CHAMPAIGN  Going into spring practice, new Illinois football coach Ron Turner said he wanted to pick a starting quarterback in a hurry. Apparently, he has found his guy.

   Junior-to-be Mark Hoekstra, the only returning quarterback with game experience, has taken the No. 1 spot.

   "He''s widening the gap," Turner said.

   After watching tape of Hoekstra during the winter, Turner told the quarterback he needed to speed up his delivery. Hoekstra has made improvement, Turner said.

   "He''s making better and quicker choices and he''s getting rid of the ball," Turner said. "He understands what we''re doing."

   Hoekstra''s understanding started the first day of spring drills.

   "I learned in the first 20 minutes of the first practice that this has got to be quick, quick, quick or it''s not going to work," Hoekstra said. "That''s not something the past offenses were really about. Most of it has to do with getting used to it, getting comfortable in the offense. That''s when plays start happening."

   Though he''s happy to have Turner''s vote of confidence, Hoekstra isn''t taking the position for granted.

   "It''s nice to hear," Hoekstra said.

   The real quarterback competition is at the No. 2 spot, where Tim Lavery and Brian Sheard both are seeing time.

   "We''ll give both of them equal work next week and see where they are," Turner said.

   "They''re much more raw right now. They need reps."

   None of the three quarterbacks had much to brag about after Saturday''s scrimmage. The defense dominated, forcing several fumbles and interceptions. One of Lavery''s passes was returned for a touchdown by safety Asim Pleas.

   After the session, Turner told his offense to relax.

   "You see them in the huddle, they''re real tight, almost like in a panic state," Turner said.

   He contrasted that with the defense, which he said played with emotion Saturday.

   The biggest smile on the field after Saturday''s scrimmage belonged to defensive coordinator Tim Kish. The unit showed Kish exactly what he asked for.

   "We wanted to be focused, we wanted to be aggressive," the UI defensive coordinator said. "I thought the guys responded defensively tremendously."

   With a week left in spring drills, Kish is closer to picking his No. 1 unit.

   "It''s starting to unwind a little bit," Kish said. "The one thing we keep reminding them of is you can''t afford to have a letdown because that can change overnight."

Weather woes.

   For the second consecutive practice, bad weather forced the Illini into the Memorial Stadium bubble. The team ran the final two periods of Thursday''s practice inside after holding most of the session on the grass practice fields.

   The bubble will be taken down this week, with workers scheduled to remove temporary lights on Saturday. On Monday, the bubble likely will be dropped.

Kicking back.

   The Illini unveiled an interesting drill to prepare their kickers for crowd noise.

   The players surrounded the kickers during field goal attempts, leaving a gap for the ball to sail through. During the kick, the players cheered and jeered the kickers. Most attempts were good.

Special visitor I.

   Former Illini and current Arizona Cardinal Simeon Rice dropped by the UI football office this week. Nobody knew for sure if he was wearing football or basketball shoes.

Special visitor II.

   A top junior football player in the state dropped by for Thursday''s practice. R.J. Luke, a News-Gazette All-State tight end from Waubonsie Valley, watched the session with his father/coach B.J. Luke, a Danville High School alum.

   Luke, also a top defensive player, will have his pick of colleges after his senior season.

   The Lukes made similar spring visits last year to Michigan and Michigan State.