CHAMPAIGN – It’s been nearly four years since Mike Dudek broke records as a freshman wide receiver, becoming an Illini football star in the first few months on campus. Then came a string of knee injuries that would have led most guys to call it a career. The former star at Naperville Nequa Valley High School spent more time in rehab than the huddle.
The bad news: he wasn’t able to help the Illini on the field while the program tried to rebuild.
The good news: he will already earn a master’s degree this fall with the possibility of more education if he applies for a sixth-year of eligibility.
“Maybe I’ll get a doctorate or something,’’ Dudek said.
Dr. Dudek. The thought had him busting into a smile after the spring game at Memorial Stadium Saturday. As entertaining as that as, it’s also a bit exciting for the Illini and Dudek to head into the summer with a new way of doing things on offense under a coordinator with a proven track record. Rod Smith worked under Rich Rodriguez at Michigan and Arizona, where they combined to pile up the points and play in bowl games.
With Smith, there’s the feeling that he knows what he’s doing, and there’s a plan to get the ball in the hands of Dudek, who set Illinois single-season freshman records with 1,038 receiving yards and 76 receptions. In Big Ten play, he was the league leader with 50 catches for 716 yards. The kid could play, so Smith’s job is simple. Get him the damn ball.
“We’re going to try to do like we do everybody else,’’ Smith said. “Spread people out, get good matchups and get him the ball. There are lots of ways to do that. We’ll game plan with him, get him the ball and let him make plays.
“Mike is one of the guys who brings a lot of experience. He’s got some athleticism to him as well. He’s a solid player. It would be nice to get him full time, which we will. We wanted to take it easy on him to get him to the fall healthy. He makes our receivers room a lot better.’’
With the first string Team Grange going against the second-string Team Butkus, the Illini offense broke open the scrimmage with some big plays. Grange won 45-10 during the roughly 80-play scrimmage.
Reggie Corbin broke off touchdown runs of 60 and 57 yards, running back Ra’Von Bonner scored on a 75-yards touchdown run and quarterback Cam Thomas connected with Caleb reams for a 71-yard touchdown pass. There’s still might not enough depth in the program to give the first string a real game, but it looked like there was an upgrade in the offense under the new hire.
“We want to be a fast-break offense," head coach Lovie Smith told reporters after the scrimmage. "We have some offensive guys that can make you miss in the open field.’’
There’s a tempo to the offense that’s different than past seasons, Dudek said, and the scheme is patterned more toward quick strikes than seven-step drops and long bombs down the field.
“With the pace of it, we’re a fast-paced offense,’’ Dudek said. “It’s run, run, run with more quick plays. It’s a lot of speed and tempo.
“You have a few different tweaks here and there. People have been running offenses for 100 years. They change things here or there. They know what works. It’s a copycat system.’’
From the press box, the question remains if Dudek can hold up. He’s probably asking the same question to himself. How many more times can he handle another devastating injury? This might be his last shot, and he was pleased with how his body performed while picking up the new system.
“Personally, it went well for me,’’ he said. “I went all the way through with no setbacks or anything. There was some soreness and what not. It’s totally common. For me, that’s a huge moral victory. I learned the offense. I took 300-some reps. It’s one thing to learn the offense in the classroom. It’s another to do it on the field. I have a baseline of where I’m at (in his recovery). As far as the offense, I thought we improved every single day. There were no days where we took too many steps back. We’re having fun and enjoying it. As you see (in the scrimmage), we’re going to put a lot of points on the board.’’
Dudek’s ability to remain strong during the series of injuries is an extra measure of toughness he brings to the team, Rod Smith said.
“He’s had some highs and lows,’’ Smith said. “He brings a lot of game experience to the receivers room. We have young guys and new guys. They will be able to lean on him. He’s had some highs and a lot of lows. He had that really good freshman year. He’s had to fight injuries for a while now. To persevere and fight through that, I’m excited to get him going full time in the fall.’’
Who knows, it might not be the last season for Dudek, who wants to see how his body holds up before planning past this season and that master’s degree he earns in December.
He would need to apply to the NCAA for a waiver to play his sixth year, asking for an extra season because of the limited amount of time he played because of the injuries.
“I haven’t thought about it much,’’ he said. “I’m taking life one day at a time. I get a master’s in December. I’ll weigh my options when I get there. Maybe I’ll get a doctorate or something.’’
Dr. Dudek can write a dissertation on recovery.
John Supinie is a columnist for Orangeandbluenews.com. During the day, he’s an Audi Brand Specialist at Green Audi in Springfield. Call or text him at 217-377-1977 if you’re looking for an Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota or preowned car. Ask for the Illini deal.
