Richey Ten things I think I know about the Illini

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Sep. 27—Saturday's 42-19 loss at No. 7 Ohio State provided some new insight into Illinois football for beat writer Scott Richey. Here's 10 more things he thinks he knows about the Illini:

1. The postgame press conference at Ohio Stadium was an exercise in body language reading. The sheer number of times Illinois coach Bret Bielema brought his right hand to his head across 9 1/2 minutes of questions — holding it as if to keep the true nature of his frustration bottled up — was notable. Couple that with the careful way veteran safety and team captain Matthew Bailey discussed the defense and it feels like there's a true level of doubt about that side of the ball.

2. One more about the defense then we'll move on. The whole premise of Bobby Hauck's 3-3-5 scheme was it would inject a level of chaos creation into a defense where personnel might not have gotten the job done alone. The Illini finished Saturday's game against the Buckeyes with zero quarterback hurries, zero sacks and a single tackle for loss from Bailey, who was in on nearly a quarter of Illinois' total tackles. While there was some pressure created, finishing plays remained an issue.

3. Katin Houser found himself facing more pressure against Ohio State than he had in the three previous games combined. The Buckeyes managed to bring Houser down in the backfield three times, but the effects of that pressure went beyond the trio of sacks. The Illinois quarterback entered the game completing 74 percent of his passes, but some rushed throws and others under duress saw him hit at a 57 percent rate in the Horseshoe.

4. Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. did exactly what was necessary Saturday, engineering two lengthy drives in a third quarter where Illinois dominated time of possession. A "best defense being your offense" type of scenario. His best play call, though, came on Jordan Anderson's 22-yard touchdown run. Execution mattered, and left tackle Christian Martin and left guard Brandon Hansen made it happen with a pair of pull blocks that freed up Anderson to get to the end zone untouched while the right side of the line pushed hard the opposite direction.

5. All that's needed from Lunney now is a fun name for the "Wildcat" formation Illinois showed with wide receiver Jershaun Newton at quarterback. (Plus a little better execution to match the concept). The number of former quarterback's sprinkled throughout the offense — Newton, tight ends Kaden Feagin and Christian Abney — lends itself to some chicanery in play calling. Or at least it should.

6. Illinois' 80-man travel roster included 18 freshmen. Four of them played. One, right guard Champ Smith, started. It was less representation from the Class of 2026 than in previous games this season — probably to be expected on the road against a top 10 team — but it's a group that feels crucial to the program. It was a massive recruiting class for Bielema, and the hit rate on contributors has to be high. The flashes some of those freshmen have shown are encouraging, but first-year players in the Big Ten are going to have their struggles. Like Smith giving up a sack on Houser or linebacker Cameron Thomas failing to hold on to Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin for a sack of his own in what instead turned into a successful third down play for the Buckeyes.

7. Smith's status is in question after he went down with a lower leg injury during Saturday's game. He couldn't put any weight on the leg in the moment, but did so after the game albeit with a notable limp. Another injury makes Illinois' guard situation even more of a mess. Eddie Tuerk, who finished the game in place of Smith, was the fifth player the Illini have used at right guard this season behind Brandon Henderson, TJ McMillen, Dez Schuster and Smith. McMillen is out for the season, but Bielema did say Henderson and left guard Maika Matelau might return against Purdue.

8. One moment stood out as the Illinois athletic trainers tended to Smith on the field Saturday. When it came time to get the 6-foot-6, 330-pound lineman to the sideline, his older brother, Maurice, an Illini tight end, rushed out to the field to give his younger brother a shoulder to lean on.

9. Lars Rau has punted just six times through four games. Just one — his first against Southern Illinois and just second of the season to that point — wasn't quite a shank but wasn't great either. Since then, however, he's been dialed. Both of his punts Saturday pinned Ohio State in the shadow of its own end zone. Limited usage or not, Rau is beginning to look like a real special teams weapon.

10. There's only one Jeremiah Smith. The Ohio State wide receiver was the best player on the field Saturday, and it's not a stretch to call him the best overall player in college football. Maybe the Heisman Trophy won't go to a quarterback like it has 21 times since 2000. Still, as good as Smith is, giving up the best game of his career has to sting. Sorry, that was one more about the Illinois defense, but it was a rough day alongside the banks of the Olentangy River.

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