No More Martez in 2009

On Tuesday, Illinois coach Ron Zook made it sound like junior middle linebacker Martez Wilson (who missed the Illinois State game with a stinger) was raring to go as the Illini began to prepare for their Sept. 26 Big Ten opener at Ohio State. "Martez was out in a red jersey, running around and he was biting at the bit," Zook said of Monday's practice.

On Thursday, Illinois announced that Wilson will miss the rest of the season. He's going to have surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck.

The school issued this statement from Wilson: "Of course, I am upset and frustrated, but you can't control injuries. The biggest thing for me is that I have a lot of support around me with
my family, the coaches and my teammates and they will help me get through this.
I was really looking forward to being a leader on this defense, but I can still
do that from the sidelines. I will get healed and make sure I am 100 percent for
next season."

Illinois started sophomore Russell Ellington last week and he looked solid with 8 tackles, 2 pass breakups and a 78-yard interception return.

However, linebacker was already a thin and inexperienced position for the Illini before Wilson went down. Weak-side linebacker Ian Thomas (the team's leading tackler with 17 stops) has made 2 career starts. Same with Ellington. Nate Bussey is a converted safety while Evan Frierson and Aaron Gress have seen little, if any, time with a game on the line.

LW