Nov. 5, 2001
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FOR OPENERS
Illinois looks to improve to 8-1 for the first time since 1983 when the Illini won the Big Ten title with a 9-0 mark and took a 10-1 record into the Rose Bowl ... The Illini are making their first ever appearance in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, debuting at 12th this week with a strength of schedule rating of 22nd ... The Fighting Illini's 4-1 start in Big Ten play is the best since 1993 when they started conference play 5-1... This is the latest in the season that the Illini have been in first place in the Big Ten since tying for the conference championship in 1990 ... Illinois is 4-0 at Memorial Stadium in 2001 and is shooting for its first perfect home mark since 1984 ... Illini senior quarterback Kurt Kittner is one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ... Illinois placekicker Peter Christofilakos was named to the 20-man semifinal list for the Lou Groza Award ... Kittner leads the Big Ten in passing offense with an average of 267.2 yards per game and 16 touchdown passes ... As a team, the Illini lead the league in pass offense (271.1 avg.) and rank second in scoring offense (31.9 avg.) ... after allowing an average of 26.0 points per game last year, the Illini defense is giving up 20 points a game in 2001 ... Teams rushed for 232.5 yards a game against Illinois in 2000 and are averaging 134.8 in 2001, a decrease in 98 yards per game ... Illinois has three of the top 10 leaders in passes defended with Eugene Wilson (1st, 20), Christian Morton (2nd, 17) and Bobby Jackson (8th, 10) ... Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten with 34 quarterback sacks (4.3 avg.), and ranks second with just eight sacks (1.0 avg.) allowed in eight games ... The Fighting Illini lead the Big Ten in pass defense efficiency with a rating of 105.9 ... Illinois has the most field goals made by any Big Ten team this year (18), by three different kickers ... Illini sophomore kickers John Gockman (4-5) and Peter Christofilakos (9-10) have combined to make 13 of 15 fields goals on the year ... Illini sophomore Brandon Lloyd is the first Illini receiver since David Williams in 1985 to top 100 yards in reception yardage five times in the same season ... Illinois now has five blocked kicks on the season with two field goals, two punts and one PAT ... Illinois senior punter Steve Fitts has his name at the top of every Illini punting career list as the Illini career leader in punting average (41.7 avg.), punting yards (9,608 yards), and in number of punts (230) ... Christian Morton has tied the Illini season record with two interceptions returned for touchdowns ... Kittner is Illinois' career leader with 59 touchdown passes and moved into seventh place on the Big Ten career passing yardage list with 7,604 yards, second on the UI list.
THE COACHES' CORNER
RON TURNER, Illinois (23-30 in his fifth year at Illinois, 30-34 overall) - Ron Turner is in his fifth year at Illinois and enters the Penn State game with a 30-34 coaching record, including 23-30 at UI. Turner is 0-4 against the Nittany Lions after a 39-25 loss at State College last season.
Turner led the Illini to an 8-4 record and a 63-21 thumping of Virginia in the Micronpc.com Bowl in 1999. For his efforts, Turner finished fourth in the Associated Press Coach of the Year voting. Turner came to Illinois after a four-year stint as the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears (1993-96). In 1992, he was the head coach for San Jose State where he turned in a 7-4 record and a second-place finish in the Big West Conference. Turner has served as an assistant at Stanford, Texas A&M, Southern California, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Arizona working mainly with quarterbacks and receivers during his 20+ years in college coaching. Over the last three seasons, Illinois has a record of 20-11 under Turner and is shooting for its first perfect home record since 1984.
JOE PATERNO, Penn State (325-94-3 in his 36th year at Penn State and as a collegiate head coach) - Joe Paterno became the winningest coach in Div. 1A football history with the Oct. 27 victory over Ohio State. Paterno has spent 52 years at Happy Valley on the Penn State coaching staff, either as an assistant or head coach. Paterno is 7-0 all-time against Illinois, including 4-0 at Memorial Stadium.
COACHING CONNECTIONS
No direct coaching connections between the two staffs.
SERIES HISTORY
Penn State leads the all-time series by a 9-1 margin, including a 5-1 advantage at Champaign. The only Illini win in the series came at Memorial Stadium in 1960 by a 10-8 score. The teams also met at Cleveland Stadium in 1959 when the Nittany Lions posted a 20-9 victory.
