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Wednesday Interviews: Coach Beckman | Coach Banks
As the countdown to Saturday's season-opener against Western Michigan continues to dwindle, the Illini worked out on the Memorial Stadium turf once again on Wednesday. After practice wrapped up, workers completed the installation of the bowl banners on the barriers separating the stands from the field, including the Rose Bowl banner.
Monday Interviews: Coach Beckman Press Conference | QB Nathan Scheelhaase | DT Akeem Spence
Tuesday Interviews: Coach Beatty | Coach Gonzales
The Illini continued to prepare for the season-opener against Western Michigan on Tuesday, with another morning practice. Once the team finished working out on Zuppke Field at Memorial Stadium, work crews continued to install more signage recognizing Illinois' all-time bowl appearances and an Illinois. Our State. Our Team sign atop the student section in the north end zone seating area.
Training Camp Central
Training Camp Central
Interviews: Steve Stricker | Luke Guthrie
Post Practice Interviews: Coach Beckman | QB Nathan Scheelhaase | RB Josh Ferguson
After a day off on Sunday to allow players to move into their campus housing, the Illini returned to action on the grass fields to the east of Memorial Stadium for a practice in shoulder pads and shorts. Illinois continued to install its schemes and began to prepare for its season-opening opponent, Western Michigan.
Training Camp Central
Training Camp Central
Highlights | Photo Gallery | Training Camp Central
Practices 6 & 7: Saturday
Former Illini soccer star Emily Zurrer will return from London with a bronze medal after the Canadian women's soccer team defeated France 1-0 on Aug. 9 in the bronze medal match. Another former Illini will also return home with a medal, as Deron Williams and USA men's basketball will go for their second straight gold medal on Sunday, Aug. 12 (9 am CDT, live on NBC) in the Olympic final against Spain. 
Practice 5: Friday MorningInterviews: Coach Beckman | Coach Beatty | Coach Salem
The Fighting Illini were in full pads and did some hitting for the first time at Training Camp on Friday morning in Rantoul. Illinois held a two-and-a-half hour practice in cool, windy conditions at the former Chanute Air Force Base. During the Red Zone portion near the end of practice, the Illini were full contact, doing their first hitting at Camp Rantoul. Follow practice, head coach Tim Beckman joined Jonathan Brown in the cold tubs to help ease the pain of a busy five days in Rantoul.
Practice 4: Thursday Morning
Interviews: Coach Beckman | QB Nathan Scheelhaase
After three days of split practices as the Orange and Blue squads, the Illini returned to working as a single unit on Thursday. That gave the team a better opportunity to work on some special teams units as well as special teams fundamentals, such as how to shed blockers as a kickoff coverage player or what technique to use as a lineman on a field goal.
![photo[1].jpg](http://www.fightingillini.com/blog/assets_c/2012/08/photo%5B1%5D-thumb-250x150-29243.jpg)
Practice 3A: Wednesday Morning
AM Interviews: QB Nathan Scheelhaase | QB Miles Osei
The team awoke Wednesday morning to news of a water main break that led to a boil order in the part of Rantoul around the former Chanute Air Force Base - the exact location where the Illini hold Camp Rantoul. But the team's support staff quickly mobilized, with director of football operations Tim Knox working with the athletic training staff to make sure practice could go on as normal. Assistant athletic trainer Chris Brown drove back to Champaign, filled up as many five-gallon coolers as the team would need for the morning practice and returned to Rantoul in time for the Blue team's session.
Practice 2A: Tuesday Morning
AM Interviews: FB Zach Becker | TE Matt LaCosse
The same group the wrapped up day one of Camp Rantoul started day two, as the Orange team worked out Tuesday morning. They went through a similar routine as on Monday, with individual position drills, 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work.
Former Fighting Illini continue to compete in London as USA basketball star Deron Williams and Team USA are well on their way to their second straight gold medal after a perfect 5-0 mark in group play. The medal round begins on Wednesday. Hurdler Nikkita Holder (Canada) has advanced out of the first round of the 100m hurdles with the semifinals and final coming on Tuesday. Meanwhile, recent alum Andrew Riley (Jamaica) will begin his Olympic quest on Tuesday with round 1 of the 110m hurdles. 
Practice 1A: Monday Morning
Interviews: Coach Beckman | Nathan Scheelhaase | Michael Buchanan
The Illini opened the 2012 version of Camp Rantoul Monday morning, with the first session of a split-squad practice on the grounds of the former Chanute Air Force Base. The morning session was for the "Blue" team, which consisted of first-stringers and fourth-stringers. The "Orange" squad will be the second- and third-string players and they will practice at 4:45 p.m. Monday.
Three of the six former Fighting Illini standouts have begun competition
in London. Basketball players Deron Williams (USA) and Robert Archibald
(Great Britain) will each play their third game of pool play today in
London, while former soccer star Emily Zurrer (Canada) had her second
Olympic games cut short due to a hamstring injury. The three Illini
track and field competitors will begin action soon, starting with USA
discus thrower Gia Lewis-Smallwood on Friday, Aug. 3.Bielfeldt Athletic Administration Building
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