They are reporting from the game site.
"
60 minutes until kickoff
Looks like Jeff George Jr. will get his second straight start today, while Wes Lunt will miss his third consecutive game with a back injury and Chayce Crouch is out for the second straight week with a shoulder injury.
If I'm Garrick McGee, the Illinois offensive coordinator, I try to simplify the gameplan for George. Thought Illinois attempted too many deep passes early against Michigan and while the wildcat look Illinois used with Ke'Shawn Vaughn did churn out a 45-yard run, it was mostly ineffective against the Wolverines.
Playing a third-string quarterback, the key is to shorten the game, take advantage of every offensive possession and establish the run game.
Illinois will likely be able to run the ball against the Gophers, with Kendrick Foster leading the way. At least it should. Foster had a solid game two weeks ago at Rutgers and while he finished with 45 rushing yards on eight carries last Saturday, the run game was mostly a no-show against the Wolverines.
Now that it seems the quarteback position is settled, you might see Connor Brennan start for the second straight game at guard in place of Gabe Megginson.
Megginson is considered a solid component of future Illinois offensive lines and has started five games this season, but was benched last Saturday in Ann Arbor.
"We don't base everything on one practice or one game, but we've played enough games now for us to see exactly who our players are," Lovie Smith said. "If a guy doesn't start the other day, we felt like we had a better option. Connor played pretty good in (Megginson's) spot last week. It's not just Gabe. It's every player. That's what we're going off of."
McGee said Megginson, a redshirt freshman and the most highly-coveted recruit in the 2015 class when the Jacksonville native signed with the Illini, has the talent. The consistency, though, is one element he wants to see cleaned up."
http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/football/2016-10-29/live-minnesota.html
"
60 minutes until kickoff
Looks like Jeff George Jr. will get his second straight start today, while Wes Lunt will miss his third consecutive game with a back injury and Chayce Crouch is out for the second straight week with a shoulder injury.
If I'm Garrick McGee, the Illinois offensive coordinator, I try to simplify the gameplan for George. Thought Illinois attempted too many deep passes early against Michigan and while the wildcat look Illinois used with Ke'Shawn Vaughn did churn out a 45-yard run, it was mostly ineffective against the Wolverines.
Playing a third-string quarterback, the key is to shorten the game, take advantage of every offensive possession and establish the run game.
Illinois will likely be able to run the ball against the Gophers, with Kendrick Foster leading the way. At least it should. Foster had a solid game two weeks ago at Rutgers and while he finished with 45 rushing yards on eight carries last Saturday, the run game was mostly a no-show against the Wolverines.
Now that it seems the quarteback position is settled, you might see Connor Brennan start for the second straight game at guard in place of Gabe Megginson.
Megginson is considered a solid component of future Illinois offensive lines and has started five games this season, but was benched last Saturday in Ann Arbor.
"We don't base everything on one practice or one game, but we've played enough games now for us to see exactly who our players are," Lovie Smith said. "If a guy doesn't start the other day, we felt like we had a better option. Connor played pretty good in (Megginson's) spot last week. It's not just Gabe. It's every player. That's what we're going off of."
McGee said Megginson, a redshirt freshman and the most highly-coveted recruit in the 2015 class when the Jacksonville native signed with the Illini, has the talent. The consistency, though, is one element he wants to see cleaned up."
http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/football/2016-10-29/live-minnesota.html
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