Juice Williams might finally be on the verge of becoming one of the nation's top quarterbacks, but he may not have much to show for it if the Illinois defense doesn't improve.

Both figure to have a chance for a successful outing when the 24th-ranked Illini open their home season against nearby Eastern Illinois on Saturday.

The 6-foot-2, 233-pound Williams took a step toward further fulfilling his potential that has followed him since coming to Champaign-Urbana two years ago as a highly-touted national recruit from the south side of Chicago. Coming off a sophomore season where he threw for 1,743 yards and rushed for 755 in helping Illinois to a surprise 9-4 record and a berth in the Rose Bowl, Williams was 26-for-42 for a career-high 451 yards and five touchdowns in 52-42 loss to No. 6 Missouri last Saturday.

"We took what the defense gave us,'' said Williams, who was named co-Big Ten offensive player of the week after nearly doubling his previous career best of 227 passing yards. "We've got fast receivers on the outside and we took advantage of it.''

Will Judson caught five passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, while converted defensive back Chris Duvalt also had two TDs for Illinois, which racked up 532 total yards, but only 81 on the ground. That is not a good sign for a team that has to fill the void left by Rashard Mendenhall , who was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in April.

While the Illini offense had its moments at times against a generous Missouri defense, their own defensive unit was ultimately the difference in the outcome. Illinois allowed 549 yards, including 226 on the ground against the Tigers after closing last season by giving up 633 total yards to Southern California in the Rose Bowl.

"We're better than that and we can't make the mistakes we made and get behind a team of that caliber and expect to be able to come back," Illinois coach Ron Zook said.

Illinois might not have to worry about that this week as it faces Eastern Illinois for the second time ever despite the schools being located 45 miles apart. The Illini rolled to a 42-17 victory on Sept. 2, 2006 in the previous meeting with Williams making his college debut late in that contest.

Eastern Illinois, which was 8-4 overall and 7-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference to finish second in the league in 2007, fell 31-18 at Central Michigan last Saturday in its season opener.

Junior Bodie Reeder , who attended high school just outside Champaign, was 19-for-28 for 201 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked four times. The Panthers committed 59 yards worth of penalties and turned the ball over once while totaling just 284 yards against the Chippewas.

"We did what we could not afford to do and that is make turnovers and penalties," Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo said. "We can build from this and become a better team as the season progresses."

Eastern Illinois is 4-22 versus teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision. Illinois, meanwhile, is 80-33-5 in home openers and looks for its 11th straight opening victory at Memorial Stadium, which underwent a two-year, $160 million renovation project that will be unveiled Saturday.