CHAMPAIGN, Ill – After the departure of former defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck, now interim defensive coordinator, Roger Cooper, was thrown straight into the fire. When he got the news, he knew he had to get straight to work improving this defense.
“Coach talked to me and … everything slowed down for like three seconds and (I) went all right here we go,” Cooper said. “There was really no time to think about it. It was what has to be done, and that’s what we’ve been doing is just grinding.”
And while
it’s never easy during a rivalry matchup, especially against Purdue (2-3, 1-1 Big Ten), many fans may have expected to see a defense that looked uncomfortable while adjusting to a new DC. What they got instead was an alright performance and an improvement from what they saw against No. 7 Ohio State.
In the first half against Purdue, the Illinois (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) defense showed some promise in the red zone getting stops and forcing field goals. The 90 rushing yards allowed was a big improvement from last week’s 151, and is the fewest it has allowed all season.
The same goes for the 255 total passing yards allowed, down from 367. While Purdue’s offense is nowhere near the same level as Ohio State, improvement is improvement.
Cooper and head coach Bret Bielema emphasized the improvement on DBO (don’t beat ourselves) plays, and noted they had been in the 20s in previous games but were down to nine against Purdue.
“He basically cut that number in half last week with our defense,” Bielema said. “So if we continue to make some good strides there, I think we can have a (better) back half of the season, especially this last week before the bye-week.”
Bielema also stated that they combined the DB and LB rooms for better communication amongst the defense. While this seemed to help in certain areas, a big issue that Illinois had last game was limiting explosive plays.
There were multiple blown coverages and missed opportunities that led to huge plays. The most notable being WR Assad Waseem’s 61-yard catch and run after a blown coverage. The other, a 31-yard catch by WR Chauncey Magwood which led to the exclamation mark TD in the fourth quarter.
“The overwhelming deal is explosive plays. We’ve got to eliminate explosive plays, however that may be,” Cooper said. “Is it schematically? Sometimes it is. Is it player-driven? Sometimes it is. However those are rearing their heads, we need to get rid of those.”
Lack of takeaways hurts
The lack of takeaways for the defense this season has been concerning. Against Purdue, there were multiple opportunities for picks that the defense just couldn’t come down with. One play saw DB Mac Resetich nearly bring one in, and another saw a ball tipped into the air but DB Matthew Bailey couldn’t secure the ball.
Takeaways have proven to be very important for this program in recent seasons. During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the Illini were 15-1 when recording a takeaway. So far this season, they have just 2 interceptions, which has helped in their two wins.
“We have to be a fine mix of all the things we do well,” Cooper said. “We do some stunts really well … movement is part of who we are, but playing technique is also who we are. Finding the balance between those two things will create those moments.”
Illinois’ next contest is Oct. 10 versus Michigan State (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten), and is a must win for Bielema and his team. The Spartan’s offense has really struggled to score this season, making this a great way for the defense to show out and make an impact.
