CHAMPAIGN — As the University of Illinois head football coach, Lovie Smith is in charge of both the offense and defense.
And therein lies a problem when trying to assess an intrasquad scrimmage like the one that passed for Illinois’ spring game Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
When Ra’Von Bonner appeared to go 90 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the scrimmage (he stepped out of bounds on the 26 after a gain of 64), part of coach wanted to jump for joy. The installation of coordinator Rod Smith’s new offense had quickly hit high gear.