Football

More than 10,000 fans came out on Saturday afternoon to watch quarterback Juice Williams throw for 150 yards on 13-for-26 passing in the annual spring game, leading the Blue team over the Orange team, 20-0.

The Illini (23-12, 8-4 Big Ten) take to the road this weekend for three games at Penn State (21-16, 5-7). Illinois is currently third in the Big Ten, sitting a half-game behind Indiana and a full game behind Ohio State. Illini head coach Dan Hartleb said balance has been vital to his team's success so far.

Normally it's simply offense against defense at spring practice for the Illini football team. But Wednesday was different, as the Illini were split into teams for their annual Orange and Blue spring game, pitting the offensive and defensive units against themselves.

The Illini's spring football season will come to a close this Saturday with the annual spring game.

The Illini will have a battle at tailback that could last through the summer and possibly the entire season.

Tuesday and Wednesday practices provided big plays and hard hits to fired up Illini squad.

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema's team may have lost games, but he didn't lose his sense of humor.

The Badgers had an uneven season last year, going 7-6 overall and tying for sixth in the Big Ten with a 3-5 mark. There were rumblings that Bielema, the hand-picked successor to head coach-turned-athletic director Barry Alvarez three years earlier, might be on the hot seat.

But Bielema is back for another year. Like everyone else, he expressed optimism Tuesday when the Big Ten's coaches spoke about their spring prospects.

When Aaron Curry realized he'd be one of nine players invited to the NFL draft, he knew he'd put on an expensive suit and surround himself with his family on one of the biggest days of his life.

It's often overlooked, but the special teams unit can often be the difference between a win and a loss on the gridiron. And for the Illini it's no excpetion.

Of all the units on Ron Zook's football team, the defense is the one that is undergoing the most changes.