CHICAGO–Just a couple of quick things from the Hyatt Regency that haven’t been mentioned yet in today’s blog coverage:

Conference Announces Preseason Awards
The media (DI staffers included) that was polled by the conference has chosen its preseason favorites to win the Big Ten. And the results are:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

2. Wisconsin Badgers

3. Illinois Fighting Illini

Also, the preseason player of the year awards were given out today. The Buckeyes swept those just like the top spot in the preseason poll with tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells taking the offensive honors and linebacker James Laurinaitis defended his title as the defensive preseason player of the year.

Your 2008 Big Ten Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Read the rest of this entry »

College football, much like the NFL and other pro leagues, has proven to be a copycat league over the years. If something works well on either side of the ball, other teams quickly take it up and start using that strategy. Starting with George Halas’ man in motion with the T formation in the 1920’s and cutting midriffs on jerseys in the eighties (Thanks Doug Flutie) to the present-day practice of taping offensive linemen’s jerseys to their pads (nothing to grab here), everyone in football wants to gain an edge with the newest wrinkle set on by an innovative coach.

One big example that has lately swept both the nation and the Midwest is the spread offense. The spread offense is usually centered in three or four receiver sets with the quarterback five yards behind center, or in the shotgun, and is designed to spread the defense wider to force them to cover more area of the field. This type of offense is being used at just about every level—from Pop Warner football and high school to the New England Patriots of the NFL—and almost everyone adds their own wrinkles to the offense with option packages (see Illinois and new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez) or an all-out ariel attack (see former Hawaii and new SMU coach June Jones and Texas Tech’s Mike Leach). I apologize for some of the cheesy music in those videos, but they do a good job of showcasing the spread.The Big Ten has a pioneer in the spread offense in outgoing Purdue coach Joe Tiller. Tiller was the first coach in the Big Ten to spread out his receivers and throw the ball a majority of the time in the former run-happy Big Ten. Tiller brought his spread offense from Wyoming to the Midwest and now eight of the 11 teams in the Big Team run the spread offense or a variation of it as their primary offensive formation. Wisconsin, Iowa and Penn State are the three schools that don’t.

So, being that the spread offense is the talk of the town (maybe I’m exaggerating a bit), it was a big topic of discussion in Thursday’s coaches press conferences. Here’s some of the tidbits from Big Ten coaches.

Illini Coach Ron Zook: When I first became a head coach, one thing most of my experience was on the defensive side of the football, and the one thing I wanted to do is I wanted to run an offense that I hated to see the most as a defensive football coach. Any time they spread out you’ve got to be able…to stop the run, and the more field that you have to cover sometimes the harder that it is, and I think once again it gives people an opportunity that maybe we’re — personnel-wise you may not be quite as good as others it maybe levels the field a little bit, and plus I think it’s a front offense. Read the rest of this entry »

The following was written by DI Senior Writer Daniel Johnson

CHICAGO–One of the last people to see Illinois’ loss to USC at the Rose Bowl was ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit. The former Ohio State quarterback was announcing the game for the network and was in Pasadena and Los Angeles for the week leading up to the game.

Herbstreit was also at Big Ten Media Days getting a glimpse of both coaches and players. The Daily Illini spoke with him on Thursday morning about Illinois and the Big Ten.

Daily Illini: Since you last saw Illinois at the Rose Bowl, what has changed most for the team in your eyes?

Kirk Herbstreit: I think it’s the experience of that game that has changed them the most. It’s funny, people are saying, ‘Well, Illinois got killed,’ and I’m like, ‘If you really go back and study that game, USC was on their way to blowing out Illinois, but they started to make some stops. All of the sudden (Rashard) Mendenhall gets loose on a couple of plays, then they get the ball back and they just start driving up and down the field at will, and they’re inside the 10-yard line. If they score that touchdown (instead of Jacob Willis fumbling,) it’s a seven-point game. But (Willis) fumbles going, SC on the next series fumbles themselves, but Joe McKnight being Joe McKnight picks it up and goes 75 yards and it’s pretty much over.
But I think what’s going to change the team is that experience of that is only going to strengthen them when they go to play Chase Daniel in Missouri. They’re not going to be like, ‘Wow, this is a big game,’ they’re going to be like, ‘Let’s go do this.’ The natural maturation of the program is kind of on the incline.”

DI: When you look at Illinois playing Missouri last year versus this year, what do you think is the different between the mindset of the players?

Herbstreit: I think there’s nothing more important to this team, a frustrated and young team, than focus on the next year, after having a great year, in its first game. If you’re playing a 1-AA team or a MAC (Conference) opponent, it doesn’t grab the players’ attention, but when you play Missouri and they’ve got Chase Daniel and they’re going to be a preseason top 5, top 7 team. It’s easy for (strength and conditioning coach Lou Hernandez) and Coach Zook to have the team ready for (Missouri,) because they know it’s coming.DI: With Rich Rodriguez coming to Michigan and changing the culture there from their traditional pro-style offense to a spread, what’s the difference going be in Ann Arbor?

