The Fighting Illini completed their first of two scrimmages of fall training camp on Monday and are now through nearly two weeks of practice.
The offense, defense, and special teams units are all progressing, improving, and showing significant strides forward as the pieces continue to come together ahead of Illinois' season opener on Aug. 27.
Let's discuss some of the biggest takeaways from the first scrimmage and the last few days of practice.
Reiman, Martin react to first scrimmage of training camp
The scrimmage presented the first opportunity for players to make tackles since the spring. Sophomore tight end Tip Reiman says the scrimmage provided a nice refresh on how to tackle, tackle correctly, and protect yourself in a full-speed situation.
"It's fun to let loose," Reiman said. "It's fun for the guys to just roll."
Players have been waiting for this scrimmage since the start of training camp, according to senior defensive back Jartavius Martin. With the defense set for another big year under defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, Martin knows his unit needs to keep working hard through the rest of training camp.
"Guys have been waiting on this moment since day one. So just to get that scrimmage in, it's very refreshing. You know, coaches get to see what a lot of guys can do."
Bielema calls scrimmage "a really, really good day for us"
Head coach Bret Bielema called the first scrimmage "a really, really good day for us," with the offense looking particularly impressive.
Sophomore running back Reggie Love III was a standout in Bielema's eyes during the first scrimmage. After playing in 10 games and registering 150 yards on the ground in 2021, Love could get more touches this season.
Bielema was impressed by the whole running back room, with senior Chase Hayden and sophomore Josh McCray also mentioned by the Illini head coach. Junior Chase Brown did not get as much action, though he has looked good in camp thus far.
"Josh … looked really good," Bielema said. "Reggie Love had a really, really good day. He came in and had a meeting with me the other day, and I could tell his confidence was trending in the right direction. Chase Hayden made a nice couple of explosive runs, so really excited about that running back room, what they can bring."
The rest of the offense also looked good, and Bielema said the quarterbacks – seniors Tommy Devito and Ryan Johnson and junior Artur Sitkowksi – "probably had their best performance" of training camp.
Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr.'s new offensive scheme is "pretty much in," and he used the scrimmage to work on his new playing style while also touching on some more situational football.
"We're chipping away at that on a daily basis so we get game-ready for every situation that might come about," Lunney said.
Lunney says his group "played clean" and took care of the ball during the scrimmage, as there were very few penalties and turnovers.
Bielema structured the build-up to the scrimmage around what a normal game week looks like to help players get accustomed to routines. The actual scrimmage was scripted to include 50-55 plays for the "ones," 50-55 plays for the "twos," and roughly 25 plays for the development group, and referees were present to create a more authentic feel to the game.
The scrimmage's structure involved the "ones" and "twos" on offense going against both the "ones" and "twos" on defense. Bielema says the defense is in a good place heading into the rest of training camp and, ultimately, the start of the season, and he highlighted players within each position group's progress this offseason.
Players continue to adapt, grasp Lunney's offensive schemes
Though Lunney arrived on campus in January and coached during the spring game, the offense is still adapting to his scheme and tempo, which are both different from the offense's style last season.
For sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Williams, the first scrimmage allowed the group to continue to get acclimated to the uptempo offense the Illini will run this season.
"I feel like in-game reps, being able to move the ball and have reps out there, see how they are going to call the game, all that stuff's very important," Williams said. "Just getting a feel of how he's going to call plays, the tempo of the play-calling, it was good today, and it'll be good for the second scrimmage, too."
After finishing as the team's leading receiver in his first season at the position, Williams will play a big role on the offense once again this year.
Reiman has stood out to Bielema and his staff during the spring and summer, and he will likely play on a more prominent piece in his third season in Champaign.
"Coach Lunney has done a great job with the install and helping us all as we comprehend everything," Reiman said. "I believe there's not a magic player. There's not a magic player. There's not a magic coach. It's all of us. And so, you know, the route combinations, pretty much everyone in the country has the same route combinations, whether they run them or not. It's just how we attack it as a unit and as a team."
As a freshman last year, wide receiver Pat Bryant did not know what to expect in his first collegiate season. He ultimately made six catches for 98 yards while playing in each of the final 10 games of 2021.
Now learning a new scheme in his second straight season, Bryant has used his first year to adjust to the speed of the college game. The Illini ran a huddle offense last year, but Bryant says the team is growing more and more comfortable with Lunney's uptempo system.
Snyder says the special teams unit has done "a nice job of adjusting and adapting"
With last season's starting kicker, punter, and long snapper no longer with the team, the battle for those spots this season has continued this training camp. Special teams coordinator Sean Snyder says the team is still learning, and he's been happy with the way his room has approached his new style.
"We've had some teaching moments, which have been really, really good. They've made some adjustments with which we've been working on," Snyder said. "They've done a really nice job of adjusting and adapting to some things that I'm coaching them with."
The return game has been a point of emphasis thus far, and Williams has been one of several players who have taken reps in that area during training camp.
"It's been a blessing to learn from Coach Snyder, see what he does," Williams said. "You just pick up on some of these schemes, and me, I'm just taking it day by day, trying to become a better returner, working on catching the ball every single time, good technique every time I catch the ball.
"That's been one of my biggest goals this camp is making sure I'm becoming a better returner and learning as much as I can about the return game."
Defensive backs room faces healthy competition for starting spots
Defensive backs coach Aaron Henry's room is full of talent and experience, but he won't be able to start everyone. With junior Devon Witherspoon as a returning starter, a battle for the other side of the field is on.
One candidate is senior Terrell Jennings, who did not start practicing until last week after transferring from Minnesota State. Henry says Jennings has already grasped the playbook and is "one of the smartest, if not the smartest player" he's been around.
"I would probably venture to say right now and in my room in terms of knowing the defense, he probably knows it, just from a mental aspect, better than anybody in the room," Henry said. "He is that smart."
Another candidate is sophomore Tahveon Nicholson, who made two starts in 2021 while playing in eight total games and making 11 tackles and two pass breakups.
Bielema has been especially weary of Nicholson's potential, calling him "the leader right now" to start across from Witherspoon.
"He's bigger. He's more strapped up," Bielema said. "He's just kind of got that demeanor and personality. People really like him, and where he's grown from a year ago to this year is just light years, and he's a really good player."
Redshirt freshman Tyler Strain is another name frequently mentioned, though he has been battling a concussion and is slowly easing back into practice.
Nicholson, Jennings, and Strain will continue to bring the intensity and effort in practice this training camp before Henry and the Illini coaching staff ultimately have to make a decision.
"We want to play the best players that give us a chance to win," Henry said. "I'm hard on all of them. I'm critiquing all of them and everything that they do because that can be the difference between us winning and losing.
"These guys are genuinely rooting for each other, and I love to see that as a coach because I think Coach B has built a really good culture within the framework of our team."
"complete" - Google News
August 12, 2022 at 06:45AM
https://ift.tt/AwhQE3B
Illini Complete First Scrimmage, Approach End of Week Two of Training Camp - University of Illinois Athletics - Fighting Illini
"complete" - Google News
https://ift.tt/mUTMLKc
https://ift.tt/cNsyhI9
No comments:
Post a Comment