Big Ten notebook: Illini reach next phase of rebuilding

This was the signature win Ron Zook needed. Every rebuilding project needs one game that gets the program over the hump of mediocrity.

<p class="MsoNormal">Illinois, ranked for the first time since 2001, got it Saturday against Wisconsin.

<p class="MsoNormal">Veteran Big Ten coach Joe Tiller took over a Purdue team that was 3-8 in 1996. After losing the season opener in 1997, Tiller led the Boilermakers past 12th-ranked Notre Dame.

<p class="MsoNormal">"(Illinois) won a football game against a highly ranked team, and they did it pretty convincingly," Tiller said. "When you do that, it energizes your program and your fan base. You pick up the ones who left you, and the ones who were with you all along get more energy. All that stuff is contagious, and you've got to springboard on to something special."

<p class="MsoNormal">Zook watched his team grow up, his fans get loud and the excitement about his program scratch where it hasn't been this decade. Illinois beat Wisconsin, 31-26, and snapped the nation's longest winning streak.

<p class="MsoNormal">Now, Zook and the 18th-ranked Fighting Illini move into the next phase of rebuilding: Making sure the walls aren't torn down in a week.

<p class="MsoNormal">Illinois (5-1) heads to Iowa, where the Hawkeyes should be angry or about ready to fold. The Hawkeyes have lost four straight after beating Northern Illinois and Syracuse to start the year.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We understand what we have to continue to do," Zook said. "It's important to prepare the same way we prepared the last few weeks."

<p class="MsoNormal">Illinois took its lumps last year with Juice Williams at quarterback. Now, Williams isn't making freshman mistakes. The sophomore has the conference's second-leading rusher in Rashard Mendenhall and receiver/return specialist Arrelious Benn to help him.

<p class="MsoNormal">The signature moment last week may have come at halftime when Zook spoke to his players with Illinois leading, 17-6.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We said in the offseason that if we are going to improve, then we have to step up and stand up," Zook said. "I said, 'Are we going to go out there and do the same thing we did last year? Or are we going to show people we have made improvement?'"

<p class="MsoNormal">The Illini stood up. But a loss at Iowa would drop them from the Top 25.

<p class="MsoNormal">College football observers would call them fake.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Rankings at this point mean nothing," Zook said. "It's an honor ... but it means nothing if we don't continue to play the way we have been."

<p class="MsoNormal">Buckeye defense

<p class="MsoNormal">Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel continues to downplay his defense. But during the pregame talk Saturday night, Tressel mentioned to Tiller that OSU's defense could be the best he's ever had.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I think it's very comparable (to 2002)," Tiller said. "I was visiting with Coach Tressel, and of course he's partial to the 2002 team, because they won a national championship. He said they were awfully good ... and based on how they do (against Purdue), he'll be a better judge."

<p class="MsoNormal">Ohio State overwhelmed Purdue's offense. So much so that Tiller isn't sure how good the Buckeye secondary is.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We didn't challenge them, because we didn't have time to throw the ball," Tiller said. "They had their way with us."

<p class="MsoNormal">Look who's back

<p class="MsoNormal">Michigan started the season 0-2, had its faces rubbed in a loss to Appalachian State, then was outclassed by Oregon.

<p class="MsoNormal">Guess what? The Wolverines are unbeaten in the Big Ten.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We've always had the tradition here that the Big Ten championship is a critical part of any season," Head Coach Lloyd Carr said. "Regardless of how we may fare in the preseason, when the conference season starts, every team understands it's a new race no matter what you've done."

<p class="MsoNormal">Michigan hosts No. 24 Purdue on Saturday. The Boilermakers' spread offense could give the Wolverines problems.

<p class="MsoNormal">Same old, same old

<p class="MsoNormal">First-year Michigan State Head Coach Mark Dantonio is battling a losing atmosphere in East Lansing. After starting 4-0, the Spartans have lost two close games.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We need to understand this is a long-term program thing," said Dantonio, who hosts Indiana (5-1) next. "Because of that, we need to take advantage of every learning experience and take it forward.

<p class="MsoNormal">"We're going to build up our young men, not tear them down. Sure, it's frustrating to lose. I don't want to lose. At the same time, we're going to crawl out of bed the next day and go to work."

<p class="MsoNormal">The last line

<p class="MsoNormal">Ohio State wide receiver Brian Hartline watched most of Illinois' win over Wisconsin. It left him with either appreciation or confusion about the Big Ten.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I can't tell if it's a down year for the Big Ten or it everybody's that good and we're just knocking each other off," Hartline said.

<p class="MsoNormal">Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail todd.porter@cantonrep.com

<p class="MsoNormal">