>>Lunt Standing Out At Illini Camp

The Fighting Illini held their second two-a-day practice of Camp Rantoul on Wednesday, beginning with a fast-paced morning session that lasted just shy of two hours.

While the offense's highlights - including a few pretty passes from Wes Lunt to Mike Dudek and strong runs from Josh Ferguson, Donovonn Young and Devin Church - caught many eyes, the defense also counted a few attention-grabbing plays, including an Earnest Thomas III interception where he wrestled a deep ball out of Dudek's hands and a pick-six by T.J. Neal Jr.

After practice, a number of kids from the nearby Little Wings Day Care stopped by and slapped hands with Illini players as they exited the field. Head coach Tim Beckman and a number of players chatted with them and thanked them for coming to practice.

(Information courtesy of FightingIllini.com)

>>Illini Hope New QB Will Lead Take Them To Next Level

Wins have been scarce the past few seasons at Illinois. Tight end Jon Davis believes this team could change that.

Davis says this Illini team should aim for six or seven wins and get there. That would be a big improvement on last season's 4-8 record.

Illinois will be leaning heavily on transfer quarterback Wes Lunt when it kicks off Aug. 30 against Youngstown State. Lunt started at Oklahoma State his freshman year before losing the job to injury.

Coach Tim Beckman says he's also counting on improvement on defense through experience. Last season's defense was young and lacked depth and gave up 35 points a game. Beckman begins the season under pressure after winning just six games his first two seasons.