
10-22-2009, 09:32 PM
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Head Coach
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Quote:
Illinois' Hugh Thornton's playing time coming early
Freshman offensive tackle likely to start again at Purdue
By Shannon Ryan Tribune reporter
October 23, 2009
When Hugh Thornton arrived at Illinois, the freshman offensive linemen sent out the vibe of unwavering confidence -- until he gave up a few sacks in practice.
"Immediately his confidence sank," senior center Eric Block recalled this week. "He was really was down. He was like, 'Yo, man, I'm sorry. I'm not going to be good enough to play with you guys this year. I'm just not ready.' "
Block laughed as he told the story because it's clear how wrong Thornton was.
He started against Indiana at right tackle and did well enough coach Ron Zook likely will play him again Saturday when Illinois goes for its first Big Ten victory at Purdue.
The move is a rarity in college football.
As Block put it, "True freshmen don't start on the offensive line. That's nuts."
The Illini's 185 rushing yards against Indiana was the most this season against an FBS opponent.
"I wasn't expecting to play this early," said Thornton, who is 6 feet 5 inches and weighs 285 pounds. "The team needed me to play and I saw it as an opportunity."
While Thornton sometimes struggled with pass protection, the Illini took notice of .
"It gave us a spark on the offensive line," Block said. "He comes out and plays hard. We played better because of it."
Zook had been looking for that kind of ignition when he swapped Thornton for Ryan Palmer.
When he watched the game tape, he felt comforted. That doesn't happen much when watching Illinois games these days.
"I looked at (offensive line coach Joe Gilbert) and said, 'That makes you feel a little better,' " Zook said. "The intensity. He's flying around. The more he learns the better he's going to be."
Thornton came to Illinois from Oberlin, Ohio, where he earned first-team all-state honors in football and was ranked third in the state in heavyweight wrestling.
But much of his background is rooted in Jamaica, where his mother raised him after she moved to the island for the laid-back lifestyle.
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Illinois' Hugh Thornton's playing time coming early -- chicagotribune.com
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