Illini DT Williams out for season

With senior defensive tackle Sirod Williams lost for the year due to a torn right ACL, Illinois must find a new immovable object to anchor the middle of its defense.

Williams, a 6-foot, 292-pound block of granite who bench-pressed a team-best 500 pounds during the off-season, had earned the right to replace the graduated Chris Norwell in the lineup.

But he injured his knee Saturday and learned the severity of the problem after undergoing an MRI on Monday.

Now it's up to a combination of players to fill Williams' role.

Sophomore Josh Brent, the absurdly strong 315-pound Bloomington resident who posted 8 tackles in limited play last year, started in Williams' spot during Illinois' scrimmage Monday.

But the Illini also threw in an intriguing wrinkle Monday.

Senior Will Davis, a preseason all-Big Ten pick at defensive end, played several snaps at tackle.

"I've been doing that since the beginning of spring," Davis said. "They told me after spring that they wanted me to try out at the "3 technique" tackle."

So Davis, who weighed 250 pounds for the Rose Bowl, plowed his way through a 6,000-calorie-per-day diet during the off-season and checked in at 268 pounds for Monday's scrimmage.

When he plays "3 technique" tackle, Davis tries to disrupt things by using his quickness to dash through the gap between the guard and tackle.

"It's just more speed on the field," Davis said. "I've proven I can play against the run as good as anybody. Now they have all the confidence in the world to put me at the '3.' Basically it's just moving me up and down the line getting mismatches and things like that."

Does that mean Davis might be a starting tackle in the Aug. 30 opener against Missouri?

"That's a possibility," he said.