Rashard Mendenhall isn’t surprised that, so far at least, September has been a month to remember for Illinois. And he’s the biggest reason.
“I’ve always had confidence in myself,” Mendenhall said. “My teammates have always had confidence that I can play, and play with some of the best in the league. It’s being out there and having a chance to show it. I think it’s starting to become evident.”
Mendenhall, a junior from Niles West, carried the Illini past Indiana 27-14 in their Big Ten opener Saturday, rushing for a career-high 214 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
He didn’t do it alone. The Illini defense never let quarterback Kellen Lewis get the Indiana offense into any kind of rhythm. Illinois recorded seven sacks, recovered three Indiana fumbles and came up with one interception.
So the Illini are off to a 3-1 start, a cause for measured optimism because it has come against the softest portion of the schedule. Still, this is a team that went 2-9 and 2-10 in coach Ron Zook’s first two seasons.
Now the Illini are halfway to the six victories needed to be eligible for a bowl game, which hasn’t happened since 2001. That was the last time they started 3-1 and the last time they won three straight.
“It’s all we’ve been thinking about,” said junior defensive end Will Davis, who had four sacks. “This was one of the games we had to win, and we came through with it.”
It was Zook’s first victory in three tries against Indiana (3-1) and the Illini’s first win in a Big Ten opener since 1993.
The Hoosiers have a Mendenhall-like offensive weapon in running back Marcus Thigpen, but he managed only 25 yards rushing. His kickoff return for a touchdown helped beat the Illini last year, so this time Zook pooch-kicked on a regular basis. Thigpen got to only one kickoff, returning it for 23 yards.
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Illinois quarterback Juice Williams had an inconsistent day, completing only 13 of 28 passes for 98 yards with two interceptions, both by cornerback Tracy Porter. In the first quarter, freshman Arrelious Benn got behind Porter on a deep route down the middle, but Porter picked off the underthrown ball.
Williams bounced back to throw for two scores, the first a 2-yarder to tight end Michael Hoomanawanui in the second quarter that made the score 13-0.
After Lewis hit James Hardy for a 7-yard TD, Williams responded with a toss to Mendenhall, who carried it in for a 15-yard touchdown and a 20-7 halftime advantage.
The Illini put it away early in the fourth quarter after cornerback Dere Hicks forced a Hardy fumble that Chris Norwell recovered at the Indiana 27. Illinois gave the ball to Mendenhall five straight times, and he got all 27 yards, scoring on a 5-yard run to make it 27-7.
On an 80-degree day, Mendenhall carried a career-high 27 times and was not dropped for a loss on a single one. He wasn’t getting hit in the backfield much and was breaking tackles.
“I felt like I was driving a truck,” he said. “There were holes all over the place. The line was doing a great job, and [fullback] Russ Weil is back (after recovering from an ankle injury).”
Mendenhall has carried 77 times for 554 yards this season, averaging 7.2 yards per carry.
“What we all saw today was more toughness,” Zook said. “We kept reminding him to keep the ball high and tight. He’s not running out of bounds. He’s running like the big, strong back that he is.
“I’m really proud of him. I told him before warm-ups, ‘Take this team on your back and go.’ Without looking at tape, I think he did.”
Said Mendenhall: “That’s how it was in high school. I knew if I didn’t do it, it wasn’t going to get done, so I just had to chop and chop and do the best I can. I have the mentality that I’m not going to let myself down or anybody down.”
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