BW,

I prefer "Muddle Huddle," which is what they called at Rantoul High School in the early 1990s. Not to give up any practice secrets, but yes I believe I have seen the "Muddle Huddle" a time or two. I think that's always going to be a part of Ron Zook's special teams package. One more thing to force the opponent to prepare for. I'm all for trick plays, even when they don't work.

Vernon,

I think Fritz Rock can eventually work his way toeward the two-deep, but it won't be during Camp Rantoul. He's behind a handful of guys at safety.

Bud Golden continues to impress every day. He had a couple of good runs today during the team period. He is definitely in the plans. Somehow, it looks like the coaches are determined to use all five tailbacks.

Ted V.,

I don't see every second of practice, but Eddie McGee's work with the quarterbacks has been extremely limited. A pass here or there. He has been with the receivers almost exclusively. I think the coaches feel he can be a major asset as a receiver. At quarterback, he would be, at best, the No. 2 guy. And not even that would be guaranteed. To me, his quarterbacking will be an infrequent snap as the Wildcat quarterback. And I'm not sure how necessary that is because Nathan Scheelhaase has similar skills.

Bill,

Jack Cornell is in a battle with Hugh Thornton for a starting guard spot. He is going to get plenty of snaps, even if he isn't the starter. I think the coaches plan to use three guards and Jack is definitely one of the three.

Russ,

From what I understand, Walt hasn't been cleared by the university, in part, because of the nature of the crime. The school is very sensitive to anything involving stolen computers. There apparently has been a rash of computer thefts on campus recently and the school is determined to crack down on it. Walt is getting help from his attorney and others, who agree with you that he has served his punishment. If I had to guess, I'd say he'll be allowed back in school but with a zero tolerance measure.

Charley,

Ron Zook has been getting very involved in practices. I saw him call out guys today after they made mistakes. He just isn't running the offense or defense play to play. Those jobs belong to Paul Petrino and Vic Koenning. Zook is heavily involved in all three phases of the game.

I haven't sensed any friction between Scheelhaase and Petrino. Nathan has always praised Petrino at every opportunity. I don't think the red shirt is that big of a deal because Nathan knows it's best for him.

Mike,

Nathan has worked against all levels of the defense. And with all levels of success and failure. At times, he looks very good. At times, he looks like a first-year quarterback, which he is.
The Illinois staff needs to get Nathan ready for Missouri. To me, that means more work against the No. 1 defense. We've seen it some and I think it will continue in the upcoming weeks.

Woody,

Every coach has a pet play or formation that they take from job to job. Ron Zook will tell you that the reason the play didn't work against Indiana was because of a mistake made by the official, who held up the start of the play.
I don't know what other schools use the muddle huddle, but there are certainly some. And if not that play, then something else. Again, I'm a fan of trick plays and will defend a coach's right to use them. Even when they don't work. Remember, Pat Fitzgerald tried a trick play in the bowl game and it didn't work. But he would do it again tomorrow.

Floyd,

Great to hear from you and from the Lions Club. I understand Jim Rossow just bored you tears with his talk. Just kidding, I'm sure it was emotionally charged. Jim, I think, will be joining your club.
Too early to tell on the freshmen. But certainly some of them will sit out. Ron Zook doesn't want to announce redshirts now because he never knows what will happen later to change his mind. He's taking redshirts off of guys halfway through the season and put them in the lineup.
I think players will do what the coaches ask. They want to play, of course, but also are smart enough to realize that college football is hard. Another year getting ready is almost always a good thing. At least, that's what Loren Tate says.
Go Lions.

Tarmo,

We don't often get questions from Estonia, so thanks for that.
I don't believe Greg Fuller is back with the team. I will double check at tonight's workout, which starts at 6:15 for anybody who wants to attend. Bring bug spray.
I think Zack Becker will be the starter at either fullback or tight end, but I also think the coaches are getting everybody else ready too. They plan to use a lot of guys at those two spots.

Eric,

I'm going to start with the coaching and drills being used. Those seem better than ever during the Ron Zook regime. Paul Petrino is very impressive during his time with the receivers and the offense. Same goes for Vic Koenning.
Bob Doan, a longtime area coach, was at today's practice and came away liking the way the new coaches were running the workout. The coaches are involved and they are vocal.
I think that's got to help the team get better. And there are enough good athletes on the team that it doesn't look drastically different from recent years.
I'd say the best Camp Rantoul during the Zook era was in 2007. And that panned out. This one might be second. Again, the coaching seems to be the difference.

Woody,

That would definitely be a flaw. Good point.

Dennis,

Ultimately, the president can do whatever he wants when it comes to athletics. I think the coaches and players are going to be happy to hear he has great interest. I don't think they will see that as anything but a positive. He isn't going to call plays or fire coaches. He's going to be a super fan. And that's a good thing for Illinois football and the other sports. I wonder if he'll wear face paint and carry around a foam finger? That would be cool.

Eric,

When you have a first-year quarterback, it's different than having an experienced guy like Juice Williams. Juice became the story, partly, because you weren't sure how he was going to perform. I think once he learns the speed of the college game, Scheelhaase has a chance to be a very good quarterback. I think the coaches especially want to keep the pressure off. I don't blame them for that. But I think Nathan is putting plenty of pressure on himself and expect to be successful.

Bud,

I like Northwestern in the Sept. 4 game because they haven't had the disruption that happened at Vanderbilt. Pat Fitzgerald is in charge and his players know the expectations there.
I don't know why Bobby Johnson picked now to retire? I will try to look into it, but maybe he just decided now was the time. Interesting when it happened. I hope it works out because I like to see schools like Vanderbilt in bowl games.