Big season for Illinois and Lovie Smith. A few random thoughts as the season is ready to kick off.
* The thing to watch about Brandon Peters is how he performs under pressure. Does he make negative plays, or does he make smart decisions? We won't know until it happens. You just can't tell from watching practice. Heck, when I watched Wes Lunt in passing drills, I saw a future NFL Draft pick.
* I don't think Reggie Corbin has quite the same kind of year that he had last season, but that's a good thing, IMO. If everyone stays healthy, they will spread the wealth a little more. Mike Epstein will get his carries. Dre Brown had a great camp. Good situation for Mike Bellamy.
* One weak link on the offensive line can derail things up front, so keep an eye on right guard Richie Petitbon on Saturday. He's capable, but how does he work with C Doug Kramer and T Alex Palczewski? Nick Allegretti had a great rapport with those guys, they communicated very well, which made the zone plays effective.
* Illinois had good luck last year with the health of the offensive line. You don't see that every year, so there will be games when someone has to perform well off the bench. Jake Cerney, Verdis Brown, and Jordyn Slaughter are the candidates to fill in. Jake Stover is pretty solid as the backup center.
* I see a big year coming from tight end Daniel Barker. He's a great red zone threat and a tough matchup for linebackers. Next year, Illinois will have the best duo of TE's in the conference with Barker and Luke Ford. Converted WR Justice Williams is a guy they will use in two-tight end sets. Will Illinois finally utilize the tight end? It's criminal that Matt LaCosse only had 38 career receptions at Illinois. 40 career catches for Michael Hoomanawanui.
* The straight up 4-3 defense should have more success than the nickel-oriented alignment that Illinois used most of the time last year. Linebacker play should be better. Dele' Harding is a big hitter and like him in the middle. I hope they find playing time for Khalan Tolson and Tarique Barnes. I like the potential of those two.
* A big question mark on the defense is who steps up at defensive end in the absence of Bobby Roundtree. We knew that going into camp, and the question hasn't been answered yet. Oluwole Betiku is a physical specimen, but it's hard to tell how good he's going to be from watching practice, where they don't go live. Isaiah Gay is what he is at this point. A situational player. Ayo Shogbonyo is undersized. The most talented DE's are probably freshmen, and they aren't ready yet from a physical standpoint.
* I'm anxious to see Kyron Cumby returning kicks and punts. You usually are a little shy about sticking a true freshman on that island as a punt returner, but Cumby can be really good. Catch the ball first, obviously.
* What will they do with Isaiah Williams? There were no hints in practice that Rod Smith has any special packages for him. Perhaps they've kept that under wraps. But you have to put the ball in Isaiah's hands sometimes, right?
* Calvin Avery needs to be consistently good. He's the only legit NFL prospect on the interior of the defensive line, and you need those types to compete in the Big Ten. Jamal Woods is solid, but not a big time playmaker. We expected Lere Oladipo to break out in training camp, but it never really materialized.
* There's no reason to throw Sydney Brown out there and risk further injury to his hamstring. Stanley Green and Kerby Joseph can fill in at SS this week.
* The Pro Football Focus tackling scores will be interesting to track in week 1. Does limiting live tackling in practice = more missed tackles in the first game? We'll have the full PFF scores in a story on Sunday, just like last year.
* Knowing Rod Smith as I do, don't be surprised if he pulls a George Constanza and does the opposite of what we expect. Everyone expects him to get the running game going. Don't be shocked if he tosses it around. You just never know.
* Lovie Smith is under the microscope as the new defensive coordinator. Will he get a passing grade on Saturday? Look for a feature story on it, depending on the results.
* If Illinois goes 3-0 in the pre-conference slate as expected, I hope the crowd shows up for Nebraska on Sept. 21. That's a more winnable game than prognosticators predict. They must have forgotten that the Huskers started the 2018 season 0-6. That will likely be a big game for recruiting visits as well.
* I like Iowa to win the Big Ten West, and Ohio State to win the Big Ten East. Consolation prize for Jim Harbaugh again, and the natives in Ann Arbor get restless. Btw, how great is it to have Michigan back on the schedule for a home game? Looking forward to the obscene T-shirts.
* Dear Lovie....do not kick field goals on 4th and 1 in the red zone. Sincerely, every Illini football fan.
* Beer for sale. (Don't drink and drive).
