Illinois Duo Top Sack Producers in Big Ten

Defensive coordinator Vic Koenning has an idea why Illinois didn't.

"The first four or five times they dropped back to pass, they got sacked," he said, exaggerating only a little. "That might have had something to do with it."

The Illinois defense and its two key pass rushers have had that effect this year.

The Illini (6-1, 2-1) have 26 sacks so far this year, fifth-best in the country. Between them, defensive end Whitney Mercilus (10) and bandit Michael Buchanan (five) have 15. They're first and second in the Big Ten when it comes to sacks.

Mercilus is closing in on Illinois' single-season sack record — 16 — set in 1994 by Simeon Rice. This was hard to predict a season ago when Mercilus had just one sack as a sophomore.

"Personally, I didn't think I would be here, where I am," the 6-4, 265-pound Akron, Ohio, native said Tuesday.

Illinois coaches have seen something they've liked in Mercilus for a long time.

Eric Wofford — now the head coach at Youngstown State — told Mercilus that, essentially, the sky was his limit when Illinois recruited him back in 2007, Mercilus says. And even last year, the staff was starting to see a star, coach Ron Zook said.

"People say, 'Well where were they last year?'" Zook said. "I think last year we felt like (Mercilus) was our best defensive end at the end of the year, and of course Mike is just so talented."

In the offseason, Mercilus said, he worked hard on technique, fitness and just, as Koenning is fond of saying, "flying to the ball."

"Last year, I was more timid," he said. "I was thinking a lot more, and this year it's coming to me like second nature. ... Throughout the offseason I worked my butt off trying to make the defense like second nature to me."

A lot has been made of the fact that he lost the tip of one of his fingers during an offseason weightlifting accident. With 10 complete fingers, Buchanan joked, "He probably would have like 20 sacks."

Buchanan said he doesn't mind the attention his teammate is getting, and doesn't feel like he's chasing him in the sack standings.

"It's not really about that," said the 6-6, 240-pound Buchanan, who is from Homewood in the Chicago suburbs. "I'm not really worried about that."

Koenning wants more, particularly from Buchanan.

Illinois sacked Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller four times — 1.5 for Mercilus and a half a sack for Buchanan, along with 1.5 sacks for sophomore linebacker Jonathan Brown. But the Buckeyes' all-run strategy worked, chipping away at the Illini for a 17-7 win.

Koenning points to a late 35-yard run by Miller that really hurt the Illini.

The play, Koenning said, should have been stopped long before Miller got a first down.

"They didn't even block Mike, and he missed the tackle," the coordinator said, adding that Buchanan could easily have five or six more sacks this season than the five he has.

"Whitney is more solid, doing exactly what he's supposed to do, being where he's supposed to be," Koenning said. "Whereas Mike's a little more flamboyant, takes chances, flies up field. And that's why Whitney's got more (sacks) than Mike right now."

Illinois' schedule before the Ohio State game was thick with passing teams. But from here out, Illinois — even with a Purdue squad coming up Saturday that balances the run fairly evenly with the pass — will see more and more of the run.

Buchanan, echoing Koenning, said he and the rest of the Illinois defense will have to adjust and the sack totals could drop off.

"We have to focus more on not getting up the field," he said. "Playing run first and just doing whatever you have to do to win."

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Illinois survives scare from Broncos

The Illini are 4-0 for the first time since 1951. But it wasn't easy getting there.

Illinois 23, Western Michigan 20: For much of the preseason and the first two weeks, we talked mostly about the Illini offense. But the past two games, Illinois has gotten the job done with its defense.

The offense was inconsistent most of the day, and the defense repeatedly had to bail the team out. Alex Carder and the Broncos were slinging it around the field all day and basically ignoring the running game. While Western Michigan found plenty of success through the air and managed to tie the game at 20 in the fourth quarter, the Illinois defense made plays when it had to, just as it did last week in a tense 17-14 win against Arizona State. The Broncos had the ball in the final minute with a chance to tie or win but couldn't even get in field goal range as the clock ran out.

Meanwhile, when the Illini needed to win the game, they turned to their running game. Nathan Scheelhaase spent a lot of time in the option, and Troy Pollard and Donovonn Young ran with confidence. Pollard had 133 yards and Young added 100. They weren't able to go in for a score or a kneel down with their final drive, but they ate a lot of clock with that ground game and put Western Michigan in a tough spot.

So Ron Zook's team remains undefeated and will likely stay ranked. This team has some flaws, but it keeps finding ways to win. Up next is the conference opener against Northwestern, and Illinois will enjoy the comforts of home for a fifth straight week to open the season.

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Final: Fresno State 25, Illinois 23

Illinois didn't have to put the game in the hands of a WAC officiating crew.

The Illini could have shown up in the first quarter rather than fall behind 16-0. They could have displayed grit on defense before the halftime break. They could have finished drives and avoided dumb penalties.

But Illinois didn't do those things, and Friday night's game turned into a nail-biter that Fresno State won 25-23.

Make no mistake: Illinois has an extremely legitimate gripe with the WAC officials at Bulldog Stadium.

With 3:17 remaining, Fresno State faced fourth-and-1 from just outside its own 45-yard line. The Bulldogs had received an unfavorable spot on a third-down pass, putting the ball about a yard and a half shy of the marker. Based on that bad third-down spot, however, there's no way A.J. Ellis reached the marker on his fourth-down run up the middle.

Illinois coach Ron Zook challenged the spot, but the officials upheld the call. I don't know what more indisputable video evidence was needed. The ball should have been moved back at least two feet.

It wouldn't have taken much for Illinois to get itself into range for a Derek Dimke field-goal try. Instead, the botched call allowed Fresno State to run out the clock.

Not to be forgotten in all this was the personal foul penalty on Illinois' Tavon Wilson for hitting a defenseless player after the Illini had stopped Fresno State near its goal line. Can't argue with that call. Wilson's got to know better in that situation.

Despite strong second-half performances from quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, running back Mikel Leshoure and defensive tackle Corey Liuget, Illinois couldn't finish off the regular season on the right note.

Big Ten teams might want to avoid playing at WAC stadiums in the final game of the season. Remember Michigan State at Hawaii in 2004? Or Northwestern at Hawaii that same year?

At least Illinois, unlike Michigan State or Northwestern in 2004, still can look forward to a bowl appearance, although it won't be in Florida. Tonight's loss pretty much eliminates Illinois from consideration for the Outback, Gator or Insight bowls.

Expect to see Illinois in the Texas Bowl against Baylor.

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