, poor coaching, tackling, play calling, worse quarterbacking, penalties, and it goes on and on. That's what is so discouraging. After 5 years!

I am betting if we go 2-10, and we may very well do so, Zook is gone. Right or wrong?

Moderator: Scott,

I think everyone is feeling upset about how the team has played in the two losses to teams from BCS conferences. The way the Illini played in the Mizzou game was a shock to everyone...including Ron Zook and Ron Guenther. The lack of emotion in that game was disappointing to everyone inside and outside the program.

I thought the Illini played with a lot of emotion in the win over Illnois State and I know that the coaches were pleased with that.

Against great teams like Ohio State...you only get so many chances during the game to take a shot at beating them. When the Illini gave the Buckeyes extra chances in the first half (due to penalties)..and failed to convert on a couple of Buckeye mistakes (fumbles)...their chance to win the game was gone.

As far as the record and Ron Zook's future...I cant really answer a hypothetical record question with a hypothetical guess at what the hypothetical future might be for Ron Zook. I believe in staying in the present with the facts as they are and not playing guessing games.

JE, Decatur, IL: Since we cant stop the run and we are soft on the pass, how do you see us competing with Penn State?

Moderator: JE,

I thought the Illini defense held up ok..but not great... against Ohio State. They didnt allow Terrel Pryor to run wild on them (he ran for about 110 yards in Champaign last season) and with an assist from the weather the Buckeyes did not get a lot of passing yards. Yes...the Buckeyes did win the battle on the line of scrimmage and rolled up 236 yards on the ground. That was a problem and was the first time this year we have seen a team gain a ton of yards on the ground against the Illini. You just have to tip your hat to the Buckeyes on that point.

But I think the defensive line overall has played pretty well this year....being among the league leaders in tackles-for-loss. It is the seconday that has struggled ...particularly in the area of letting 5 yard passes turn into 40 yard touchdowns.

The coaches have made some moves in the scondary to try to stengthen that area of the defense. Moving Terry Hawthorne to defense and Dere Hicks to nickel I think were good moves that should pay off in the future.

Doug, Ivesdale, IL: Brian, how do you keep your cool on the air these past 2 football seasons?

How do we keep getting worse as a team? Think other teams are stealing signals? I think we are simpley that bad! Is the new coach from TCU regretting his decision?

Moderator: Doug,

I expect the Illini to play better at home the next two weeks. They will have back-to-back sellout crowds cheering them on and I think that will give them an emotional lift. Now...will that carry over to better execution on the field? We will see on Saturday.

No... I dont think Mike Schultz regrets his decision to come to Champaign. He is a solid guy and a good coach. He is as frustrated as anyone else with the struggles on offense and is trying to battle through a tough time right now.

I just try to remember two things when doing the games (win or lose). I am there to paint a picture of what is happening for the audience and make people feel like they are right there watching the game with me. I also remember that the 18-22 year old kids on the field and the coaches who lead them are working hard each week to get better and win games. I admire their hard work and hope they can be rewarded with wins.

Nobody likes to lose...that is for sure.

Pat, Tolono, IL: Can we get the count down clock on ILLINIHQ.com switched to the first basketball game?

Moderator: Pat,

That is a question for someone (as Barak Obama said once) "above my pay grade".

You should probably direct that one to Jim Rossow.

Moderator: thanks for coming by today....went long today but enjoyed the questions.

Talk to you on the Ron Zook Show tonight at 7:05 pm and on the broadcast starting at 2 pm on Saturday!