Spring practice recap: Day 8

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Ron Zook's team continued practice Tuesday. A look:

 

TODAY'S NOTES

— Tailback Daniel Dufrene continues to practice with a sore hamstring. Tuesday’s weather, with temperatures in the low 40s, didn’t help Dufrene any.

“It was real hard today to come out here,” Dufrene said. “It hasn’t warmed up yet.”

Dufrene said he is working at about “80 percent.”

“I’m just out here running around, trying to get used to it,” Dufrene said. “This is real critical, this is real important. That’s why I wanted to come out here, even though I’m not 100 percent, and practice.”

Illinois coach Ron Zook wants to see Dufrene on the field whenever possible.

“We’ve got to be a little bit careful with him,” Zook said. “We’re going to get a little rotation going and keep them all fresh.”

— Tailback Troy Pollard returned to practice Tuesday after missing time with a bone bruise.

— The Illini practiced on the Memorial Stadium turf Tuesday with the lights on from the start.

“It really wasn’t all that bad,” Zook said. “You go inside when you have to, but you go outside when you can.”

The grass fields east of Memorial Stadium weren’t an option Tuesday.

“We’ve had enough rain where I don’t want to tear them all up,” Zook said.

— Defensive backs Miami Thomas and Donsay Hardeman participated in individual drills Tuesday, but weren’t allowed to have contact.

Thomas is coming back from knee and shoulder injuries, while Hardeman is returning from a neck injury.

— Former Illini linebacker Brit Miller and ex-Illini fullback Russ Weil watched part of Tuesday’s practice.

— The Big Ten will announce its prime-time football games Wednesday morning. Illinois is expected to have a couple of games picked for night kickoffs, with the opener against Missouri, the home opener against Illinois State and the Oct. 17 game at Indiana the strongest possibilities.

— The Big Ten coaches held their first ever spring teleconference Tuesday, with each of the 11 leaders taking questions for 10 minutes.

As always, the highlight was Penn State’s Joe Paterno, Division I-A’s winningest active coach.

Paterno’s lead over Florida State’s Bobby Bowden is about to get bigger thanks to an NCAA ruling that will wipe out 14 of Bowden’s victories. Paterno isn’t a fan of the ruling.

“I just think it would be a shame,” Paterno said. “I hate to see them take them away from him.

“I don’t care who has the most wins. I really don’t. I just hope we do a good job here and win as many games as we should.”

A reporter from the Penn State student newspaper asked Paterno about a player he heard had been injured during the closed practice session.

“He didn’t get hurt,” Paterno said. “You guys hear too many stories in the dorms.”

Paterno was questioned about Penn State’s nonconference schedule, which includes four home games against Akron, Syracuse, Temple and Eastern Illinois.

“To be honest with you, I couldn’t probably tell you who the second game is, who we’re playing,” Paterno said.

To see Penn State’s 2009 schedule, click here.

— Minnesota coach Tim Brewster not only knows his team’s schedule, he also realizes it will be played in a new building.

The Gophers move into TCF Bank Stadium, with the home opener Sept. 12 against Air Force. Illinois plays at TCF on Nov. 7.

“The stadium is ahead of schedule,” the former Illini tight end said. “We show recruits and we give recruits tours of the stadium. The state of Minnesota is so excited about the opening of TCF Bank Stadium. It’s a dream come true. The stadium has far exceeded all the expectations I had for it. I just think it’s going to be a tremendous home-field advantage for us.”

To see the ongoing work at TCF Bank Stadium, click here.

 

TODAY'S QUOTES

-- “Overall, I think we’re making good progress. The guys are steadily learning the defense, especially the younger guys. And I’m feeling a lot more comfortable coaching the defense. We set some goals for ourselves for the second half of spring ball and I think we’re going to accomplish them,” first-year defensive line coach Keith Gilmore.

-- “They’re looking real good. They’re coming out here, working hard and getting better every day. Everybody gained experience, a year under our belts. We’re ready to go,” Daniel Dufrene on the returning tailbacks.

“Competition. They’ve got to compete. It’s the offense against the defense the whole spring. They realize once we come together, if we continue to improve and get better, we’ve got a chance to do something. But you’ve got to have that competition,” Ron Zook on what has motivated his team during the workouts.

 

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