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Remote control: Memorial Stadium crowds entertained from down the street

CHAMPAIGN — When Illinois kicks off its football season Saturday against Murray State, the bulk of the action will be taking place inside Memorial Stadium.

Thousands of fans will cheer touchdown passes by Wes Lunt and big hits from Dawuane Smoot — then look high above the south end zone at the state-of-the-art scoreboard to catch a replay.

But the personnel running the giant screen aren't even in the stadium. They're down the road at the Bielfeldt Athletic Administration Building, huddled in a room that features dozens of television monitors, countless cords and a control board in the middle littered with hundreds of buttons and a couple of levers.