After a closer-than-expected win over UAB, Illinois didn't have any shortage of areas to work on in its game prep for Duke on Friday. The Illini are afforded a little extra time in practice with the Thursday game against the Balzers, giving them a slight advantage over Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was happy with his team's performance in their first real action of the 2026 season, but there were also some glaring problems. The defense, especially, showed a few concerning things on the field that have to be cleaned up heading into a power conference showdown vs. Duke.
The defense wasn't the only area that needed to be cleaned up. So, here are three areas that Illinois has to focus on heading into its big non-conference matchup vs. the Duke Blue Devils.
1. Tackling
Even Bret Bielema talked about tackling after the Illini took on UAB in Week 1. Illinois struggled to stop the run and even big plays from wide receivers, and it all points back to tackling. After the game, Bielema spoke about how Illinois had the lowest amount of tackling he has ever seen in his 18 years as a head coach.
The reason for the lack of tackling in fall camp came down to injuries, especially after wide receiver Jayshon Platt went down five plays into Illinois' first real tackling scrimmage. So, apparently, Illinois hadn't gone much full-out tackling till the UAB game.
Against UAB, Illinois was able to get away with it, but against Duke, who has a strong running back in Nate Sheppard, that may not be the case. Playing Thursday worked in the Illini's favor in Week 1 because they had a little extra time to prepare for Duke on Saturday and hopefully get the tackling issues under control.
2. Consistency running the ball
Illinois ran the ball very well in the first half, but the run game seemed to stall in the second half. Ca'Lil Valentine was the star of the show in the backfield against UAB, especially when he ripped off a 51-yard touchdown run in the first half.
The game was a lot closer than expected going into the second half, so it makes sense that the Illinois offense began throwing the ball more to help build the lead. However, why go away from a run game that was working well? By going away from it, the run game lost its power over UAB's defense.
Illinois will need to rely on the run game behind Valentine and Aidan Laugherty against Duke, but it needs to show consistency through four quarters, not just in the first half.
3. Involvement of the tight ends
The tight ends were practically nonexistent in the passing game for quarterback Katin Houser and the offense. While they did their job effectively blocking for the run game, having more of a role in the passing game will be essential for Illinois not just in Week 2 but throughout the season.
Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. was happy with the tight end play he saw against UAB and said their absence in the passing game was due to how the game unfolded. However, when tougher defenses take away other receiving threats like WR1 Collin Dixon and WR2 Hudson Clement, the tight ends have to be there to pick up the slack.
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