A big topic of discussion this season, among others, has been the health of the Illinois football program.
From the opening kickoff, the Illini haven’t been healthy. It all started with newcomer and projected big-time wide receiver Jayshon Platt. That injury bug then affected the Illinois offensive line.
Katin Houser needs protection, and I am sure he is probably happy with the second update of the Big Ten Availability Report for the Purdue game.
Entering the week, starting guards Maika Matelau and Brandon Henderson were both listed as probable. That remains the case, and this is huge for Illinois. They haven’t played since week one, and having them back stabilizes an area that has been extremely unstable over the past couple of weeks.
Another note on the offensive line health is that Champ Smith might be ready to go against Purdue. He opened up as doubtful, but in the second edit of the report, Smith is now questionable heading into the game.
Illinois needs depth, and Smith provides that at guard. He stepped in when the injury bug plagued the Illini, and he was solid. Smith is likely a second-string guard once Matelau and Henderson get going.
The deterioration of the Illinois offensive line has had a noticeably effect on Katin Houser
It isn’t a surprise that Houser has gotten worse as the season has gone on. When you have a deteriorating offensive line, it is hard to feel comfortable in the pocket.
Houser’s numbers have declined over the past four weeks. He started out against UAB with 182 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He had three touchdowns and one interception against Duke. Houser then had two touchdowns and one interception against Southern Illinois. And he only had one score against Ohio State.
Yards per attempt have declined gradually, too. After week one, Houser was averaging 10.7 yards per attempt. That average dropped to 8.5 yards per attempt in weeks two and three. After week four, it is now 7.9 yards per attempt, which ranks No. 55 in the country.
Sacks are another stat that has gotten worse as time went on. Illinois didn’t allow a single sack in the first two weeks. Against Southern Illinois, the offensive line allowed two sacks. We then allowed three sacks against Ohio State.
A lot of these issues lie on the shoulders of the offensive line. At one time, we were going with our fourth- or fifth-string guard who came into the program as a defensive lineman.
The more injured the Illinois offensive line, the less time Houser has in the pocket. That means he isn’t going through his progressions, or he is taking sacks. It also means getting the ball out of his hands quicker, which tends to mean shorter pass attempts.
Illinois’ offensive line is getting healthy. The Big Ten Availability Report this week is extremely promising. It is coming at the right time, too. The 2026 season is still very much salvageable.
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