10 hours of QBs: Juice's last stand

For 10 hours Thursday, we'll unveil different parts of our "Year of the Quarterback" special section that ran in The News-Gazette. Here's the schedule

7 a.m. - Jeff George tops Illini's all-time list

8 a.m. - Rating them 1 through 120

9 a.m. - Juice WIlliams' last stand

10 a.m. - Bob Asmussen's awards

11 a.m. - Best moments

Noon - Ranking the Big Ten

1 p.m. - The AP voters speak

2 p.m. - Top 25 TV matchups

3 p.m. - Circle these dates

4 p.m. - Best of all-time

 

JUICE: 'IT FUELS MY FIRE'

Go ahead, make fun of his completion percentage. Criticize his interceptions. Question his touch.

The one who really matters to Juice Williams – the girl who turns 2 today – thinks Dad is the greatest quarterback ever. And Williams has LaChez high on his list, too.

"She's No. 1," Williams said.

As a freshman, Williams craved input. He was on the Internet all the time. He wanted to know what they were saying about the first-year starting quarterback.

"I was logging on every day, 'What are people saying? What are people saying?' " Williams said.

The longer he plays quarterback at Illinois, the less Williams looks at the Internet.

"Every now and then, I'll peek at it," Williams said. "If it's something I don't particularly like, I'll laugh at it.

"It fuels my fire. It makes me work that much harder. I want people to say, 'Juice is a great passer. He's not just a great athlete.' I want people to say, 'He's accurate with the football. He's a great leader.' The negative criticism doesn't do anything but allow me to prepare that much harder to be great."

There wasn't a lot of "great" during the 2006 season. Williams hit 40 percent of his passes.

But he found a bit of hope in his one victory as a starter, at Michigan State.

"That's one of my proud moments," Williams said. "To be able to conquer something that every little kid dreams of doing, playing at a Big Ten university, going on the road and winning your first road start. It meant a lot to me."

Recorder of deeds

The Illinois career total offense record soon will belong to Williams, who needs 426 yards to pass Kurt Kittner. He holds single-game total offense records in three buildings, including Michigan Stadium.

"You think of all the great players who have played at Michigan Stadium," Illinois coach Ron Zook said.

"To be 400 yards away from being the total offense leader at the University of Illinois, with all the great players here, says something about him," Illinois recruiting coordinator and running backs coach Reggie Mitchell said.

But none of it really matters to Williams unless there are wins that come along with the records. Tim Tebow has piled up statistics in three seasons at Florida. But two (national championships) is what fans and football experts talk about.

Williams isn't going to win a pair of national championships. But he can improve on his record as a starter. And lead his team back to the postseason.

"I still think his legacy is out there," said ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, a former Ohio State quarterback. "That position is different than a running back who puts up numbers, and he's an all-time leading rusher. When you're the quarterback, with all due respect to your passing yards and your rushing yards, as we all know at every level, how many games did you win? How many games did you lose?

"What he was able to do in '07, leading his team to a victory in the Horseshoe on their way out to the Rose Bowl to play USC, was more of a legacy than what he did last year by putting up ridiculous numbers, huge numbers. You've got to win games, especially in his senior year. They've got to be able to beat these teams and get back to a bowl game that's respectable. Then, I think he'll be a guy who is always cherished and always remembered in a very positive light."

Former Illini quarterback Jack Trudeau understands about legacy. His best season numberswise was his senior year. He threw for 3,339 yards and completed a school-record 322 passes.

But the year that goes down as Trudeau's best among fans produced his fewest yards. As a sophomore, Trudeau led his team to a 9-0 record in the Big Ten and a trip to the Rose Bowl. It took another sophomore, Williams, to get the team back there 24 years later.

"His development from freshman to now in his senior year has been fun to watch," Trudeau said. "The kid has really worked hard at being more of a passer and being a better all-around quarterback as opposed to just a runner. I'm hoping he has a huge year. This team is going to go the way Juice goes. If Juice lights it up, this team's got a chance to be really good."

