CHAMPAIGN — A ghost of a smile.
That's what accompanied Rod Smith's telling of his conversation with Illinois football coach Lovie Smith about the nature of the Illini's open training camp.
Fans lined the fences at the Campus Rec Fields on Friday afternoon for day one. They were back — in greater numbers — Saturday morning for another look. They'll have 12 more opportunities to do the same starting again at 9 a.m. Monday.
"I asked Lovie, 'Are you sure want to open this?'" Rod Smith said — maybe only half joking. "I'm not used to that.