2007 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 2007 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Ron Zook. The Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Illinois entered the season in search of improvement upon a 2–10 record in 2006, and secured bowl-eligibility the first time since 2001 with a homecoming win over Ball State. From weeks 2–6, the Illini won five straight games, their longest win streak since 2001. On November 10, the Fighting Illini upset the then #1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

2007 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Rose Bowl, L 17–49 vs. USC
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 18
AP	No. 20
Record	9–4 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Ron Zook (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Locksley (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Co-defensive coordinator	Dan Disch (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Curt Mallory (1st season)
Captains	J Leman Rashard Mendenhall Kevin Mitchell Martin O'Donnell
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 57,078)

2007 Big Ten Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Ohio State $		7	–	1					11	–	2
No. 18 Michigan		6	–	2					9	–	4
No. 20 Illinois %		6	–	2					9	–	4
No. 24 Wisconsin		5	–	3					9	–	4
Penn State		4	–	4					9	–	4
Iowa		4	–	4					6	–	6
Purdue		3	–	5					8	–	5
Indiana		3	–	5					7	–	6
Michigan State		3	–	5					7	–	6
Northwestern		3	–	5					6	–	6
Minnesota		0	–	8					1	–	11
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	2:30 pm	vs. Missouri*		Edward Jones Dome St. Louis, MO (Arch Rivalry)	ESPN2	L 34–40	62,352
September 8	6:00 pm	No. 24 (FCS) Western Illinois*		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 21–0	48,301
September 15	11:00 am	at Syracuse*		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ESPNU	W 41–20	34,188
September 22	11:00 am	at Indiana		Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN (rivalry)	BTN	W 27–14	34,707
September 29	11:00 am	No. 21 Penn State		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 27–20	57,078
October 6	11:00 am	No. 5 Wisconsin		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ESPN	W 31–26	57,078
October 13	11:00 am	at Iowa	No. 18	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	ESPN2	L 6–10	70,585
October 20	7:00 pm	No. 24 Michigan		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	ABC	L 17–27	57,078
October 27	11:00 am	Ball State*		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 28–17	55,578
November 3	7:00 pm	at Minnesota		Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 44–17	46,604
November 10	2:30 pm	at No. 1 Ohio State		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (Illibuck Trophy)	ABC	W 28–21	105,453
November 17	11:00 am	Northwestern	No. 20	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (Sweet Sioux Tomahawk)	ESPN	W 41–22	54,516
January 1	3:30 pm	vs. No. 6 USC*	No. 13	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) (College GameDay)	ABC	L 17–49	93,923
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Rankings

See also: 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	RV	18	RV	—	RV	RV	20	18	15	13	20
Coaches Poll	—	—	—	—	—	RV	19	RV	RV	RV	RV	21	18	14	13	18
Harris	Not released				RV	RV	19	RV	RV	RV	RV	20	18	14	13	Not released
BCS	Not released							—	—	—	—	19	17	15	13	Not released

Game summaries

Missouri

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	7	16	14	3	40
Fighting Illini	6	0	21	7	34

The Illini scored first off a Vontae Davis blocked-punt return. Quarterback Juice Williams looked sharp in the first quarter before leaving due to injury in the second. Mizzou jumped out to a 37–13 lead late in the third quarter, before backup quarterback Eddie McGee led the Illini to 21 straight points. A late fourth-quarter interception sealed the game for the Tigers. McGee ended the day 17–31 for 257 yards with a TD, but lost 2 fumbles and threw 2 interceptions. The loss increased Illinois' losing streak to 8 games.

Western Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Leathernecks	0	0	0	0	0
Fighting Illini	0	7	7	7	21

The Illini returned to Memorial Stadium to face FCS Western Illinois in the home opener. Illinois built upon a 7–0 halftime lead with a Juice Williams touchdown run in the third quarter and a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run in the fourth. Mendenhall finished the day with 142 yards.

Syracuse

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	14	3	17	7	41
Orange	0	0	10	10	20

Illinois looked to secure its first road win at the Carrier Dome. After one quarter, the Illini led 14–0 off a Juice Williams touchdown pass and a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run. Syracuse got on the board in the third quarter with a field goal, and eventually cut the deficit to 20–10. But big plays hurt the Orange in the second half. Arrelious Benn ran for 23 yards on one play, and one drive later, Rashard Mendenhall ran for 50. He finished the day with 150 rush yards and 3 TD's. 378 of Illinois' total yards came on the ground, and they outgained Syracuse 508–286 overall.

