This week's forgotten Illini-Offensive lineman Ray Redziniak.....signed Ron Turner's first recruiting class 1997 along with Luke Butkus, Josh Whitman..……Attended Clark Regional High School Johnson, New Jersey....didn't get the scholarship offers he wanted in high school was able to enroll at Milford Academy (NY.) play a post graduate year of football 1996..…..strategy worked....3-star prospect chose Illinois over offers from Clemson, Virginia Tech among others....started as a true freshman at guard 97'.……four year starter/two time team captain (99/00).....6-foot-2, 290-pound mauler/tough guy……elected captain 2 years in a row shows how respected Redziniak was among his teammates at Illinois.....twice earned All Big Ten honors....after Illinois couple free agent tryouts NFL/played in NFL Europe for two seasons (03/04).
Big Ten football team of week 8-I-L-L....all you need to know..
Big Ten football week 9
Michigan (7-0) at Michigan State (+4) 11 am CT.. FOX
Spartans have had a fun season that ends Saturday....Wolverines all around better team....Michigan lay the points.
Iowa (+3.5) at Wisconsin (4-3) 11 am CT. ESPN
Iowa and Wisconsin you beat both same way, stopping their running game, running on their defense....field goal difference..……Hawkeyes and the points.
Purdue (+7.5) at Nebraska (3-5) 2:30 pm CT. ESPN2
Boilermakers are cooked.....Nebraska wins by two TD's easy....Cornhuskers lay the points....keeping it in the family reportedly Purdue head coaches teenage son had to be told to 'cool it' on the sidelines of the Badgers vs. Boilermaker game last Saturday in West Lafayette.....young man spent majority of game following around the refs letting them know how much they 'weren't doing a good job'.
Minnesota (5-2) at Northwestern (+7.5), 2:30 pm CT. BTN
Gophers have done well at home the past few weeks...their winning streak ends Saturday in Evanston....Gophers not real good on defense while the Fitz-eee's will have just enough offense here to win/cover....Wildcats and the points.
Penn State (+17.5) at Ohio State (6-1) 6:30 pm CT.. ABC
Nittany Lions defense last week vs. Illinois played like a unit that woke up late, found out they were playing a game that day not prepared/interested in getting off blocks, tackling....Buckeyes will run it up on Franklin's squad in the Shoe' Saturday night.……Ohio State big big big at least a three TD difference in this 'contest'.
Rutgers (3-4) at Illinois (+1.5) 11 am CT. BTN
Scarlet Knights will be much much better on defense than Penn State was last week vs. Illinois.....Rutgers 'D' can get off blocks, tackle better than Nittany Lions did..…..cause of that 'Barge' run scheme of Bielema's offense won't be as effective....Rutgers nose guard/3-tech defensive tackles shoot the gaps, excellent at disrupting opponents run game....outside defenders consistent in setting the edge forcing run back inside.....coaching cliche' 'bad offensive lines don't travel'...means team with a bad offensive line rarely win on the road vs. team of similar talent....Rutgers offensive line is not good....game has two offense's that have trouble moving the ball/scoring.....flip a coin Saturday morning on this one.
Illini football now back to recruiting the state of New Jersey...let's take a look at some of the Illini from the Garden State since 1980.
Bob Stowe offensive line Point Pleasant HS NJ. class of 1980
White's first recruiting class....4-year starter...1983 Big Ten champion....11th round NFL draft pick by the Colts.
Tim Brewster tight end Pasadena (Cal.) City College/Phillipsburg HS NJ. class of 1982
One of five Illini players recruited out of Pasadena City College class of 1982....still the all-time Illini tight end receptions leader.
African Grant defensive back Morrow HS Englewood NJ. class of 1983
3-star recruit started off and on at Illinois....later played a few games in the NFL with the Washington Football Team.
Keith Taylor defensive back Pennsauken HS NJ. class of 1983
4-star high school recruit started all four years he was healthy at cornerback in Champaign....long NFL career as a safety for various teams.
Justin Cella quarterback Neptune HS NJ. class of 1996
Moved to tight end....left Illinois after Turner’s staff took over….special teams player.
Muhammad Adbullah defensive back Southern Regional HS Barnegat NJ. class of 1998
Starting safety for the 2001 Fighting Illini Big Ten champs....excellent duo with Bobby Jackson.
Jerry DeRillo Johnson Regional HS Clark NJ. class of 1998
Same high school as Redziniak….different outcome, left after one year in Champaign to parts unknown.
Jim Bloodworth Warren Hills HS Washington NJ. class of 1999
Same as DeRillo….left program after a year or two in Champaign.