Trudeau has a 2,320-yard advantage on Williams on the school's career passing list. He expects Williams to break the record.

"I've had all those records for what, 25 years," Trudeau said. "There was no question a four-year player was going to break that record. I'm glad it's Juice."

No looking back

Williams had plenty of other options as a high school senior. North Carolina was interested. So was Ohio State. And Wisconsin.

What would have happened had he said no to Illinois? Williams hears the question often.

"I really can't see myself in no other uniform but this blue and orange," Williams said. "I've had a great time here. I regret nothing that happened. The good, the bad, the mediocre, all of those things taught me valuable lessons on the football field and in life. I couldn't have gotten that experience at any other university."

The road not taken, in this case, belongs to Demetrius Jones. A star at Chicago Morgan Park and part of the same recruiting class as Williams, Jones was pursued by Illinois. But he signed with Notre Dame.

While Williams started at Illinois in 2006, Jones sat for the Irish. He started Notre Dame's 2007 opener, realized he wasn't going to play much and transferred to Cincinnati.

On Nov. 27, Jones will try to tackle Williams as a Cincinnati linebacker.

"We'll see," Williams said. "It's kind of unfortunate from a quarterback standpoint that he wasn't able to go out there and live out his dream. Coming out of high school, playing linebacker was far from his mind."

Face time

Williams has been important to Zook's program on and off the field. He agreed to join a team that had won two games the previous season.

When prospects heard Williams was going to Illinois, they listened, too. Players who normally wouldn't have considered a visit started to stop by.

Williams did his part, keeping in contact with players in his class. He kept the communication open in future years, building relationships with several of the incoming guys.

Zook and the rest of the coaches promised Williams a chance to become the face of the program, the Dee Brown of Illini football.

"You kind of think of it as being impossible," Williams said. "Dee Brown is great for the Illini Nation on the basketball side. I just figured it would be very hard to even be mentioned with his name. But I've been blessed to get to the point where I am today. I've had some success on the field."

Though they realized Williams had a personality they could build upon, the Illinois coaches weren't always sure what to expect on the field.

"I think he's a little bit better than what we thought we were getting at the time," Mitchell said. "You had a real raw guy coming out of high school. You didn't know if he was going to come in and try to live the quarterback lifestyle, learning film and doing all the things you need to be successful."

"He's matured and gotten better every way that he's supposed to," Zook said. "I was talking to a guy not long ago and I compared him to Troy Smith. I'm not saying he's going to go out and win the Heisman, but Troy Smith's junior to senior year, he made another great stride. Juice has worked hard. For some reason, when they get to their senior year they turn the wick up a little bit. The leadership qualities, everything, he's gotten better with. I know he's looking forward to this year."

The success hasn't become a burden. Neither has the fame of being a Big Ten quarterback.

"Everyone would handle the situation different," Williams said. "Obviously, if I'm getting a lot of attention, I'm out there doing something right. I take it as a compliment."

His notoriety is spreading beyond the Big Ten borders. During a summer vacation in Puerto Rico, Zook met a cab driver who "asked me about Juice.

"It's a catchy name. Everybody knows who he is."

Williams got a taste of his own fame at the Jacksonville, Fla., airport during spring break.

"This guy yelled out my name," Williams said. "Stuff like that, it makes you feel good as a person. Even if football was over today, I'd have a lot to look back on and appreciate."

LaChez helps to keep Williams grounded. So does Williams' fiancee, Chez Chambers.

She's the daughter of his high school coach at Vocational, Charles Chambers. They were good friends before they dated.

"I was in a relationship prior to her and I used to tell her things about this other woman who was in my life," Williams said. "One day, we eventually started dating."

Williams and Chambers are planning a July wedding. What about NFL training camp?

