Tim McAvoy had to sit out his last scheduled game at Memorial Stadium, forced to the sideline by a neck injury suffered a week earlier. That was November 2004, when McAvoy watched his Bloomington High School teammates fall to New Lenox Providence, 40-0, in the Class 6A state championship game.

McAvoy will be back in Champaign on Saturday night, and this time, he hopes to contribute to a victory at Memorial Stadium.

The redshirt sophomore is listed at No. 2 at left guard and at center on the University of Michigan depth chart for the 7 o'clock nationally televised game against Illinois. McAvoy played extensively in a win over Penn State and started at guard in a victory over Northwestern earlier this season. So if called upon Saturday night, No. 62 on the enemy sideline will be ready.

"It's exciting to come back and be close to home to play a game. I expect it to be a great atmosphere considering Illinois' opinion of Michigan, especially during recruiting and what not," McAvoy said. "With how much both teams have riding on the game, it will be an exciting time."

Michigan (5-2, 3-0) shares the Big Ten Conference lead with Ohio State, while Illinois (5-2, 3-1) is close behind. The game holds extra meaning in the McAvoy household. Tim McAvoy Sr. played football at Illinois from 1978-81, including two seasons while current Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was an Illini assistant.

Asked if Dad will put aside his Illini allegiance and cheer for Michigan, a chuckling McAvoy replied, "That's my guess … considering I'm on the team."

No. 24-ranked Michigan has rebounded from an 0-2 start, with McAvoy filling an important role.

The 6-foot-5, 290-pounder started the second half against Penn State following first-half injuries to guards Alex Mitchell and Jeremy Ciulla. McAvoy's opportunity had arrived after redshirting in 2005 and appearing in two games as a reserve center last year.

"Once I saw Alex and Jeremy go down, I knew it was my time and I'd have to be the one to step up and play," McAvoy said. "I'd practiced that week and practiced all year to get ready to play and fill the needs I needed to fulfill. I felt I had made good progress. I've been working hard since I got here and just trying to have it all pay off."

McAvoy performed well enough in the 14-9 win over Penn State to start at right guard the next week at Northwestern. He played every offensive down until suffering a hamstring injury late in the fourth quarter of a 28-16 victory.

"It was very exciting," McAvoy said of his first start. "Normally, I'd be practicing and be prepared to back up depending on if they needed someone to step up and play. It was nice to know I'd be starting the game. I thought things were going quite well (until the injury) and that I did a good job."

The coaches agreed. McAvoy said he "graded out pretty well" when the coaching staff analyzed the film.

However, McAvoy's injury kept him out of a 33-22 victory over Eastern Michigan and last week's 48-21 win over Purdue. He has returned to practice full-time this week for a game in which his former BHS teammate, Illinois senior safety Justin Harrison, will be on the other side.

McAvoy called the timing of his injury "frustrating," but added, "Those things are uncontrollable."

He welcomes being in position to play after two years of weightlifting, watching and learning.

"I would have rather been out there, but playing at this level is very different than in high school," McAvoy said. "It takes a lot of commitment and hard work. The demands are much higher. Everyone needs time to adjust.

"In my opinion, for linemen, as far as strength wise and being able to know the offense and all of that, it probably takes a bit more time."

Michigan had no time to waste earlier this year. The Wolverines suffered a stunning 34-32 season-opening loss to Appalachian State and were blown out 39-7 by Oregon, both at Michigan Stadium. Since then, they have won five straight and climbed back into the top 25 this week.

"It really just came down to we all needed to buckle down and play more like a unit. I feel that we've progressed greatly toward that," McAvoy said. "Michigan is all about hard work, and I knew we'd end up pulling it together. We're not a bunch of guys who would just go out there and lay down."

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Michigan vs. Illinois

When: 7 p.m., Saturday

Where: Memorial Stadium, Champaign

Records: Illinois 5-2, 3-1; Michigan 5-2, 3-0

TV/radio: ABC; WTRX-FM (93.7), WPXN-FM (104.9), WJEZ-FM (98.9)