Ford, Kumerow out for bowl
CHAMPAIGN – Illinois will be without its leading running back and a backup wide receiver at the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
Senior tailback Jason Ford and redshirt freshman receiver Jake Kumerow are academically ineligible to play under NCAA rules.
Ford leads the Illini with 600 rushing yards on 155 carries. He ranks 16th on Illinois’ career rushing list with 1,962 yards and is second with 26 touchdowns.
With fullback Jay Prosch unavailable after contracting a staph infection, the team’s backfield will be thin against UCLA on Dec. 31 in San Francisco.
The Illini will rely on backups Troy Pollard, a senior with 462 yards on 62 carries this season, and freshman Donovonn Young, who carried 75 times for 422 yards and six touchdowns.
Kumerow played in seven games and caught three passes for 15 yards. All three catches came in the regular-season finale, a loss at Minnesota.
