Let's see, Illinois has gone from 0-11 to 3-8 to 8-4 to ... 5-6?

Therein lies the simple mission for the Illini this season.

"We're really hungry and anxious to prove that last year was a fluke, and that (1999) was not a fluke,'' said coach Ron Turner. "We all believe we have the ability to do much more, and take some huge strides this fall.''

Whether Illinois has the talent to do that, time will tell -- particularly on defense. With seven starters, led by quarterback Kurt Kittner, back on a productive offense, Illinois will score enough points to win.

The six starters that return from a weak defense are another matter.

Wrenching as last year's losses were -- three were by a total of 11 points -- they were what you would expect from a team whose defense was ranked 113th in Division I-A against the run.

Turner eventually fired defensive coordinator Tim Kish and two other defensive assistants.

Replacing Kish is Mike Cassity, who headed up an effective, aggressive defense at Oklahoma State before moving to Champaign.

However, the biggest addition this season figures to be someone who was at Illinois all along. Brandon Lloyd, a swift wideout who emerged as a star of the 1999 team, is poised to flourish this fall after sitting out last season after breaking his leg in a freak off-season injury.

With Lloyd catching the deep balls that were missing last fall, Illinois also hopes to rediscover another element it lacked last season: The confidence to win.

"We were disappointed about going 5-6. We had six games that came down to the last few minutes and we only found a way to win two of them,'' Turner said. "We have to find a way to win those close games down the stretch. So much of that to me is mental, believing you're going to find a way to get it done. We have to regain that swagger."

The offense has the potential to be as effective as it was in 1999, when it scored a school-record 32.3 points a game.

Kittner, a senior who has a chance to be the best quarterback in the Big Ten, remains an old-fashioned drop-back-and-gun-it thrower with a strong arm and a good feel for where his receivers are going to be.

If Lloyd can pick up where he left off in 1999, when he caught 30 passes for 511 yards, Kittner has a chance to look like the unflappable quarterback who threw for 24 touchdowns and five interceptions in 1999, rather than the QB who threw 18 TDs and eight picks in 2000.

"I've heard a lot of people say he didn't have the year last year that he had the year before,'' Turner said.

"But after stepping away from it and looking at the film, you have a different point of view. He played every bit as well as he did the year before. But he didn't have Brandon Lloyd, the home run threat, and that affects everything.''

It affected the running game. In '99, the running back tandem of Rocky Harvey and Steve Havard combined for 17 rushing touchdowns. Last year, running behind the same line, Harvey and Antoineo Harris ran for 10 touchdowns. Former walk-ons Greg Lewis and Aaron Moorehead, and converted quarterback Walter Young, did a lot of nice things at receiver. But they didn't have the separation speed that allowed Illinois to pull out games.

Scoring dropped from 32.3 points a game to 26.7 points a game. Those 5.6 points are the difference between a joyous bowl season and grind-your-teeth disappointment.

That's especially true at Illinois because until it proves otherwise, the defense will have its hands full, particularly against the bruising running games it will encounter in Big Ten play.

The Illini (232.5 yards a game) allowed nearly 30 more rushing yards than Northwestern, the next-worst run defense in the conference, and they were eighth in total defense (412.5 yards a game). Still, Turner thinks Cassity, whose Oklahoma State defense gave national champion Oklahoma its toughest game last fall, can get things turned around.

"The biggest change you'll see defensively is we're going to be much more aggressive,'' Turner said.

"I feel good about our defense. I think our defense this year is where our offense was two years ago. Two years ago, there was a lot of uncertainty on offense, but we had a lot of good players who were given an opportunity and they stepped up. I see our defense in pretty much the same situation right now.''

If the defense makes strides, so will Illinois.

Lindy's Football Annuals (National, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC, plus Pro) are available at newsstands regionally, or can be ordered as a set at www.lindyssports.com, or by calling 1-205-871-1182.