Last year at Happy Valley, four turnovers doomed a strong Illini effort in a 39-25 Penn State victory. Kurt Kittner completed 29 of 49 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns, but had two interceptions. Walter Young had a career-best day with 127 yards in receptions, while Greg Lewis snared two of Kittner's TD passes. Penn State's Rashard Casey threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 94 yards and another score to lead the Lion attack. The Illini trailed by seven late in the fourth quarter and appeared to have Casey trapped for a big loss before the Lion QB scrambled for a 39-yard TD to clinch the game for Penn State.
TURNER NOTES
Turner has his 7-1 Illinois squad ranked 14th in the nation in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and 15th in the Associated Press after not even cracking the preseason Top-35 in either list.
In 1999, Turner led an Illini turnaround from 3-8 the previous season to 8-4 and a 63-21 win over Virginia in the Micronpc.com Bowl. For his efforts, Turner finished fourth in the Associated Press Coach of the Year voting.
During that same season, Turner became the first coach in Big Ten history to win at Michigan and Ohio State in the same season. The 20-point come-from-behind victory at "The Big House" was the best comeback win in school history. Illinois' 46-20 win at "The Horseshoe" was the worst home loss for the Buckeyes in 50 years.
The 1999 Illinois squad became the highest scoring offense in school history with its win in the Micronpc.com Bowl. The Illini's 388 points surpassed the 1902 team's 380 points scored in 13 games.
Turner was the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears from 1993-96, setting franchise scoring and passing records in 1995. In that season, the Bears had a 1,000-yard rusher and receiver.
Turner has over 20 years experience coaching quarterbacks. Some of his QBs include: Jeff Garcia, Erik Kramer, Jim Harbaugh, Steve Stenstrom, Sean Salisbury, Rodney Peete, Bucky Richardson, Sandy Schwab, John Congemi and Dave Kreig.
Turner founded the "Scoring Against MS" program to raise money for the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. Currently the program has raised over $300,000 over the last five years. Money is donated based on the amount of points scored by the Illini during the season.
Turner's brother is Norv Turner, offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers.
Home Cookin'
Illinois has improved its home record at Memorial Stadium each season under Ron Turner. After going 0-6 in his first year, the Illini have improved to 2-4 in 1998, 3-3 in 1999 and 4-2 in 2000. So far in 2001, the Illini are a perfect 4-0 on the home turf.
ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
After a 7-1 start to the season, the Illini are ranked 14th by ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and No. 15 in the Associated Press poll, the highest ranking in the Turner era. The last time the Illini were ranked as high at 14th was in 1991 after starting the season 4-1, Illinois moved to 13th in the AP poll. The team finished the season unranked with a 6-6 record. During the 1990 season, Illinois climbed as high as fifth in the nation for a two-week span after defeating No. 25 Michigan State and winning at Wisconsin. In the final rankings that season, Illinois finished 25th.
KITTNER SEEKS WINNINGEST ILLINI QB HONORS
Following the Illini's impressive 7-1 start in 2001, senior quarterback Kurt Kittner is looking to become the school's winningest quarterback in modern history with three more wins this season. Former QB Jack Trudeau, who played from 1983-85, finished his career with 23 wins, while Kittner currently has 21 under his belt as the starting quarterback.
ILLINI VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
The Illini are 2-1 this season against ranked opponents after knocking off No. 15 Purdue, 38-13 in West Lafayette, Ind. Illinois defeated No. 25 Louisville, 34-10, and falling at No. 17 Michigan, 20-45.
TRAVELING ILLINI
With four road games under their belt this season, the Illini are 3-1 away from Memorial Stadium following a 38-13 win at Purdue, 35-14 win at Indiana, 44-17 win at California and 45-20 loss in Ann Arbor. During the 2000 season, Illinois won its first road contest at San Diego State, then dropped the next four during conference play. However, the 1999 season saw the exact opposite with the Illini falling to Indiana 31-34 in overtime early in the season while posting a 4-1 record on the road with wins at Louisville, Michigan, Iowa and Ohio State. In 1999, the Illini became the first team to win at Ohio State and Michigan in the same season since the 1952 Michigan State squad accomplished the feat.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
The Illini are averaging 35 points per contest over the last four games and topped the 40-point mark for the second time in 2001 with a 42-35 win over Wisconsin.