Indiana

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	6	14	0	7	27
Hoosiers	0	7	0	7	14

Illinois opened their Big Ten season at Indiana. Two Jason Reda field goals put the Illini on the board before Juice Williams found Michael Hoomanawanui in the endzone. They led 20–7 at the half. After a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown put Illinois up 27–7 in the fourth quarter, Indiana QB Kellen Lewis drove down the field to find James Bailey for a 30-yd touchdown, Lewis' second TD on the day. But with a minute left, Vontae Davis picked off Lewis in the endzone, securing a 27–14 Illinois victory, their first in a Big Ten opener since 1993 and their first in Bloomington since 2001. Mendenhall finished the day with a career-high 214 rush yards. Tracy Porter picked off two Juice Williams passes, and Williams finished a disappointing passing effort 13–28 with a TD.

Penn State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Nittany Lions	10	7	3	0	20
Fighting Illini	14	7	3	3	27

The Illini faced ranked opposition for the first time in 2007 when the #19 Nittany Lions came to Memorial Stadium. Penn State scored first with a field goal, but Arrelious Benn returned the ensuing kick-off 90 yards for a touchdown, putting Illinois up 7–3. They did not relinquish the lead. Their defense intercepted Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli 3 times, and allowed the Nittany Lions to score only 3 times out of 6 red zone possessions. A Kevin Mitchell interception with 9 seconds on the clock ended Penn State's comeback hopes. Illinois' victory marked their first over a ranked opponent since the 2001 season and gives the Illini a 4-game win streak, also their longest since 2001.

Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Badgers	0	6	13	7	26
Fighting Illini	7	10	7	7	31

Going into the game, the unranked Fighting Illini were actually favored by oddsmakers to beat the #5 Badgers, who entered the game undefeated but having had numerous close games against unranked opponents, including a close game against The Citadel. The Illini won in a game not as close as the score.

Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Fighting Illini	3	0	3	0	6
Hawkeyes	0	3	7	0	10

The #18 Fighting Illini suffered their first Big Ten loss of the season at Kinnick Stadium. In the fourth quarter, trailing 10–6, Eddie McGee appeared to complete an 82-yard pass for a touchdown, but an ineligible receiver downfield penalty negated the would-be go-ahead score. With two minutes left, Eddie McGee drove the Illini to the Iowa 11-yard line, but threw an interception to seal the win for the Hawkeyes.

Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Wolverines	3	14	0	10	27
Fighting Illini	7	7	3	0	17

Illinois fumbled a punt late in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost the game.

Ball State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	3	14	0	17
Fighting Illini	0	7	14	7	28

Minnesota

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	14	20	3	7	44
Golden Gophers	0	10	0	7	17

Ohio State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	14	7	7	0	28
No. 1 Buckeyes	14	0	7	0	21

With their win over the Buckeyes, the Illini defeated a No. 1 ranked team for the first time since 1956, and for the first time ever on the road. Juice Williams completed 12 out of 22 passes for only 140 yards, but four receptions were caught for touchdowns. With the win, the Illini damaged the Buckeyes' national title hopes, though Ohio State eventually reached the national championship game due to insufficient winning by other teams. The Illibuck was returned to Champaign in 2008. This was arguably one of the greatest victories in the history of Illinois football. As of 2018, this is the last time Illinois has beaten Ohio State, as the Buckeyes have won the last 9 games in the series, including the last 4 in Columbus.

Northwestern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	7	7	8	22
No. 20 Fighting Illini	14	7	14	6	41

Coming off the Ohio State upset, the Illini faced the Northwestern Wildcats. After jumping out to a 14–0 lead, the Illini played redshirt freshmen for the remainder of the game cruising to a 44–22 victory.

Rose Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Fighting Illini	0	3	7	7	17
No. 6 Trojans	14	7	14	14	49

The Illini ended the 2007 season by participating in the 2008 Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. Although it traditionally hosts the champions of the Big Ten and Pac-10 conferences, the 2007 Big Ten Champion, Ohio State, was ranked #1 in the final BCS poll and instead participated in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game. The rules governing BCS bowl selections allowed the Rose Bowl to select a BCS "at-large" team from the top fourteen teams ranked in the BCS Standings that have at least nine wins. Keeping with its traditional bowl ties, the Rose Bowl selected #13-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini (9–3), under third-year head coach Ron Zook.

The Illini entered the Rose Bowl after a Cinderella season where they won nine games, including an upset victory over at-the-time #1 Ohio State, after winning a total of four games the previous two seasons. It was Illinois' first bowl game since winning the 2001 Big Ten Championship and playing in the 2002 Sugar Bowl. The Illini offense was led by sophomore quarterback "Juice" Williams, who in the regular season passed for 13 touchdowns and ran for seven, junior running back Rashard Mendenhall, who averaged 127 yards rushing per game and scored 18 touchdowns, and freshman receiver Arrelious Benn, who caught 49 passes and had 158 yards in 32 carries. For taking Illinois to the Rose Bowl a year after going 2–10, Zook won both national and Big Ten coach of the year honors. The Illini entered the game 13.5-point underdogs, the biggest of any of the season's 32 bowl games.

