Illinois' Brandon Lloyd didn't see a down of action last season.

The flashy wideout from Blue Springs, Mo., had to take a medical redshirt after suffering a broken leg.

But the sophomore has come back ferociously this season as he's averaging 102 yards per game and has hauled in six touchdown passes to spearhead a potent Fighting Illini offense that averages just under 32 points per outing.

With numbers like that, it's not surprising that the Illini are 7-1 and in serious contention for their first outright Big Ten title since 1983.

However, after having the chance to sit back and observe his team last year and being able to be an active part of it this season, Lloyd said there's another reason the Illini are atop the conference right now.

"The biggest difference from last season is definitely our defense," Lloyd said. "You have to give credit where credit is due. Our defense has stepped up. It's without a doubt what's different in our team from last year."

It's almost shocking to hear that coming from an outspoken wide receiver. You know, they're usually the guys who are quick to accept all the praise and have trouble dishing it out.

But Lloyd is smart. He knows if it wasn't for his teammates who roam on the other side of the ball, the Illini would probably be wallowing in a season full of mediocrity, much like they did last year.

Last season, Illinois struggled and finished 5-6, largely because its defense allowed 36 points in those losses and 412 total yards per game.

Now Illini head coach Ron Turner is no dummy. Although he's an offensive minded individual, he realized he needed a quick fix on defense to ensure that his team could return to the postseason this year two seasons after going to the now defunct Micronpc.com Bowl in 1999.

So he brought in defensive coordinator Mike Cassity who has instilled a brand new scheme that the players have taken a great liking to.

"We're having way more fun than we've had in the past," senior safety Muhammad Abdullah said. "We have a new staff and a new attitude. We're just having fun and when you have fun, good things happen. We're just giving it our all."

One reason this game plan is so fun is because everyone gets involved in this defense. It's not skewed towards the brilliant play of just a few players. Everyone is called upon to step to the forefront.

And the statistics show that everybody is indeed playing their part.

Heading into this weekend, the Illini (who boast the Big Ten's third best total defense) have collectively recorded 31 sacks (by 18 different players), picked off 11 passes (by five different defenders) and recovered eight fumbles (each one by a different player).

"They are very aggressive," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "They give you a lot of looks. It's a lot of what Buddy Ryan used to do in a sense of eight guys in there blitzing all over the place and putting a lot of pressure on the corners."

But it's not only the scheme itself that has enabled the Illini defense to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Turner has the luxury of having several backups who are good enough to be inserted throughout the course of the game.

"I felt that if we could stay healthy, we were going to be decent," Turner said. "Our guys can stay fresh now. Some of our guys played really well last year but they had to play 70 to 75 plays a game. Now they only have to play 40 to 45 plays."