“On the Jazz! On the Jazz!”

Charles Davis, a football color commentator for Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network, will call Saturday’s game along with play-by-play man Thom Brennaman. Davis, a former defensive back at Tennessee during the mid-1980s, is well acquainted with Zook, who was on the Volunteers’ coaching staff at the time.

Zook’s reputation for having limitless energy, and his penchant for avoiding sleep, is well known. But last April, Davis offered the Chicago Tribune a rather peculiar source of Zook’s vigor.

“He used to carry sugar packets in his shorts,” Davis told the Tribune. “In the middle of practice he would rip open a packet. I’d say, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘Gotta have a burst! Gotta have a burst! On the Jazz! On the Jazz!'”

Zook light-heartedly brushed off the story as an exaggeration and insists he has “mellowed out a lot” since then.

“Those stories get exaggerated,” Zook said. “The older the story, the more exaggerated they get.”

The Florida connection

The statistics read like something out of a video game, not real life: four receptions, 123 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately for A.J. Jenkins, he probably will not be averaging 30.8 yards per catch by the end of the season.

Despite playing in only two games this season, the freshman has quickly become a prolific wide receiver at Illinois. After registering his first career reception against Michigan, Jenkins had two long touchdown catches against Minnesota last week.

“I was excited, but even though I had a good game, I still would rather have had the win than my stats,” Jenkins said.

Even so, Jenkins has added to a wide receiver corps that has consistently produced this season. Along with fellow wideouts Jeff Cumberland, Arrelious Benn, Chris Duvalt and Will Judson, Jenkins has caught at least one touchdown pass through six games.

“We’re still young,” Jenkins said. “The only one that’s leaving next year is Will Judson, and he’s a great player, but even when he leaves we’re still going to have some great depth.”

He also helped to establish what has become a recruiting pipeline between Illinois and the state of Florida.

Next year will bring the arrival of Jarred Fayson, a wide receiver who played at the University of Florida for one year before transferring to Illinois in the offseason. Fayson is sitting out this season as per NCAA rules, but during the Illini’s spring game, he left his mark with a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Jenkins, who hails from Jacksonville, Fla., said Fayson is the “comedian of the team” and will be a welcome presence on the field in 2009.

“It’s so hard to describe him. He’s the type of dude that the business comes first, but at the same time, he likes to joke around a little bit and have some fun at practice,” Jenkins said.

Fire(Your Name Here).com

Tommy Bowden’s resignation from the Clemson football program on Monday came amidst an uproar from the fans and a disappointing start. After beginning the season with a No. 9 ranking and national title aspirations, the Tigers’ 3-3 start to the season brought Bowden’s 10-year tenure at Clemson to an end.

It’s a situation Zook knows all too well.

Like Bowden, Zook left in the middle of a season, 2004 at Florida, seven games into his third year as head coach. Replacing Steve Spurrier was a tough assignment, and Zook saw it all during his volatile tenure in Gainesville: fans’ discomfort with his inexperience, their indignation at five-loss seasons and the infamous fireronzook.com.

Zook contacted Bowden on Monday night to offer his perspective.

“I’ve known Tommy for quite a while, we’re about the same age, I think,” Zook said.

Four years later, Zook said he does not view his departure from Florida as a negative experience.

“Like I told Tommy, there’s a lot more support out there than you think. When it happens you think it’s you and the world, but there’s a lot more support out there than you think,” Zook said.

“I didn’t think it at the time, but it’s the best thing that ever happened to me and it’ll be the best thing that will ever happen to him. Everything happens for a reason.”

Zook said Bowden is a “good football coach and a good person” and will eventually find a job somewhere. In the meantime, Zook’s colleague will be keeping tabs on him this weekend.

“(Bowden) told me he was going to watch us Saturday night and watch me sweat,” Zook said.