CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - Because of mother nature, Illinois Spring football practice was held inside on Saturday.
But that was not the only major difference.
In honor of mom's weekend, the Illini their moms take part in their ninth spring practice.
"When they were very young that would take him out to the field, and now they take us out to the field and they hold our hands and they tell us what to do," said Chinyere Odulega (Kenenna's mom)."Â
It was a chance for the mom's to see firsthand what their sons do on a daily basis.
"Too much bending. A lot of crouching down," said Odulega. "I'm like, I didn't know y'all had to do this much. We keep telling you, 'Come on. Catch the ball! Run!' We didn't know it was this hard."
But even more than moms seeing what their sons are doing in practice everyday, they got to see the culture that they are a part of.
"This is the core of what this program is, Family," said Paula Henry (mother of Gabe Jacas). "I'm glad, I can I have the opportunity to be a part of it."
"120 plus Division I programs. Everybody had practice number nine," said Illinois head coach Bret Bielema. "But if anybody got more out of practice nine than us today, I be shocked.
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