Illinois' passing offense ranks first in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation with a 271.1 yards per game average. Although sophomore Brandon Lloyd has topped 100-yards receiving in five games and has 821 yards through eight, 11 Illini players have hauled in catches for the other 1,317 yards, including junior Walter Young who is averaging 55.0 yards per game.
The receiving duo of sophomore Brandon Lloyd and junior Walter Young rank sixth nationally in touchdown receptions per game (1.25) and 10th in receiving yardage per game (157.7).
F The Illini offensive line has allowed only eight sacks in eight games (1.0 per game), which ranks second in the conference. They have held opponents without a sack in four games (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Louisville and California), including a Wisconsin defense that was averaging 3.5 sacks per contest.
Illinois' two-headed tailback of Rocky Harvey and Antoineo Harris has added another apendage, fullback Carey Davis. Against Indiana, Harris racked up his second 100-yard game of the season, followed by a career-high 83 yards by Davis and 76 by Harvey. It was the second game that the Illini running backs have used three players to establish the ground game. In the Illini's win over Minnesota all three backs tallied 65 yards apiece for a team 198-yard effort.
The Illini offense has scored 25 points or more 21 times in the last three seasons (dating back to 1999, 31 games) and has topped the 40-point mark nine times during that same span.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
The Illini defense is second in the Big Ten in sacks with 32 for a loss of 216 yards through eight games. Eighteen Illini defenders have recorded sacks with defensive linemen Brandon Moore, Terrell Washington, Jeff Ruffin and linebacker Jerry Schumacher leading the way with four apiece. In addition to the 32 sacks, Illinois has 36 other tackles for loss.
In Illinois' 38-13 win over Purdue, the offense turned the ball over four consecutive series setting up the Purdue offense on an average of the Illinois 28 yardline. The defense allowed a total of only nine yards and six points in four drives. They forced the Boilermakers to punt, kick two field goals and held them scoreless at the 1 yardline.
In the past eight games, the Illini have forced 19 turnovers which ranks 32nd in the nation. The Illini have scored 55 points off turnovers, putting points on the board following nine of the 19 take-aways.
All five defensive backs have recorded interceptions with free safety Muhammad Abdullah and cornerback Chrisitan Morton leading the way with three. Morton and strong safety Bobby Jackson each picked off a pass, returning them for touchdowns in Illinois' win over No. 15 Purdue. Jackson's return for 83 yards is the ninth longest in school history. Morton's 63-yard return for TD is his second score of the season which tied a school single-season record.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
For the last three years the Illini have had the threat of the two-headed tailback. Now they boast a trio of kickers that have combined for 18 of 23 field goals on the season, which ranks first in the Big Ten. Sophomore JJ Tubbs began the season as the team's kicker hitting 5-of-8 field goals. After missing field goals against Louisville, sophomore Peter Christofilakos took over as the full-time placekicker and has made 9 of 10 this season and has been named a seminfinalist for the Lou Groza Award. Junior college transfer John Gockman is the Illini's long-range kicker hitting 4 of 5 from over 40 yards. Christofilakos and Gockman combined for five field goals in the Illini's win over Wisconsin, tying a school record for field goals in a game. For their effort, they were named Big Ten Special Teams Players of the Week.
Senior punter Steve Fitts is averaging 43.0 yards per punt ranking fifth in the Big Ten and 27th in the nation. He has increased the team's net punting average from 36.3 last season to 38.7 (third in the Big Ten). He has booted a long of 68 yards this season and has placed eight inside the 20 yardline.
The Illini have blocked five kicks this season (two punts, two field goals and an extra point). The two field goals came against Northern Illinois when senior DE Terrell Washington got a hand on two potential scores for the Huskies. Washington recorded his third blocked kick when he swatted an extra point attempt at Indiana. Wide receiver Dwayne Smith and safety Nick Piazza have blocked punts for the Illini this year.
Junior punt returner Eugene Wilson ranks fourth in the Big Ten with his 11.0 average yards per punt this season. He broke free for a 46-yard return in the Illini's win at Indiana, taking the return to the Indiana 5 yardline. Wilson ranks third on Illinois' all-time punt return yardage list.
