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Illinois Football: Verdis Brown & Calvin Avery impress Illini fans at UAAAG

By Rees Woodcock

COLLEGE PARK, MD - SEPTEMBER 09: The Maryland Terrapins wear Under Armour gear during the game against the Towson Tigers on September 9, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - SEPTEMBER 09: The Maryland Terrapins wear Under Armour gear during the game against the Towson Tigers on September 9, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /
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Future Illinois football players did some work in the annual Under Armour All-America Game on Thursday night.

Of course, it is hard to get players like Verdis Brown and Calvin Avery noticed too much in this game considering one played on the offensive line and the other played on the defensive line, respectively. This game is more about the flash of the “playmakers” like running back Maurice Washington who ran for what seemed like days and finished the game with, I believe, three touchdowns.

The flash is fine but when you really get down to what wins games, the formula is what you have up front. The players in the trenches can make the team better or worse in a matter of a season or a game. Illinois has struggled in this department recently, but having two players like Brown and Avery coming in, look for the Illini to really take a step forward.

In the Under Armour All-America Game on Thursday night, I watched – along with a lot of other Illini fans – Brown and Avery do some great work on the field. They did things that aren’t showing up in the box score at the end of the contest.

Avery was a constant force coming through the middle of the offensive line. He imposed his physical nature to bust through and put pressure on the quarterback. I can’t wait for him to get into an Illinois uniform and cause chaos in the Big Ten.

Brown was another force to be reckoned with on Thursday night. There were so many times he was sensational on the offensive line. He would open holes big enough for a semi to drive through. Even a few times, the blocks he made on screens would go for touchdowns.

Of course, Brown won’t be on the offensive side of the ball come spring practice when he joins up with the Illini, but if the switch to defensive tackle doesn’t work out he always has the skill for the offensive line. Hopefully, he is healthy come spring practice, though. Brown did go down with an injury but ended up walking off the field.

Next: Verdis Brown ready to make Illini great

Rest assured Illini fans, we are getting two amazing players who will help this program win games immediately. The future is extremely bright in Champaign.

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