Gopher Football
Illinois Offense
Quarterback
Tim Brasic, 6’2″ 200 – Brasic will probably have the starting job when Rutgers comes to town on September 3rd. He fits well into new quarterbacks coach Ed Zaunbrecher‘s spread offense, and it showed in his sterling performance in the Illinois spring game. He finished the day 18 of 27 for 195 yards and a touchdown. One knock against Brasic is that he isn’t prototypically big, but neither is Chris Leak, and he’s turning out pretty good down in Gainesville.
Chris Pazan, 6’1″ 205 – The starter at the end of last year, Pazan didn’t quite hold onto the starting job during the spring. He’ll be given opportunities to win it back; he is the most experienced of all the Illinois quarterbacks, throwing for 292 yards last season. Unfortunately for Pazan, he doesn’t fit into a spread offense as well as Brasic and “¦
Kisan Flakes, 5’11″ 195 – Flakes is a redshirt freshman who, if it weren’t for a drug possession charge during the off season, would likely be challenging Brasic for the starting spot. Flakes is the smallest of the Illini quarterbacks, but he is also the most athletic, and could give opposing defenses fits if able to run draws and options out of the shotgun. He needs to work on consistency and staying out of trouble.
Running Back
E.B. Halsey, 5’10″ 200 – From Elizabeth, N.J., the same town as former Gopher Asad Abdul-Khaliq, Halsey is the most potent player on the offensive side of the ball. He can break big runs, as shown by his potency in punt and kick returning. He also has decent power. Defenses will likely key on Halsey if they hope to stop the Illinois offense.
Pierre Thomas, 5’11″ 200 – Thomas was the leading rusher last season, going for nearly 900 yards and eight scores, with an impressive 5.9 yards per carry average. Thomas won’t be as explosive as his counterpart, but should provide a good change of pace from the quicker and shiftier Halsey and will give Zook another weapon to confuse defenses.
Jason Davis – Davis is the only returning senior in the backfield for Illinois, and is one of the best. Recently ranked as the number six fullback in the country by The Sporting News, Davis is an excellent receiver, hauling in 41 catches last season. He is a serviceable blocker, but could stand to improve in that department.
Wide Receiver
Kendrick Jones, 6’2″ 190 – Jones was the leading receiver last year, catching 47 passes for 687 yards. He has good size, above-average speed and good hands that should make him an explosive player in the new spread offense. However, he needs a consistent quarterback to get him the ball, something he has been lacking in the past couple of seasons. If the Illini can settle on a signal caller, Jones could be poised for a breakout season.
DaJuan Warren, 6’2″ 200 – Warren hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show what he can do, but if the spring game is any indication, he could be in for a good season. At 6’2″, Warren provides a good sized target down the field for the Illini quarterbacks and, if he can prove to be a consistent deep threat, he could be good enough to occupy the minds of many opposing safeties.
Tight End ““ Melvin Bryant, 6’5″ 230 – Bryant isn’t so much a tight end as he is a big receiver. He is excellent at catching passes, getting 5 for 70 yards in the spring game. However, he needs to work on his blocking if he wants to be an all-around successful tight end.
Offensive Line
J.J. Simmons, 6’5″ 290 – Simmons was a question mark on offense last season, but grew into the left tackle role as the season went on. He is more of a run blocker, but with time he could grow into a serviceable pass blocker, something very important in the spread offense.
Ben Amundsen, 6’5″ 310 – After overtaking fellow sophomore Martin O’Donnell for the starting job in the spring, Amundsen has to prove that he belongs. He has good size and skills that should keep him up front for the duration of the season.
Matt Maddox, 6’3″ 310 – He is a little big for a center, and mobility is a question, but he is a very good run blocker and should do well in that department. He has to prove that he can “˜quarterback’ the line from the center position, however, and could take a few weeks to fully embrace that role.
James Ryan, 6’5″ 310 – Ryan hasn’t seen much game time in his short career, and he now takes over for Maddox at right guard. Ryan has good size, but is so fresh that it is difficult to say how much of a factor he’ll be along the line this year.
Jim LaBonte, 6’7″ 305 – At 6’7″, LaBonte will be an absolute monster on the right side if he can fill the big shoes left behind by All-Big Ten Bucky Babcock. He will need to quickly improve his pass blocking if the Illini want to avoid a breakdown on the right side.
What this means for the Gophers
Minnesota avoids the Illini this year, and like I said before, maybe that’s a good thing. Their offense, minus a couple of offensive linemen, is very good and with Ron Zook at the helm, they could have a breakout season. Minnesota’s greatest hope is that these Illini can upset a few teams along the way and help the Gophers out in the Big Ten standings.
On Tap for Wednesday ““ The Illini defense, along with schedule analysis and prediction
Talk about the 2005 Illini on the Gopher Football Message Board.