Daily Illini: Illini ready for battle with Cal

By Courtney Linehan

When the Illini step onto the field at California this weekend, an immense task will lay before them.  Illinois faces the No. 15 Golden Bears at 4 p.m. Central time tomorrow. It will be Illinois' first game against a ranked opponent this season and it will be Illinois' first road game. It will be the team's first chance to prove it is as good as the players and coaches say it is. "I think we don't have a lot of respect yet," linebacker J Leman said. "We've just beaten two teams that people don't think were very good. If you want respect you've got to beat these (upcoming) teams, so we've got to go out there and win."

While Illinois comes into the game with a 2-0 record, this will be its first test. Even though they will be flying to the West coast, head coach Ron Zook said the Illini are working on maintaining their regular pre-game schedule. "The more you can keep it the same, the better off you are," Zook said. Cal also brings a 2-0 record to the match up. The Bears walked right over Sacramento State to start the season, and topped Washington 56-17 last weekend. They have already lost their starting quarterback to injury, but make up for it in size and seniority. Illinois has a green quarterback and a youthful squad. The Illini are hot to prove what they can do - but are not denying that this will be a tough match up.  "They come out low and they are aggressive," Illinois offensive lineman JJ Simmons said of the Bears. "They like to get in the backfield and penetrate. It will be a great test for us." Illinois must win at a few specific positions if they want to win the game. The head-to-head match up of Illinois quarterback Tim Brasic and Cal's Joe Ayoob will see two inexperienced players trying to prove themselves once again.  Also important for Illinois will be punter Steve Weatherford. Weatherford sprained his ankle in last weeks' 40-19 win against San Jose State, and has been taking it easy in practice. Zook says the senior will be back in the lineup tomorrow, but if Weatherford cannot play, the Illini will hand kick-off responsibilities to sophomore kicker Jason Reda and punting to walk-on Dominic Shaffer.

Weatherford is not the only injured Illini. Kendrick Jones, Derrick McPherson and Anthony Thornhill have all been nursing injuries this week. Coaches are pushing Justin Harrison, but don't want to take it too fast.  Lineman are another important position, primarily on offense. The Cal offensive line is large enough to easily cause a problem. While Illinois has strong wide receivers, Zook said Cal has a great starter - and that's all a team needs. "They lost receivers, but they have a receiver (Robert Jordan) who has already had 11 catches in one game," Zook said. "They are going to be the best receivers we've seen to date." Yet, come Saturday, Zook says the Illini will be prepared to face this tough competition. It's the next step Illinois needs to take in proving doubters wrong. Win or lose, the game will be a great test of where the team currently stands. "We've got to go out there, and we're going to compete for a win." Leman said. "It's going to be a battle."