COLLEGE FOOTBALL | NORTHWESTERN/ILLINOIS PREVIEW

Becoming king of the Big Ten probably isn't in the cards for Northwestern this fall, but the Wildcats still should benefit from having a Prince in their midst.

For two seasons, Prince Kwateng has patiently awaited his turn to play more of an integral role for Northwestern. The Munster grad's time finally may have arrived.

Although officially listed as a backup to fifth-year senior Eddie Simpson at linebacker heading into preseason practices, Kwateng was going to be given a legitimate shot at becoming a starter. And if Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald's enthusiasm at Big Ten media day was any indication, Simpson had his work cut out for him if he wanted to hold on to his job.

"He's got a tremendous attitude and he's always been a great effort guy," Fitzgerald said of Kwateng. "Prince has been extremely dedicated his first couple years in the program, but I've just seen him grow from a confidence standpoint, to where he's a vet now. Now, he's been out there in real-time, game-like experiences."

Kwateng has been a special teams contributor for the Wildcats, but he set himself up for bigger things by reducing his time in the 40 from 4.6 to 4.5 during the offseason and studying plenty of game tape.

"To gain the starting position would be quite an accomplishment," Kwateng said. "I feel that not playing that much defense (in high school) set me back. This past spring is when I started learning about the entire defense."

An injury in his senior prep season didn't help matters, either, but it did do one thing for Kwateng.

"It really did make me realize how much I wanted to play (football)," he said.

"He's a gifted athlete and I think he's having more fun," Fitzgerald said. "He's got that million-dollar smile on his face out there."

Illinois

Illinois coach Ron Zook would love to be wearing a similar expression come November, but the Illini's future may be decided well before that.

In late September, Illinois will begin a four-week stretch that features clashes with Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan. The first two contests will be played in Champaign, but the Illini have an uphill climb after winning just once in the Big Ten since Zook's 2005 arrival.

"You see you're making progress and there's light at the end of the tunnel," Zook said. "You've just got to kind of close out the (outside) noise, keep blinders on and keep on going."

Improving upon a minus-15 turnover rating is a must if success is to be realized. Zook and his players believe such forward progress is doable, but they're anxious for the scoreboard to start reflecting the strides that already have been made.

"You can talk all you want, like we're believing more, we're close or things like that," senior linebacker J Leman said. "But the next step is for our program to go out and win games. Not be close, not almost win, but to win games."