Tate: Will Illini be able to tackle challenge?

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Ron Zook's disappointing 2008 UI football team averaged 28.7 points per game and returns with all the key offensive ingredients in 2009.

So the first point, in evaluating the defense, is this: It doesn't have to be perfect. While this may be a faulty generalization, if the Illini can hold opponents under four touchdowns, the chances of winning would appear to be good.

The defensive unit lost three of its top four tacklers in Brit Miller, Vontae Davis and Rodney Pittman, plus quality starters David Lindquist, Will Davis and Derek Walker. On top of that, uncertainties cloud the fall status of two top returnees, tackle Josh Brent and safety Donsay Hardeman. Brent faces a DUI hearing next week, and Hardeman's neck surgery has created a question about his football future.

Thus, to a great extent, co-coordinators Dan Disch and Curt Mallory are starting fresh. And critics have every right to pinpoint linebacking as a concern. But take note, as Zook emphasized this week, opening foes Missouri and Illinois State and the majority of UI opponents operate out of multi-receiver, spread formations which call for a nickel and dime response. The nickel, which removes a linebacker and inserts veteran Travon Bellamy as the fifth defensive back, almost replaces the 4-3-4 alignment as the base defense in 2009.

With junior Martez Wilson seemingly establishing himself in the middle, Disch needs to locate only one other full-time linebacker from the eager-to-play corps of Ian Thomas, Nate Bussey and the mobile but inexperienced 2008 recruits.

Words of wisdom

Said Miller:

"Middle linebacker has become a focal point of the defense, and who is better there than your best athlete, Martez? People have questioned his playmaking ability but his former position on the outside is the hardest because of conflicting responsibilities between the run game and wide receivers stationed outside the box. Antonio Steele (2006-07 starter) really knew how to do it. It's a fine line of knowing which way to go.

"For Martez in the middle, the responsibilities are right in front of him. It's simpler. There are not as many sets that can fool you, and the pass responsibilities are closer in terms of the tight end and slot receiver. As he learns this position, he'll play a lot faster. And he is 6-foot-4 with a 6-6 reach that will pose a threat to passes over the middle. I think he'll do all right."

Miller is also high on Thomas, noting:

"He'll knock himself out for you, and at 230 pounds he's an incredible physical specimen. I've seen him bench press 400 pounds multiple times. He can rock people and all he needs is reps. This is a linebacker talking, but he's fast enough, and if he proves he can cover he wouldn't need to come out in the nickel."

Miller describes redshirt Evan Frierson as "a big, thick guy whose spot this season may be mainly special teams." Miller said sophomore Russell Ellington has the inside shot at outside linebacker – "I like the way he plays" – adding that redshirt Justin Staples "is a great athlete who'll be a starter when he gets fully into college football."

Around the horn

In the secondary, Zook said sophomore Supo Sanni "is 6-3 and 220, and making great strides at safety," offered complimentary comments about safety Ashante Williams (Mayfield, Ohio) and opined that 195-pound sophomore cornerback Tavon Wilson "may not be Vontae, but he could be just as good." Easterners Wilson and Dere Hicks, who has 25 straight starts, are firmly set at the corners.

Up front, Bloomington's 315-pound Brent is desperately needed for depth in the defensive line. With 290-pound Corey Liuget approaching star status, a trio of Brent, Liuget and fifth-year senior Sirod Williams would make the tackle spots an area of strength.

Yet another D.C. product, Clay Nurse, appears to be winning the end position opposite fifth-year senior Doug Pilcher. The Illini led the Big Ten in sacks and tackles for loss, and now face the fact that the end position won't have the pass-rush skills or the backup support that they've been accustomed to.

Just as Zook has emphasized a reduction in offensive turnovers, the defense faces two major challenges: (1) garnering more than six interceptions, which was 10 fewer than Juice Williams threw and (2) continuing to prevent long breakaways without conceding so many short completions.

In critical situations, opponents found a soft spot in the flats and consistently moved the chains with quick passes. That should be one of many points of emphasis for a defensive unit that, we are reminded, doesn't have to be perfect but is called on to, at the very least, give ground grudgingly.

Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at ltate@news-gazette.com.

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