The Trojans defeated the Illini 49–17 before a sold out Rose Bowl crowd.

Roster

(as of 8/30/2007)
Quarterbacks 14 Ryan Baise – freshman 12 Billy Garza – junior 19 Phil Haig – freshman 10 Eddie McGee – freshman  7 Isiah Williams – sophomore Running backs 22 Daniel Dufrene – sophomore 36 Maurice Haney – junior  5 Rashard Mendenhall – junior 34 Walter Mendenhall – junior 49 Tyler Pacha – junior 29 Troy Pollard – freshman 30 Rahkeem Smith – sophomore 41 Russ Weil – senior Wide receivers 18 Kevin Bailey – freshman  9 Arrelious Benn – freshman 17 Jeff Cumberland – sophomore 23 Jack Eastman – sophomore 21 Kyle Hudson – junior  6 Chris James – sophomore 82 Frank Lenti Jr. – senior 86 Greg McClendon – junior 11 Joe Morgan – sophomore  8 DaJuan Warren – senior  3 Marques Wilkins – sophomore 83 Jacob Willis – senior Tight ends 16 Michael Hoomanawanui – sophomore 85 C.J. Jackson – sophomore 87 John Stock – freshman 89 Tom Sullivan – sophomore Offensive line 52 Jon Asamoah – sophomore 63 Will Bergen – sophomore 62 Eric Block – junior		73 Jack Cornell – freshman 68 Xavier Fulton – junior 57 Mike Garrity – freshman 66 Randall Hunt – freshman 75 Mark Jackson – freshman 74 Brandon Jordan – freshman 39 Tad Keely – freshman 49 Kyle Knezetic – senior 61 Cole Knuth – freshman 60 Ryan McDonald – junior 69 Akim Millington – senior 58 Dan Motuliak – junior 76 Charles Myles – senior 65 Mike Nabolotny – junior 64 Martin O'Donnell – senior 78 Ryan Palmer – freshman 79 Craig Wilson – freshman Defensive line 98 Daryle Ballew – freshman 92 Josh Brent – freshman 99 Jerry Brown – freshman 81 Will Davis – junior 90 Antonio James – sophomore 94 David Lindquist – junior 93 D'Angelo McCray – freshman 96 Chris Norwell – senior 97 Clay Nurse – freshman 95 Doug Pilcher – sophomore 91 Derek Walker – junior 76 Mike Ware – senior 58 Bryson Whalen – sophomore 56 Sirod Williams – junior Linebackers 43 Sam Carson III – junior 39 Conor Gillen – sophomore 55 Anterio Jackson – freshman 53 Dustin Jefferson – freshman		47 J Leman – senior 44 Brit Miller – junior 45 Rodney Pittman – junior 48 Erique Roberts – freshman 40 Antonio Steele – senior 38 Ian Thomas – freshman 51 Anthony Thornhill – senior  2 Martez Wilson – freshman Defensive backs 31 Travon Bellamy – sophomore 18 Nate Bussey – freshman 1 Vontae Davis – sophomore 15 Chris Duvalt – sophomore 20 Garrett Edwards – freshman 24 Bo Flowers – freshman 26 Brian Gamble – freshman 27 Antonio Gully – freshman 32 Justin Harrison – senior 28 Dere Hicks – sophomore 13 Will Judson – junior 30 Mike Locksley Jr. – freshman 23 Drew McMahon – senior 22 Drew Harweger − Sophomore 42 Kevin Mitchell – senior 33 Mike Mucha – sophomore 19 Tony Petruzzello – freshman 35 Darius Purcell – freshman 46 Tyler Rouse – junior 25 Justin Sanders – senior 14 Marcus Thomas – freshman Kickers 36 Jared Bosch – sophomore 38 Matt Brandabur – freshman 35 Mike Cklamovski – sophomore 84 Matt Eller – freshman 13 Jason Reda – senior 87 Anthony Santella – freshman 37 Kyle Yelton – sophomore

Awards and honors

• Rashard Mendenhall (Running back)
  • Chicago Tribune Silver Football
  • All-American, (running back)
• Martin O'Donnell (Offensive Guard)
  • All-American, (offensive guard)
• Jeremy Leman, (Linebacker)
  • All-American, (linebacker)