Going into the start of the Big Ten season Saturday against Michigan State (3-0), Pierre Thomas is leading Illinois (2-1) in rushing, averaging 5.3 yards on 37 carries.
Fellow junior E.B. Halsey, who alternates with Thomas at running back, is next with 3.5 yards on 39 carries.
Junior quarterback Tim Brasic has a 2.8-yard average on 44 running attempts.
In view of Thomas’ significantly better statistics, why didn’t he carry the ball more in the first three games?
“It’s a long season,” coach Ron Zook said. “We don’t want to wear him out. We’re in the Big Ten season now; they all count, but now it really counts.”
Zook praised the performance of sophomore defensive tackle Chris Norwell in the loss at California: “I thought he did pretty well–he batted down a pass and he blocked the field goal.”
Norwell also had three tackles, giving him a team-leading eight among interior linemen in the three non-conference games. Three of the tackles produced losses.