The Illini kickoff unit forced a fumble (Muhammad Abdullah forced, Jamaal Clark recovered) on the 26 yardline to set up a 7-yard TD by Antoineo Harris in the Illini's 44-17 win over Cal.
GENERAL TEAM NOTES
Through eight games, the Illini's average starting field position is on the 35 yard line and have started 18 drives in plus territory, while opponents are beginning their drives at the 30 yard line and have started 19 drives within their own 20.
With its 34-10 win over No. 25 Louisville, Illinois won its 10th straight game over non-Big Ten foes and registered its third straight season with an undefeated record heading into conference play.
Five true-freshmen have seen action through seven games: FB Cory Flisakowski, S Taman Jordan, DB Sedrick Davenport, LB Matt Sinclair and LB Brian Schaefering.
Redshirt freshman Patrick Babcock and junior college transfers Mario Ivy and Michael Hall are the only first-year players to start for the Illini this season. Babcock is Illinois' starting right guard, Ivy started at linebacker in the first two games before moving to defensive end and Hall made his first start at cornerback against Louisville.
Shutting Down the RUN
One of the keys to the Illinois surge atop the Big Ten standings has been the play of its defense, in particular, its play against the run. In the eight games this season, the Illini have shut down their opponent's top-ground gainers and have turned their opponents into one-dimensional offenses. After finishing the season ranked 113th in the nation against the run in 2000, the Illini are allowing only 134 yards per game which ranks 45th.
PURDUE: Against the 15th-ranked Boilermakers, the Illini allowed only 62 yards rushing and 51 of those yards came on a fake punt. The Illinois "D" also stopped Purdue behind the line of scrimmage a school-record 15 times, including another school-record 10 sacks. In that game, nine Illini players recorded tackles for loss.
WISCONSIN: In a game against the Big Ten's top rusher, the Illini held the Wisconsin Badger offense to only 126 yards on the ground. The Badgers entered the game averaging 180 yards rushing.
Northern IllinoIS: The Huskies' running back Thomas Hammock entered the game averaging 177 yards rushing per game and the Illinois defense held him to 111 yards on 23 carries, 68 yards shy of his average.
Louisville: UL's top back T.J. Patterson had a season average of 70.3 yards per game which was cut short to only 7 yards on 7 attempts (1 yard per carry). As a team, the Illini held the Cardinals to only 29 yards on the ground, instead of their usual 131 yards per game.
Minnesota: In the two previous meetings with the Gophers, the Illini had given up an average of 365.5 yards rushing. However, the 2001 defense held Minnesota to only 149 yards rushing, more than 50 yards below its season average, while also keeping Tellis Redmon under the 100-yard mark.
Indiana: One week after Indiana tailback Levron Williams rushed for 280 yards, the Illini defense stopped him with 91 yards, while also keeping the team rushing numbers 40 yards below their average.
KITTNER - UNITAS AWARD FINALIST
Kittner was named one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation's best senior quarterback.
Averaging 267.3 yards per game, Kittner leads the Big Ten in passing offense and ranks second in total offense. He also ranks 17th in the nation in total offense.
Kittner, with 36 starts under his belt, has amassed over 7,500 yards passing and 59 touchdowns in his career. His four touchdown performance against the Badgers gave him Illnois' all-time touchdown pass record, passing Jack Trudeau's 55 from 1983-85. Illini teams are 19-5 when Kittner throws a touchdown pass, dating back to 1999.
With 299 yards passing against Purdue, Kittner posted his 20th career 200-plus passing game. He has also topped 2,000 yards for the second time in his career.
For his career-high 401-yard perfomance against Wisconsin, he was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
Kittner is the Big Ten Leader in TD Passes with 16, including touchdowns to seven different receivers. He has also completed 21 passes over 30 yards this season, including a high o67 yards and two 59-yarders.
For the second straight year, Illini quarterback Kurt Kittner has been named to the 30-man watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top collegiate quarterback.
ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., lists Kittner as the No. 21 player on his "Big Board" of the top-25 senior prospects in the 2002 NFL Draft. He is rated the No. 1 quarterback and the third-highest Big Ten athlete.
He was an honorable mention Football News All-American in 2000 and was named the ESPN Player of the Game with his career-high 352-yard performance against Michigan last season. In 1999, he led the Illini's record-breaking offense and engineered road wins at Ohio State and Michigan.
