The 2022 Orange and Blue Spring Game gave Illinois fans a sneak peek into what awaits Memorial Stadium come August.

Right off the bat, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. showed that he’s going to run the ball frequently with sophomore running back Josh McCray and junior running back Chase Brown, who both were suiting up for the White team. The two running backs combined for 174 yards on Thursday.

Combined with the running duo, senior quarterback Tommy DeVito showed his preference for wide receivers, throwing to sophomore wideout Isaiah Williams seven times in the first half for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

“(My connection with Isaiah Williams) started the day I got on campus,” DeVito said. “A lot of time in the summer is going to be big, right now we’re just learning a lot of the offense — for us to gain more chemistry, that’ll be done in the summer.”

Besides Williams, DeVito targeted senior wide receiver Brian Hightower and sophomore wideout Pat Bryant for a combined five receptions and 63 yards.

At the end of the day, DeVito ended the game with 16 out of 20 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns, a great first showing for the transferred senior.

“As a whole, he’s gotten better every day,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “He’s extremely intelligent, good football IQ (and a) very accurate passer.”

The offensive line kept the pocket clean for Tommy DeVito throughout the game, moving around the Blue team with ease.

“When you got 7-8 (offensive linemen), now you’ve got something,” Bielema said. “They look like Big Ten linemen.”

The White team defensive backs kept the air pretty clean, only allowing 57% of completions between Blue team quarterbacks — redshirt freshman Samari Collier and senior Ryan Johnson.

For the Blue team, freshman running back Jordan Anderson showed flashes of excellence, giving the Blue team the offensive life it needed to score. Anderson ran for 30 yards in four attempts.

Collier also relied on his feet very often to get the ball moving for the Blue team. Eventually getting reps with the White team, he used the first-team offensive line to push the offense further upfield.

Although the team showed potential today, the roster could change by the time fall training camp arrives with the rest of the 2022 class arriving on campus and current players possibly deciding to transfer to different schools.

“I think our guys in our program, they like being here. The guys that have portaled in or portaled out haven’t been surprising to me — you can kinda see the writing on the wall,” Bielema said. “I always tell them, ‘Even though I might be telling you something you don’t want to hear doesn’t mean I don’t love you.’ Part of the process is when people you respect tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear — that’s growth in the right direction.”

Illinois fans feel the growth and hope that it brings along the success they’ve been waiting for.

“They look like they’re more focused,” said Illinois fan and parent James Osborne. “The defense looks good, offense looks way better than they were last year, (and) from a quarterback standpoint there was not a lot of execution. A lot of fans supporting the team, looking forward for the next year coming up. I’m happy for the fan support.”

@JonathanAlday7
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