QBs take center stage Saturday

Font Size:

By The Associated Press | Friday, October 20, 2006 1:29 AM CDT | () comments

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Illinois’ Isiah Williams (7) has thrown for 925 yards and eight touchdowns, though he has thrown five interceptions and completed only 43 percent of his passes.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — How typical: quarterbacks hogging the spotlight.

At Penn State, it’s because the top two quarterbacks are recovering from concussions suffered last week against Michigan. Usual starter Anthony Morelli and backup Daryll Clark were cleared to play Thursday, though it’s still unclear who will start Saturday against Illinois.

No such worries for the Illini (2-5, 1-2 Big Ten). Isiah “Juice” Williams now runs the offense, and he’s only a freshman.

Williams has thrown for 925 yards and eight touchdowns, though he has thrown five interceptions and completed only 43 percent of his passes. He also is a threat to run, having rushed for 419 yards on 78 carries.

Still, Williams is just a first-year player making just his fifth start of his career at a tough road venue against a Penn State squad eager for a win after the loss last week to the Wolverines. Plus, Penn State (4-3, 2-2) has an athletic group of linebackers who might be able to control Williams.

It might be a tall order for the freshman, who still is learning to use his offensive line.

“There’s times he doesn’t have to escape. A lot of times, if he’s going too deep, there’s no offensive line in the country that’s going to protect him,” Illinois coach Ron Zook said. “Sometimes if he sits there and lets it open up, he’ll be in good shape.”

Morelli, the strong-armed junior, has shown signs of improvement over the past two weeks after an inconsistent start, though how much he plays — if at all — remains in question. Morelli, along with Clark were limited in practice for much of the week as doctors monitored their recoveries.

Third-stringer Paul Cianciolo would take over if Morelli (1,357 yards, six TDs) or Clark are limited. The top two QBs were listed as “possible” on the injury report released earlier this week.