LLOYD'S BACK AND EARNING HONORS
With 112 yards receiving vs. Purdue, sophomore Brandon Lloyd topped the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season, marking the first time an Illini receiver has has five 100-yard receiving games since All-American David Williams accomplished the feat in 1985 with six. He also sparked the Illini offense to a 38-13 win over No. 15 Purdue with his 47-yard touchdown reception in the first half.
Lloyd is averaging 102.8 yards per game which ranks second in the Big Ten and 9th in the nation. His 822 total receiving yards also rank 10th nationally.
In the Illini's first game of 2001 and Lloyd's first back after a one-year hiatus, the receiver caught eight passes for 178 yards, the fifth-highest single-game receiving total in Illinois history. For his performance at Cal, Lloyd earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
California head coach Tom Holmoe was quoted as saying, "He was the difference-maker. We knew that going in. But he just dominated situations."
In eight games this season, Lloyd has hauled in eight passes over 30-yards bringing his "Big Play" total to 21 in 20 career games played.
BUTKUS NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
Butkus started his 31st consecutive game for the Illini against Purdue and has helped the Illini become one of the most explosive offenses in the Big Ten. The Illini lead the Big Ten in passing, rank fifth in total offense and the offensive line has allowed only eight sacks in the first eight games, which ranks second in the Big Ten.
The line has held four defenses without a sack, including All-American Wendell Bryant and the Wisconsin Badgers which came into the game averaging 3.5 sacks per contest. Butkus has 62 knockdowns this season, eight per game.
Illinois senior center Luke Butkus was named to the Scripps Howard preseason All-American team. He has also been selected to the Rimington Award Watch List.
Butkus earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season in leading Illinois to a second straight 2,000-yard passing, 1,700-yard rushing season.
FITTS - ILLINOIS' ALL-TIME LEADING PUNTER
With five punts against Purdue, senior punter Steve Fitts became Illinois' all-time leader in punts, punting yardage and punt average. He also is 34 yards from breaking into the Big Ten career yardage list.
Fitts, who has been the team's regular punter for the last four seasons, has been an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection for the last two. He has a season average of 43.0 adn has landed eight punts inside the 20 yardline with a net punting average of 38.7 yards in 2001.
With a 42.2 punting average against Purdue, Fitts has averaged over 40 yards a punt in 29 career games.
CONVERTED QUARTERBACKS
Three starters on this Fighting Illini team - WR Walter Young, CB Christian Morton and TE Brian Hodges - came to Illinois as quarterbacks and are now making an impact at different positions.
During the 1999 season, Young was competing for a back-up QB spot with senior Kirk Johnson. To get some playing time on the field, Young worked out part-time with the receivers. During that season, he caught 14 passes for 267 yards and a key touchdown at Michigan. In 2000, he moved to the position permanently, recording 403 yards receiving and a 14.9 yard per catch average. This season he is the team's second-leading receiver with 440 yards on 28 catches and four touchdowns.
Morton had dreams of being an NFL quarterback, but was competing behind Kittner and current QB back-ups Dustin Ward and Mark Kornfeld. After talking with head coach Ron Turner, Morton decided the best way to get on the field was to go to the opposite side of the ball, turning the cornerback position from a concern to a strength. Through eight games he has returned two interceptions for touchdowns, broken up 17 passes (2nd in the Big Ten) and has 49 tackles (4th on the team).
Senior tight end Brian Hodges also reported to Illinois as a future quarterback, but was moved to tight end during his freshman season. He started 11 games as a redshirt freshman and has notched six starts this season. His first catch of the season was the 14-yard game-tying touchdown in the Illini's 42-35 win over Wisconsin.
THE CHAMPAIGN BEARS
On Oct. 22, the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Chicago Bears formed a partnership in which Memorial Stadium and the community of Champaign-Urbana will serve as the home site for all Bears games during the 2002 season. The Chicago Bears and Illinois athletics have a long-standing tradition which dates back to the Bears founder, George Halas, who was also an Illinois alum. The Bears got their Orange and Blue colors from the Illini. Some of the greatest names in Illinois athletics are also synonomous with Bears' excellence as well - Red Grange and Dick Butkus. Both players have had their Illinois and Bears jerseys retired.
