WATCH: Lovie Smith encourages Illini QBs to be prepared with story of Peyton Manning, Todd Helton
Illinois has its starting quarterback in Brandon Peters, but that is not enough for Lovie Smith.
The head coach of the Illini knows all too well how quickly things can. A player can have a bad game or two, or worse, get injured.
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When discussing the depth of this Illinois squad, Smith pointed out that the entire quarterback room needs to be prepared for when the time comes. Peters may start as QB1, but that does not mean Isaiah Williams, or others, will never play this year.
To illustrate his point, Smith told a story from his days on the coaching staff at Tennesee. At that time, future MLB All-Star Todd Helton was the starter with Peyton Manning expected to serve as the backup at quarterback. However, that didn’t last for long:
Brandon Peters is the starter, but the rest of the @IlliniFootball QB room needs to be ready.@LovieSmith used an example from his days at Tennessee, when injury forced Peyton Manning to replace future MLB All-Star Todd Helton, as proof. pic.twitter.com/1uWMGfYwTG
— Illinois on BTN (@IllinoisOnBTN) August 27, 2019
Hopefully, every Illini player is ready for Saturday’s season opener against Akron. Kickoff is set for 12 pm EST on BTN.