Herbstreit: I think it’s bigger to the fans, guys like me and you are so used to seeing Elvis Grbac, John Navarre, Todd Collins; close your eyes and you envision a 6′4″ or 6′5″ just lumbering on the scramble, like a Tom Brady. I think for the casual fan it’s going to be like ‘wow, that’s weird,’ but the players will be fine, players adjust. But, it’s going to take some time, you don’t go from a power-running game to spreading them out and throwing. They did it some in the bowl game, but they had (Chad Henne) that started 40-some games. Now, you’re going to have a quarterback not prepared, I think this year’s going to be a tough year, they’re going to have to find a quarterback to run that system. They’ll adjust, but the spread is the kind of way of life now in college football, not just in Michigan, it’s every where.

Read the rest of this entry »

CHICAGO–So Big Ten football season is starting, and the DI has you covered with full coverage of the Big Ten Media Days right here on the DI Sports Blog!

Ron Zook started the day off as the first coach to speak and we have an audio wrap on his press conference below.Enjoy and look for more today and tomorrow.

The story can be found here at Dailyillini.com with the full audio wrap-up.

There was quite a bit of Web activity on the story I wrote Saturday of Illinois football player Jeff Cumberland winning the slam dunk contest at the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, so I decided to throw up a few more photos of Cumberland from the event. Cumberland was a beast and didn’t disappoint a crowd that expected him to win after the receiver won the event in 2007. He said he had planned on trying out for the basketball team this year but a foot injury kept him out. Though he is quite the specimen — agile, muscular physique and obviously plenty of hops — at 6-foot-5, he doesn’t have the size to be a big man and he’s too big (a chiseled but bulky 250 lbs) to play guard or small forward. Still, he put on quite a show in Downtown Champaign Saturday night. Cumberland had been volunteering at the tournament with several of his teammates.

Here are the photos. I’m not the best photographer but I think a few of these turned out ok. I didn’t edit or crop any of them since I just made a slideshow of the rest of the event and I don’t feel like editing for another few hours. Enjoy!

Cumberland puts on his basketball shoes before the show begins.

Read the rest of this entry »

Football head coach Ron Zook made the trip to Wrigley Field on Sunday for Illini Day and assumed the 7th inning stretch duties.

Some people may remember last year’s debacle, when Zook was caught reading the words to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” from a cheat sheet.

Yesterday’s attempt was a little more inspiring, though if you look closely enough Zook does manage to sneak a couple of suspicious glances at something sitting on the table in front of him . . .

As far as an evaluation goes, pretty much anything beats blatantly reading the words to a song most people learn by the third grade off of a piece of paper. Especially at Wrigley.

It fell somewhere between “I’ve definitely heard worse” and Illinois’ performance in the Rose Bowl.

Zook’s yelling didn’t seem to scare the Cubbies, who went on to win the game 5-3 and complete a weekend sweep of the Rockies.

(Video link credits sportsbybrooks.com and ballhype.com, respectively)

The following column was written by senior writer Jason Grodsky.

Usually this end of the year column is reserved for graduating seniors to say there farewell and thank yous, but the senior class here in the sports department at the Daily Illini is a little thin and as the longest employed person in sports and someone who is moving on I’m going to do the honors.

I feel very grateful to have worked at the DI for the three years I’ve been here and to have had the opportunity to a side of Illinois athletics that few get to see. But it’s my time to step down and move on to bigger and better things and let some of the up-and-coming writers take the reigns and lead the way.

I’ve bled Orange and Blue since the day I was born and grew up watching Illini sports and sitting in the crowds at Memorial Stadium and the Assembly Hall. When I first started working at the paper as a freshman who came a whole two miles away from his house to go to college, I never thought it would take me to the places I’ve been and allow to meet some of the most interesting characters this campus has to offer.

This year alone I’ve gotten to travel to Maui and sit five feet away from the greatest basketball player of all time. The football team’s magical run took me to Pasadena to chat it up with some of the best sports journalists in the world today (even if getting there took a 54-hour Greyhound bus trip from hell). And the best part of all of those trips and the countless others I’ve taken to cover games: I was getting paid to do it. Well, if you call what gets deposited into my bank account every two weeks getting paid.

Getting to where I am couldn’t have been possible without the help from certain people along the way, so I’d like to take the chance to thank them.

First off I’d like to thank former sports editors Erin Foley, Mike Rodriguez, Dave Just and Steve Contorno, all of whom have helped me refine my writing. Erin you taught me the ins and outs and took a chance on a kid who loved sports and gave me my big break. Mike and Dave, you two were probably the most entertaining guys to work under, and Steve, we may not have seen eye-to-eye on everything but I know you’ll make a great Editor-In-Chief.

