Since Bret Bielema took over the Illinois football program, we have seen some semblance of consistency.
The Illini used to be a team that would win five or six games but then drop back to two or three wins. That isn’t happening under this regime, though.
Bielema has been able to stabilize the program, and it has all started with the first game of the season. Getting off on the right foot is important, and since he took over, Illinois has been great in game one.
Illinois football looks to stay undefeated under Bret Bielema in opening games
While we have only made one bowl game in three seasons under Bielema, Illinois has at least hit five wins each year. We are a competitive program, and notching a win in week one has been a trend with the Orange and Blue.
2023: Illinois football 30-28 over Toledo
Last season, Illinois had to squeak by Toledo. This doesn’t seem like a good win, but it is a win and the Rockets were a decent team in 2023.
Toledo would end up rambling off 11 straight wins after that to get to the MAC Championship game. They finished 11-3 that season, so it wasn’t a bad team by any means. Illinois was able to keep Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn in check, as he only threw for 230 yards and completed just 55.6% of his passes. Finn is now with the Baylor Bears.
2022: Illinois football 38-6 over Wyoming
The opening game in 2022 was against Wyoming. This was a great start to an eight-win campaign for the Illini.
Illinois fans got their first dose of Tommy DeVito, as he threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the game. On top of that, Chase Brown had 151 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, Casey Washington caught three passes for 26 yards, and Isaiah Williams had seven receptions for 26 yards.
What do DeVito, Brown, Washington, and Williams all have in common? They are all on NFL rosters for the 2024 season.
2021: Illinois football 30-22 over Nebraska
The start of the Bielema era got off on the right foot. We had a challenging game against Nebraska, but Illinois came out with a big win.
Multiple Illinois players had good games on the offensive side of the ball. I would argue the game-changer was CJ Hart’s scoop and score on the defensive end which changed the momentum completely.
This was a great start to what has been a solid first three seasons for Bielema. Thursday night marks the start of the 2024 campaign. Let’s extend the winning streak to four in a row with a win over Eastern Illinois.