College Football 2008 Big Ten Preview

Ohio State:
Returning nine starters on each side of the ball, Coach Jim Tressel is working with a veteran team that includes 47 fourth- or fifth year players. Ohio State’s offense will be led by All-America tackle Alex Boone, anchoring a line with four returning starters. Senior guards Steve Rehring and Ben Person and junior center Jim Cordle will pave the way for explosive power back Chris "Beanie" Wells. Beanie rushed for an OSU sophomore record 1,609 yards last season, scoring 15 times and gaining nearly six yards with every carry. The most forceful ball carrier in college football, the 6-1, 237-lb. junior surpassed 100 yards in nine games last season, gaining a record 222 yards at Michigan and 146 against LSU in the national championship game. Todd Boeckman returns at quarterback with a year of starting experience. The senior led the Big Ten in passing efficiency (148.94) last season, connecting on 25 touchdown throws to earn fi rst-team all-conference honors. His top targets again will be Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. Robiskie, a senior, was a Biletnikoff Award semififi nalist and an Academic All-American last season. Graceful and acrobatic, Robiskie ad 55 catches in 2007 for 935 yards and 11 scores. The Buckeye defense, ranked No. 1 last season allowing just 233 yards and 12.7 points per game, is stocked with a number of the nation’s most celebrated defenders; as a unit, they are committed to continued improvement. Up front, Ohio State must replace end Vernon Gholston, the Big Ten defensive lineman of the year and a potential top pick in the NFL draft. Yet eight skilled lettermen return along the defensive line. Senior Nader Abdallah (19 tackles/3 TFL), juniors Todd Denlinger (13 tackles/3 TFL), Doug Worthington (24 tackles), and sophomores Cameron Heyward (33 tackles/10 TFL), Dexter Larimore (16 tackles/5.5 TFL) and Thaddeus Gibson (11 tackles/3TFL) each were key contributors last season.

Wisconsin:
There are some talented young receivers in the fold, but it will be up to the new quarterback -- whether it be senior Allan Evridge or junior Dustin Sherer -- to make their learning curves smooth. There were games last year, such as the loss at Illinois, where the Badgers just didn't have the pursuit or the playmakers to slow down offenses. Wisconsin retains most of its starters, though there's going to be somebody young in Jack Ikegwuonu's corner spot and there are several key veterans (DE Matt Shaughnessy, OLB Jonathan Casillas, CB Allen Langford) who must get healthy. Sophomore Jay Valai, who played primarily on special teams last year, could be a revelation at safety.

Illinois:
Thirteen starters return for the 2008 season, as well as the starting punter. Among the returning starters are junior quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams, three offensive linemen and the 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year wide receiver Arrelious Benn. Defensively, three members of the defensive line, one linebacker and both cornerbacks will be back for 2008. Illinois’ returning starters are: Xavier Fulton (LT), Ryan McDonald (C), Jon Asamoah (RG), Michael Hoomanawanui (TE), Isiah "Juice" Williams (QB), Kyle Hudson (WR), Arrelious Benn (WR), Derek Walker (DE), Will Davis (DE), David Lindquist (DT), Brit Miller (LB), Vontae Davis (CB) and Dere Hicks (CB). Specialists Anthony Santella (P). With three starters and eight players with game experience returning on the defensive line, it is the strength of the 2008 defense. Three defensive ends, Will Davis, Doug Pilcher and Derek Walker rotated as starters last season, while utilizing Antonio James and Jerry Brown in reserve roles. The ends combined for 28.5 tackles for loss, led by the 12.5 of Davis. Against Indiana, Davis recorded five TFL and four sacks to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. Among those tackles behind the line were 21.5 quarterback sacks, which accounted for 48 percent of the sacks by the Illini defense last season. Just three linemen return from the interior, but among those are seniors David Lindquist and Sirod Williams and true-sophomore Josh Brent. Lindquist had seven TFL and 4.5 sacks.

