http://www.illinihq.com/news/football Latest Illini sports stories for IlliniHQ.com en-us Copyright 2010, The News-Gazette, Inc. http://www.illinihq.com/news/rss Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:17:09 PST <p>Former Illini defensive tackle Moe Gardner is a College Football Hall of Fame candidate.</p> <p>The National FootballFoundation (NFF) announced Thursday the names of 77 players and seven coaches who comprise the 2010 Football Bowl Subdivision Ballot for induction into the Hall of Fame.</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/03/11/moe_gardner_on_hall_of_fame_ballot/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>BCS executive director Bill Hancock said Wednesday he will respond to a question-filled letter sent to him by two U.S. Senators.</p> <p>"I'm looking forward to taking a longer look at the letter. I sure do think that Congress has more important things to do, with all the issues facing our country," Hancock said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "The BCS is fair. Access is fair. Revenue is distributed fairly. And frankly, we welcome the opportunity to tell our story every chance we get."</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/03/10/bcs_chief_bites_back/ Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>Big Ten expansion talk could force change in South Bend</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/03/09/notre_dame_rethinking_position/ Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 CST <p><strong>News you can't leave work without:</strong></p> <p>Illinois football making a change</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/03/08/5_oclock_shadow/ Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>The letters are starting to pile up at the Peat home in suburban Phoenix. And that's a good thing.</p> <p>The oldest of seven kids, Tempe Corona del Sol junior defensive tackle Todd Peat Jr. already has scholarship offers from Arizona State, Arizona, Nebraska, Wake Forest, Stanford and Northern Illinois. The 6-foot-3, 295-pounder is rated the nation's ninth-best 2011 tackle by Scout.com.</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/03/06/for_peats_sake_these_kids_can_play/ Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>Many wondered if Ron Turner would like going back to college coaching after five years in the NFL. We'll never know. Turner spent about a week as a Stanford assistant before becoming receivers coach with the Indianapolis Colts. Maybe working under a guy he had coached, Jim Harbaugh, didn't feel right to Turner. Or maybe the idea of going back on the road to recruit wasn't something he wanted to do.</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/03/05/asmussen_funfest_wrigley_and_ron_turner/ Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>Koenning, who was hired Dec. 18 after one year at Kansas State, is slowly getting to know his players. And they are getting to know him.</p> <p>"I was making a joke with a guy today, 'For some of us, playing football is like being on the interstate, dodging cars,' " Koenning said. "Some of these players, these jokers are big and fast. You've got to have a little bit of courage to be a football player. Until you see those guys out there in the line of fire and gauge your courage, you're just making assessments based on work habits, their look, their demeanor."</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/02/28/vic_koenning_putting_all_the_pieces_together/ Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>Former News-Gazette All-Stater Kraig Appleton has been suspended from the Wisconsin football program for violation of team rules. It's a fate that doesn't surprise many.</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/02/26/asmussen_appleton_update/ Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas likes its position in the Big 12 Conference and has not talked with the Big Ten about its expansion plans, athletic director DeLoss Dodds said Wednesday.</p> <p>Dodds spoke with The Associated Press on Wednesday after recent speculation that the Longhorns program could be courted by the Big Ten, which is considering expanding.</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/02/24/texas_no_talks_with_big_ten/ Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>And Ed Bond was there to document it.</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/02/23/illini_break_a_sweat_in_ann_arbor/ Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:00:00 CST <p><strong>Let's start with an easy one: Is the NCAA tournament going to 96 teams?</strong></p> <p>I don't know. It will be a decision that will be made after consultation with the membership and our Division I board of directors.</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/02/22/qa_with_the_ncaa_president/ Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>First workout on March 30</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/02/17/spring_dates_set/ Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:00:00 CST <p>CHAMPAIGN – Whew! Football recruiting is in the rearview mirror. Not very encouraging for the Illini, was it? Ron Zook and his new gang salvaged what they could with 21 signees, mostly from distant precincts. It fell short of his previous standards.</p> <p>But for those of us living in the now, we'll worry about 2012 later. Meanwhile, Zook has plenty of talent returning from more highly ranked classes to make things interesting for the two years that matter, the next two.</p> http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2010/02/16/tate_recruiting_bummer_no_cause_for_panic/ Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:00:00 CST