The 2006 spring football season started much more smoothly – while much chillier – than 2005’s spring practice session. With temperatures in the mid-40s and a stinging mist falling on Memorial Stadium, the Illini might as well have been back in November.

“This first practice was about what you’d expect, but compared to last year, there’s no comparison,” head coach Ron Zook said. “I thought the retention from the season was good, they understand us and we understand them. We could get a lot more done.”

Backup quarterbacks Billy Garza and Paul Blalock were the two players seeing the biggest change, as the two took most of the snaps. Last season’s starter, Tim Brasic, was absent from practice following an academics-related suspension, and next season’s biggest recruit, Isiah “Juice” Williams, stood on the sidelines with fellow signee wide receiver Chris James while their future teammates worked out.

“Juice, you’ve got to make sure he’s not doing anything that he’s not supposed to do,” Zook said of his eager new player. “But that shows you the enthusiasm these guys have to get out here.”

Seven new Illini did take the field, including freshman punter Kyle Yelton, who will face the tough task next season of replacing All-American Steve Weatherford. Zook said he thought Yelton held his own on his first day in orange and blue, surviving big expectations and bad weather.

“I thought he did a great job, especially with the cold ball,” Zook said.

Zook said the coaches were not dropping expectations for the new players, and will be holding them to the same standards as Illinois’ returnees.

“We’re not spoon-feeding them,” Zook said. “We’ve got to get them up to speed.”

Garza said he doesn’t feel extra pressure to perform while Brasic is out of practice, but confirmed that it opens an opportunity for other quarterbacks to show their strengths.

“It helps to get reps, but I’m just happy to be back out here now,” Garza said.

Zook said he isn’t concerned with the quarterbacks’ play on the first day of spring practice. But with a year of experience in Zook’s system, Garza said practice Tuesday was much easier to get through than last year’s counterpart.

“Last year everything was coming at me a hundred miles an hour; I had no idea what I was doing,” Garza said. “But going through the season, everything was much easier this time.”

Zook saw that confidence as a strength he could use to keep pushing the players throughout the months leading up to the Sept. 2 season opener.

“I think now we’ve got to take that confidence level and raise the level of what they’ve got to accomplish,” Zook said.

The head coach said there was some sloppiness in Tuesday’s practice, but that in general, he is happy with how the team did.

“Compared to last year, it’s night and day,” Zook said. “We look like we should look after a year.”