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1. Of course Tampa Bay had an interest in Oregon coach Chip Kelly, who has gone 34-6 in three seasons. If you think about it, it makes sense that Kelly reciprocated the interest. He’s an intensely competitive guy. As a New Englander who arrived in Eugene five years ago, he has no emotional ties to Eugene. Unlike Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who has rebuffed the NFL in part because he likes raising his family in Norman, Kelly is unmarried. In other words, this won’t be the last flirting between Kelly and the NFL.

2. If New England had lost the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien would have been the full-time Penn State head coach on Monday. So, Matt McGloin, were you a Baltimore fan on Sunday? “Kind of,” the Nittany Lions quarterback said, laughing. “No, that would obviously be selfish of you. You want the best for your head coach. Now that’s he in the Super Bowl, if they win it, it’s great for the university. It’s great for him. A Super Bowl offensive coordinator to be your head coach; that’s pretty exciting, especially as a quarterback.”

3. Auburn coach Gene Chizik hired offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler away from Temple. That’s the same Loeffler who ran the Florida offense in 2009-10. But don’t think the Tigers are going to install the spread offense that Loeffler used with Tim Tebow. Chizik also leapt at the chance to accept as a transfer Illinois fullback Jay Prosch, a Mobile native who didn’t think he would fit in new Illini coach Tim Beckman’s offense. The Tigers’ spring practice just got a lot more interesting.

Let's take a look at three keys for Illinois heading into Saturday's Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl matchup against UCLA.

1. Establish the run early: Top running back Jason Ford is out (academics), but Illinois still can establish the ground game against a UCLA defense ranked 95th nationally against the rush. The Bruins have surrendered more than 200 rush yards in seven games, including 352 in the Pac-12 championship against Oregon. Illinois freshman Donovonn Young has impressed in stretches and gets an opportunity to establish himself as the team's back of the future after missing the regular-season finale with an ankle injury. With fullback Jay Prosch also out (staph infection), Illinois really needs its offensive line to show up from the get-go. The line was supposed to be a strength for Illinois but has fallen short of expectations. If the Illini can get the ground game going early behind Young, Troy Pollard and quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, they'll open up the pass attack with A.J. Jenkins.

2. Maintain motivation and composure: Both Illinois and UCLA are dealing with coaching transitions, suspensions and other turmoil. UCLA players recently skipped a practice. Many question how motivated the teams will be to play a minor bowl game before moving forward with new leading men (Tim Beckman and Jim Mora Jr., respectively). Illinois players say practice has gone well, and they will be playing for interim coach Vic Koenning, fired coach Ron Zook and themselves on Saturday. The Illini didn't handle adversity well down the stretch of the regular season and must keep their composure if things don't go well Saturday. Illinois must continue to limit penalties after tying for 22nd nationally in penalties per game (4.83). UCLA hasn't been nearly as disciplined, ranking 91st in penalties per game (6.85).

3. Contain UCLA's ground game: Illinois' defense will be the best unit on the field Saturday in San Francisco, but the Illini need a strong effort against the run. UCLA's rushing attack is the strength of its team, ranking 29th nationally (190.7 ypg). The Bruins have three players with more than 450 rushing yards, including quarterback Kevin Prince, who had 163 yards in a win against Cal earlier this season. Illinois struggled against the run down the stretch and needs a strong performance from a talented line featuring Whitney Mercilus, Michael Buchanan and Akeem Spence. Defensive tackle Corey Liuget had a huge performance against Baylor in last year's bowl victory. It will be interesting to see if Spence can do the same against UCLA.

As promised, the Big Ten workout warrior series is back. Piggybacking off of colleague Bruce Feldman's annual "Freaks" list, Bennett and I will profile four Big Ten players who go above and beyond in the weight room.

We solicited nominations from every Big Ten school, and while a portion chose to abstain this year -- there are quite a few new strength coaches in the league -- we received some good options. Let's get things started with the lone Big Ten player to make Feldman's 2011 "Freaks" list ...

Loud music helps and so do the encouraging voices of teammates, but Jay Prosch rarely needs extra motivation in the weight room.

From the moment he started getting serious about lifting, Prosch has felt right at home in the iron jungle.

"I pump myself up," the Illinois sophomore fullback said. "Weightlifting always excites me, when I know I'm about to do something I've never done."

Prosch had the feeling this past winter in the Illinois weight room after defensive lineman Akeem Spence set the team power clean record at 372 pounds.

While Prosch excelled at various lifts in high school, he never did the power clean until his arrival at Champaign. No matter. He reached 352 pounds "really easily" and then matched Spence's mark of 372. As Prosch prepared to attempt the record lift, Steve Sigler, an assistant strength and conditioning coach, asked him for a musical selection.

"They put on some Linkin Park, I got really excited and everybody kind of huddled around me," Prosch recalled. "And I got it."

Prosch reached 382 pounds, setting off a raucous celebration in the room.

"Everybody was jumping around," he said. "Everybody was really excited, coaches were really happy."

Spence, meanwhile, wasn't pleased about seeing his record fall so fast.

"I think he’s coming for me this year," Prosch said.

Prosch welcomes the challenge. He always has thrived on competition in the weight room.

He first started lifting as an eighth grader at UMS-Wright Prep in Mobile, Ala. He quickly identified an older football player who was a bit stronger, and set a goal of surpassing him. Prosch became serious about lifting in ninth grade and had "made a reputation" around the school by his junior year.

By the time he graduated, he held school records for bench-press (440 pounds), hang-clean (385) and incline press (335). His squat total of 595 pounds, meanwhile, came up 10 pounds shy of the top mark.

"It was really disappointing," Prosch said. "I was pretty upset about it."

Prosch is setting his sights on Illinois' lifting records.

