'We have a plan': Lovie Smith Not Likely To Use All 15 Allotted Bowl Practices
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- As Illinois makes its return to a postseason bowl game for the first time in five years, Lovie Smith’s practice plan for his bowl debut is a bit different than the norm.
While it’s not necessarily as rigorous as an August training camp, Smith’s practice plan isn’t likely to give veteran players early days off to give coaches a chance to evaluate younger talent.
“It’s a bowl practice because I can’t say it’s more of a spring practice deal because then you’re not as worried about suffering minor injuries or things like that,” Smith said Monday night. “It was what you’d expect in a first practice after having so many days off. Right now, these first few practices, would be more like training camp. We’re not focusing in on Cal just yet.”
An example of a veteran player being used early and often Monday night as Illinois began on-campus preparations for the 2019 Redbox Bowl against California on Dec. 30 (4 p.m. CST, Fox) is Dele Harding. The senior co-captain, who earlier this month was named an All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection by the league’s media, was in full pads and said he was working with the first-team defense.
Reggie Corbin, an All-Big Ten third-team selection by league’s media and coaches, was also dressed out in full pads. Brandon Peters, who missed the regular season finale loss to Northwestern due to what is believed to be concussion protocol, was also behind center with the first-team offense, according to sophomore offensive lineman Kendrick Green.
Typically the schedule for teams who have nearly the entire month of December to prepare for a bowl game is broken up in three parts. The first week is mainly for little-used younger players and redshirted players to get snaps and participation as an evaluation tool for next season and beyond. The second week is used for getting the veteran players back up to speed on the early installations and the final week is used to prepare specifically for the opponent. With the early signing date in December requiring Illinois coaches get on the road to recruit for the first week of December, Illinois may not get a chance to use all of the 15 allotted practice given to teams by the NCAA. Smith refused to give a clear answer to whether Illinois would use all 15 practices before they take on the field on Dec. 30 against California.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Smith said. “We have a plan. Not certain I want to say how many we’ll do. We’re going to practice enough to make sure we’re ready for our game.”
Several players Monday night confirmed to Illini Maven/Sports Illustrated that the first on-campus practice inside Illinois’ indoor facility resembled an early week regular season practice session and not an allocated practice for younger players.
“(Giving reps to younger players) is not our mentality right now for these practices,” Illinois tailback Ra'Von Bonner said. “We have an opportunity to give these seniors a chance to win their last game in the program’s first bowl game in however many years. That’s our focus.”
Last month, Illini Maven/Sports Illustrated spoke to the few graduate transfers on the Illini roster who have experienced bowl prep at other highly successful Power 5 Conference programs and the response was unanimous that these sessions could be invaluable to younger players looking to shine in 2020.
“It’s a system in college football where teams that go to bowls tend to repeat going to bowls because they get the benefits of time allotted to get better,” said Illinois wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe. “It’s like anything. If one team is allowed 15 practices to get better and more locked in and another team is sitting at home not practicing, the one working is becoming a better team and program.”
Imatorbhebhe experienced bowl prep while on the Southern California roster for the 2017 Cotton Bowl vs. Ohio State.
Michigan quarterback Brandon Peters (18) drops back against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first quarter of the 2018 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.
Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports
Peters started the 2018 Outback Bowl for Michigan on New Year’s Day and went 20 of 44 for 186 yards with two interceptions in a 26-19 loss to South Carolina. Despite redshirting his first season with the Wolverines, Peters also said he saw extensive early practice work in early Michigan prep for the Orange Bowl vs. Florida State.
“I think we called it Winter Camp at Michigan under Coach (Jim) Harbaugh,” Peters said in November. “It was valuable, at least for me, because all season long the freshman and younger guys are running the opponent’s plays, formations and schemes. During those practices you got a chance to run what you came to do there and put something on tape in front of the coaches what you’d learned and picked up from the older guys.”
Peters, along with freshman Isaiah Williams, were considered off-limits to the media by Smith and the Illini coaching staff following Monday’s practice session.
California’s staff isn’t new to formulating a bowl schedule around the early signing period. By Jan. 15, Cal had already conducted three practice sessions and Golden Bears head coach Justin Wilcox had a different schedule than Smith’s Illini program. California (7-5) has been to 23 bowls in school history, but the team will be going to multiple bowl games in a row for only its fifth time (1921-22, 1949-51, 1992-93, 2003-09).
“For the veteran guys who have played quite a bit, it was just about getting their bodies back going after a break,” Wilcox said. “For the younger guys, it was a lot of extra good-on-good work. We focused on technique, fundamentals but also getting them into our scheme and program. You have to go through those redshirt players and even second-year players who haven’t played quite as much.”
The Golden Bears won back-to-back road regular season games against Stanford and UCLA to give the program back-to-back winning years for the first time since the 2008-09 seasons.
“We’ll spend a lot of time starting next week focusing on Illinois and the bowl game itself,” Wilcox said.