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| SportsSaturday, October 13, 2007 7:03 PM CDT |
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Illini cautious of back-sliding Hawkeyes
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa football team will take the Kinnick Stadium field today full of hope and ready to win on a crisp, bright Saturday. That’s a given every fall Saturday in Iowa City. But having lost eight Big Ten games in a row, trying to shake the aches and pains of this season’s four-game losing streak and straining to find a shred of confidence, the Hawkeyes must start the day with more than an ounce of doubt. The truth is, Iowa is more beat up than George W. Bush at a Hillary Clinton rally. The Hawkeyes have had injuries to starters and injuries to backups. Even bruised feelings show up on the injury list. Through it all, however, coach Kirk Ferentz isn’t asking for any sympathy, and he won’t ask for any today when the best Illinois football team since 2001 comes to town looking for its sixth victory in a row. “We’re short three guys who we thought would be in our top eight on our offensive line,” he said, talking generally about the kind of season it has been. “We haven’t been able to settle anywhere; that’s the biggest obstacle. Every little thing hurts you a little bit. “I was counting on at least two of those guys being with us, but things don’t always happen that way. We’ll work through it.” Iowa is also without its top three pass catchers, and key defensive losses include linebacker Mike Klinkenborg (concussion) and safety Devan Moylan (groin). Illinois’ job is simply to take advantage of the situation, and Zook has warned his team all week not to be bothered by any number of distractions, not the least of which has been the team’s first visit to the Top 25 since 2001. Illinois is No. 18 in the latest Associated Press poll. “I’ve said this many times, but one thing about the Big Ten is that you’d better be strapped up every Saturday,” Zook said. “We’re going into a very, very hostile environment against a very good football team. They could just as easily be 4-2 as 2-4. “This is the third time we’ve played them since I got here, and we haven’t been able to beat them. We’re going to be playing a team that is backed up against the wall a little bit. You know they’re going to come out fighting, and we’re going to get everything they have.” Junior linebacker Brit Miller would like to erase the memory of two losses to Iowa. “In the past, their playmakers showed up,” Miller said. “My freshman year, we played them tough there. They had a guy score on a reverse to seal the deal. “It’s tough to go there and play. Their crowd is wild, and they’re real close to us on the field. It’s a good football environment. I think it’s going to be a close ballgame.” No. 18 Illinois vs. Iowa When: 11:10 a.m., Saturday Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City Records: Illinois 5-1, 3-0; Iowa 2-4, 0-3 TV/radio: ESPN2, WTRX-FM (93.7), WPXN-FM (104.9), WJEZ-FM (98.9) Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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Lets go ILLINOIS wrote on Oct 13, 2007 10:48 AM:
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