Illinois' offense couldn't score enough to keep up with Ohio State, but they didn't get much help from the defense. Bobby Hauck's squad made a lot of mistakes against the Buckeyes and at one point had only nine players on the field. No wonder they gave up 42 points!
Understandably, Bielema was not too happy after the game, especially when talking about the Illini only fielding nine guys on defense. Communication issues have been a problem for Illinois all season, along with tackling and getting stops up front. Now, as the Illini head into Week 5, Bielema is taking a closer look at his defense and might even make some changes.
"Really gotta look at what we're doing defensively to make sure we're not doing too much, and figure out what we can do to be good," Bielema said in his opening statement post-game.
#Illini head coach Bret Bielema says at one point in today's loss against Ohio State the Illinois defense only had nine players on the field.
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) September 26, 2026
"I can't understand it. We'll make sure that we get that moment corrected. That's got to be 100% on me to move forward."
Says Illinois… pic.twitter.com/8qhlGeyJgt
Illinois might want to consider a defensive scheme change
When Bobby Hauck was hired at Illinois, he immediately began the install for his 3-3-5 scheme, something that looks great on paper but has not translated well to the field. This scheme is meant to put a lot on the secondary, which Illinois has a lot of talent in, and allow Bielema to save on defensive lineman talent.
This scheme, though, has given Illinois more problems because the guys up front can't stop the run or get pressure on the quarterback. In the first three games of the season, especially the loss against Duke, the offense pounded the run game against the Illini. Against Ohio State on Saturday, the Buckeyes showed off the passing game, with star receiver Jeremiah Smith going off for 217 yards and four touchdowns.
The Illinois secondary is talented, but trying to fill the box to stop the run and defend the long ball is hard to do, and it showed against the Buckeyes. Bielema makes a point about looking at the defense to see if they are simply doing too much. Installing an entirely new defensive scheme in the spring might have been too much for this defense, and it might be time to go back to a simple defense.
The talent is lacking up front, but adding more guys in the box could help with stopping the run, and simply trusting the talent in the secondary to make stops. Guys like Matthew Bailey, Juice Clark, and Xavier Scott are playing great this season, so why not allow them to take over the secondary?
If Hauck isn't willing to let go of the scheme, maybe Bielema should take a look at whether or not he is the right fit for Illinois.
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