Talk is cheap, and everyone’s got some. Whether it be the fans and their oozing optimism in August, the media and their fluctuating attitude over the season, or this Illini team and their never-ending stream of company lines, there’s been a lot of talk this year.Talk is cheap, and everyone’s got some.

Whether it be the fans and their oozing optimism in August, the media and their fluctuating attitude over the season, or this Illini team and their never-ending stream of company lines, there’s been a lot of talk this year.

But when the Illini (5-6, 3-4) visit Ryan Field on Saturday to take on Northwestern (8-3, 4-3), no amount of talk can help save their season. In order to reach a sixth win and give themselves a (slim) chance at a bowl berth, Illinois is going to have to go out there and act. No more company lines.

There’s just one problem: On a team that’s actions don’t match its potential, I’m afraid the Illini are nothing more than talkers.

Fool me once

Northwestern’s offense is similar to what Minnesota runs – something the Illini have been beaten by this season.

“They’re a team that runs the quarterback an awful lot. They use him a lot like a running back,” senior defensive lineman Will Davis said of the Wildcats. “They won’t use the pass to kill you, but they’ll spread you out and then run the ball.

“Everything that Northwestern has shown is something that we’ve already seen. Our offense runs a spread offense, so it’s nothing that we haven’t seen.”

Head coach Ron Zook and linebacker Brit Miller echoed similar remarks.

“There was a couple plays we make sure we see every week now because Minnesota scored on one,” Miller said. “I’m sure we’ll see the plays that beat us against Minnesota.”

Well if the defense knows what’s coming, they shouldn’t have any problem making the correct adjustments, right?

Every Monday, the team talks about making adjustments from the last game that will lead into the next one, but so far, the results have been mixed. Nowhere is this more evident than by looking at Illinois’ inconsistent week-to-week play.

It’s time for them to prove they’re learning from the past and making the proper adjustments instead of just talking about it. If Northwestern is something they’ve seen before, then this shouldn’t be a problem …

Offensive execution

Much of the ire of the fans has been directed at Juice Williams and his turnover-happy play. At the beginning of the season, I would have told people to back off and give the guy a break, but he’s thrown more interceptions (8) than touchdowns (6) over the last four games. He deserves it.

“Coach Locksley does a great job of putting us in the right position to go out there and score points and put up yards,” Williams said. “It’s up to us to go out there on the field and execute his plays. He can’t come out there and do it for us.”

As much as the imagery of Locksley lining up under center makes me giggle, Williams needs to execute better – especially in the passing game.

Too many times Juice stares down his primary receiver and gets picked off. Too many costly turnovers at crucial moments have killed drives. There’s a lot of talk about his ability, but let’s see him put it together when it matters most.

Zook the salesman

You got to be a pretty smooth talker to bring big name recruits to a program that’s been in and out (mostly in) of the Big Ten basement. Coach Zook has proven to be one of the smoothest.

While he’s been able to grab some high-caliber talent over a fairly short amount of time, Zook and his staff need to get maximum utilization out of those players. Smooth talk is over. It’s time for chalk talk.

I’m not a supporter of firing Zook like some have become over the past two weeks, but he does need to start working on his schemes. Recruiting will only get you so far.

Word of mouth

On a positive note, Brit Miller is having a monster season. I’ve mentioned this a few times, but he is making J Leman’s performance last year look like a stat line for a second stringer. Yet, I feel like the fans only give Miller half the recognition.

As a member of the media, I got to see a side of Miller most people didn’t. He was always talkative and open. In fact, he talked so much at times that we sometimes tried to avoid him. However, even Miller was not immune to the team’s constraints.

“You wish you could say more,” Miller said. “You wish you could get a little more personable. I try to break that barrier as much as possible.”

I know this column is being critical of this team talking too much, but it’s a shame to hear from a player that he’s being held back by his own team. We want to get to know our athletes. But there just seems to be too much in the way to make that possible.

For a team that says “our time” in unison after every practice, this weekend is the moment to prove it.

My pessimism has led me to believe the Illini won’t make it to a bowl game, even if they do win in Evanston, but realistically, there’s still a chance.

Personally, I’d rather be talking about going out on a positive note. But that’s just me.

Kyle Betts is a graduate student. He can be reached at [email protected].