CHAMPAIGN - Ask any current Illini football player about the last time Illinois beat Michigan in Memorial Stadium, and you'll get a great big vacant stare.

Why?

Because not one of them was even born when Illinois defeated the Wolverines 16-6 on Sept. 29, 1983, a victory that helped pave the way to the Rose Bowl.

It was nearly 16 months before fifth-year senior J Leman was born, more than five years before some of the current Illini freshmen made their way into the world.

"It was before I was born," freshman receiver Rejus Benn correctly noted Monday when asked about the game. "I don't know too much about that."

Nor should he.

A few players can remember the Illinois-Michigan game in 2000, when many of the 72,000-plus in attendance left Memorial Stadium feeling Illinois should have won. Some are still cussing about it. Instead, two key calls went Michigan's way, and the Wolverines escaped with a 35-31 victory.

The call most people remember was a late fumble by Michigan running back Anthony Thomas, a fumble the officials said never happened. The Big Ten office eventually issued an apology for the incorrect call, but that did little to ease the pain of a potential victory that slipped away.

Illinois is preparing to host Michigan once again this week, and while fans may replay games of the past, current players made it clear they're not interested.

"I don't think about that stuff," linebacker J Leman said. "The last few weeks have been enough to show that streaks really don't mean much.

"We're excited to be playing a team of Michigan's caliber. They've been winning quite a few games lately, and it's going to be an exciting game."

Michigan finally seems to have gained some traction after a puzzling start to the season.

The Wolverines were stunned by Appalachian State 34-32 in the season-opener, a loss that some described as the most stunning upset in the history of college football.

The next week, Michigan lost to Oregon, 38-7. Both of those games were at Michigan Stadium.

Since then, however, the Wolverines have defeated Notre Dame, Penn State, Northwestern, Eastern Michigan and Purdue and this week moved back into the Top 25, checking in at No. 24 in the Associated Press rankings.

The resurgence has been led by a newly healthy Chad Henne, the Wolverines' quarterback who missed two-and-a-half games with a knee injury, and the steady play and leadership of tailback Mike Hart.

Hart missed the second half of last week's victory over Purdue when he appeared to injury his ankle, but those in the Illinois camp expect him to play Saturday night.

Hart, who is the national rushing leader with 1,078 yards, is No. 5 on the Big Ten's all-time rushing list with 4,757 yards. Only Michigan State's Lorenzo White (4,887 yards), Indiana's Anthony Thompson (5,299 yards), Ohio State's Archie Griffin (5,589 yards) and Wisconsin's Ron Dayne (7,125 yards) rank ahead of him.

With 131 yards against Illinois, Hart would move past White into fourth place.

"He's a tough kid, one of the toughest players around," said Leman, who leads the Big Ten in tackles. "I'm sure he'll be ready to go. He doesn't go down on the first hit. He has a ton of yards after contact. People don't see him as a power back, but he's definitely a strong runner."

Henne had his best game of the season against Purdue, completing 21 of 28 passes for 264 yards with a pair of touchdown passes to wide receiver Mario Manningham.

Manningham returned to action after missing the previous game for undisclosed reasons. He responded by making eight catches for a career-high 147 yards and re-establishing a deep threat Illinois will have to respect this week.

Early honors

Three Illini players have earned mid-season all-America honors from Rivals.com and Phil Steele's Football Magazine.

Senior linebacker J Leman was named one of three first-teamers for both lists, while junior running back Rashard Mendenhall and senior offensive guard Martin O'Donnell took second-team honors. Leman and Mendenhall were second-team midseason all-Americans according to SI.com.

Recalling a classic

It's "Michigan Week" for the Illini football team. And even though Illinois has not defeated Michigan in Memorial Stadium since 1983, the Big Ten Network is dusting off a "classic" Illini victory that took place in Ann Arbor in 1999.

Illinois' 35-29 upset of ninth-ranked Michigan will be featured at 7 p.m. today as part of the Big Ten Network's "The Big Ten's Greatest Games" series.

Illinois reeled off four straight second-half touchdowns to win the game. Sophomore quarterback Kurt Kittner, who had never before been to Michigan Stadium, threw four TD passes. Future Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady threw for 307 yards for Michigan but also threw two interceptions.

Series producers have interviewed many legendary players and coaches for this series of "classic" games, and their insights have been integrated into each episode.

Mark Tupper can be reached at mtupper@herald-review.com or 421-7983.