Illinois measures max totals different than Prosch's high school, but his bench press has improved 60 pounds from last year. He also improved his squat total by 45 pounds, his hang clean total by 49 pounds and his power clean total by 30 pounds. Prosch is most proud of his gains with the hang clean and power clean.

"In the past, we have had two football players hang clean 396," Illinois head football strength coach Lou Hernandez said. "Jay absolutely killed 401 this winter as well. He constantly excites the room with his work."

Prosch's weight-room success is translating to the field. After playing guard and linebacker in high school, the lightly recruited Prosch emerged as a fullback for Illinois.

He played in every game as a true freshman and started six contests. He served as Mikel Leshoure's lead blocker and helped Illinois lead the Big Ten and rank 11th nationally in rushing offense (246.1 ypg).

"At my position, explosion's very important, being able to come off the line and get almost to my top speed when I hit the linebacker," Prosch said. "That's why power clean and hang clean are such important lifts for me."

Prosch had no rushing attempts and only one reception last year, but he could get more touches this season after being more involved as a ball carrier in spring practice.

The 6-foot Prosch has increased his weight from 245 to 255 at Illinois but reduced his body fat from 11 percent to nine percent, a number that should continue to drop during the season.

As preseason camp approaches next month, Prosch is a fixture in the weight room along with his workout partners Jason Ford and Zach Becker.

"Many times we find ourselves trying to slow him down," Hernandez said. "He is constantly trying to get better."

Prosch is so enamored with weight training that he wants to follow Hernandez's path after his playing days.

"I want to be a strength coach," he said. "That's really where I like to be."

In case you missed it -- and I don't blame you after all our of Big Ten spring meetings coverage -- but colleague Bruce Feldman published his much-anticipated "Freaks" list on Wednesday.

Feldman's freaks are the top workout warriors in college football, and Illinois fullback Jay Prosch is the Big Ten's lone representative on the list.

A few years ago there was a 250-pound fullback on top of this list named Owen Schmitt. Prosch, a rising sophomore, may top this list in a year or two. Illini staffers say Prosch has calves as thick as some men's waists. Still, he's been measured at 6 percent body fat. He power-cleans 382 pounds, hang-cleans 401 and can bench 405 for two reps. In high school he was a guard and a linebacker, but Ron Zook's staff loves his presence as a fullback.

Prosch is an interesting story who generated some attention this spring. He left the team in early April for eight days to be with his mother, who underwent emergency surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from her brain. Prosch returned to Champaign and drew praise from the coaches for his on-field performance.

After serving as an excellent lead blocker for Mikel Leshoure last season, Prosch saw more carries this spring as Illinois endured injuries at the running back spot. He's definitely getting it done both on the field and in the weight room.

Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa is among those who just missed the cut for Feldman's list. Persa has earned the team's "Top Cat" award as its top weight room performer for the past two years.

I'm hoping to do a more on Big Ten "freaks" in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Aside from Wisconsin's record-setting unit, no Big Ten offense ended the 2010 season playing better than Illinois.

The Illini eclipsed 530 offensive yards three times in their final five games, averaging 492.4 yards during the stretch. Their main thrust came on the ground, as they racked up 1,644 rush yards and 19 rushing touchdowns in the final five contests. And while the pass attack was up and down throughout the year, quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase finished with his best performance in the Texas Bowl against Baylor, completing his first 13 pass attempts (a team record to start a game) en route to a 242-yard effort.

Expectations are justifiably higher for the Illini offense in 2011, and the Big Ten had better be ready.

"We've improved a lot," offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said. "Everybody understands [the system] better. It helps us play faster."

Although Illinois loses first-team All-Big Ten running back Mikel Leshoure and several other contributors, most returning players have the luxury of being in Petrino's system for a second season. The Illini had different offensive coordinators in 2008 (Mike Locksley), 2009 (Mike Schultz) and 2010 (Petrino).

The continuity has helped so far this spring.

"It means a lot," tackle Jeff Allen said. "I'm just blessed for [Petrino] to come back for his second year. That's a big benefit. This is my first time having the same offense [two years in a row], and instead of learning something new, I'm just able to play faster and have a better knowledge of the game."

Illinois brings back three full-time starters up front (Allen, center Graham Pocic and guard Hugh Thornton) as well as a part-time starter (guard Jack Cornell). Also returning are fullback Jay Prosch and tight end Evan Wilson, both of whom play major roles in run blocking.

Petrino's offense features an unbalanced line -- tackles and guards are on the strong side or weak side, rather than the right or the left -- and the approach has clicked with players.

"I love creating matchups," Allen said. "Being able to always go against the best player, the best defensive end on each team, it's great. It gives us the ability to do things that we wouldn't be able to if we had a normal formation. It shows the coaches have a lot of trust in me."

Asked if the line needs to be a team strength this fall, Petrino quickly replied, "It needs to be, no question."

Without Leshoure, Illinois will rely more on Scheelhaase. The redshirt sophomore is a dynamic athlete who will remain a big part of the run game -- "He might have to run more [in 2011]," Petrino said -- but must evolve as a passer.

Petrino is seeing promising signs as Scheelhaase goes through his second spring in the system.

"We really wanted to see him become more accurate, get a quicker release and just understand the whole offensive scheme better," Petrino said. "He's done all those things. ... A lot of times they say the game starts slowing down for you when you know what you're doing. When the game slows down, you get the ball out of your hands faster. He's just more comfortable.

"He believes in what he sees and he pulls the trigger."

Although the Illini must build more depth at both running back and receiver, two areas hampered by injuries this spring, Petrino has raised the ball for the unit.

"He expects greatness out of us," Allen said. "He wants us to be the best offense in the country. That's our goal: to be the best."