Penn State:
Joe Paterno entered his 43rd spring as Penn State's head coach with a big question mark at quarterback and even more questions about his contract. The Nittany Lions exited the spring with both questions unanswered. Paterno's contract, which expires at the end of 2008, will not be renewed, and his coaching status will be determined on a season-by-season basis. He said his focus is on the '08 season, which could be a big one if a few things fall into place for Penn State. Whether junior Daryll Clark or sophomore Pat Devlin emerges as the starter, the Nittany Lions will need consistent quarterback play to make an offense filled with talent but lacking a true superstar go. Tailbacks Evan Royster and Stephfon Green, wide receivers Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams and tight end Andrew Quarless should give Penn State balance. But the offense must be more consistent against elite opposition. Despite a knee injury to its best player, linebacker Sean Lee, Penn State's defense looks poised for another solid season. Junior Maurice Evans leads a deep and developing defensive line, and senior Anthony Scirrotto leads a veteran secondary. Penn State has solid specialists and depth at most key positions. The Nittany Lions have struggled on the road during the last few seasons, however, and face tough, primetime tasks at Ohio State and Wisconsin this season, as well as challenging home games against Illinois, Michigan and improving Michigan State. How well the team performs in 2008 should go a long way in determining Paterno's and Penn State's futures.

Michigan:
Don't be surprised if Brandon Minor winds up taking snaps at quarterback to bring that speed dimension to the package. The real problem could be up front, where just two starters return on the line. Without protection, Michigan's offense could be abysmal.
The defense will have to keep Michigan in games. There is experience up front, which is where most coaches prefer to have experience. Tackle Will Johnson was a force in the spring, as was junior safety Steve Brown, who could be a pleasant surprise next fall. Linebacker Obi Ezeh will man the middle with two new starters on each side, but there should be enough speed and talent on this side of the ball to at least keep Michigan competitive.

Iowa:
With the low number of graduating seniors and lettermen off the roster, expectations are positive with a high number of returning lettermen and starters. The offense is expected to return eight starters while the defense returns five. Special teams will return both its top punter and place kicker. Junior Jake Christensen (6-1, 215) returns after starting every game last season. But, after Christensen, the experience level is virtually non-existent. A major task and priority for offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Ken O’Keefe is to develop depth at this position The 2007 season was one of learning, and gaining experience, for the Hawkeye offensive line. A number of new faces did the blocking for  Iowa’s o-line last year. Despite hitting some potholes along the way, the 2008 blockers should be bigger, stronger, better and have another year’s experience. A pair of senior all-star candidates anchor Iowa’s defensive line. All-America candidate Mitch King (6-3, 264) and all-Big Ten candidate Matt Kroul (6-3, 277) return as Iowa starters at tackle. Both have an impressive streak of starts for the Hawkeyes. Kroul has started 37 straight and King 32 times during his career. The duo have been stalwarts in the Iowa defensive front for the past three years. King was named to the first all-Big Ten team by the league coaches and Kroul made the honorable mention all-league unit. King has 174 career tackles and 39 tackles for loss (-154 yards). Kroul has 181 career stops with 13 tackles for loss. The pair forms a formidable front to Iowa’s defense.

Michigan State:
For the Spartans to thrive, they must successfully repair both the offensive and defensive line, replace the top two pass catchers from last season and keep Javon Ringer healthy, something he has struggled to do during his time in East Lansing. Quarterback Brian Hoyer should be improved in his second season as a starter, but he loses his two favorite targets in Devin Thomas and Kellen Davis, who both left for the NFL. It will thrust Mark Dell into the spotlight after the highly-recruited freshman was fifth on the team last season with 20 catches. Defensively, Trevor Anderson is a former All-Big East performer who followed Dantonio from Cincinnati. Now eligible, he should immediately give the Spartans a much-needed pass rushing threat to replace Jonal Saint-Dic. Michigan State might not be ready to win the Big Ten, but it's not that far away, either. The Spartans are poised to jump up and grab some of the conference's bigger programs this year -- most notably Michigan -- and should be a pleasant surprise in 2008.

