CHAMPAIGN — Before Saturday, it had been a while since Lovie Smith last coached in a spring game. By my calculations — 24 years, back to his time at Ohio State.
Consider that box checked.
Entering his fourth season, Smith worked his first spring game at Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
What did he think?
"We wanted to see exactly where we were," Smith said. "Let the guys get in some situational football. I thought some of the guys did some good things."
Gameday intensity existed at Memorial Stadium. Even though the opponent wore the same jersey.