Football
Twenty Questions You Were Dying to Have Answered Aboout Big 10 Football
By Tony GerdemanOkay, last week we did the Twenty Questions national treatment, so now we're going to look at the Big Ten. And there are plenty of questions to answer.
However, we're only going to answer two questions per team today, so by Big Ten math, that comes to twenty questions.
1) What do the Illini do without Rashard Mendenhall?
The Illini will have to hope that everybody picks their individual games up a notch to make up for the loss. There is currently nobody on the roster capable of rushing for over 1,600 yards like Mendenhall did last year, so they'll have to get it from anybody that's willing to contribute. Daniel Dufrene is expected to be the starter this season, but the coaches were expecting more than he gave this spring, so we'll have to see how he responds. Troy Pollard and Jason Ford will add depth and potential in the backfield, but we'll also see carries from the quarterbacks. Juice Williams and Eddie McGee combined to rush for 908 yards last season, but if there's no threat like Mendenhall, will they be able to reproduce those numbers this year? Also, expect to see Arrelious Benn continue to get the ball anywhere legally allowed.
2) What if Juice isn't any better than he was last year?
Well, if Juice isn't better and the running game is worse, then the defense is going to have to keep the opponents under 20 points more often than not. However, there's no reason he shouldn't be better this year. In 2006, his completion percentage was an embarrassing 39.5%. Last year, he completed a surprising 57.3% of his passes and upped his passing efficiency from 91.87 to 119.22. Now the 119.22 isn't very impressive, but obviously shows he's capable of improving. The Illini were searching for receivers in the spring, but they should have enough candidates by the time August rolls around.
3) What if Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis isn't reinstated from his suspension?
It is going to be very difficult to defend The Rock. Back-up quarterback Ben Chappell did, however, perform admirably during the spring in Lewis' absence. In the Hoosiers' first two spring scrimmages, Chappell completed 34 of his 43 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown. But he just doesn't provide the added dimension of escapability like Kellen Lewis does. And even beyond that, without Lewis, the Hoosiers have zero running game. If there is no Lewis this season, then there is no postseason for the Hoosiers.
4) Is there any defense in Bloomington?
Actually, yeah, there is. But is there enough? That might be the better question. Defensive end Greg Middleton led the nation in sacks last year as a sophomore, but 7 of his 16 sacks came in the Hoosiers' four non-conference games against Indiana State, Western Michigan, Akron and Ball State. But he still averaged over a sack per game in the Big Ten, so that's not too bad. The Hoosiers as a whole have a very active defensive front, and they will need to help out a secondary that lost both starting cornerbacks.
5) Is A.J. Edds ready to become the next (third ever?) great Iowa linebacker?
It sure seems that way. The junior has prototypical size (6'4" 244) and after starting all twelve games last season and recording 80 tackles, more will be expected this season. Edds is the only starter returning at linebacker for the Hawkeyes, so he will have plenty of slack to pick up. However, he is big, fast and appears completely capable of fulfilling the hopes of the coaching staff.
6) Who is going to carry the football for the Hawkeyes?
You mean like at running back? Who knows? Right now there is a walk-on by the name of Paki O'Meara at the top of the depth chart. It's safe to assume that O'Meara won't be at the top of the depth chart when the season rolls around--although with Maine and Florida International on the schedule, the Hawkeyes would be fine if Mark O'Meara was carrying the ball. Much will be expected of JUCO running back Nate Guillory (5'10" 185) who rushed for 2,644 and 28 touchdowns over the last two seasons. The Hawkeyes should also be returning former running back Shonn Greene, who had to spend some time at a community college. Between Guillory and Greene, there is potential, but there is simply no experienced depth at running back on this team.
7) Will the Michigan quarterback situation be a total mess or just a complete mess?
Yes. The Michigan offense this season could be as painful to watch as seeing your coworkers performing improv. Despite what he’ll tell you, Rich Rodriguez is going to be uncomfortable with redshirt freshman Stephen Threet (6'6" 230) at quarterback and is undoubtedly hoping that incoming freshman Justin Feagin (6'0" 190) can provide some athleticism at quarterback. Either way, neither quarterback has taken a snap in college and both will have periods of acute morelliness.
8) Who takes over for Shawn Crable on personal foul duty?
Well, you can't expect just one person to fill Crable's forearm shiver-filled shoes. However, if we know anything about Rich Rodriguez, it's that he loves to have teams that get loads of penalty yards. In his seven years at West Virginia, his teams finished an average of 90th in the nation in penalty yards--so they shouldn't really miss a beat without Crable.
9) Who replaces the 18.5 sacks that departed Spartan defensive ends Ervin Baldwin and Jonal St. Dic produced?
Nobody? Everybody? Either way, the 18.5 sacks won't be replaced by the two starting defensive ends this season. Trevor Anderson is a transfer from Cincinnati who had to sit out last year, but the staff is very high on him. He would have played last year, and finds himself in a starting role this year. Brandon Long is another candidate at defensive end--he did start a couple of times last season and produced two sacks on the season. This being his senior year, Dantonio and staff are expecting the best season of Long's career. More than likely, however, Mark Dantonio's defense will have to get a pass rush from everybody. For instance, last season, cornerback Kendell Davis-Clark had four sacks from blitzing off the edge. Expect that to continue this season.
10) Spartan quarterback Brian Hoyer will be better this year, right?
