Editor's Note: This article was published in the Spring 2010 Year in Review issue.

For the 2009 Illinois football team, the season had too many questions and not enough answers.

“It was like a nightmare,” Juice Williams said after a 30-0 loss at Ohio State in September. “It was like one of those dreams when you can’t wake up.”

The nightmare continued for the Illini, as preseason hopes of competing for the Big Ten title were squashed by a 3-9 record, which included a five-game losing streak in which they lost every game by double digits. Ron Zook’s squad finished 2-6 in conference en route to missing a bowl game for the seventh time in eight years.

There were a few highlights in the mostly disappointing season. Williams became the school’s all-time leader in total offense with a 321-yard performance against Penn State. The team’s 38-13 win against Michigan on Halloween in front of a lively Memorial Stadium crowd was a coming out party for freshman cornerback Terry Hawthorne. The team boasted three draft picks in the 2010 NFL Draft, including junior wide receiver Arrelious Benn, a second-round selection.

But the few bright spots failed to mask the overwhelming disappointment from the season. Despite his prolific production throughout his time at Illinois, Williams was benched midway through the season. Despite a veteran cast, the Illini finished eighth in the Big Ten in scoring offense and last in scoring defense. There were an array of injuries to key players, including Benn, senior tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, and junior linebacker Martez Wilson.

Four offensive assistants, including first-year offensive coordinator Mike Schultz, were dismissed. Co-defensive coordinator Curt Mallory left the program, while fellow co-defensive coordinator Dan Disch stayed on staff as the linebackers coach.

The program made a big splash with its offseason hirings, bringing on Arkansas’ offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and Kansas State’s co-defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. Petrino brings with him a pro-style offense, while the defense switches to a 3-4 system under Koenning, and much of the spring was devoted to adjusting to their new schemes.