At one time this season, Illinois football seemed down and out, but that feeling has since changed.
The Illini were 2-3, and when we looked at the schedule, things seemed doom and gloom. After Friday night, Illinois now sits at 6-3 overall, and we are heading to another bowl game.
It wasn’t a pretty game from the start, as Illinois was struggling to put up points. Katin Houser just needed to get warmed up, though.
Tied 7-7 at the half, the Illini exploded in the final 30 minutes of action. Houser was on point, and the Illinois defense played some incredible football. This led to a 24-13 victory over Nebraska.
Here are five Illinois football observations from the bowl-clinching win over Nebraska
1. Katin Houser was remarkable
Illinois has had some good quarterbacks come through Champaign in the Bret Bielema era, and Katin Houser is putting himself in the conversation with the best of the best.
Houser, still less than two months after a broken hand and surgery, went out against a talented Nebraska team on Friday night and was dealing. He finished the contest with 292 yards and three touchdowns.
What impresses me the most is that Houser didn’t have an interception. He was flinging the ball all over the place, and there wasn’t one time that I was sweating the Cornhuskers picking off a pass.
The accuracy and zip Houser had on the ball were out of this world, too. The passes he was making against Nebraska weren’t just college-good. They were NFL-level throws. Houser is going out at Illinois with a bang.
2. Illinois has done a complete 180 on defense
I didn’t think it was possible for the Illinois defense to not look putrid. The first four games of the season were terrible, and this is the hand we were dealt.
The talent hasn’t changed for the Illini. I still think we have below-average talent. That makes what Roger Cooper is doing on defense even more special.
Illinois’ defense has done a complete 180 since we parted ways with former defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck. Since then, Illinois has given up 20.2 points per game. This includes giving up fewer than 20 points in each of the last three contests.
On Friday night, the Illini allowed just 13 points to Nebraska. I thought this was going to be a better-looking Cornhuskers offense, but they just couldn’t find the end zone. There seemed to be a barrier around midfield that would always stop them.
The transformation of the Illinois defense has been noticeable. It was a major reason why the Illini came out with a fourth straight win.
3. Bret Bielema needs to focus on the offensive line in the offseason
There was one glaring negative I took from the win over Nebraska. Numerous areas played well, but the offensive line reared its ugly head.
Illinois’ offensive line is a bit of a patchwork group. We have tried so many different iterations of a starting five this season, and what we had on the field last night struggled.
It was center Jake Renfro who struggled the most. He had some bad penalties and a bad snap. He also went down with an injury, which worries me for the final four games.
This offseason, Bielema has to dive headfirst into the transfer portal and snag offensive linemen. That needs to be priority No. 1. Everything else will fall into place.
4. The Illini have an NFL talent in Matthew Bailey
Just a few weeks ago, I didn’t think Illinois had any NFL talent on defense. This was a struggling defense, and there was no hope in sight.
Over the past month, things have changed. Illinois is actually making tackles, and the defense has a clear leader. I believe that leader is Matthew Bailey.
Bailey has been a solid safety for the Illini, but he has transformed into a player who wrecks games. He can move well sideline to sideline, and when Illinois needs a big play, he seems to always be sniffing around.
On Friday night, Bailey had another big game. He finished with 11 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks. He was all over the field for the Illini, and his energy is contagious.
Physically, Bailey has always been on point. He has the body type to be a menace at the next level. Now, I think Bailey has shown he can be a draft pick and make an NFL team better.
5. I am pretty sure Collin Dixon is just Larry Fitzgerald
Illinois has a pretty special player in Collin Dixon. He has gone from a good pass catcher to one of the best in program history.
Each game I watch, I think he looks more and more like Larry Fitzgerald out there. He isn’t going to take a top off a defense, but if you throw him the ball, he somehow comes down with it.
Dixon was on display again against Nebraska. He had eight catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, he now has 68 receptions for 910 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Those 12 touchdowns aren’t anything to ignore. In fact, Dixon hasn’t just broken the Illinois single-season receiving touchdown record, but he is starting to run away with it.
Dixon is going to go down as one of the greatest Illinois wide receivers to ever suit up. He already has set records, and now he has four more games to see how many receiving yards he can get. Let’s sit back and enjoy what we are watching.
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