CHAMPAIGN, IL — Just before Saturday’s homecoming matchup against Purdue, Illinois announced that inside linebacker coach Roger Cooper would be the defensive play-caller, taking over for former defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck after he left the program on Sunday.
Cooper was one of several coaches who came from Montana with Hauck to help instill the 3-3-5 defensive system.
During his four-season stint with the Grizzlies, Cooper helped the team win 43 games, including two 13-win seasons.
Prior to his
time in Montana, Cooper spent nearly a decade with Idaho State, in which most of his time he was a defensive coordinator for the Bengals.
As a former All-American linebacker and having spent a good length of his career with Hauck and the 3-3-5 system, Cooper seems to be the perfect replacement for his former Head Coach.
Hauck’s departure came after Illinois lost their first Big Ten matchup against No. 7 Ohio State, 42-19. During the game, the Buckeyes were able to gain over 500 yards of total offense, including star receiver Jeremiah Smith racking up 217 yards all by himself.
A day after the game, Hauck reportedly reached out to Bielema and informed him that he was parting ways with the Illini.
After a quite vague week, that included the entire defense being held on media lockdown. It seem as the Bielema is looking to continue this 3-3-5 defensive scheme experiment and views Cooper as the best fit to help lead the charge that Hauck had for only four games.
