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per Sporting News.com...
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Quarterback Dustin Ward, who spent the last two years at Illinois as the backup to Kurt Kittner, has won the starting job.
The 6-3 junior was named the starter on Tuesday, beating out Jon Beutjer, a transfer from Iowa. The two had been in close competition to replace Kittner, a four-year starter and the school's all-time leader in touchdown passes who graduated last spring.
"Ideally, I would have liked to of had this decided at the end of the spring or at the start of training camp, but it didn't work out that way," head coach Ron Turner said. "Both of them had great summers."
Illinois opens its season Aug. 31 against Missouri.
Ward has started just one game in his career, a 61-23 loss to Northwestern in 2000. He was 20-of-37 for 246 yards and two touchdowns in the loss filling in for the injured Kittner.
He has played in a total of 10 games and completed 37-of-70 passes for 421 yards and five touchdowns. He was a redshirt in 1999.
"Ever since I got here I wanted to be the starter. This is my fourth year now, and it has been a long road," he said.
The 6-5 Beutjer, a junior, transferred from Iowa last season. He started four games for the Hawkeyes his freshman year, completing 77-of-125 passes for 841 yards and six touchdowns. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">
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08-21-2002 12:59 PM |
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