Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 13

SPORTS INSIDE Big Ten preview Ohio State, Penn State expected to dominate this fall. PAGE C6 COMING UP New faces on Eastern's wide receivers corps. WEDNESDAY LEE PUBLICATIONS, INC. WWW.JG-TC.COM SECTION EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL M-V A llzi BRIAN l.ij NIELSEN a inliliL mi nil i. Maybe they can share.

Maybe the heralded Iowa transfer cannot crash-course Eastern Illinois' entire playbook, and so the two quarterbacks will split time Both of these guys seem nice enough that you don't root for either to lose a preseason football battle for the starting job. "In all reality, it could take two guys to get it done this year," returning starter Bodie Reeder said. "Last year we were fortunate that I didn't have to miss any time because of injury." One good thing, if someone gets hurt the next guy does not have to be a green rookie. An injury is not the way EIU coaches hope their decision becomes easier between now and the Sept. 3 opener at Illinois State or the rest of the season.

But they are looking for improved quarterback play whether it comes from Jake Christensen with the skills that worked for 2,269 yards and 17 touchdowns two years ago for a 6-6 Iowa team, or Reeder leading the Panthers to a bounce-back season from last year's 5-7 disappointment. rr i 1 Kevin KilhofferStaff Photographer Eastern Illinois University football players Jake Christensen, left, and Bodie Reeder are interviewed during EIU football media day in Charleston Monday. The two will be competing for this year's starting quarterback job. Christensen's transfer certainly "He's a welcome addition to our makes for an interesting preseason team," Reeder said. "I'm used to and not even Reeder is complaining, competition.

It's a pleasure to com Juice looks to senior season to cement his Illinois legacy CHAMPAIGN (AP) He meant it as a good-natured jab at a friend, but Illinois wide receiver Arrelious Benn's joke neatly summed up the situation facing his quarterback, Juice Williams, this fall. "I always get on Juice," said Benn, the junior wideout who leads what might be Illinois' best receiving corps since the early 1990s. "Man, he has no excuse. He's got everybody he needs here." And as Juice goes, almost certainly so go the Illini. Illinois has been Williams' team since he stepped on the field since late in his freshman season, in 2006, and led a no-hope, two-win Illinois team to within a touchdown of top-ranked Ohio State.

He was a raw product of the same Chicago high school that produced Dick Butkus, far more athlete than quarterback. But Juice was also Ron Zook's first big recruit and the Illini marketed him as the face of the resurgence they hoped Zook would lead. At times Juice has carried that weight well. He led Illinois to the 2008 Rose Bowl, the reward for a surprise 9-3 season his sophomore year. But last year he seemed powerless to stop the Illini from falling back to a puzzling 5-7.

There was blame to go around. Illinois gave up 26.6 points a game and Williams' 719 rushing yards led a team suddenly without star running back Rashard Mendenhall, who was a top NFL draft pick. But Williams really only had a handful of strong games, the kind where his arm and his feet were on and the Illini offense clicked. Zook said this season, his fifth at Illinois, the Illini don't have to sink or swim with their senior quarterback. "These guys understand that it doesn't have to be just one guy," Zook said.

"We don't have to put the team on Juice's back." For starters, Benn will be joined at receiver this year by Jarred Fayson, a transfer from Florida who should force defenses to think twice about doubling Benn and daring Juice to find another target. Zook also believes his running back platoon Daniel Dufrene, Jason Ford, Mikel LeShore and Troy Pollard should be stronger than last year, when the four combined for 1,120 yards. Williams calls last year a wake-up call, a reminder that a trip to the 2008 Rose Bowl didn't mean much the next season. He talks about the pressure on he and Benn who caught 67 balls for 1,055 yards last season and is widely expected to skip his senior year for the NFL to produce when not much else was ILLINIC3 pete against a guy so highly touted. The best guy will start." So far, no dissension detected.

"Yeah, the guys have been great," Christensen said. "I had met Chas (Millard, EIU's Ail-American offensive lineman). He's friends with a guy from Iowa. The coaches have been a breath of fresh air. "I think this team is all about winning.

