No Kittner at quarterback

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois begins spring practice Wednesday without quarterback Kurt Kittner, and finding a replacement won't be easy for coach Ron Turner.\nKittner, a four-year starter, led the Illini to its first outright Big Ten title in 19 years and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl as a senior last season.\n"That's part of college football," Turner said. "You have a great player who did so much for the program as Kurt did, but he's gone. We're going to move on. I think the quarterbacks we have on the team now are excited about their opportunity."\nThe two quarterbacks likely to be given the opportunity to replace Kittner are Dustin Ward and Iowa transfer Jon Beutjer -- both of whom have seen limited playing time.\nBeutjer started four games for Iowa his freshman season before transferring to Illinois last year, completing 77 of 125 passes for 841 yards and six touchdowns. He left Iowa after he was attacked by a teammate and claimed his coaches failed to handle the situation properly.\nTurner said the 6-foot-5 Beutjer has had no problems at Illinois.\n "He's up studying film all the time. I think he could be a tremendous leader. He's got a great arm. Good athlete. Physically, all the tools are there," Turner said. "He's been a tremendous kid since he's been here."\n Ward, who redshirted as a freshman, has spent most of his three years at Illinois on the sideline watching Kittner. He's completed 37 of 70 passes for 421 yards and five touchdowns as a backup and has spent the most time studying the Illinois offense.\nWhether it's Beutjer or Ward, Kittner set a new standard for Illinois quarterbacks that could be difficult to live up to.\nKittner is the all-time winningest quarterback at Illinois and career leader in touchdown passes. He completed 207 of 374 passes for 2,994 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior.\n"Those other quarterbacks, they know they have some big shoes to fill," offensive lineman Tony Pashos said. "It's hard to replace what Kittner meant to this team and to this community."\nLosing Kittner hurts, but Illinois retains much of its roster from an Illinois team that posted its first 10-win season since 1989.\nMost key defensive starters return along with receivers Brandon Lloyd and Walter Young, Pashos and running back Antoineo Harris.\nHarris, who split time with departing senior Rocky Harvey, heads into spring drills as the main running back. Turner said Harris is in the best shape of his career and expects him to be able to handle the extra carries.\n"I think he's looking forward to the opportunity to be maybe more of a feature back for us," Turner said.