COACHING STAFF CHANGES
Four new coaches joined the Illini staff for the 2001 season, including three on the defensive side of the ball.
New defensive coordinator Mike Cassity came to Illinois after two seasons at Oklahoma State, where the Cowboy's held the national champion, Oklahoma Sooners, to a season-low 12 points last season. He has 18 years experience as a coordinator and shares the defensive backfield with new secondary coach Mike Mallory.
Mallory, the son of longtime Indiana head coach Bill Mallory and an All-American linebacker at Michigan in 1985, works primarily with the safeties.
Donnie Thompson, a 26-year veteran defensive line coach, came to Illinois after 12 seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels. During his time with the Tar Heels, Thompson tutored 13 defensive linemen to pro careers, including three first-round draft picks. He also developed current Tar Heel, Julius Peppers, who is the top-rated defensive end in the country.
Cassity and Thompson served as co-coordinators together at Western Kentucky in 1985-86.
Dan O'Dell is the lone change on the offensive side of the ball, in his first season with the Illini quarterbacks. He spent the last two seasons at Illinois as the offensive graduate assistant.
TURNER TO COACH EAST-WEST SHRINE GAME
Illinois head coach Ron Turner has been named the East Coach for the 2002 East-West Shrine All-Star Game, along with Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, who will lead the West. The 77th annual game, which is scheduled for Jan. 12 at 12:30 CT on espn2, features the best senior collegiate all-stars. This is the second straight year Turner has been chosen to coach a senior all-star game. He coached in the Blue-Gray Game in 2000.
IT'S IN THE BLOOD
Here is a list of current Illinois football players with NFL lineage:
Luke Butkus, Sr., C - nephew of Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, Father, Ron, played for the Chicago Cardinals ... Lamont Holden, r-Fr., LB - father, Renwick Atkins played one year with Detroit Lions ... Estus Hood, Fr., TE - Father, Estus Hood, played for Green Bay ... Aaron Moorehead, Jr., WR - Father, Emory Moorehead, played 12 years in NFL with Giants, Broncos and Bears ... Duke Preston, Fr., OL - Father, Raymond Preston, played nine years with San Diego Chargers ... Matt Dlugolecki, Fr., QB - Cousin of QB Ron Powles, Uncle, Bobby Glazebrock, was DB for the Atlanta Falcons ... Mario Ivy, Jr., LB - Cousin of Dallas Cowboy DE Ed "Too Tall" Jones ...Taman Jordan, Fr., DB - Uncle, Jim Moore, played for Baltimore Colts.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Softball-playing football players. That's what the Illini were this summer when the senior class formed a six-team softball league made up solely of football players. The seven-week league began in an effort to give the team a bonding activity off the football field. The Huff City Riders team, made up of players such as linebacker Jerry Schumacher and running back Rocky Harvey, won the league in the championship game played during training camp. Wide receiver Aaron Moorehead won the league's batting title.
MEMORIAL STADIUM FACELIFT
During the offseason, Illinois' Memorial Stadium got a facelift replacing the 15-year old Astroturf with the state-of-the-art AstroPlay? surface. The artificial turf has the look and feel of natural grass and is the same surface that was installed in the Illini's indoor practice facility last fall. AstroPlay? is a new concept in filled turf systems - a grass-like, non-abrasive, polyethylene fiber matrix is filled with special rubber or rubber granules. Memorial Stadium is one of only a few NCAA football venues to switch to AstroPlay? along with schools such as Oklahoma State and Kansas.
IT'S ALL RELATIVE
For the second straight year, the Illinois secondary will be full of Jacksons. Senior strong safety Bobby Jackson is joined by his brother Marc, who is a junior free safety. Their father is Robert Jackson, wide receivers coach for the Illini ... Sophomore offensive lineman Aaron Hodges earned his first letter in 2000, joining his brother, senior tight end Brian ... Junior, wide receivers Walter Young and Greg Lewis are first cousins.
RON TURNER RADIO SHOW
The Ron Turner Radio Show will once again take its act on the road. Each week the show will visit campus sorority and fraternity houses on Mondays at 6 p.m. CT. The show can be heard on the 45-station Illini Sports Network as well as on the internet at www.fightingillini.com.
