Illinois using bye-week to find answers after big loss to Ohio State

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After a humbling home loss to the No. 1 team in the land, the Fighting Illini are trying to pick up the pieces as they approach their bye-week.

Coach Bret Bielema thought he had his players prepared for the blockbuster matchup against Ohio State, but Illinois quickly fell apart, and lost 34-16. Although the Fighting Illini scored the most points on the Buckeyes this season, and led them in total offense, passing yards, first downs and plays, it still wasn’t enough.

Bielema understands Illinois’ three costly turnovers were the reason for Ohio State’s margin of victory. The Fighting Illini already had a slim margin for error going against an elite team, but Bielema was proud that his players showed heart, and never gave up. The sold out crowd of 60,670 at Memorial Stadium didn’t get much traction, due to Ohio State’s fast start. However, Bielema found the atmosphere impressive, and disappointed that he couldn’t deliver a better outcome for the fans.

“Going into this game we had some high aspirations, and hopes, and they showed up in a great way, unfortunately, our first half performance didn’t match that,” Bielema said. “I think offensively, defensively and special teams there were some things that we hoped to capitalize on, but we weren’t able to do that.”

Quarterback Luke Altmeyer threw his first interception of the season, and running back Ca’Lil Valentine lost a fumble in the first half. Within a blink of an eye, Bielema’s squad was down by double-digits, and trailed 20-3 at halftime. The Buckeyes received great field position the entire afternoon, and never surrendered their lead.

Illinois’ defense struggled to get off the field, and in return that allowed Ohio State to control time of possession. Quarterback Julian Sayin had a lot of time in the pocket to locate his targets, and the Fighting Illini failed to generate a sack. Bielema feels his team is somewhat banged up, and didn’t have enough bodies to go blow for blow with the Buckeyes.

Altmyer did everything he could to keep Illinois in it. Running back Aidan Laughery helped out a bit in the backfield, and finished with a team-high, 50 yards on the ground and a rushing score. Still, Altmyer didn’t get the proper protection from the big boys up front, and absorbed four sacks.

It frustrated Bielema that his team couldn’t get out of their own way, but they pulled within 10 points in the third quarter. He’s finding that refusing to die attitude from his players encouraging, and will use it for momentum during the week off. Bielema also plans on getting players healthy, and reassessing his staff, because the Buckeyes exposed several areas that need improvement.

“Just too many things that we gave them, a good football team like that, and you can’t spot them opportunities and expect to have success,” he said. “We put a lot into that game, a lot of preparation, and I give a lot of credit to our guys for putting themselves in that position, and I know this is a resilient group.”

Now that Illinois (5-2) has lost twice in conference play, the road to Indianapolis will be a long shot. Regardless, Bielema has no shame in losing to two undefeated teams. In his mind, the character of this team is going to show through this time of adversity. Most importantly, he wants to build on the positive aspects from Saturday’s game.

The offense was more effective in tempo, and Bielema regrets not using that type of pace earlier against the Buckeyes. Altmyer completed 30 of his 44 passes for 248 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. His interception was on a tipped ball, so Altmyer held his own against one of the nation’s best secondaries.

Defensive back Matthew Bailey led the team with eight tackles, including seven solo and one for loss. Defensive lineman James Thompson added seven stops. Regardless, Illinois’ defense didn’t force any turnovers, or have a pass rush, and the team couldn’t execute consistently on offense.

Improving both sides of the ball will be a point of emphasis for Bielema during the bye-week, especially before the Fighting Illini resume Big Ten play. After all, there’s still a lot of football to be played in his mind, and Bielema feels his team has the experience, talent and leadership to climb out of this hole.

“I’m not going to diminish that I’m super proud of what we accomplished, but it was also an indicator that we’re nowhere close with where we need to go.”