http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football Latest Illini SportsFacts stories for the News-Gazette en-us Copyright 2008, The News-Gazette, Inc. http://www.news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/rss Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:37:00 PST Since your time is valuable, and gas is burning a hole in your wallet, you are hereby provided with the predictable developments from the Big Ten football kickoff Thursday and Friday in Chicago. Oh, and you can see for yourself on the tube. The Big Ten Network and ESPNEWS will be waving their microphones around at the annual affair. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/23/tate_a_preview_of_big_ten_football_kickoff/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST CHAMPAIGN – The stands for a pair of Illinois football games were filled Tuesday. One at home and one away. The Illinois-Ohio State game scheduled for Nov. 15 at Memorial Stadium was sold out less than an hour after single-game tickets became available Tuesday morning. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/23/ohio_state_missouri_games_sold_out/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST At the controls Copy editor and video game aficionado Jason Randall reviews NCAA Football 09 http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/22/ncaa_football_09_review/ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST CHAMPAIGN – Two years ago, you didn't have to wait in line to get Illinois football tickets. Good seats were available at the ticket window. Ten minutes before kickoff. Not today. With a season-ticket base above 40,000 and climbing, the start of single-game sales becomes significant. And that date is Tuesday. At 9 a.m. sharp. Illinois officials expect "lines" at three spots: the Assembly Hall ticket windows, on the telephone and at their Internet site. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/21/single-game_tickets_on_sale_tuesday_sellouts_expected/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – About a week before making his college choice, Nathan Scheelhaase sent an e-mail to Illinois quarterback Juice Williams. All he wanted to know, Scheelhaase said, was "Would you pick Illinois if you had to do it all over again?" http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/21/scheelhaase_says_illini_are_the_perfect_fit/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST The same week it landed one of the nation's top dual-threat quarterbacks, Illinois picked up a potential target for Nathan Scheelhaase. And someone to defend against him. East St. Louis receiver Terry Hawthorne and Flyers defensive back Tommie Hopkins told Ron Zook they will sign with the Illini in February. That brings the Class of 2009 to eight known commitments. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/21/zook_nabs_two_east_st_louis_recruits/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST On Sundays during the offseason, beat writer Bob Asmussen will take you around the world of college football: http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/20/bobs_blitz/ Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST CHAMPAIGN – Bobby Mitchell was a swift, explosive athlete. Only a seventh-round draft pick by Cleveland, and later traded to Washington, he earned All-NFL honors three times as he caught 521 passes for 7,954 yards. His 72 catches topped the NFL in his first season with the Redskins (1962). http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/20/tate_brown_not_mitchell_deserves_spot_among_uis_top_backs/ Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST CHAMPAIGN – The Gus Macker three-on-three basketball tournament isn't about just basketball. For former Illini placekicker John Gockman, it's as much an unofficial team reunion for his ex-teammates at Coal City High School. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/20/ex-illini_kicker_gockman_enjoying_return_for_macker/ Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST Ranked among the nation's elite dual-threat prospects by Rivals.com, Kansas City Rockhurst's Nathan Scheelhaase announced his plans to play football at Illinois. Scheelhaase picked the Illini over Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/17/illini_land_elite_qb_from_kansas_city/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST The moment he saw the schedule, the traveling wheels in Larry Barringer's head started spinning. What looked like a daunting task to the Illinois football coaching staff looked like an opportunity of a lifetime to Barringer. Illinois opens the 2008 conference season with games at Penn State and Michigan. Longtime Illini Quarterback Club member and trip planner Barringer is making the best of it. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/14/quarterback_club_trip_offers_chance_to_see_two_games_more/ Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST It isn't just the quantity that has the recruiting experts shaking their heads in amazement. It's the quality. Almost seven months before signing day, Ohio State has 24 commitments. Rivals.com gives four stars or higher to 17 of the 24. The other seven are all three-star recruits. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/13/another_talented_recruiting_class_has_osu_on_top_of_rankings/ Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST On Sundays during the offseason, beat writer Bob Asmussen will take you around the world of college football: http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/13/bobs_blitz/ Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST CHAMPAIGN – Some Illini fans were offended in late 1991 when John Mackovic snapped up the football coaching gig at Texas, leaving prior to the UI's trip to the John Hancock Bowl in El Paso. Mackovic had been the perfect successor to Mike White, bringing in a pro-style offense for Purdue transfer Jeff George. Mackovic was 30-16-1 with four bowl trips, a 10-2 season in 1989, a shared Big Ten title in 1990 and a 4-0 record against Ohio State. He posted the UI's winningest percentage since the pre-Zuppke days. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/12/tate_from_double_duty_at_illinois_to_bout_with_cancer_mackovic_still_has_plenty_to_say/ Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST CHAMPAIGN – Illinois center Ryan McDonald is again on the Rimington Trophy watch list, which goes to the nation's best center. The senior-to-be made the cut last year as well. McDonald missed the bulk of spring drills but is expected to be healthy for the season. The Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player with the most first-place votes on four All-America teams: the Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation. If there is a tie after the first-place votes are considered, the next consideration is second-place votes. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/09/illini_center_mcdonald_on_rimington/ Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST The Jim Thorpe Association named Illinois junior cornerback Vontae Davis to the 2008 Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list. Davis is included among 40 of the nation's top defensive backs as the leading candidates for this year's trophy. Davis, an All-Big Ten performer and Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2007, was Illinois' fourth-leading tackler with 76 stops, including a team- leading 13 solo stops against USC in the Rose Bowl. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/08/illini_cornerback_davis_named_to_thorpe_list/ Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST Ann Landers and Abby have nothing on our sports know-it-all, Tony Bleill: http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/06/ask_tony/ Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST Illinois announced two more game times for the 2009-2012 football seasons Wednesday. The home opener against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 6 and the Sept. 13 contest against Louisiana-Lafayette were scheduled for 11 a.m. on the Big Ten Network. The school also announced the eight-game Big Ten lineup for the  2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons: http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/07/03/on_schedule/ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:00:00 CST CHAMPAIGN – Illini football fans will get a rare behind-the-scenes look at Ron Zook's program this fall. The Big Ten Network's "Journey" series, which began last season with a look at Minnesota men's basketball team, will feature Zook's Illini. The first episode of "Illinois Football: The Journey," will air at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 2. That one-hour show will be followed by 10 to 13 half-hour shows throughout the season. http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/football/2008/06/26/tv_show_offers_inside_look_at_ui_football_program/ Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:00:00 CST