Ron Zook wants to ignore the uncertainty of tomorrow. It is coming at him fast, but Zook wants to continue to exist in his bubble. You can’t blame him. Preparing for the immediate challenges Illinois faces could very well make his future much more certain.
The Illini were riding high. They got off to a 6-0 start for the first time since 1951. After a come-from-behind victory against Northwestern, Illinois proudly declared itself the state’s undefeated team as a shot to its rivals from outside the big city.
Things could not have been going better for Illinois. Wins were coming. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was throwing the ball around and making plays. A.J. Jenkins looked like the top receiver in the Big Ten. The running back combination of Jason Ford, Troy Pollard and Donovan Young were gaining yards. And the defense, led by Whitney Mercilus (the best name for a defensive tackle) was creating havoc in the backfield.
Then it all fell apart. And fell apart swiftly.
This week Illinois, after a four-game losing streak, seemed finally to find its footing and race out to a 17-7 lead. The Illini put together two long, 50-plus yard drives to get their first two scores of the game and a 14-0 lead.
Then it stopped.
Illinois failed to gain 50 yards on a single drive in the second half. Their drive chart is like a comedy of errors and it is hard to believe this is the same team from the first half, much less the first six games of the season.
Illinois fumbled after three plays and 10 yards on its first possession of the half. The second possession ended on an interception 26 seconds after the first snap. Then another three-and-out. Followed by an interception. Illinois’ final drive was the longest of the second half, an 11-play, 50-yard drive that took up 4:42. It ended when Scheelhaase threw a pass intercepted by Wisconson’s Shelto Johnson.
With 7:30 left, Wisconsin took the ball and never gave it back.
In five drives in the second half, Illinois committed four turnovers and punted once. Meanwhile, the defense gave up 186 yards of offense. The Badgers did not need much with the Illini making mistake after mistake in the second half.
That has been the story for Illinois during this five-game losing streak. It has left Zook and his crew a little testy.
It was last week during a press conference when Zook asked the assembled media not to ask about his future and focus specific on football. When a reporter, the Chicago Tribune’s Shannon Ryan, asked whether the talk coming from the media would distract the players in their preparation, Zook turned to Ryan and the reporters and said,
“You couldn’t let it go.”
He walked out of the room, and it was a symbol that Zook and his Illini are in a world of hurt.
Bowl projections have Illinois going everywhere. Even as a seven-win team in a conference that might have 10 of its 12 teams bowl eligible, the Illini’s swoon and the uncertainty throughout the program could have potential 6-6 Northwestern, Iowa and Ohio State jumping them in the bowl pecking order. And there is no guarantee of a bowl berth for Illinois or the Big Ten team that gets left out.
It is no surprise considering how quickly things fell apart for Illinois. In the first five games, the Illini averaged 447.7 yards per game on offense with just one game below 300 yards of offense. During the five-game losing streak, Illinois has averaged 290.4 yards of offense with only one game of more than 300 total yards. Interestingly, the defense has improved on a per game basis giving up 277.6 yards per game during the losing streak compared to 296.7 yard per game during the win streak.
Scheelhaase’s play has been the big difference as his turnovers and mistakes have changed and turned Illinois’ fortunes. The senior quarterback has a 60.7 completion percentage, an average of 143.6 passing yards and two touchdowns against four interceptions during the losing streak.
His star receiver, A.J. Jenkins, who picked up 12 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns against Northwestern, has only 351 total receiving yards and zero touchdowns during the streak.
Plain and simple, Illinois is not getting the ball to its best players on offense and its leaders are crumbling as the world falls down around them.
Zook and the Illini had reason to believe this year could be special too. Wisconsin was clearly the class of the Leaders Division, but Illinois players stuck their chest out a bit and believed they could top the Badgers… or at least finish second.
The 6-0 start only served to feed and raise those expectations. The collapse has only served to show the shortcomings of Zook’s program. And for a team that was in the Rose Bowl four seemingly short years ago and won a bowl game last year, consistency has not been Zook’s game.
That makes Zook’s seat even hotter.
Philip Rossman-Reich is a contributor at Crystal Ball Run. Follow him on Twitter @PhilRSquared.
