UI''s lineman a tight bunch

   CHAMPAIGN  Most of the Illinois football players trickle out to the practice field. A quarterback here, a running back there. It''s pretty routine.

   Then there are the offensive linemen. They shuffle to the field en masse. It''s a 20-legged, 10-headed monster directed by position coach Harry Hiestand.

   The offensive line is a unit unlike any other on the field. Five players working with one task in mind, creating a hole one play, protecting the quarterback the next.

   "Five bodies but one mind," offensive guard Chris Brown said. "That''s why we come out the way we do."

   "He (Hiestand) believes O-line travels together," offensive guard Brent Taylor said. "If one loses, we all lose. If one wins, we all win. He believes in togetherness. That''s what he''s trying to build there, a close-knit unit, like a beehive."

   Or like a family, with Hiestand the father. But he is no Mike Brady or Ward Cleaver. It''s more of a tough love.

   From the moment they arrive on the field until the end of practice, Hiestand lets his players know he''s watching. He''ll shout, he''ll swear, he''ll cajole. All in the name of getting better.

   "I think it''s important that they''re challenged every day that they''re out here," Hiestand said. "The game that we''re playing is a physical, aggressive, hard-nosed sport. It takes hard-nosed people to play it. It''s my job as an assistant coach to prepare them for the toughest battles that they''re going to face in the fall."

   You won''t hear any complaints from the Illini linemen. They like Hiestand on and off the field.

   "On the field, he''s a warrior," Taylor said. "You see him off the field, and he''s a caring guy."

   Hiestand''s in-their-face approach is good for the players, Taylor said.

   "You come off the field, you''re beat up, you''re tired, you''re cut, you''re bleeding," Taylor said. "If you have a coach that just pats you on the back and says, ''blah, blah, blah,'' you''re not going to be ready to go back out the next time. If you''ve got a coach who''s slobbering and snotting at you, he''s going to get you ready to go."

   When Taylor first met Hiestand, he wasn''t sure what to make of his new coach. Hiestand''s intensity took some getting used to.

   "I might have been a little hesitant at first," Taylor said. "But he''s won my full respect. He''s going to get everything I''ve got."

   The players don''t want to let Hiestand down. Not because they fear him, but because they respect him.

   "He puts his heart into it," Brown said. "I don''t want him putting in something and not getting anything back."

   Through the first four days of spring practice, Hiestand likes what he''s getting back from his linemen.

   "The important thing is that guys come out every day with the attitude that they need to improve and they want to improve," Hiestand said. "They have that. I''m excited about their willingness to work, their work ethic."

   The players also were willing to change positions. Four starters return from last year''s line. All four are at new spots this season.

   Taylor went from left guard to right guard. Brown moved from center to left guard. Former left tackle Tom Schau is the starting center. Former right tackle Ryan Schau is the left tackle.

   "I think people are in positions they have the best chance to be successful," Hiestand said. "We''re trying to get them in those spots and keep them there."

   Changing positions is common for Brown. Before playing center, he started at right tackle for the Illini.

   "This is a good place for me," Brown said. "It''s good to finally settle down. I''m really comfortable with it."

   None of the starters better become too comfortable. All the positions, Hiestand said, are up for grabs.

   "Those guys in the first unit know there''s people breathing down their necks," Hiestand said. "That''s the key, to have competition, for anyone to improve."

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