Illinois had to fight for its 42-23 win over UAB on Thursday night as Bret Bielema's squad didn't look as strong as some might have hoped they would against an American Conference team. Granted, of all the Group of Six conferences, the American is the strongest, and UAB has its strengths, but a tough 21-13 win is not what fans had in mind in Week 1.
In the second half, it was clear who was the power conference team and who wasn't, as Illinois just had more strength and stamina, and by the fourth quarter, the Illini began to really pull away.
To be fair, there were some growing pains all over the field for Illinois, from a new quarterback in Katin Houser to a new defensive coordinator running a new scheme. There were aspects of the game that looked great and others that the Illini will want to pay special attention to in film study over the next week.
Overall, a win is a win, but there were definitely some winners and losers to come out of this game for Illinois.
Losers
Brayden Trimble
There was a lot of buzz about Brayden Trimble coming out of fall camp. When FAU transfer and expected WR3 Jayshon Platt went down with an injury late in camp, Trimble was expected to be the one to step right into his position. Well, Trimble saw the field a lot against UAB, but he didn't make much of a difference. The sophomore ended his night with only one reception for 11 yards.
Granted, the receiving room for Illinois didn't see a lot of action, except for WR1 Collin Dixon, but we can get into that later. Trimble has an opportunity to make a big play before the end of the second half to help Illinois at least get into position to score a field goal or help make it an easier Hail Mary pass, but he dropped the pass.
One game doesn't constitute Trimble a bust, but hopefully he can find his place on the field more going forward.
Bobby Hauck
Yes, Bobby Hauck isn't a player, but he coached an Illinois defense that allowed 413 total yards to the UAB offense. When Hauck came to Illinois, he brought his 3-3-5 defense with him, putting a lot of emphasis on the secondary with fewer guys up front. Well, that is great against teams that live on the pass game, but UAB had a strong run game that tore up the Illini defense.
The Balzers had 194 rushing yards last night, with two running backs over 50 rushing yards and three having over 10 carries. With so few guys up front, UAB used the run game and short passing game to gain big yards with the secondary spread out down the field.
This defense can be great, especially with the talent in the secondary, but Illinois is going to have to figure out how to stop the run, espcially wth teams who have a strong run game.
Xavier Scott
Xavier Scott didn't make much of an impact in his first game back from injury, with just two solo tackles. He did miss most of the second quarter after going down with what looked like cramps and went to the locker room early before halftime. While he did return in the second half, this is probably not how Scott wanted to start his final season at Illinois, especially with the NFL watching.
Winners
Collin Dixon
Collin Dixon was probably the biggest star on the offense besides the man who runs everything, Katin Houser. Dixon opened the scoring for Illinois with a wide-open touchdown that was beautifully played out between himself and Trimble. That wasn't the only score for Dixon either, as he found the end zone again in the second half with a 14-yard laser from Houser.
Dixon finished as the leading receiver on both sides with six receptions for 70 yards, showing he is definitely the workhorse for this Illinois offense. He had double the number of receptions as the next closest receiver, Hudson Clement, who had three for 26 yards. Dixon was expected to be WR1 for the Illini this season and proved it in Week 1.
Katin Houser
When looking at the numbers, it may not look like Katin Houser did much, but to be fair, he was given good field position for most of the night. The ECU transfer needed to show that Bielema made the right choice in picking him out of the portal, and he certainly did, with 182 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and tacked on 29 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
Houser showed good decision-making as well, especially when being pressured, by throwing the ball away and living to play another down. Illinois took good care of the ball without a single turnover, and Houser was the leader the Illini needed on the field when things got close.
It should also be mentioned that Houser has one hell of an arm that he showcased on Illinois' hail mary before the end of the half, that did result in a 54-yard touchdown that had everyone out of their seats.
Matthew Bailey
Like Scott, Matthew Bailey also returned from an offseason injury against UAB, and he didn't miss a beat. Bailey led the team with eight total tackles and seven solo tackles, after recording over 170 total tackles in the last two seasons with the Illini.
Bailey said in an interview this past week that what he was most excited for was going out there at full speed and getting to hit someone. He said in camp he had to let up so he didn't potentially injure his own teammates, and he showed last night how hard he really can hit. Bailey was all over the field defensively and was the shining spot for an Illinois defense that didn't look its best.
Ean Rhea
Ean Rhea was the other shining spot for the Illinois defense, keeping things as locked down as he could on the smaller defensive front. Rhea finished his night with five total tackles, four solo tackles, a sack, and two tackles for a loss. Rhea recorded the only sack for the Illinois defense, a big one that stalled the Blazers' first offensive drive, pulling them out of field goal range.
Entire Illinois offensive line
I couldn't pick just one player on the Illinois offensive line as a winner from Week 1. The entire line looked good, especially after a lot of offseason speculation about how good it could be since the Illini didn't have a lot of returning snaps. Bielema spent a lot of time in the offseason building this line, and that hard work looks like it paid off.
The line kept Houser fairly clean all night, not allowing a single sack. There were a few pressures, but luckily Houser was crafty enough to get out of the pressure by scrambling. The line was also big in the run game, helping Illinois to 150 rushing yards, including a huge run by Ca'Lil Valentine, who broke off for a 51-yard touchdown run, thanks to the line opening a hole for him.
Honorable mention
Ty Robinson
I couldn't end this without giving some love to Ty Robinson, who made the amazing catch at the end of the first half Hail Mary to give Illinois an eight-point lead going into halftime instead of just a one-point lead.
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