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Illini Prepare for First Scrimmage
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Fans can see Morris Virgil and the rest of the Illini in action for the first time on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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April 4, 2003
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois football team took to the field for the sixth time this spring as two and a half hour workout was moved indoors with 20 minutes left to practice due to inclement weather. Coach Turner was pleased with the leadership and the attitude that the team brought to practice as "looks forward to see his players execute during Saturday's scrimmage."
SCRIMMAGE SET FOR SATURDAY: The Illinois football team will have its first scrimmage of the spring season on Saturday at 2 p.m. Fans will get their first look at the Illini starters of the future. The scrimmage is tentatively slated to take place in Memorial Stadium and should last approximately an hour.
PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS: After stretching the team worked on special teams; where senior safety Eric McGoey downed a punt on the one-yard line... Running a two-minute drill, senior quarterback, Jon Beutjer moved the ball effectively down the field setting up a 42-yard field goal by senior kicker, John Gockman...During another drive, senior cornerback Christian Morton broke up a ten-yard pass and nearly intercepted another pass but was called out of bounds...While the team worked on its Red Zone offense, freshman running back, E.B. Halsey ran 25-yards for a touchdown... Sophomore, defensive back Anthony Longe, batted down a pass, which prevented a touchdown deep in the end zone.
SCOUTING THE LINEBACKERS: Despite losing All-Big Ten defender Jerry Schumacher, this group should still be solid under the direction of Mike Mallory. Each position has been highly competitive through the first six spring sessions
"Overall, each guy is improving" linebacker coach Mike Mallory said. "However, the starters have not been named. They come on to the field with a good attitude and they are ready to play. If we stay focused we will get a lot accomplished this spring. "
Joe Bevis, Antonio Mason and Josh Tischer are battling for one outside spot. Bevis had 49 stops a year ago and brings two years of starting experience after recording 78 tackles in 2001. Mason made huge strides the second half of the season to make this position competitive heading into the spring. While he finished with 17 tackles, 15 of those stops came in the final four games including six against Ohio State and five at Northwestern. Tischer played as a true-freshman in 2002, primarily on special teams, but recorded 10 tackles in the effort.
In the middle, Matt Sinclair and Mike Gawelek will look to fill the shoes of Schumacher who finished his Illinois career ranked among the top tacklers in school history. While he earned eight starts at outside linebacker in 2002, Sinclair has the size and strength to play inside. Last season the St. Louis, Mo., native ranked fourth on the team with 56 tackles, five of which were behind the line including one sack. The junior's top game was vs. Michigan where tallied 11 tackles and two TFL's. A key contributor on special teams a year ago, Gawelek saw action in nine games while recording five stops.
Another hotly contested competition will be at the other outside spot between Ty Myers, Winston Taylor and freshman Cyrus Garrett. Myers brings the most experience starting 18 games over the last two seasons. After totaling 48 tackles as a sophomore, Myers added 36 most last season including four tackles-for-loss and a sack. Taylor is a physical player that recorded 28 stops in his first season with Illinois. The senior's best game came at Wisconsin where he had four tackles including one tackle-for-loss and a fumble recovery. Garrett will see his first action of his career this season after redshirting in 2002. A highly touted prep recruit, Garrett brings impressive size and speed to the position and coaches think he could be the next in a long line of great Illinois linebackers.
