News and notes from Wednesday''s UI football practice:

LIGHT SWITCH

   When the University of Illinois electric bill comes in lower this month than expected, the school can thank football coach Ron Turner. Rather than use the lights inside the stadium Wednesday, Turner had his team practice on the grass fields to the east of Memorial Stadium. He started practice at about 3:30 p.m. and ended it at about 5:15. By that time, the pinkish sky had started to turn dark. "I''ll be out here Monday with my watch and see what it''s like," Turner said. "We''ll be out here as long as we can." Turner said he can''t move practice up enough to avoid the darkness. The players meet at 2:15 p.m., which Turner said is important for their preparation.

HELPING HAND

   While the special teams worked during practice Wednesday, star running back Robert Holcombe served as a receiver for the quarterbacks. The extra work might pay off for Holcombe next season, when he''ll be asked to catch passes out of the backfield for some National Football League team.

CAPTAIN CRAIG

   Former St. Joseph-Ogden standout Ryan Craig is one of the three Illinois captains for Saturday''s game, representing the special teams. Turner names weekly captains for each game, with permanent captains picked at the end of the season. Matt Cushing is the captain for the offense this week and Michael Young represents the defense.

NEXT UP

   The Illini return to practice today at 3:30 p.m.

INJURY UPDATE

   The Illini had no new injuries in Saturday''s game. Defensive end Ryan Murphy and defensive tackle Garrett Johnson both made it through the game.

POSITION WATCH

   Redshirt freshman Robert Franklin is seeing significant playing time at linebacker. Listed as a backup to Danny Clark, Franklin is seventh on the team in tackles.

COUNTDOWN TO INDIANA

2 days

   SERIES HIGHLIGHT: A win over Indiana in 1988 helped John Mackovic''s first Illinois team earn an All American Bowl berth. The Hoosiers took a 10-0 lead on Anthony Thompson''s touchdown and a field goal by Pete Stoyanovich. Indiana led 20-9 with under three minutes to play before Jeff George led an Illini comeback. First, he hit Shawn Wax for a 21-yard touchdown. He found Mike Bellamy from 5 yards out for the winner with 26 seconds left.