After last season, Ron Turner gave his defensive staff its pick of any offensive player. The result is a unit that claims to be on the rise.

This weekend, however, the Illini face a Wisconsin defense that has already proven itself.

The Badgers have allowed just 4.8 points and 190 yards a game this year. Those numbers add up to a top ranking for the defensive line.

“They are unbelievable,” said Turner, head coach of the Illini. “Their front four are dominant. They have dominated everyone they have played and they have impacted every game they’ve played in. They are four seniors that have been starting together for a couple years now and you’ve seen them grow up into great football players. They are more dominate than any team up front that I ever remember facing.”

Despite a defensive advantage, Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez won’t take the Illini for granted.

“We’ll see some very good offenses down the road starting this week,” Alvarez said. “I think our defense will be tested this week. This will be the best offensive line we’ve faced, the best passing attack, and probably as good a running attack as we’ve faced.”

Alvarez is also concerned about his team’s ability to outsmart veteran Illini quarterback Jon Beutjer.

“You’re not going to show him anything that he hasn’t seen,” Alvarez said. “You know, he can get in and out of things. He’s tall, so he has a good vision of the field; he sees things pretty well. I guess this would be the first veteran quarterback, I mean really true veteran, that we’ve seen thus far. And he has some good weapons with him; Halsey and their fullback are really good runners. They present a lot of problems.”

Alvarez’s squad presents some problems of its own, especially with senior running back Anthony Davis returning this week from an eye injury suffered in the Badgers’ opener.

Davis rushed for 414 yards and four TDs in the first two games of the 2003 season, before missing five full games with an ankle injury.

“They’re all good; he’s different. He’s one of the best in the country,” Davis said. “He’s so quick and explosive. He’s got special qualities. Like I said, there’s good – and then there’s a cut above. He’s a cut above.”

Illinois is prepared to face any Wisconsin offense – with or without Davis.

“They are going to run the ball; they always do really well running the ball,” Turner said. “Regardless of who they have back there, they believe in the running game. The biggest challenge is going to be stopping the run. They are very committed to the run, their offensive line is good, they know how to run the football. So we know it’s going to be a challenge.”