"That's if I get to that point," Williams said. "We're just hoping for the best. We're planning around those dates."

If the NFL doesn't work out, Williams has options. He'll finish his speech communication degree in December.

"I'm the most proud of being able to graduate from college," Williams said. "It's a lot of hard work. It's all worth it."

He's the man
 A look at where Juice Williams ranks in the UI record books:
CAREER TOTAL OFFENSE
1. Kurt Kittner, 1998-2001    8,880
2. Jack Trudeau, 1981-85    8,640
3. Juice Williams, 2006-    8,455
4. Jason Verduzco, 1989-92    7,256
5. Tony Eason, 1981-82    7,002

CAREER PASSING YARDS
1. Jack Trudeau, 1981-85    8,725
2. Kurt Kittner, 1998-2001    8,722
3. Jason Verduzco, 1989-92    7,532
4. Tony Eason, 1981-82    7,031
5. Juice Williams, 2006-    6,405

CAREER RUSHING YARDS
1. Robert Holcombe, 1994-97    4,105
2. Antoineo Harris, 1999-2002    2,985
3. Thomas Rooks, 1982-85    2,887
4. Jim Grabowski, 1963-65    2,878
5. Rocky Harvey, 1998-2001    2,711
6. Pierre Thomas, 2003-06    2,545
7. R. Mendenhall, 2005-07    2,539
8. Howard Griffith, 1987-90    2,485
9. Keith Jones, 1984-88    2,194
10. John Karras, 1949-51    2,135
14. Juice Williams, 2006-    2,050

CAREER RUSHING YARDS
BY A Quarterback
1. Juice Williams, 2006-    2,050
2. Fred Custardo, 1963-65    516
3. Tim Brasic, 2003-2006    498
4. John Easterbrook, 1958-60    465
5. Mike Wells, 1970-72    454
CAREER RUSHING ATTEMPTS
1. Robert Holcombe, 1994-97    943
2. Antoineo Harris, 1999-2002    676
3. Jim Grabowski, 1963-65    579
4. Thomas Rooks, 1982-85    560
5. Rocky Harvey, 1998-2001    545
7. Juice Williams, 2006-    494

CAREER PASS ATTEMPTS
1. Kurt Kittner, 1998-2001    1,264
2. Jack Trudeau, 1981-85    1,245
3. Jason Verduzco, 1989-92    1,083
4. Tony Eason, 1981-82    911
5. Juice Williams, 2006-    909

CAREER TOUCHDOWN PASSES
1. Kurt Kittner, 1998-2001    70
2. Jack Trudeau, 1981-85    55
3. Juice Williams, 2006-    44
4. Jason Verduzco, 1989-92    42
5. Jon Beutjer, 2002-04    39

BIG TEN CAREER TOTAL OFFENSE
1. Drew Brees, Purdue    12,692
2. Brett Basanez, N'western    11,576
3. Curtis Painter, Purdue    11,511
4. Antwaan Randle El, Indiana    11,364
5. Chuck Long, Iowa    10,254
6. Kyle Orton, Purdue    9,653
7. Chad Henne, Michigan    9,300
8. Mark Hermann, Purdue    9,134
9. John Navarre, Michigan    8,995
10. Kurt Kittner, Illinois    8,880
- Juice Williams, Illinois    8,455


SEASON RUSHING YDs BY A QUARTERBACK
1. Juice Williams, 2007    755
2. Juice Williams, 2008    719
3. Juice Williams, 2006    576
4. Tim Brasic, 2005    420
5 Rick Weiss, 1978    297

SINGLE-GAME RUSHING BY A QUARTERBACK
1. Juice Williams vs. Eastern Illinois, 9/6/2008    174
2. Juice Williams vs. Purdue, 11/11/06    145
3. Juice Williams vs. Northwestern, 11/17/07    136
4. Juice Williams at Minnesota 11/3/07    133
5. Juice Williams at Michigan, 10/4/08    121

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