The M-I-Z Q&A: Illinois

Each week, Every True Son will seek out a blogger of Mizzou's upcoming opponent to exchange questions with regarding the upcoming matchup. This week, the "M-I-Z Q&A" turns to Steven from The Chief Perspective for a look at Illinois. My responses to his questions can be found here

ETS: What should everyone expect from Juice Williams in year two?

TCP: "Juice should get better as the game will slow down and he's had a year to get a better grasp of the offense. Also, his receiving crew is a lot better. Last year, you can see clearly that Juice threw the ball right to the target, but the receiver dropped the ball alot. It wasn't all Juice's fault. In addition, once his passing game gets in gear, you'll see him confuse defenses with his ability to run."

ETS: How underrated and unappreciated is the Illinois defense?

TCP: "That remains to be seen. I think coach Zook has been masterful to recruit athletes vs. position players, but don't know in the physical Big Ten, if a smaller, but faster (Ravens like) defense will make a difference. I think our defense will hold the run really well, but I'm not sure about the secondary just yet. If they can increase their turnover rate, I'd think we'd be really good."

ETS: It seems like Ron Zook has the approval of top recruits, but what is the consensus on Ron Zook as a gameday coach?

TCP: "Another good question. Zooker I think is a relatively good coach, but has been a victim of not enough time to coach up kids. He had winning seasons in florida, but not to Florida standards. I'd love a 7-5 team with a trip to a bowl. In an age where football forums and blogs breakdown every play decision, I think criticism of zook game day strategy is unwarrented until the end of the season. However, the consensus is wait and see right now."

ETS: Tell Missouri fans a little bit about your favorite tradition at Illinois.

TCP: "Well, being a former Chief Illiniwek, I could have told you easily what my favorite tradition is, but the Political Correctness police locked it up and threw away the key. My second favorite football tradition? Fireworks after every score. I grew up in Champaign and would listen to the games on the radio or watch on the TV and I would run to the front of my house after each game to listen to the fireworks announce another score. Normally, loud sounds aren't good, but this one was a celebration and others in my neighborhood would step out and we'd all celebrate together."

ETS: Game prediction?

TCP: Illini 30, Mizzou 24. (I'm a hopeless optimist)

Every True Son sends its thanks to The Chief Perspective.

ADDENDUM: ESPN analyst/MU grad Pat Forde weighed in on the matchup as the "battle of unachievers."