Northwestern:
Northwestern has 19 starters returning, including eight on the offensive side of the ball. The Wildcats are returning all their key skill players from an offense that led the Big Ten (regular season only) in total yards. Defensively, seven starters are back, including all four starters up front. Also back this year is honorable mention All-Big Ten safety Brendan Smith, who missed most of 2007 with an injury. Northwestern returns plenty of firepower from its 2007 offense, which ranked 32nd nationally in total offense (427.7 ypg) and was atop the Big Ten Conference statistics at the end of the regular season. With the amount of experience returning at the skill positions, the Wildcats could field another highly touted offensive attack in 2008. (NU set a school record and became just the second team in Big Ten history to average more than 500 yards per game in 2005.) Led by fifth-year quarterback C.J. Bachér, who led the Big Ten in passing yards and total offense, there is no shortage of returning skill. Bachér averaged 307.3 yards of offense per game, the nation’s 12th-highest figure in 2007 and the seventh-best figure among returnees. He also averaged 304.7 passing yards per game, the nation’s 10th-best total and fifth-best among returning players. The honorable mention All-Big Ten signal caller, who set NU’s single-season passing mark, had five 300-yard passing games, including a school-record 520-yard performance in a road win at Michigan State. At wide receiver, five of the Wildcats’ top six players return, led by true seniors Eric Peterman and Ross Lane. Peterman, the Wildcats’ 2007 co-MVP, caught 66 passes for 744 yards (3 TD’s) and Lane, who led NU with seven TD receptions, caught 49 balls for 649 yards (13.2 ypr). Rasheed Ward, another member of the Wildcats’ talented senior class, had 46 receptions for 434 yards. The Wildcats’ fifth- and sixth-leading receivers in 2007 were both running backs. Tyrell Sutton, who played in five full games and limited minutes in two other ones, caught 30 passes for 282 yards, while Omar Conteh, who filled in for the injured Sutton, had 20 catches for 215 yards and 2 TD’s. New defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz inherited a fistful of veteran linemen (including potential all-Big Ten tackle John Gill), several experienced outside linebackers and three-fourths of a veteran secondary. However, these veterans haven't known much success during their years in Evanston. Nobody, for example, managed more than 1 interception last year. Hankwitz hopes his attack-style defense, rather than the read-and-react scheme of old, will help the Wildcats shed their porous ways and force more turnovers. The Wildcats think they've found a middle linebacker in Malcolm Arrington, but they need to find a cornerback to work opposite Sherrick McManis. Redshirt freshmen Jordan Mabin and Mike Bolden showed quite a bit during spring ball.

Purdue:
Purdue returns 13 starters (six on offense, six on defense and one specialist) from its 2007 team that fi nished 8-5 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten (tied for seventh place). The  oilermakers defeated Central Michigan 51-48 in the Motor City Bowl, their 10th bowl appearance in 11 seasons under head coach Joe Tiller. Curtis Painter needs 3,030 passing yards to become the Big Ten career leader. The record of 11,792 yards was set by Purdue’s Drew Brees from 1997 to 2000. On Purdue’s career lists, Painter ranks fourth in passing attempts (1,269), fourth in completions (760), second in completion percentage (.599), fourth in passing yards (8,763), fourth in passing touchdowns (54), fourth in total offense (9,101) and sixth in passing effi ciency (126.4). Four Boilermakers made their fi rst starts at Toledo on Sept. 1, 2007: Zach Reckman on offense and Josh Ferguson, Anthony Heygood and Brandon King on defense. In addition, Sean Sester made his fi rst start at left offensive tackle after 25 consecutive starts at right tackle, and Elliot Hood made his debut at Purdue as the starting right offensive tackle after playing three seasons and making six starts at right tackle for Vanderbilt. A unit that gave up 26.5 points and nearly 400 yards per game last season must replace five starters, most notably along the defensive line. Purdue needs a defensive end to replace the pressure brought by Cliff Avril. Keyon Brown was a starter last year, but looked inconsistent, while sophomore Ryan Kerrigan is young, but has displayed the most upside. All three linebackers need replaced and two defensive backs will be new as well. With so many fresh faces expected, it was good to see Jason Werner take hold of a starting linebacker job in the spring. The other two will be built around him.

Indiana:
Quarterback Kellen Lewis missed the entire spring with his mysterious suspension, and there is still no sign of whether or not he'll be back in the fall. That is obviously the biggest question hanging over the program, since his presence could be the difference between 8-4 and 4-8. Beyond Lewis, though, Indiana was missing other key contributors this spring in receiver Andrew Means and tailback Marcus Thigpen. Means was off playing baseball and Thigpen running track. It left the Hoosiers thin at every key position on an offensive unit that ranked third in the Big Ten with a 31.7 points per game average. Even without their star quarterback and top five receivers from last season, coach Bill Lynch installed a no-huddle offense this spring, run by backup quarterback Ben Chappell. Turns out, the plan helped the defense just as much as the offense.

Minnesota:
Head coach Tim Brewster has emphasized the importance of being a fast team in his time at Minnesota and the Gophers certainly added plenty of speed in its 2008 recruiting class. A total of 22 newcomers have been clocked with times of 4.6 or better, including 13 with times of 4.5 or faster. Though Minnesota’s class of 2008 does have a measure of balance to it, there remains a clear emphasis on the defensive side of the ball. Of the Gophers’ 31 new additions, 15 are currently pegged as defenders. In addition, a number of Minnesota’s "athletes" could also wind up on the defensive side of the ball before it’s all said and done.