E.B. Halsey Elizabeth HS NJ. class of 2002
Four star recruit……Originally committed to Georgia as a safety....went to Illinois cause they wanted him as a running back...four year player in Champaign.
Matt Maddox Manasquan HS NJ class of 2002
His older brother played center for then Illini offensive line coach Harry Hiestand when Hiestand was at the University of Cincinnati...four year starter at guard/center for Illinois.
Joe Mele Jr. linebacker Manasquan HS NJ. class of 2003
High School buddies with Maddox....J Leman/Brit Miller happened...Zook's staff liked those 2 better than Mele....great kid wished it worked out....transferred to Northeastern where he earned All CAA honors in 2007....Mele Sr. lettered in football at Rutgers.
James Stevenson defensive end/outside linebacker Delsea Regional HS Franklinville, NJ. class of 2003
Supposedly had offers from Iowa, Purdue, Indiana....big and stiff way Zook's staff described him when they took over.....left after 2005 season...played a few years at the Illini triple A team at that time..... Illinois State.
Ismail Abdunafi defensive tackle Bakersfield (Cal) JC/Elizabeth HS NJ. class of 2005
Highly touted JC defensive tackle picked Illinois over Texas A&M signing day 05.……high school teammate of E.B. Halsey....never qualified....ended up playing a couple of years at Salisbury State in Maryland.
Randall Hunt offensive lineman Valley Forge (PA.) Prep/Highstown HS NJ. class of 2006
3 year starter at guard..……cup of coffee in the NFL with a few teams.
*Memories....Last Saturday Illini improbable win at Penn State...reminds of another improbable Illinois win...2005 home opener vs. Rutgers....Zook's first game as head coach....ESPN2 did the broadcast....Erin Andrews University of Florida grad, had known Zook forever sideline reporter that Saturday......Bill Maddox father of Illini o-lineman yelling at then Illini defensive coordinator Mike Mallory as he walked out of the tunnel, 'hey coach remember that #20 Leonard, he hurdles guys, he will try to hurdle guys all day'....Rutgers running back Brian Leonard indeed did hurdle a few Illini defenders in the game.....was on the field taking pictures....remember the roar of the crowd during the Illini comeback hadn't heard that literally for years in Memorial Stadium....helluva sun burn but worth it....stadium erupting when Pierre Thomas scored the winning TD in OT..……crowd willed Illinois to the win once momentum shifted...course it didn't hurt the Rutgers field goal kicker kept missing..……Rutgers heavy favorite's that game minus 13.5....Schiano's team ended up 7-5 on the season….played in the Insight Bowl.
Illinois rallied from a 20-point deficit and Pierre Thomas' 2-yard touchdown run in overtime gave Illinois a 33-30 win over Rutgers on Saturday in Ron Zook's first game as coach.
Trailing 27-10 when the fourth quarter began, the Illini (1-0)
tied the game 27-all when Tim Brasic hit running back E.B. Halsey
with a swing pass and he ran in from 13 yards out with 1:13 to go.
Illinois' Jason Reda missed a 52-yard field goal attempt with 3
seconds left in regulation.
The Illinois rally began on the first drive of the final quarter
when they moved from their own 29 to the Rutgers 16 before Reda
kicked a 32-yard field goal.
The defense then forced the Scarlet Knights to punt and Brasic
hit Kendrick Jones for 28 yards on the first play of the ensuing
drive.
The drive almost ended two plays later when a flanker pass by
DeJuan Warren was intercepted in the end zone. But a pass
interference penalty on Rutgers' Corey Barnes gave the Illini the
ball back and Brasic hit Jones on a 6-yard TD pass to bring
Illinois within a touchdown with 8:40 to go.
Rutgers again had a chance to ice the game, driving the ball
from its 20 to the Illinois 26. But Ito's 43-yard field goal
attempt was blocked by defensive lineman Chris Norwell, setting up
a 65-yard drive that ended in Halsey's tying touchdown.
Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart completed 27 of 44 for 342 yards
and two touchdowns, tying a Big East Conference record with the
ninth 300-yard game of his career.
The Knights took a 27-7 lead with 10:49 to go in the third
quarter after Brian Leonard hurdled Illinois cornerback Charles
Bailey and ran 83 yards for a touchdown. Leonard, who also caught a
TD pass from Hart, finished with 128 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Rutgers had 507 yards in offense.
Brasic came into the game having thrown only one pass in his two
previous seasons and the inexperience showed. He was sacked on his
first attempt and threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball away
once in the first half.
But he looked comfortable running the football. He carried three
times during Illinois' first-half touchdown drive for 31 yards and
wound up leading the team in rushing with 77 yards on 18 carries.
He was 24-of-34 for 233 yards through the air.
Ito missed four field goal attempts. (recap courtesy ESPN)