It's safe to say at this point in the season that Illinois is the Rodney Dangerfield of college football.
They get noooooooo respect.
The Fighting Illini (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) have won four straight games by an average score of 35-19 (including last week's 38-13 pasting of then No. 15 Purdue), have a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Kurt Kittner and have a share of the Big Ten lead with Michigan.
But the Illini are only ranked No. 15 in the nation and No. 12 in the BCS.
To make matters worse, even the Illinois faithful aren't convinced yet that the Illini are a great football team. Reportedly, 15,000 to 20,000 seats for tomorrow's contest against Penn State (3-4, 2-3 Big Ten) were unsold as of early this week.
So what gives?
"I think our guys do care about that," Illinois coach Ron Turner said. "But we don't make that our focal point. If we start worrying about that, we won't get respect anyway because we won't win football games. If we want to get that perception changed, then we have to do it on the field.
"If we do that, we'll get the respect that we deserve."
That onward march to recognition resumes 3:30 tomorrow afternoon at Memorial Stadium and will be televised to a regional audience by ABC television.
Turner is right though. His players do realize that they're not getting the same attention as the national Top Ten.
"We're getting respect from the people that matter the most and that's our loyal fans," sophomore wideout Brandon Lloyd said. "A lot of times we say, 'Hey, what else do we have to do?' It's just fuel for our fire and we're working for the fans that really care about us."
But Turner and his squad can rest assure that the Nittany Lions will give them more than their fair share of respect.
"It is not going to be easy because they are good on both sides of the football and have a good kicking game," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "I am not sure that 15th (ranking) is the right place for them. I think they might deserve to be higher than that."
The Illini offense flat out wouldn't function without Kittner at the helm. The senior signal caller has amassed 2,138 yards through the air so far this season and has completed 16 touchdowns.
Lloyd may be the Big Ten's best receiver is averaging 18.3 yards per catch and has found the end zone six times, while Walter Young provides Kittner with a more-than-reliable second option (28 catches, 440 yards).
But Illinois' stable of running backs may be the strongest element to Turner's offense. The one-two punch of Antoineo Harris and Rocky Harvey has piled up 882 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.
The key to Turner's success this season has been knowing when to push which button, thus disallowing opponents to focus on one aspect.
"They're a well-balanced team," Penn State defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy said. "They've got some great athletes. We can't focus on the run or pass because they're such a balanced team."
That balance carries over to the defense which has vastly improved from last season. Penn State fans may best remember an Illini defense that former Lion quarterback/magician Rashard Casey wove through en route to college football's play of the year last season.
A play like that isn't likely to occur on this Illinois defense though. These Illini can flat out fly and are much more aggressive than last year's bunch.
"This is the biggest challenge we have had all year," Penn State quarterback Zack Mills said. "They blitz a lot and put a lot of pressure on you. We know it's going to be a very tough game especially since it's on the road."
