Nov. 17--What kind of year is Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt having?
A complex one.
Lunt ranks fourth among Big Ten passers with 224.1 yards per game. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes and just four interceptions.
Yet Illinois has not scored a touchdown in two of its last three games heading into Saturday's game at Minnesota (4-6, 1-5 Big Ten). The Illini (5-5, 2-4) rank 11th in the conference in scoring with 23.5 points per game.
They're also 12th in the conference on third down, converting only 35.5 percent, and last in the red zone with 24 scores in 34 trips.
Maybe the most important number: 49 drops by receivers, according to interim coach Bill Cubit.
"There's a lot of discussion, but nobody understands what this guy really does for us," l Cubit said Monday at his weekly news conference in Champaign. "When he goes up to the line of scrimmage, he's got about four seconds. He gets us in good plays. We don't always run the plays well."
Lunt's inability to scramble sometimes hurts the Illini. He has a big arm, but he conceded there have been communication issues with young receivers. Illinois' injury woes on offense are well-documented.
"Do we all wish he was a 4.2 (speed) guy? Yeah, but that's not happening," Cubit said. "We play to his ability, and he handles the offense really well."
In his shoes: It's not a stretch to think Cubit would like to wind up in the same position as Minnesota's Tracy Claeys, who was promoted last week to the permanent head coaching position after Jerry Kill's abrupt retirement.
"If you keep on changing bosses, (players) don't know what to expect," Cubit said. "There's no continuity or consistency.
"(Minnesota) felt it was the right thing to do with Tracy. Tracy is a good person and also a good football coach. They had someone they trusted. In my mind, rightfully so."
Injury update: Freshman running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn is expected to return from the concussion that took him out of Saturday's loss to Ohio State.
Defensive end Jihad Ward has had a lingering ankle issue for three weeks, Cubit said. He expects Ward to play against the Golden Gophers.
sryan@tribpub.com
