* First off, Bret Bielema gets it. He's done everything right during the offseason in trying to sell this program. Right now, his audience is relatively small. People will start listening more when they win some games. I don't know if he'll win here. It's a tough place to win. But he's a college football coach who knows how its done.
* This game was set up to put a lot of points on the board and get some buzz. It was obviously a total mismatch, with all of the starters and most of the two-deep in Orange, the score reflected that.
* I was surprised at how sharp Brandon Peters was. (12-18, 291 yards, and a TD) It's not usually like that in the spring. QB's don't get a ton of reps after a pretty long winter layoff. On top of that, they're installing in a totally new scheme. Tony Petersen kept it simple but still, Peters had command and was accurate. Part of it obviously was that was zero pass rush from the Blue.
* We didn't see nearly enough of Isaiah Williams with the Orange squad to get a feel for how he has progressed. Also, since they played touch football with the QB's, his running ability didn't come into play. All that considered, you have to be concerned with his inconsistency throwing the ball with accuracy. Do they look to the portal for a backup? Matt Robinson isn't the answer. Deuce Spann looked decent in limited reps but he's nowhere near ready. Incoming freshman Samari Collier has talent, but...
* Wide receiver is a problem. Donny Navarro looked terrific, and he's solid in the slot. Brian Hightower and Khmari Thompson don't get much separation and that's against 4th team DB's in some cases. Carlso Sandy had 3 catches, but he's small and not very fast. It's a big problem right now, and it doesn't look like Marquez Beason is going to help.
* TE Luke Ford is a stud. He was a stud the day he stepped on campaus, and its a crime the way Lovie and Rod Smith ignored him last year. Paired with Daniel Barker, that's the best set of TE's Illinois has had in a while. They combined for 8 catches for 117 yards. (For those of us who have watched Ford live, this development was the least surprising thing about the spring game).
* Left guard Blake Jeresaty is a keeper. He looks small out there, but then watch him block. Great leverage and hand usage. Gets under the pads of the defender. And he's the best athlete of all of the offensive linemen. That speed gives him some excellent blocking angles and he turns the speed to power with some jolting collisions.
* No resistance from the Blue offensive line, so its hard to tell what to expect from the pass rush. But the converted DE's looked comfortable at OLB. Carney led the team with 5 tackles and 2 "sacks". Seth Coleman is the quickest of the group. Johnny Newton is a beast at DE. He looks even quicker off the ball this year. 5 tackles, 1.5 TFL. Calvin Avery is going to backup Rod Perry at NT, and he'll be a good player in that roll.
* The 3 running backs are interchangeable, and they each have their own strengths. Chase Brown has the best acceleration. Chase Hayden has the best visit and cutting ability. Reggie Love has the best balance and ability to get YAC.
* No takeaways concerning the secondary. The Blue team was terrible throwing the ball (2-12 for 30 yards).
* New commits Hank Beatty and Clayton Leonard were at the game.
* one thing to add. I thought the OL would have dominated more in the ground game against the weak competition. Much of that can probably be attributed to the new blocking schemes that are being installed. They seemed a bit slow up front and haven’t mastered the inside zone that will likely be a staple. They weren’t bad, just not as cohesive as they’re going to be later on.
* This game was set up to put a lot of points on the board and get some buzz. It was obviously a total mismatch, with all of the starters and most of the two-deep in Orange, the score reflected that.
* I was surprised at how sharp Brandon Peters was. (12-18, 291 yards, and a TD) It's not usually like that in the spring. QB's don't get a ton of reps after a pretty long winter layoff. On top of that, they're installing in a totally new scheme. Tony Petersen kept it simple but still, Peters had command and was accurate. Part of it obviously was that was zero pass rush from the Blue.
* We didn't see nearly enough of Isaiah Williams with the Orange squad to get a feel for how he has progressed. Also, since they played touch football with the QB's, his running ability didn't come into play. All that considered, you have to be concerned with his inconsistency throwing the ball with accuracy. Do they look to the portal for a backup? Matt Robinson isn't the answer. Deuce Spann looked decent in limited reps but he's nowhere near ready. Incoming freshman Samari Collier has talent, but...
* Wide receiver is a problem. Donny Navarro looked terrific, and he's solid in the slot. Brian Hightower and Khmari Thompson don't get much separation and that's against 4th team DB's in some cases. Carlso Sandy had 3 catches, but he's small and not very fast. It's a big problem right now, and it doesn't look like Marquez Beason is going to help.
* TE Luke Ford is a stud. He was a stud the day he stepped on campaus, and its a crime the way Lovie and Rod Smith ignored him last year. Paired with Daniel Barker, that's the best set of TE's Illinois has had in a while. They combined for 8 catches for 117 yards. (For those of us who have watched Ford live, this development was the least surprising thing about the spring game).
* Left guard Blake Jeresaty is a keeper. He looks small out there, but then watch him block. Great leverage and hand usage. Gets under the pads of the defender. And he's the best athlete of all of the offensive linemen. That speed gives him some excellent blocking angles and he turns the speed to power with some jolting collisions.
* No resistance from the Blue offensive line, so its hard to tell what to expect from the pass rush. But the converted DE's looked comfortable at OLB. Carney led the team with 5 tackles and 2 "sacks". Seth Coleman is the quickest of the group. Johnny Newton is a beast at DE. He looks even quicker off the ball this year. 5 tackles, 1.5 TFL. Calvin Avery is going to backup Rod Perry at NT, and he'll be a good player in that roll.
* The 3 running backs are interchangeable, and they each have their own strengths. Chase Brown has the best acceleration. Chase Hayden has the best visit and cutting ability. Reggie Love has the best balance and ability to get YAC.
* No takeaways concerning the secondary. The Blue team was terrible throwing the ball (2-12 for 30 yards).
* New commits Hank Beatty and Clayton Leonard were at the game.
* one thing to add. I thought the OL would have dominated more in the ground game against the weak competition. Much of that can probably be attributed to the new blocking schemes that are being installed. They seemed a bit slow up front and haven’t mastered the inside zone that will likely be a staple. They weren’t bad, just not as cohesive as they’re going to be later on.
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