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What Bret Bielema says as Illinois prepares for final week of fall camp
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Illinois and Nebraska will hit the field in Week 0 on Aug. 28, in what will likely be the national opener on network TV. Illini first-year head coach Bruce Bielema has hit the ground running and has just a week of camp left.
Bielema made some comments while discussing where the Illini are now that it’s getting to crunch time. He mentioned that the captains have been voted on, but have yet to be announced, and that there will be a mock-game setup in Memorial Stadium prior to the opener with the Huskers.
Some player issues were also discussed, along with injury and health updates.
Here’s what Bielema had to say during his press conference on Thursday as the Illini prepare for the final week of preparation before the Nebraska game:
#illini Bret Bielema, talking about body maintenance with players, said he had six knee surgeries, "a couple ankles and a couple hands" as a player.
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) August 19, 2021
#illini Bret Bielema: Under 5 players left to get vaccinated. Only one guy on travel roster isn't fully vaccinated.
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) August 19, 2021
#illini Bret Bielema: Pretty healthy. Only one outside of Jordyn Slaughter who is likely to miss opener is Marquez Beason.
Wrote about Marquez this week: https://t.co/kToalQJRDn
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) August 19, 2021
#illini Bret Bielema: Captains were voted on today. Will announce to team today and then to the public.
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) August 19, 2021
#illini Bret Bielema: Will host a mock game in Memorial Stadium. No full-go tackling but guys will be in uniforms, coaches in press box, players on sideline, all normal gameday operations synced with what gametime will be on Aug. 28. pic.twitter.com/t3KT5AZvfw
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) August 19, 2021
Bret Bielema says #Illini fifth-year o-lineman Alex Palczewski has been "probably one of the true highlights of fall camp."
"We'll take full advantage of having him and Vederian (Lowe) as two edge players on the o-line and be very solid at that position."
— Gavin Good (@itsallG_O_O_D) August 19, 2021
Bielema said Dylan Thomas, who just announced his medical retirement, suffered a shoulder injury during the offseason. "He's a very intelligent (player), good football IQ. … In the last five days as a student assistant he's been off the charts."
— Colin Likas (@clikasNG) August 19, 2021
#Illini Bielema: We are as ready, or prepared, as we need to be before heading into the last week of game week preparation.
— Alec Busse (@alec_busse) August 19, 2021
Bielema: "I’m very happy with what we’ve put in and what we’ve installed. … For the most part everything we’ve needed to get in is in."
— Colin Likas (@clikasNG) August 19, 2021
Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.