Published September 4, 2007
Illinois Fighting Illini
(2-11, 11th in the Big Ten)
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Key returnees: QB Juice Williams, MLB J. Lehman
Player to watch: Williams. Last season, Williams was erratic at best with his passing accuracy, and coach Ron Zook would like to see the sophomore grow into the leader of the Fighting Illini.
Reason for optimism: Zook boasts an explosive and fast defensive unit that should keep games close.
Reason for pessimism: Keeping games close won't be good enough for the Illini. Zook's squad has expectations and he needs to find a way to eliminate critical mistakes late in games.
Bottom line: Illinois has had one winning season in the past 10 years, and this could be the turning point of Zook's tenure with the Fighting Illini. 7-5.
