There weren’t too many highlights on the offensive side of the ball in the Illini’s first major scrimmage of the spring in Lemont, Ill.

With running back Troy Pollard not participating due to a knee injury and wide receiver Arrelious Benn still recovering from shoulder surgery, an incomplete team looked out of sync during the early drives of the scrimmage.

Many short passes fell untouched to the ground, some were dropped, and the running game failed to penetrate a potent defensive line. Put some of the blame on the weather. Rain and temperatures dipping into the 30s reminded many players of a late-fall slogfest.

“We were kind of prepared for it, but (head) coach (Ron Zook) doesn’t like us wearing sleeves, so when the wind was starting to blow hard, it got kind of chilly,” defensive back Darius Purcell said.

However, the crowds weren’t deterred by the inhospitable conditions, with approximately 2,000 braving the conditions to see Illinois scrimmage.

“It was a day where unless you had to be out here or really wanted to see the Illini, you probably wouldn’t have made the trip,” Zook said.

The offense eventually produced some memorable plays, including a 57-yard touchdown run by quarterback Eddie McGee and a 23-yard floater pass from quarterback Juice Williams to tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, who frequently ran deep passing routes during the scrimmage.

Williams said he expects to see the tight ends play a big part in the upcoming season.

“They’ve been doing a great job of catching the ball vertically all spring, and I think they’ll be more involved this year as far as the passing game goes,” Williams said.

Hicks’ pick six

While the offense sputtered during much of the scrimmage, the Illini defense produced plenty of bright spots during a dark and cold afternoon.

Cornerback Dere Hicks had some of the best catches of the day, picking off two passes during the scrimmage. He returned the first interception 32 yards for a touchdown after jumping a short route on a pass from Williams.

“I was in the right place at the right time, with the right coverage,” Hicks said.

With fellow cornerback Vontae Davis playing solidly on the other side of the field, Illinois’ offense couldn’t help but notice the third-year cornerback, who notched two picks in 13 starts last year.

“He looked phenomenal out there,” Purcell said. “We were talking about that on the sideline like, ‘Man, our corners look real nice against our receivers.’ He’s got some nice ups too, going for those balls.”

And despite his initial modesty, Hicks saw a pair of missed opportunities that could have made his statistics even more impressive.

“It should have been four,” Hicks said. “Go back to the film, it should have been four. I had one in my hands, and another one was a bad read, so it should have been four.”

Davis, who himself blocked a punt and returned it for a score during the scrimmage, wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t know about that, man. I saw three,” Davis said, laughing.

Report cards

While many players agreed the Illini are in a better position than last year, no one failed to see room for improvement. When given the opportunity to grade their performances, none of the players went higher than a B.

Williams gave himself a B-, saying he let his mistakes affect his performance.

“I’ll throw four, five good passes, then kind of mess up on one, and it hinders me a little bit,” Williams said.

Hoomanawanui deemed his performance worthy of a B, while Purcell said a fumble lowered his grade to a C+. On the defensive side of the ball, Davis gave himself a C.

Brit Miller, who continues to improve while adjusting to his new position of middle linebacker, was in midseason form off the field speaking with reporters. After being told Williams’ grade, Miller jokingly one-upped his teammate.

“I’m going to do ‘The Price is Right’ here and go with a B. If he bet $300, I’d say $301,” Miller said.