When Mizzou has the ball:
Here's the good news for Illinois: Brad Smith is no longer a Tiger.
Here's the bad news: That may make the Missouri offense even more dangerous.
Illinois fans are quick to claim that their defense is well-adjusted to spread offenses, having seen the likes of Purdue and Northwestern in conference play. In 2006, the Boilermakers averaged about 22 yards and four points less than the Tigers. The Wildcats weren't quite as effective, averaging over 100 yards and 15 points less than Missouri. To put it lightly, Illinois has not seen the likes of the 2007 Missouri offense.
As much as Tiger fans are preparing for a Texas Tech-style air raid against Illinois, expect coach Gary Pinkel to try to establish Tony Temple and the ground game early for a variety of reasons, including:
-- Try to find Temple's magic from the season finale at the Sun Bowl last year, when he rushed for 194 yards and 2 TD
-- Test the knee injury under true game situations
-- See what kind of playing time will be necessary from Marcus Woods, Earl Goldsmith and Jimmy Jackson
-- Most importantly, keep the Illini off balance, and unable to zone blitz the living hell out of Chase Daniel
Additionally, Mizzou supporters seem to be overlooking Illinois' experience on the defensive side of the ball, spearheaded by a solid group of linebackers led by MLB J Leman, who leads ETS to believe a Missouri player needs to go by first initial only as well. As a unit, Illinois' defense combines for only four less starts than Mizzou's heralded offense. 
Inside, DL Chris Norwell and David Lindquist manage to fly under the radar to anchor a moderately impressive defensive line. In the secondary, the cover ability of the Illini - on the half of the field not covered by Vontae Davis - is extremely questionable. Illinois' safeties, Kevin Mitchell and Justin Harrison, are primarily known as hitters, not center fielders. As long as Missouri can feign balance and open up seams for its playmakers in the slot (read: Maclin, Alexander, Coffman, Rucker, etc.), the Tigers shouldn't have too much trouble moving the football. But if the Tigers become one-dimensional, don't underestimate Leman and Co.
When Illinois has the ball:
And so the great enigma returns for year two: Will the Juice be turned loose in 2007, or will he complete less than 40 percent of his passes again?
QB Juice Williams returns from a freshman season that is extremely tough to decipher. As a freshman, Williams completed 39.5 percent of passes, threw 9 TD and 9 INT and was sacked nearly twice a game despite his highly regarded elusiveness. Add in 5-star WR recruit Arrelious Benn, and coach Ron Zook has the makings of another Florida - namely a raw, talented team he has no idea how to coach.
But as much talent as the Illini claim to have through the air, their best chance to beat Missouri lies in the hands - and legs - of RB Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall is a tough, between-the-tackles runner that can exploit a Missouri D with well-understood soft spot up the gut. That said, the Tiger D-Line will have much to prove this year beginning against Illinois, and it should be interesting seeing what kind of impact a healthy Ziggy Hood can have on the Mizzou defense.The most interesting match-up (according to ESPN.com), although it may never surface head-to-head, is the battle of true freshmen: Benn and Mizzou CB Carl Gettis. The following is Scouts, Inc.'s thoughts on the matchup:
"Rarely do two freshmen have the kind of impact on a game that these two should have on this one. Gettis has the quick feet and explosiveness to develop into a quality starter but he has two weaknesses that Benn has the tools to exploit. First off, he doesn't have elite size. Benn can use his 3-inch height advantage to gobble up any jump balls and his 15-pound weight advantage to shield Gettis from the ball when he isn't able to separate from the coverage. Secondly, Gettis doesn't have elite speed. Benn, on the other hand, shows a second gear when tracking the ball and has the body control to make spectacular catches downfield. It's also worth noting that most of Gettis' playing time at the high school level came at running back rather not on defense. As a result, he is still working on his footwork and he's vulnerable to getting caught out of position."
One other development to look for is the development of a pass rush by DEs Strkyer Sulak and Tommy Chavis. How quickly they progress could hold a MAJOR key to Mizzou's success in conference play.
Special teams:
Mizzou should have the edge across all facets of special teams. K Jeff Wolfert is one of the Big 12's top two kickers, ranking right next to Oklahoma's Garrett Hartley. P Adam Crossett has had, according to all reports, one of the best camps of any Tiger. Jeremy Maclin and his newly restructured knee could prove to be an amazing threat in the return game, given the new kickoff rules in 2007.
The Illini are riddled with questions on special teams. Zook refuses to commit to a punter (Jared Bosch, Anthony Santella or Kyle Yelton), will start a kicker who missed a 20-yarder in the '06 finale (Jason Reda), and a return unit (Kyle Hudson and Jacob Willis) that ESPN.com calls "mediocre at best."
Intangibles and Gut Feelings:
Head-to-head:
-- Chase Daniel over Juice Williams
-- Mizzou offense over Illini offense
-- Illini defense over Mizzou defense
-- Mizzou special teams over Illini special teams
-- Mizzou confidence over Illini confidence
-- Gary Pinkel vs. Ron Zook: it's like picking which alcoholic father is most likely to let his kids down.
Write it down (prediciton time):
MIssouri defeats Illinois, 38-21
OVER 
Photos courtesy: STL Sports, Illinois Loyalty, The BBBQ, CSTV
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