Illinois is off and running again as a Big Ten contender for the second time in three years, with a 6-1 record and national ranking in tow. It's familiar territory for veteran coach Bret Bielema, even if the national attention is still somewhat new for the Illini, who suffered over 10 years without appearing in the national polls before the coach's arrival.
Four years into Bielema's second stint as a head coach in the Big Ten, he's doing what he did previously at Wisconsin, where he won three Big Ten titles earlier this century with a hard-nosed philosophy in the trenches and an opportunistic defense that forces turnovers in bunches.
Now in his 11th year as a head coach in the Big Ten, it has become clear that Bielema is the quintessential coach for the oldest conference in major college athletics.
"Well, I was born at Illini Hospital, I know that," Bielema told CBS Sports this week. "I've finally come home."
The Silvis, Illinois, native has led the Illini back into the fray of the Big Ten. He's the first head coach at Illinois with a winning record since John Mackovic's tenure ended in 1991, a span of six coaches who all fell short of .500 in their careers. On the cusp of a monumental road trip to No. 1 Oregon (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) this week, the No. 20 Illini (6-1, 3-1) are still riding the momentum of a historic 21-7 win against defending national champion Michigan at Memorial Stadium last week.
Truth be told, in a sport where coaches preach one game at a time, the showdown with Michigan was four years in the making for Bielema-and 100 years in the making for Illinois, which celebrated the 100th year of Red Grange's four-touchdown performance and upset of the Wolverines with a modern-day shellacking of their own under Bielema.
"My first week on the job, (athletics director) Josh Whitman talked about the 100th anniversary game being in our fourth season, and if we could get the program on a solid foundation, how good this year could possibly be," Bielema said. "For it to come to life in front of us, the icing on the cake was after we got a couple wins and we knew this was on the horizon."
Donning throwback uniforms and leather-themed helmets that took two years to develop, the Illini looked-and played-the part of Grange's teams to perfection. They ran for 187 yards, forced two turnovers, and picked up a crucial first down on a beautiful fake punt.
"It truly looked old school. And then the way to play the game as nitty gritty? Talk about the game plan, right?" Bielema said. "If you would have told me we were going to win 21-7 and throw the ball only for 80 yards, I would have said, 'You're crazy!' But it's just kind of the way it played out."
There's nothing unusual about how the 2024 season has developed for the Illini and Bielema. He's at his best coaching in the Big Ten, grinding out wins by wearing down opponents in the trenches. He has compiled a 92-44 record in his 11 years at Wisconsin and Illinois, a stark contrast to his 29-34 record at Arkansas, when the allure of a different challenge and contending for titles in the SEC was too much to pass up in 2017.
Back home in the Midwest, where he walked on as a defensive lineman at Iowa and became a team captain, the Illinois native has evolved as both a coach and father. As fans rushed the field to celebrate last week, he embraced his 5- and 7-year-old daughters, lifting one onto his right hip as he pumped his left fist in the air. Outside the stadium, he carried her again through the celebration, as they both waved to fans above in the stands while exiting through the northeast tower. They turned around and gave high-fives to the orange-clad fans in the tunnel. It's a memory he'll never forget.
"If I put (my daughters) down, they want to be back on my shoulders," he said. "So, like, it's a different perspective. ... That's a fun environment, to be around the people I love and celebrate."
Bielema is 24-20 in his Illinois tenure, the first Illinois head coach with a winning record after one season since John Mackovic from 1988-91
Between his firing by Arkansas and his hiring by Illinois, Bielema enjoyed a three-year stint coaching in the NFL with the New England Patriots and New York Giants. Time spent time with the linebackers slightly changed his approach on defense. Bielema still uses film from that three-year stay in the NFL to recruit players, showing prospects and their families how the Illinois defense will better prepare them for the pros, utilizing a system he estimates 75% of NFL teams have installed.
"A lot of head coaching is about understanding who your team is, but I really learned during my time in the NFL that matchups are everything," Bielema said. "How do we match up? I even go back to my first year when we beat Penn State on the road. I just knew that week that was a good matchup for us. I knew where we were strong and where they were weak, and I thought we could take advantage of that. And that's kind of been reinforced in my mind all the way to where we are today."
The defense forces nearly two turnovers every game, a welcomed return to what led them to a 7-1 start in 2022 under coordinator Ryan Walters, whose defense led the nation in scoring and was second in turnovers gained. Aaron Henry rotates players from position to position, asking defensive backs to play as many as three different positions each week.
"The defense creates a lot of gray pictures for an offensive coordinator," Bielema said. "Keep it multiple but simple is a key aspect."
Illinois ranks 13th nationally in turnover margin with a plus-7 advantage over opponents.
"They're a team that swarms," said Oregon coach Dan Lanning.
Offensively, the Illini do not light up the scoreboard (62nd nationally with 29.6 points per game), but they're efficient (18th in red zone offense) and explosive in key moments with second-year starter Luke Altmyer at quarterback. "It's really been Luke. He's changed the attitude, the confidence in this offensive scheme," receiver Pat Bryant said.
Altmyer is particularly dangerous on deep throws and fades to receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin, a pair of pass-catching standouts who have combined for half of the Illini's 122 catches. Altmyer, who transferred from Ole Miss before the 2023 season, ranks 14th nationally with a grade of 93.9 on throws of 20-plus yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Five of those 13 completions have resulted in touchdowns.
"We don't really do the same thing each week," said Bryant, who leads Illinois with 484 yards and seven touchdowns. "Each week we're developing something new and finding different ways to get guys open."
More importantly, Altmyer has cut down on mistakes. He's thrown 15 touchdowns against only one interception after throwing 10 picks with 13 touchdowns last season. He has the nation's second-best TD-INT ratio and is only the third Big Ten quarterback since 2000 to record a 15-1 ratio through seven games.
"When a quarterback is playing with confidence, it breeds into everything around them," Bielema said. "Without a doubt, Luke is extremely confident in what he's doing because of the way he prepares, just the way he goes about his business. And when you have a quarterback that portrays that, shows that, and does that, then that flows into everybody."
Before a team meeting at the beginning of the week, Illinois was still buzzing about the win against Michigan. With Oregon on deck, the opportunity to beat a No. 1 team for the first time since 2007 is paramount. Bielema didn't have to say much to grab their attention.
"Did you come to the University of Illinois to play against some of the best teams or did you come to the University of Illinois to beat some of the best teams?" Bielema asked his players, Bryant said.
Illinois refers to the season as "2024 dash 25," and it's up to the players to define the "dash." A 21-7 loss to Penn State on the road in Week 5 was a setback, and though the Illini are 21-point underdogs on the road at Autzen Stadium, players are expected to be "poised in the noise" after facing the Nittany Lions' annual "whiteout" game, Bryant said. Illinois has already won three games against ranked opponents, the second-best total in school history.
Illinois strayed from its usual road-trip routine this week at Oregon because of the cross-country flight, opting to arrive one day earlier than usual on Thursday to adjust to the time change.
"I never thought that I would get this opportunity. ... I feel like we're more ready than we are frightened or scared," Bryant said. "We're happy about this opportunity, and we're ready to go out there and show the world who we are."
Again, matchups are everything. Finding a way to make Oregon "play left-handed," Bielema said, is important.
"We'll see where we go on Saturday, you know? You've got a chance for some (rainy) weather. You're definitely going to have a great environment. It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out."
