Running game critical for Illini
Without a workhorse in its stable, Illinois faces major question
CHAMPAIGN — Toward the end of last season, when the wheels were coming off at Illinois, I mentioned to offensive coordinator Paul Petrino that it turned out that Mikel Leshoure really had been irreplaceable.
‘‘Oh, really? No [kidding],’’ he said, and we had a good laugh.
What I meant was that all the talk about replacement Jason Ford being neck-and-neck with Leshoure, all the talk about three linemen returning and all the talk about a more experienced quarterback didn’t matter.
Illinois had a horse in Leshoure, and the other offensive ingredients weren’t enough to overcome his departure.
‘‘He made a lot of people look better than they were at times,’’ Petrino said. ‘‘He took a lot of pressure off the quarterback, the O-line. He was a great player, a special player. When you have one of those, it makes things easier for everybody else.’’
Going into this season, Illinois appears headed for another season without a horse. Its offensive line is a work in progress. There’s no evidence the Illini will be able to pass the way they did early last season. If they can’t run, they won’t be able to hide.
‘‘It’s still the question mark we have,’’ new coach Tim Beckman said of his running game. ‘‘We have some good running backs, but we have a lack of depth in the offensive line. People have to step up and play better for us to be successful in the running game.’’
When coaches, especially Big Ten coaches, preach the importance of the running game, fans are advised to be members of the choir.
In 2010, the Illini got their running game in gear down the stretch, won three of their last five Big Ten games and gave themselves a chance to win all five.
Last year, after Illinois put on an air show during a 6-0 start, its running game got stuck in the mud, and the team lost its last six games.
No one knows what’s going to happen this year. On the positive side, though, the Illini have three promising young backs — sophomores Donovonn Young and Josh Ferguson and true freshman Dami Ayoola — 2010 2011 who have been encouraging in training camp. They also have a mobile quarterback in Nate Scheelhaase, who has rushed for nearly 1,500 yards the last two years.
If the offensive line can do its job — a big if — the running game will have a chance.
‘‘Obviously, we’re not going to come off the ball and roll everybody over,’’ said co-offensive coordinator Chris Beatty, who will call the plays. ‘‘But at the same time, I feel good about us running the ball. We’ve got enough ways to try and deal with the different things the defense gives us and try to give them enough looks to where they have some issues, too.’’
Beckman knows how critical it is to run the ball.
‘‘It’s something we just keep hammering and hammering on,’’ he said.