Bret Bielema Is Unfazed by Illinois' Tackling Woes Entering Duke – But Should He Be?
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The buzzword of the week in Champaign: tackling. It was a shaky performance from Illinois on that front last week against UAB – and it led to the Illini giving up 194 yards to the Blazers on the ground.
And with Duke running back Nate Sheppard (who already has 227 rushing yards and two touchdowns to his name a week into the season) taking Zuppke Field this Saturday, there are notable concerns.
Illinois coach Bret Bielema doesn't seem to share them, though – at least not in regard to the perceived tackling problem. When he addressed the media on Monday, he swiftly shut down any talk of tackling being a long-term issue.
Bret Bielema unconcerned about Illinois' tackling struggles in opener
"Really nobody does live tackling," Bielema said. "So the NCAA put out a rule – I think it was seven years ago – that you're only allowed to have two full scrimmages in college football. So that's all we've kind of done. There have been intermediate times where we've tackled [with] some of our younger guys. You can do that for 25 percent of a practice on three different occasions. So there's some very specific rules that limit tackling. So I think you'll probably find across the board [that] people struggle with that a little bit."
"But in the game … Matt [Bailey] might have missed his first one, but the next three were probably textbook definitions, right? So he hadn't tackled since last year against Northwestern. So it doesn't take guys long to snap into it.
"Xavier [Scott], I think, had an issue on the first tackle, and [on] the second one he corrected the problem. Then Grant Beerman, he's a guy that hasn't played since last year and didn't play a lot since his high school days.
"So I think some of these guys just getting the understanding, getting their feet underneath them, [needed to] balance them up. I know it's a good article to write, but it's just something that can get corrected in a short amount of time."
Lots to unpack there. Let's take it from the top and address the elephant in the room: "Nobody does live tackling." Well, then why didn't every other team in college football allow almost 200 rushing yards in Week 1?
In Bielema's defense, there is this: the starting linebacker trio of James Kreutz, Mason Muragin and Ismael Kante combined for one start in 2025. At the line of scrimmage, the defensive tackle unit of Joe Barna, Darrell Prater and Pat Ferrell totaled three starts last year – all three of which came from Prater at Jacksonville State.
This Illini defense – specifically at the first and second level – simply doesn't have much in-game experience. And in the secondary, although Illinois returns a handful of standouts, a few key players are coming off injuries.
Game circumstances contributed to Illinois allowing so many rushing yards, but the average per carry for UAB was a not-so-bad 4.0. And as Bielema made abundantly clear, the only way to get better at tackling is to tackle in a game. So, presumably, the tackling will improve in time.
On the flip side, it's also possible the Illini, who, again, have inexperienced players at key positions across the defense, may have personnel shortcomings. It's not a possibility any member of the coaching staff would publicly admit to, but we'll have another opportunity to assess it this weekend.
There's also this: That NCAA rule? It has been in place for seven years. Never before has the inability to tackle been so prevalent in a season opener for a Bielema-led club, so something could very well be off. The Illini can only hope it's just players working back from injury, younger players taking their lumps and everybody adjusting to a new defensive scheme.
It's pretty safe to assume Bailey and Scott will return to their previous form – the former of whom quickly did as the game wore on – but only time can tell with the rest of the crew.
Today's best reads
- What Illinois vs. Duke Will Reveal About the Illini's 2026 Future
- Illinois Football 2026 Scouting Report: Defensive Lineman Joe Barna
- Illinois Football 2026 Scouting Report: Defensive Lineman Darrell Prater
- 3 Illinois Football Players Had One Offer – Now They Have NFL Futures
- How to Watch: Illinois Football vs. Duke in Week 2
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as Bret Bielema Is Unfazed by Illinois' Tackling Woes Entering Duke – But Should He Be?.
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