To my partners in crime: Dan Johnson, Mike Theodore, Alex Symonds, Adam Harris and Jermey Werner. Thanks for making this past year one all never forget. From football practices, to the list of questions we came up with at the Western Illinois game, to the trip on Route 666, to the “bucket o’ beers” in Indianapolis, to not remembering the DI Sports Desk bar crawls, it’s been a great ride and I know you’ll keep up the quality of the sports section and surpass what I’ve done.

A special thank you the Illinois Division I Hockey team and head coach Chad Cassel. Covering you guys was probably the best time I had covering a team. Congratulations on a well deserved ACHA National Championship this year. Figures, I come in after you guys win a national title the year before and then the year I stop covering you guys you win another one. Guess I was the bad luck charm.

A big shout out to all the guys on the Illinois Division II Hockey team (yes, there are two teams). Playing with you guys the last two years has been indescribable and I’m looking forward to another year of late night practices and bus trips next year. I told all of you guys I would eventually get you into the paper.

To men of Alpha Sigma Phi, you’ve made the studying part of college bearable. You truly are gentlemen and scholars, with hearts beneath your vests. My times at the Ole Gal will never be forgotten.

A lot of credit has to be given to a group of guys that I’ve spent a very large portion of the last five-plus years with talking sports and getting into all sorts of shenanigans with. You know who you are and there are too many memories and moments to even start mentioning. I know we have another summer to remember ahead of us, even if Fat City is gone. Lets just all try to stay out of the hospital this year when August rolls around.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank my family. You all have supported me over the years and helped me reach my goals. I’m still convinced that you guys are the only people who even read my articles. A special thanks to my mom who has pulled my all my clips of the things I’ve written to make me an organized portfolio.

The biggest thank you is reserved for my grandpa, John Maurer. You’ve been my inspiration. Without you I wouldn’t be where I am today and I would be clueless in the world of sports, you’ve taught me pretty much all I know and I love you for that.

Finally, thank you to anyone who read any of the things I’ve written. It’s been a pleasure and trust me, I leave you in good hands.

Today marks college football’s second coming of Christmas in National Signing Day. It is the first day that recruits for the class of 2008 can put their name on the dotted line of a National Letter of Intent to officially become a part of a college football program. And Memorial Stadium wasn’t numb to the buzz of this Wednesday.

Ron Zook and his staff have pulled in another group of talented athletes for next year’s football squad that is ranked in the top 25 by both Rivals and Scout. The highlight of the day for Illini fans had to be when Florida defensive tackle Corey Liuget stuck with the orange and blue when his LOI hit the football office fax machine at 10:26 am. On the other hand, Illini nation was dealt a bit of disappointment when highly touted Jacksonville-area running back Jamie Harper spurned the Illini and other programs for Clemson. But all in all, it was a good day for Ron Zook and his staff. Every recruit who was verbally committed signed on with the Zooker, so there were no surprises there.

And this is definitely the deepest class by far of the three Zook has pulled in since being in Champaign highlighted by athletes at receiver such as Cordale Scott and A.J. Jenkins, cornerbacks Patrick Nixon and Tavon Wilson, and tons of beef on both lines with Liuget, Graham Pocic, Reggie Ellis and Tyler Sands. Illinois also inked a quarterback for the post-Juice era with North Carolina native Jacob Charest. You can look at a full list of the class here.

For comments from Zook on the class and a live report from Adam Harris, tune into WPGU 107.1 FM at 5pm, also online at the217.com. You can also pick up a copy of Thursday’s Daily Illini and tune into WPGU Saturday at 6 pm for a full breakdown of the class, the Illini’s prospects for the class of 2009, and an exclusive interview with Cordale Scott.

Game photos! Enjoy. It was hard to watch. Also some parade photos from earlier in the morning. It was a long day.

Kevin Mitchell reacts after the game as teammate Justin Harrison tries to comfort him.

Zook watches his team.

Hershel scores a TD for USC.

At least someone on Illinois had a good game.

Some people dressed up for the occasion.

I don’t know why she was smiling so early in the morning.

These guys aren’t very fond of American government.

See more photos: Aaron Facemire + Josh Birnbaum + Roxy Ryan + Brad Vest

I’ve been lazy about posting, so here’s an overview of our Rose Bowl trip thus far.

Juice walks into Media Day

Illinois’ Mike Ware jokes with reporters at Lawry’s Beef Bowl

A fan poses for a friends

Watching practice at USC

Antonio Steele and players interview each other with water bottles as microphones

See more photos: Aaron Facemire + Josh Birnbaum + Roxy Ryan + Brad Vest