Illinois football coach Ron Zook began his first news conference of the season Tuesday by announcing that he had some breaking news.
"To the best of my knowledge, nobody has gotten hurt," he said.
After an injury-riddled week, that is good news. But the Illini have had to divide time between adjusting lineups while also planning for the opener on Saturday in St. Louis against Missouri.
Terry Hawthorne's foot injury has opened up a few places. Jack Ramsey and Jarred Fayson will handle punt returns, while Justin Green and Ramsey will take care of kickoff returns. Troy Pollard could be used for both, Zook said.
Green, a running back, was moved to cornerback. After Supo Sanni's season-ending injury, Tavon Wilson moved to safety from cornerback. Steve Hull, a receiver, is playing as a backup safety.
"I think injuries are part of the game," Zook said. "We talked about that at our very first meeting."
Players said they were not letting the injuries discourage them.
"We'll show everyone Illinois is a team to be watched," linebacker Martez Wilson said.
"To the best of my knowledge, nobody has gotten hurt," he said.
After an injury-riddled week, that is good news. But the Illini have had to divide time between adjusting lineups while also planning for the opener on Saturday in St. Louis against Missouri.
Terry Hawthorne's foot injury has opened up a few places. Jack Ramsey and Jarred Fayson will handle punt returns, while Justin Green and Ramsey will take care of kickoff returns. Troy Pollard could be used for both, Zook said.
Green, a running back, was moved to cornerback. After Supo Sanni's season-ending injury, Tavon Wilson moved to safety from cornerback. Steve Hull, a receiver, is playing as a backup safety.
"I think injuries are part of the game," Zook said. "We talked about that at our very first meeting."
Players said they were not letting the injuries discourage them.
"We'll show everyone Illinois is a team to be watched," linebacker Martez Wilson said.
