BLOOMINGTON - Only eight months removed from a Rose Bowl appearance with the University of Illinois football team, Justin Harrison doesn't look like he's lost a step, and he probably hasn't.

The only difference is the former safety patrols the sidelines these days as a first-year assistant coach for the Illinois Wesleyan football team. The Bloomington High School graduate has tackled the assignment with his typical vigor.

"I always knew I wanted to get into coaching after my playing days," Harrison said. "It's not a matter of I don't feel like I can play anymore. It's a matter of that's not what I want to do. I've started coaching, and that's what I'm focusing on.

"I wouldn't say I'm missing playing because I'm so involved in what we're doing here. It's a different feeling to see somebody put to work the techniques I've shown them."

Harrison had started a 12-week internship at Illinois to complete his bachelor's degree in sports management when an opening arose on the IWU coaching staff near the start of training camp. Harrison jumped at IWU coach Norm Eash's offer to coach the Titan defensive backs.

"I thought it was a great opportunity being 22 years old to be thrown into the coaching fire, learning philosophies from Coach Eash and defensive strategies from Coach (Mike) Murray," Harrison said. "It's a program I have a lot of respect for."

Eash, who has guided IWU to a 3-0 start and a No. 24 ranking in the Division III coaches' poll, termed Harrison a "great addition to our staff."

"Our players really enjoy Justin," Eash said. "I think they highly respect him because he's an athlete that played in the Rose Bowl and was a three-year starter at Illinois and excelled there. He can relate to the players, and his rapport with the players is very good.

"At the same time, Justin has a great demeanor as a coach. He's young, but he's very knowledgeable about secondary play and he's pretty demanding. He knows what it takes to be at the top of your game, and I think he translates that very well to our players."

The respect factor is a two-way street for Harrison, who has been impressed by the caliber of play and commitment from the Division III Titans.

"We have a lot of talented, hard-working, smart guys who buy into what we coach and teach," Harrison said. "They focus and learn well and then they go out and execute.

"These guys have a lot of passion just like a Division I player. They set goals and they set them high, and that's the common goal of any football player. They're playing the same football game the University of Illinois or anybody else is playing."

Harrison listed a "dedication to excellence" as his primary message for Titan defensive backs.

"Every time you put the pads on you're going out there to get better and to win," Harrison said. "You always take a certain mindset to football or whatever you're going to do. If you're going to commit yourself to something, you have to be great at it."

Bye week update

Eash stressed that the Titans may be enjoying a bye week ahead of their Oct. 4 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener against Carthage, but it isn't an "off" week.

"It's a bye week, but that doesn't mean we're not working," Eash said. "This is more of a competition week. We're trying to take a look at personnel and give kids a chance to move around a little bit as far as where they rank on the depth chart."

On the injury front, Eash said junior quarterback Kraig Ladd is fine after re-aggravating an ankle injury late in Saturday's 31-28 win at Aurora. Senior running back Christian Winston suffered a shoulder injury against Aurora and is listed as questionable for Carthage.