Upon further review

Illinois coach Ron Turner looked at the tape of Saturday night's scrimmage and liked plenty of what he saw.

"More guys stepped up than stepped back," Turner said.

Not everything made Turner happy.

"The most disappointing thing in the scrimmage was offensively we had eight dropped balls and a lot of mental errors," Turner said. "A lot of the mental errors were new guys. It doesn't mean we accept it. Mental errors and dropped balls just killed us. The good news is those things are correctable."

The team won't have another major scrimmage before the opener Sept. 5 at Washington State.

Player of the day

Linebacker Danny Clark must wish Monday's practice counted statistically. He scored two touchdowns in about a 15-minute stretch. First, he picked off a Mark Hoekstra pass and returned it for a score. Later, he scooped a fumbled pitch and raced into the end zone.

Day of rest

The Illini took Sunday off. Some of the players returned to Champaign to move into apartments. The day off also gave staff members a chance to go home, see the family, check the mail and mow the lawn.

On the mend

Defensive end Rameel Connor returned to practice Monday after being out with a hamstring injury. Connor, who missed all but a few plays of the 1997 season with a knee injury, participated in all the drills during the morning practice.

Receiver Terrance Smalls also was back after missing time with a leg injury.

Disabled list

Linebacker Eric Guenther sat out both practices because of a shoulder injury. He is considered day-to-day and should be back Wednesday. Receiver Lenny Willis missed the morning practice because of a twisted ankle suffered during Saturday's scrimmage. Starting halfback Steve Havard was held out to rest a sore knee. Defensive end Fred Wakefield left the afternoon practice with a strained neck.

Up next

The team practices for the final time today in Rantoul. The session is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. On Wednesday, the Illini have a single practice at 3:30 p.m. The practice is closed to the public and the media.

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