http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/players/earnest_thomas/129418 Recent articles about Earnest Thomas en-us Throughout the month of April the Big Ten will spend a Friday night and a lot of Saturday afternoon's in front of crowds going through spring football games. As things wind down we will bring you the thoughts of those plugged in to the programs - fellow bloggers and beat writers.  Last week we put a bow on the Nebraska Cornhuskers' spring game and today it's all about the Fighting Illini. Here to help us sift through last Friday night's game and spring as a whole is Robert from A Lion Eye. His insight is very well thought out, so make sure to check out ALionEye.com and follow them on twitter @ALionEye. Coming off a horrid start to his time in Champaign there was plenty of change in store for Tim Beckman's crew, so what went down this spring and where are things heading for the basement dwellers from 2012? Let's take a look at what was an interesting spring for the Illini.  B1G Time: The offense looked like it was a lot more confident than it was a year ago. What Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:05:47 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/2013_spring_football_exit_interview_illinois_edition/13429171 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/2013_spring_football_exit_interview_illinois_edition/13429171 2013 Spring Football Exit Interview: Illinois Edition http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/2013_spring_football_exit_interview_illinois_edition/13429171 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Tim Beckman should have listened to Michael Mauti when he decided to send his coaches to Penn State to try to recruit the PSU free agents after the Sandusky Sanctions came out. At the very least, Beckman should have apologized. He did neither and Mauti made. him. pay. Mauti’s been a leader for the Nittany Lions off the field all year and even though he’s been a beast on the field so far, yesterday it was pretty clear that he was sending a message. The    Lions destroyed the favored Illini 35-7 in the Big Ten opener, and Mauti had his money where his mouth was all day. He was around the ball all damn day and made 6 tackles, forced a fumble and came up with 2 huge interceptions that put the game away. PSU was up 21-0 with just over 3 minutes left in the first half. Illinois had five possessions in the first half and only one of them lasted more than 4 plays – it went 6 – but the Illini’s final drive turned out to be their best drive of the game. They marched 74 yards in 14 plays and ... Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:32:34 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/mauti_bob_psu_pound_illinois_for_on_campus_recruiting/11846149 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/mauti_bob_psu_pound_illinois_for_on_campus_recruiting/11846149 Mauti, BOB & PSU pound Illinois for on-campus recruiting http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/mauti_bob_psu_pound_illinois_for_on_campus_recruiting/11846149 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Good:After starting off 0-2, Bill O’Brien and the Penn State Nittany Lions are now on a three-game winning streak and 1-0 in conference play.Many teams would just continue the collapse after the offseason Penn State suffered.In fact, one could say they shouldn’t be winning games after watching their starting running back Silas Redd transfer for USC.And having the inconsistent play of Matt McGloin returning to run the play calls. O’Brien changed all of that into a positive. McGloin, who threw for his 10th touchdown pass of the year and ran in his second, has been a total turnaround from last season.He wasn’t needed as much today, as he only threw for 211 yards on 18 completions, as Penn State’s rushing attack led the way.Watching the one-two punch of Bill Belton and Zach Zwinak combined for 165 of the rushing yards on 34 combined carries. Zwinak, had the bulk of the load and scored twice to pace Penn State.The defense showed up again today, picking off two passes from quarterback... Sat, 29 Sep 2012 17:10:35 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/penn_state_at_illinois_the_good_the_bad_the_ugly/11842072 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/penn_state_at_illinois_the_good_the_bad_the_ugly/11842072 Penn State at Illinois: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/penn_state_at_illinois_the_good_the_bad_the_ugly/11842072 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png (Big Tentacles is the SWRT look at the Big Ten, its sway over the college football landscape and that school in South Bend it not-so-secretly covets.)  The elephant in the room. Penn State hasn't seen a rash of players transferring out of the program or recruits decommitting...yet.  (The Columbus Dispatch) The Space Between. A few ideas on what to do with the space left behind by the removal of Joe Paterno's statue at Penn State. A statue of former Heisman Trophy winning Nittany Lion running back John Cappelletti and his late younger brother Joey may be the most interesting (if not ironic) choice. The pair's story was told in the classic TV movie Something for Joey. (Lost Lettermen) There's a possibility, but no chance. With Penn State and Ohio State banhammered, 2012 might be the best (if not only) chance for Purdue, Illinois, or Indiana to win the Big Ten Legends Division. One word to explain why that won;t happen: Wisconsin. (El... Wed, 25 Jul 2012 06:49:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/big_tentacles_penn_st_james_vandenberg_kyle_prater_and_more/11293612 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/big_tentacles_penn_st_james_vandenberg_kyle_prater_and_more/11293612 Big Tentacles: Penn St., James Vandenberg, Kyle Prater, and more. http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/big_tentacles_penn_st_james_vandenberg_kyle_prater_and_more/11293612 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Fighting Illini football team was short of safeties this spring, especially after the top two players were injured. As a result, redshirt sophomore Earnest Thomas was moved from the Star position to help out. He adapted quickly, adding needed depth. Mon, 25 Jun 2012 10:00:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/earnest_thomas_may_see_playing_time_at_safety/11084477 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/earnest_thomas_may_see_playing_time_at_safety/11084477 Earnest Thomas May See Playing Time At Safety http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/earnest_thomas_may_see_playing_time_at_safety/11084477 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png