Note that a number of today's articles mentioned that the 5 football players who received the benefits for the
housing situation will NOT be facing any suspensions.
Here is a summary of some of Barry Alvarez's comments at the Big Ten media gathering in Chicago.
They will have a substantial number of freshmen and redshirt freshmen in the depth charts.
Bollinger is as fine a leader as he has been around and can beat you in many ways, throwing and running.
Sorgi played better than he anticipated. He also practiced a lot better once he got a chance to play..."more of
a purpose". Has opposite strenghts as Bollinger.
Offensive line will be solid.
Al Johnson could be the best center they have had.
Ben Johnson is very athletic and is ready to take the next step and become one of the better players in the league.
Jowers is steady.
Anelli is a proven commodity.
Evans..."playmaker"...very fast.
Tailback is wide open and they will probably go with a committee approach with all three playing.
Darius Jones has the athleticism of a LB but can play down.
Defensive lines will be one of the best they have had...much faster than in the past.
Need depth in the secondary. 1st string is solid but nickel situations are a question mark. All freshmen will
be in the top 2 at their position and a couple will be given chances to compete to start.
Biggest concern is the kicking game.
BCS was a wise decision for the Big Ten. Giving up the Rose Bowl once every four years was a necessary
sacrifice.
The Big Ten is so deep now that you can no longer coast against the bottom teams (as you could in the past).
Each team must play consistently at their top level or they can be beat.
Has liked the way the QBs have thrown the ball.
Impressed with Raiola.
They took the Virginia game so the could practice earlier. He felt it (playing early) helped them in '97, especially later in the year.
Young teams need to get on the field early.
Expects this year's team to get much better as the year progresses.
Darrin Charles practiced today and looked good. He may have a slight tear of the meniscus but looks ok. He was a "man playing
among boys" at the Shrine Game.