There's no negative energy at Redshirt freshman Doug Reynolds pointed to positives regardless of what the newcomer might do to the depth chart. "You know, for us it's a good learning experience because he comes from a big school," Reynolds said. "I'm going to try and learn DERBYC3 Kevin KilhofferStaff Photographer media day in Charleston Monday. big priority 8-year-old Bernie Jackson of Charleston has autographs signed by Eastern Illinois University football players during EIU football Offensive line consistency remains A ft move one spot further to the interior of the line. "I think OK," Spoo said about Millard's adjustment.

"Although (Sunday) night we had our second practice, and I noticed a couple center-quarterback exchanges were on the ground. We'll get the squared away, and once we do I know he'll be a force there." Through spring football, summer workouts and now two days of fall practice, three starting spots are close to being filled with Ryan Grossman and Otis Hudson the fron-trunners at the tackle spots and Mike Scheibel playing well at the other guard position. When EIU's season opener against Illinois State comes on Sept. 3, the Panthers' starting five or as Hoover sees it six linemen will be set, and barring injury will stay the same. "Looking at it, I don't say we have a starting five," Hoover said.

"I say we have six starters. I think we kind of have six guys that are interchangeable and that when they would play we wouldn't miss a beat." A consistent starting five is still needed even with six players that can fill in multiple roles on the line. Hoover said cooperation between offensive linemen is important. That cooperation is forged from consis- LINEC3 ii SCOTT RICHEY Staff Writer CHARLESTON Eastern Illinois' offensive line during the 2008 season was a mishmash of starters nearly every game. Only twice did the same five offensive linemen start in consecutive games.

Injuries and other issues kept players off the field, and offensive fine coach Jeff Hoover said he had to use nine different starting lineups in the Panthers' first 10 games. The season ended with 11 different groups of starters on the offensive line. Consistency they lacked. "The only thing that was consistent was the inconsistency of who was lining up," Hoover said. Heading into this season, EIU's linemen are healthy, but changes are still being made.

The biggest of which is preseason All-American guard Chaz Millard being shifted to center leaving three players (Millard, Chris Vaccaro and Eric Zink) battling for two starting positions (center and left guard). Vaccaro started the majority of last year's games at center, and Zink ended last season as the team's starting left guard. After being selected as a preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference at guard in addition to his Ail-American recognition, EIU coach bob Spoo said Millard is adjarting to the Stewart wins Watkins Glen WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) -When the rain held off and The Glen heated up, Smoke was in his element. Tony Stewart won the rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International on a steamy Monday, muscling an ill-handling car in the early going and then holding off Australian Marcos Ambrose over the final 25 laps for his Cup-record fifth victory at the famed road course.

"I love it when it gets slick," Stewart said after his 36th Cup win. "There's just something about this place. We've been really good." Stewart has finished first or second in eight of the past 11 Cup road races, but had to keep the hard-charging Ambrose at bay. Ambrose won the Nationwide race here Saturday with a daring move that surprised Kyle Busch for the lead and finished third a year ago in the Cup race after starting last. STEWARTC3 Kevin KilhofferStaff Photographer Eastern Illinois University football players Chaz Millard, left, and Austin Slgnor are seen during EIU football media day in Charleston Monday.

DUrcmULSCIBULE Date Opponent (2008) Sept. 3 ILLINOIS STATE (3 Sept. 10 at Indiana State (011) Sept. 17 at Southeast Missouri U-8) Sept. 24 at Austin Peay (2-9) Oct.

3 EASTERN KENTUCKY (8-4) Oct. 10 at Penn State (11-2) Oct. 17 TENNESSEE TECH (3-9) Oct. 24 at Jacksonville State (8-3) Oct. 31 at Murray State (5-7) NOV.

14 UT MARTIN (8-4) Nov. TENNESSEE STATE (6-4) Not! Head coaching debut for ISU's Brock Spack Long series Is to go on hiatus after this game EIU has won five straight but just 24-21 last year Last year's loss was low point of 5-7 EIU season Preseason OVC favorite visits O'Brien JoPa's Nittany Lions are 8th In USA Today Coaches poll How will Panthers play the week after Penn State? Gamecocks tied series at 3-3 last year EIU has won last six but Racers are on the rise Skyhawks are 0-7 at O'Brien Stadium ESPNU to televise this Thursday game.