Aug. 10, 2002

The University of Illinois football squad opened two-a-day practices at the former Chanute Air Force Base, Saturday, by naming seniors Tony Pashos, Jerry Schumacher, Eugene Wilson and Walter Young as the 2002 team captains.

The workouts were the first of the year that had both the veterans and newcomers practicing as one unit. The workouts lasted approximately two hours with each position group getting a lot of individual work.

As will be the case throughout Camp Rantoul, fightingillini.com will feature a position group each day and get the thoughts of that position's coach on their unit for the upcoming season. Today's group is the running backs:

When you look at the tailback position, preseason Doak Walker Award candidate Antoineo Harris headlines a talented group of ball carriers that will be wearing Orange and Blue this fall. Last season, Harris rushed for 629 yards and six scores despite missing the final two games of the regular season with a broken wrist. This year, Harris' wrist is fully healed and the senior is ready to lead the Illini to another Big Ten title.

Joining the senior in the backfield are a pair of newcomers that offer a change of pace from the bruising Harris. Urbana native Morris Virgil is turning heads with his speed and versatility and gives the Illini a breakaway threat in the backfield. Ryan Clifford is also impressing coaches and players alike with his blend of power and speed. In fact, Clifford has been so impressive during his workouts that the transfer from Eastern Michigan was awarded a scholarship.

"This is a very versatile group," running backs coach Jim Helms said. "When you watch Antoineo run, you immediately notice how strong of a runner he is and forget that he can get out and run too. I think Morris is the fastest of our guys. He's a very strong 190-pound back that I think will be a big contributor for us. Ryan is a mixture of both. Ryan is a compact 190 pounds that has some speed, but won't shy away from any contact."

The fullback position is also in good hands with the likes of Carey Davis and Brad Haywood returning from last season. Rated the No. 6 fullback nationally by The Sporting News, Davis gives Illinois a triple threat in the backfield. Not only is Davis a devastating blocker from his up-back position, the Florissant, Mo., native carried for 474 yards a year ago, while being the team's third most prolific pass catcher with 39 receptions.

Brad Haywood fills the more traditional fullback role for the Illini. While he may not get the same number of carries as the other backs, the junior is a tremendous blocker who will be a force on short-yardage situations as well as a leader on special teams.

"Carey is more of a big tailback," Helms said. "He can get out in the open and make people miss. He has great hands out of the backfield and will be a big part of our passing game. Brad is more in mold of the traditional fullback. He will stick his hat in there block. He's a tough, fearless blocker who will help us all over the field."

Up next for the Illini: Tonight the Illini will engage in their annual bowling challenge pitting the offense, defense and specials teams against each other. While no clear favorite exists, the heat will be on the three-time defending champion specials teams who will need to find a replacement for the defending individual champion Pat Rouse who was lost to graduation after the 2001 season.

Second annual softball champion to be crowned on Sunday: Fans and media are welcome to attend the second annual Illinois Football Softball Championship Game on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. Games will be played at the Rantoul Softball field adjacent to the Illinois practice fields. Competing in Sunday's championship will be Team Five consisting of Jon Beutjer, Walter Young and Brandon Lloyd among others, while Jerry Schumacher, Dustin Ward, Christian Morton and Matt Sinclair will be looking to lead the "Paign County All-Stars" to victory. The Sunday match-up concludes an all-football softball league that took place over the summer. The entire squad divided into six teams, competing every Wednesday in Champaign.

Saturday's practice a family affair for the Illini: In addition to wide receivers coach Robert Jackson, the father of free safety Marc Jackson, numerous parents were on hand for Saturday's practices. Parents attending the Saturday morning workouts were: the Babcock's, Beutjer's, Hilderbrand's, Lewis', McGoey's, Schumacher's, Tischer's, Ward's, Young's and Zande's.