Penn State v Illinois
Date: October 29, 2011
Time: Kickoff TBA
Location: Beaver Stadium
Last meeting: 35-17 Penn State, 2009
All-time: 14-3, Penn State
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It wasn’t long ago – 2007 to be exact – when it appeared Ron Zook had the Illinois program headed in the right direction.
The offense was littered with talented playmakers Juice Williams, Rashard Mendenhall and Arrelious Benn. The defense showcased future first-round pick Vontae Davis at cornerback. The Fighting Illini were set to compete for the Big Ten title.
Three years later, they’re in a border war with the Indiana Hoosiers, fighting to avoid the distinction of last place in the Big Ten.
Zook, heralded as a great recruiter, has hauled in strong classes at Illinois; his classes finished in the top 5 among Big Ten teams four straight years from 2006-2009 according to Rivals.com’s rankings. The rap on him, as witnessed during his tenure at Florida and now Illinois, is that he isn’t the best at coaching it up. With the exception of the Illini’s 2007 Rose Bowl season, Zook has been 12-35 in Champaign with just six conference wins.
The Illini are a disaster and should continue to struggle this season. It would take a tremendous road effort from the Illini to beat Penn State for only the third time since the Lions joined the Big Ten.