Great time of year. Here we go....
* The thing to watch about Brandon Peters is how he performs under pressure. Does he make negative plays, or does he make smart decisions? We won't know until it happens. You just can't tell from watching practice. Heck, when I watched Wes Lunt in passing drills, I saw a future NFL Draft pick.
* I don't think Reggie Corbin has quite the same kind of year that he had last season, but that's a good thing, IMO. If everyone stays healthy, they will spread the wealth a little more. Mike Epstein will get his carries. Dre Brown had a great camp. Good situation for Mike Bellamy.
* One weak link on the offensive line can derail things up front, so keep an eye on right guard Richie Petitbon on Saturday. He's capable, but how does he work with C Doug Kramer and T Alex Palczewski? Nick Allegretti had a great rapport with those guys, they communicated very well, which made the zone plays effective.
* Illinois had good luck last year with the health of the offensive line. You don't see that every year, so there will be games when someone has to perform well off the bench. Jake Cerney, Verdis Brown, and Jordyn Slaughter are the candidates to fill in. Jake Stover is pretty solid as the backup center.
* I see a big year coming from tight end Daniel Barker. He's a great red zone threat and a tough matchup for linebackers. Next year, Illinois will have the best duo of TE's in the conference with Barker and Luke Ford. Converted WR Justice Williams is a guy they will use in two-tight end sets. Will Illinois finally utilize the tight end? It's criminal that Matt LaCosse only had 38 career receptions at Illinois. 40 career catches for Michael Hoomanawanui.
* The straight up 4-3 defense should have more success than the nickel-oriented alignment that Illinois used most of the time last year. Linebacker play should be better. Dele' Harding is a big hitter and like him in the middle. I hope they find playing time for Khalan Tolson and Tarique Barnes. I like the potential of those two.
* A big question mark on the defense is who steps up at defensive end in the absence of Bobby Roundtree. We knew that going into camp, and the question hasn't been answered yet. Oluwole Betiku is a physical specimen, but it's hard to tell how good he's going to be from watching practice, where they don't go live. Isaiah Gay is what he is at this point. A situational player. Ayo Shogbonyo is undersized. The most talented DE's are probably freshmen, and they aren't ready yet from a physical standpoint.
* I'm anxious to see Kyron Cumby returning kicks and punts. You usually are a little shy about sticking a true freshman on that island as a punt returner, but Cumby can be really good. Catch the ball first, obviously.
* What will they do with Isaiah Williams? There were no hints in practice that Rod Smith has any special packages for him. Perhaps they've kept that under wraps. But you have to put the ball in Isaiah's hands sometimes, right?
* Calvin Avery needs to be consistently good. He's the only legit NFL prospect on the interior of the defensive line, and you need those types to compete in the Big Ten. Jamal Woods is solid, but not a big time playmaker. We expected Lere Oladipo to break out in training camp, but it never really materialized.
* There's no reason to throw Sydney Brown out there and risk further injury to his hamstring. Stanley Green and Kerby Joseph can fill in at SS this week.
* The Pro Football Focus tackling scores will be interesting to track in week 1. Does limiting live tackling in practice = more missed tackles in the first game? We'll have the full PFF scores in a story on Sunday, just like last year.
* Knowing Rod Smith as I do, don't be surprised if he pulls a George Constanza and does the opposite of what we expect. Everyone expects him to get the running game going. Don't be shocked if he tosses it around. You just never know.
* Lovie Smith is under the microscope as the new defensive coordinator. Will he get a passing grade on Saturday? Look for a feature story on it, depending on the results.
* If Illinois goes 3-0 in the pre-conference slate as expected, I hope the crowd shows up for Nebraska on Sept. 21. That's a more winnable game than prognosticators predict. They must have forgotten that the Huskers started the 2018 season 0-6. That will likely be a big game for recruiting visits as well.
* I like Iowa to win the Big Ten West, and Ohio State to win the Big Ten East. Consolation prize for Jim Harbaugh again, and the natives in Ann Arbor get restless. Btw, how great is it to have Michigan back on the schedule for a home game? Looking forward to the obscene T-shirts.
* Dear Lovie....do not kick field goals on 4th and 1 in the red zone. Sincerely, every Illini football fan.
* Beer for sale. (Don't drink and drive).
Great time of year. Here we go....
