We asked News-Gazette staff writer Tony Bleill to review Tim Beckman's introductory press conference Friday:

Did Tim Beckman win the press conference? Well, he didn't say "Illi-noise", like his predecessor infamously blurted six years ago, so that was a good start. As for the remaining 25 minutes, it was largely the standard fare from an experienced football coach. He tried a little too hard, perhaps, which is understandable, given that this was the biggest moment of his professional career. Hyperbole flows easily in these situations, and such it was when Beckman said Friday was "as good a day as when my children were born." Whoa, big fella. Let's not confuse football with family. Speaking of which, family happened to be his theme for the afternoon. He repeatedly mentioned his father, who was a coach, and that he wanted the Illini program to become a football family. He sprinkled in a few attempts at humor, including a cute one about his son whipping prospective recruits in video game battles, but he probably tried too hard when referencing the Illinois-Northwestern rivalry — such as it is — by saying "You will not see me in purple" and that the Wildcats will henceforth be known, in the Woody Hayes tradition, as "the school up north."