There were some hiccups early on, but the Illinois football team did exactly what they were supposed to do against Southern Illinois.
I needed to see the Illini wield the power of a big-time program. We are good, we have good players, and we are a power-four program. That needed to be known with a big win.
The first few minutes against Southern Illinois were a little bothersome, as the Salukis came down and scored a touchdown. After that point, it was smooth sailing for the Illini. We turned the heat up with the offense, and the defense settled in.
It is a great sight to see Southern Illinois score only 10 points in the game. Bret Bielema has to be happy with the performance heading into the contest with Ohio State. This 48-10 win over Southern Illinois is exactly what we had to have on Saturday.
Here are five big observations from the Illinois football win over Southern Illinois
1. Illinois’ offensive line got some much-needed time
I have never seen such a patchwork offensive line in my lifetime. Illinois has had so many injuries to the front five.
Illinois had Casey Thomann and Champ Smith starting at the guard positions against Southern Illinois. Both players had never taken a snap in the college ranks, so this was a crash course in how to play the offensive line at this level.
For the most part, I thought the Illinois offensive line did pretty well. There were a few moments, especially in the second half, when they let players slip through. Overall, given the injury issues, this wasn’t a bad performance, though.
I am also excited that both Smith and Thomann got the start because both players are true freshmen. Thomann came in as a player knocking on the door of the top 700 nationally, while Smith was a great four-star flip from UCLA. Both additions are now paying off.
2. Katin Houser is fun to watch in the pocket
Illinois has had a few fun quarterbacks in the past. Luke Altmyer could step back and let the ball fly. Kurt Kittner had a good arm. I am not sure either can compare to the gunslinger mentality of Katin Houser.
Houser drops back, looking for the deep ball. He isn’t afraid to let it fly either. It is rare that he hesitates on a throw, and he isn’t questioning whether or not he can fit a ball into a hole.
I have been impressed with all three games Houser has played so far. On Saturday, he had another great game, throwing for 305 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
The only issue was that single interception. It came on the first drive of the second half. Houser looked down Collin Dixon, and Southern Illinois had five defenders around him. This probably wasn’t a great decision, but it is what you get when you have a gunslinger with confidence.
For the 2026 season, Illinois is going to move the football. Regardless of what the defense does, Houser will always have the Illini moving the ball and scoring points. That is an exciting brand.
3. The Illini defense still has some issues
Giving up 10 points to any team in college sports is solid. I can’t complain that Southern Illinois scored 10 points because that is a good offense with a solid quarterback.
On top of that, I have to give credit to the Illinois defense for not giving up a single point in the second half, and we had a pick-six, which was refreshing. We need more turnovers.
There are still some major issues with the Illinois defense, though. The biggest thing that stood out to me is the inability to keep contain, particularly early in the contest.
DJ Williams was able to tear Illinois up early with the run-pass option play-calling. The Illinois edge defender would bite on play-action every time, which would leave Williams open to run. This would make the defensive back collapse on him, leaving the wide receiver open for a pass.
That type of bad defense is going to be an issue down the road. It got better throughout the game, but it is something to keep an eye on.
There are still a lot of missed tackles in the secondary, too. An egregious offender in this department is Mac Resetich. There were at least three times I can remember when he would go in for a tackle and just use his shoulder pads. He wouldn’t even use his arms, let alone wrap the wide receiver up.
Illinois only gave up 10 points on Saturday, but if we play exactly as we did next Saturday against Ohio State, the Buckeyes will put up 50 points with ease. Issues have to be fixed.
4. Southern Illinois didn’t do enough with the run
I think one of Illinois’ biggest issues on defense, besides tackling and not keeping contain, is the fact that we are soft in the middle. Southern Illinois didn’t take advantage of this fact.
I was happy that some of the running backs for the Salukis couldn’t get going. We shut down Chandler Chapman. But overall, Southern Illinois didn’t do enough with the run and moved away from it too quickly.
The Salukis were too predictable, running the football on first down a lot. They didn’t run a lot off the edge, either. They tried to go A-gap a lot, and that was easier to stop. If Southern Illinois would get the running game outside the tackles, that is when Illinois struggles.
Illinois deserves credit for Southern Illinois’ lack of a running attack, but I also believe the Salukis could have done more to bolster their run game. Thankfully, it was an easy task for the Orange and Blue to shut them down.
5. I love the development of a wide receiver trio
I touched on how well Houser is playing and the fact that he is so fun to watch. It was only a matter of time before Illinois developed a dangerous wide receiver trio.
Dixon has shown his skills a ton this season. He was on fire again on Saturday, going for 131 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn’t the wide receiver who got Illinois going early, though.
Brayden Trimble was Houser’s first look of the game. He was involved early and often, and that is what Illinois needs. We are all waiting on Trimble to break out, and the game against Southern Illinois was a great start. He finished with five receptions for 57 yards.
I also liked that Hudson Clement was involved more in the passing game. He is clearly Illinois’ No. 2 option, and he finished with five receptions for 69 yards.
The trio of Dixon, Clement, and Trimble was special on Saturday. They had a combined 257 yards and two touchdowns. This trio will help us stay in games and maybe even clip a couple of the big boys this season.
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