Tate: Coming to Juice Williams' defense

Ask Bob Asmussen what he thinks of Juice Williams' career here.

CHAMPAIGN – How could UI basketball fans not appreciate Brian Randle?

The former Illini forward (2004-06-07-08) was a good teammate, competed with intensity, rebounded and excelled on defense. It was his misfortune that he lacked touch in shooting baskets. How can you complain about that? He took aim, and too often they didn't go in.

Such is life. The sports world is full of hard-throwing southpaws who can't get the ball over the plate. What looks easy for Greg Maddux or Drew Brees ... well, it isn't.

And so it is with Juice Williams.

Some have mixed feelings about Juice. They're ready to see him go. With his final Illini game coming up Saturday against Fresno State, they can't wait to start over with Nathan Scheelhaase (fans always prefer the quarterback they haven't seen).

Juice didn't win enough games. Juice threw too hard and missed open teammates. Juice didn't excel in locating secondary receivers. He didn't pass to Arrelious Benn and the tight ends often enough. He had too many turnovers. He suffered injuries.

All those things are true. But let's put this in some sort of perspective. Juice wasn't the reason Illinois kicked off to Mardy Gilyard after taking a 7-0 lead at Cincinnati, one of numerous cases of faulty decision-making. Juice was not responsible for a defense that trailed the Big Ten in yards allowed. He wasn't involved when the UI permitted 309 points and 2,803 aerial yards in 11 games.

Model teammate

As Jim Turpin pointed out in a recent blog, Juice should enter Senior Day with his head held high.

"He never whined, he never sulked, he never had bad things to say about the horrible situation," wrote Turpin, "and he always encouraged his teammates, especially the other quarterbacks."

In brief, while coming up short of his own expectations, he has been an uncomplaining, inspirational teammate, has fought through injuries, and gave the UI its most memorable football moment of the decade in the upset of No. 1 Ohio State two years ago.

It's easy to forget in the crunch of a disappointing autumn, but Juice combined with Rashard Mendenhall two years ago to help the UI amass 3,338 yards on the ground. Emerging as a juggernaut after years of pass-first philosophy, Illinois led the Big Ten in all-games rushing in both 2006 and 2007. Juice's four TD passes and clutch play in the final eight minutes of a 28-21 triumph at Ohio State completed a Rose Bowl run that featured wins against Penn State, Wisconsin and Northwestern.

Maybe he peaked then. Some say so. But, then, how do you explain a junior campaign in which he threw 22 TD passes and set stadium records in St. Louis, Ann Arbor and at home? How do you explain last year's 3,173-yard aerial production which far surpassed Big Ten runner-up Curtis Painter of Purdue? How do you explain Juice, despite an "off" year in 2009 (actually, he has completed just over 57 percent of his passes for three straight years), joining Brees and four others as the only Big Ten players to top 10,000 yards in total offense?

Not all his fault

OK, what happened? Why weren't he and the Illini more successful this season?

First, accept the fact that Juice isn't now and never was an NFL prospect. Most college quarterbacks aren't. He is an option quarterback who also passes, sometimes OK and other times not well.

For one thing, his receivers were overrated. We've waited four years for Jeff Cumberland and we're still waiting. Benn has struggled with injuries. Up front, blocking has been average at best. And maybe he contributed by not making good decisions and not hitting people in stride. Brett Favre, he wasn't. Kurt Warner, he wasn't.

We are left to wonder if he was set back by the departure of offensive coordinator Mike Locksley. They had a special relationship. Like Johnny Johnson and Jason Verduzco years earlier, Juice seemed to have problems adjusting to a new leader. When Ron Zook said he was influenced by his staff to bench Juice at midseason, it could only be construed as the recommendation of Mike Schultz, who hadn't been with Juice during his more productive days and might have lost confidence in him.

Two other quarterbacks have started this season and, with that as background, one thing is clear: Juice is the best of the three. He should start Saturday for the only reason that matters: Juice gives Illinois the best chance to win.

Postscript: There is honor in a four-season career in which the worst thing you ever did was throw an interception.

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

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