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Illinois exceeding expectations, Penn State falling short

By Bruce Hooley
Special to ESPN.com

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Here's a team-by-team look at the first half of the Big Ten season: Illinois Illini The Illini (5-1, 3-0) have already won more games overall and in the Big Ten than they managed combined in Ron Zook's first two years (4-19, 1-15). Zook is doing it with a combination of veteran holdovers (like linebacker J Leman and tailback Rashard Mendenhall) and his own recruits (wide receiver Arrelious Benn, cornerback Vontae Davis and quarterback Juice Williams). Illinois' methods aren't mysterious. It pla ...

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