Yes. Too many people have written Hoyer off based on his 14-36, four interception performance against Boston College in the Champs Sports Bowl to end the Spartans season last year. Hoyer was as bad as any player could possibly be in that game, but he was only that bad once. Only one other time last season did Hoyer complete less than 50% of his passes, and that was against Notre Dame--and he threw four touchdowns in that game. Now while Hoyer should be better this season, losing two of the most productive receiving threats in the conference in Devin Thomas and Kellen Davis will make it difficult to prove it.
11) Will Minnesota field a defense this year?
They did last year and it didn't really matter. Why should 2008 be any different?
12) How many Red Bulls does Tim Brewster consume in an average day?
Between twelve to fifteen. It just depends on what time Tim wakes up. If he wakes up at his normal time, he hammers down fifteen. If he sleeps in until like 4:30 a.m., he'll only knock down a dozen.
13) Can Northwestern running back Tyrell Sutton stay healthy?
Yes. Will he? Maybe. Last year, Sutton battled injuries and was out for a good portion of the season. In his place, Omar Conteh emerged as a solid Big Ten back. Because of that, Sutton doesn't need to carry the ball 25 times per game this year for the offense to have a productive running game, as Conteh should be able to carry his share. Sutton can also be used more in the passing game if the notion is there. Perhaps the real key isn't just keeping Sutton healthy, but also Conteh, who missed some games due to injury last year as well.
14) Is Northwestern's implementation of the no huddle offense bad news for the Big Ten?
Yes. It is bad news for every defense in the Big Ten (the ones on the schedule, anyway)--and that includes Northwestern. You see, while Northwestern's offense is repeatedly running up to the line of scrimmage and snapping the ball like speed freaks, the Wildcat defense is going to be on the sidelines wishing they'd get just a little bit more time for breathers. By the fourth quarter, when Northwestern needs to stop the running game, will their defense have enough left in the tank to counter?
15) Buckeye running back Chris Wells says he was about 70% last year. If he's 100% this year, what should we do with the women and children?
We should hide the women and children, tell our family we love them and then batten down the hatches.
16) What if we've already battened down the hatches?
Then batten 'em down again!17) How bad does Sean Lee's knee injury hurt the Nittany Lions?
Well, an injury like this doesn't just hurt the Nittany Lions. It also hurts the Maxwell Football Club who will most likely have to hand the Chuck Bednarik Award (for the nation's top defender) to a non-Nittany Lion. As you can see, the effects aren't just on the field. However, if we were to just focus on "the field", the prognosis isn't good there, either. Penn State didn't just lose their best linebacker, they lost their best defender, player, leader and captain. There is no easy fix here, but there is talent on the roster to fill his spot. But they won't be able to replace him without a let down.
18) Darryl Clark can get the Nits to a New Year's Day bowl, right?
Without question. Now that the Penn State staff has no choice but to play Clark at quarterback, the Penn State offense can finally remove themselves from the era of suck that Anthony Morelli inflicted upon seeing eyes everywhere. Clark has waited for a long time to get this shot, so don't expect him to act entitled to this spot. Clark's mobility will allow the offense to go back to some of the plays we saw under Michael Robinson back in 2005, which may also spell a revitalization for Derrick Williams. Basically, Penn State's creative offensive hibernation may finally be over. (But they'll still somehow lose to Michigan.)
19) Will Curtis Painter have anybody to throw to?
Yes, because that's just how Joe Tiller's offense always is. However, they'll have to find some new bodies. The Boilermakers will have to replace four of their top five receivers from last year--or 230 receptions. Greg Orton is the leading returning receiver, having caught 67 passes for 752 yards last season. Purdue will have to find more than that, though. A leading candidate is probably senior Desmond Tardy, who had ten receptions in 2007. Beyond that, there's no proven receivers on this team. But as is usually the case, numbers will emerge.
20) What is Joe Tiller going to do in his final season?
He will have some of the best press conferences since John L. Smith's slap-happy self-assault a couple of years ago. After dubbing Rich Rodriguez "a guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil", we should all be giddy with excitement over what could be coming from Tiller next. Could you imagine him in the SEC? The press conferences would almost be more entertaining than the football.
21) Does Wisconsin have the best running back stable in the conference?
Yes. They have four separate guys that could go out this season and rush for 1,000 yards if they got the bulk of the carries. However, since P.J. Hill is a seventh-year junior, his seniority dictates that he is still "the man". Last season, Zach Brown emerged in the second half of the season and showed that when given a chance, he can make things happen. He rushed for 108 yards against Michigan and 250 yards against Minnesota while P.J. Hill was nursing an injury. Lance Smith will also have to be reckoned with this season after being legally confined to home games for the 2007 regular season and still rushing for 429 yards. And then there's redshirt freshman John Clay, who may end up being better than all of them. Clay is a tall, strong back in the Chris Wells mold and was a star in the spring. Fortunately for the Big Ten, there just aren't enough footballs to go around.
22) Who will win the quarterback job for the Badgers and will it hold them back?
Allan Evridge. Head Coach Bret Bielema says he expects to name a starter two weeks before the opener against Akron, and most expect Evridge to be that starter. Will it hold the team back? Since when has the quarterback position held the Badgers back? Only at Wisconsin is the quarterback a complementary piece rather than a primary weapon. Evridge played very little last season, but got plenty of time in 2005 when he was at Kansas State. Evridge will have plenty of offensive weapons, both on the ground and in the air. He's also a semi-capable runner, so he may even play a part in the running game this season. The Badgers have a very favorable schedule this year, so there may be nothing that actually holds them back.
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