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Hill, Wisconsin try to power past Illinois

Oct 24, 2006 - 8:21 PM Illinois (2-6) at No. 17 Wisconsin (7-1), 12:00 pm EDT

MADISON, Wisconsin (Ticker) - With one exception, nobody has found a way to slow down P.J. Hill.

Hill looks to produce another stellar rushing effort when No. 17 Wisconsin hosts Illinois in a Big Ten Conference matchup on Saturday.

A redshirt freshman, Hill ranks sixth in the nation in rushing at 146.5 yards per contest. He has rushed for at least 100 yards every game this season except for a 54-yard effort against Michigan on September 23, which not coincidentally was Wisconsin's sole loss this season.

The Badgers (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) are coming off a 24-3 win at Purdue. Hill ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries and has gained 1,172 yards with 13 TDs on 202 attempts on the campaign.

The Fighting Illini (2-6, 1-3) have lost three straight games since stunning Michigan State on the road on November 30, 23-20.

Last Saturday, Illinois came up short at Penn State, 26-12, despite 161 rushing yards on 14 carries from Rashard Mendenhall. The Illini converted just 2-of-14 third downs in the defeat.

The Badgers have won the last three meetings by an average of 17.3 points, rushing for 268 yards per contest.