Illinois notebook: Iowa stops Mendenhall, and QBs continue to flail
Sooner or later, somebody was going to slow Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall. The junior entered as the nation's seventh-leading rusher with an average of 128.7 yards per game.
"When they have to choose who they want to beat them, they will have to take the better guy,'' Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said. "Rashard is the guy we ride.''
But when he was stopped, such as Saturday in a 10-6 loss to Iowa, No. 18 Illinois looks to a pair of quarterbacks who haven't won games with their arms. The quarterback rotation saved Illinois primarily with its feet in wins over Wisconsin and Penn State.
Against Iowa, the Illini rushed for 137 yards -- 124 under their average -- and passed for 150 yards. Williams is primarily a running quarterback, and McGee is a better passer, yet he threw a late interception that sealed a loss for the second time this season.
Locksley did his best to shield the blame from the quarterbacks, who lead the Big Ten's worst passing offense.
"It's a two-fold situation,'' Locksley said. "We had some opportunities in the passing game where we had one-on-one coverage and receivers don't necessarily get open. Our passing game is a collective issue.
"We've done a pretty good job of protecting the quarterback. We haven't been as accurate on some throws. There were times when we had accuracy when passes were dropped. There was also getting open against man-to-man competition. That's the area we've got to continue to work to get going to give us a little more balance.''
Williams is still the starting quarterback, coach Ron Zook said, but "that doesn't mean Eddie won't play next week.''
Williams and McGee were not available to the media after the game. Meanwhile, Locksley attempted to take the heat.
"As a quarterback coach, that falls on me to have both of those guys prepared,'' Locksley said. "They didn't make the plays today that they needed to make for us to win the game.''
Williams was 9-for-15 for 98 yards passing with 41 yards rushing. McGee was 3-for-5 for 52 yards passing with 19 yards rushing. An 82-yard touchdown pass was called back because of an illegal formation penalty. Mendenhall had just 676 yards rushing, the lowest total since the season opener.
BROAD SHOULDERS: Illinois freshman receiver Arrelious Benn bounced back from another apparent shoulder dislocation to make two key catches in Illinois' final scoring opportunity. He caught 28- and 24-yard passes. He finished with a career-high 87 yards receiving on four catches. The dislocation was his third of the season.
"I'm not worried about it,'' he said. "It's something I have to deal with for the rest of the season. I'm going to keep playing. It is what it is.''
INJURY REPORT: Receiver Kyle Hudson left the game with an apparent head injury after helmet-to-helmet contact, Zook said. Hudson's status for the game against Michigan was unknown. Fullback Russ Weil sprained an ankle but later returned to the game.
ETC.: Linebackers Brit Miller and Antonio Steele each finished with a season-high 10 tackles. . . Illini placekicker Jason Reda is 9-for-9 in field-goal attempts after kicking 46- and 23-yarders. . .
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com <http://www.sj-r.com> and www.pjstar.com <http://www.pjstar.com> .