On April 8 of last year, Illinois’ offense suffered a rather significant blow when star wide receiver Mike Dudek went down with a torn ACL, an injury that ultimately forced him to miss the entire 2015 season. Coming up on the one-year anniversary of that adverse turn of events, Dudek’s knee is once again the focus of attention.
First-year Illini head coach Lovie Smith acknowledged Tuesday that Dudek was held out of practice earlier in the day. The reason? “[A] knee injury” is all Smith would allow.
“Nothing beyond that,” the coach said, adding, “Just as a general rule guys, I don’t talk an awful lot about injuries.”
Dudek is described by Smith as “day-to-day.” The Illini will take the next two days off (Wednesday, Thursday) before returning to practice Friday; whether the talented receiver takes the field remains to be seen.
As a true freshman in 2014, Dudek led the team with 76 catches for 1,038 yards and six touchdowns. The former two totals were school freshman records, while the latter tied the school mark for first-year players. The receptions are fifth in school history regardless of class, while the receiving yards are seventh.
He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection, while his name littered numerous freshman All-American squads.