There was a lot of good that happened on Saturday. This Illinois team was different than what we saw in the past and for 60 minutes it looked like growth in the right direction. After reviewing the tape, there is room for improvement as this team looks to prepare for Week 1.

The Good

Coaching

Whether it was making substitutions, making halftime adjustments, or executing an 8-minute, 14-play, 75-yard TD drive, Illinois was a different team than what we saw under Lovie Smith. In the first quarter, Illinois was abysmal running the ball. Take away Mike Epstein's 45-yard run, Illinois had -15 yards on the ground and 35 passing yards in the first quarter. A lot of that can due to a new coach, scheme, and first-game jitters. But there's a lot that can be said about what happened next.

The team saw adversity, fought through it, commanded the clock, and played one of the most complete games I have seen since I was a student during Tim Beckmans first year. Competent coaching is something that Illini teams in the last decade have desired, and I think we saw a glimpse of what is to come. Friends and family that went to Wisconsin would disagree, but after never seeing a winning season, this is progress. But can Bielema and his staff stack wins?

Special Teams

Blake Hayes had two punts land inside the 1, one of which ended in a safety. #ForTheBrand

Defense

‘The defense is good’ was something I would never say in the last 8 years. There were times when the defense played well, but they never were good.

But Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez was stuffed the entire time and panicked under a collapsing pocket. Throw after throw sailed over open receivers heads. Five different Illini players recorded a sack, Tony Adams recorded 10 solo tackles, and of course, the scoop and score to put an exclamation point on the first half of the game.

Block I

There is nothing I love more than seeing a packed Block I. As a student, I went to every game while on campus. I was there, front row, on the left side of Block I for four straight years, three of them with Tim Beckman as head coach.

If this is the level of football Bielema will bring each Saturday, every student should buy a ticket.

The Bad

Offensive Line

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

With as many starts as the O-line has, there is no reason Saturday should have gone the way it did. Yes, you need time to gel and time to understand the new shifts and the new offense, but that’s not where they were getting beat. Every play, the pocket was collapsing and the Nebraska line was outmuscling the Illinois line and making its way to the QB.

Luckily, we saw a change in the second half and Illinois was able to get the run game going and offered a bit more protection for Art Sitkowski. This has all to do with coaching. Skill and technique will overtake brute strength as this line learns to play as one. Epstein’s 1-yard TD is a perfect example:

The Ugly

The Secondary

As well as the D-line played all game, there was a consistent issue and broken coverage in the secondary. Big Ten quarterbacks — Graham Mertz (Wisconsin), Tanner Morgan (Minnesota), and Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland) — all make these throws.

The same broken coverage is also what led to a 75-yard TD by Martinez. Both times were on the left side of the field. In a 4-2-5, with 2 corners and 3 safeties, and at times with 6 DBs, this shouldn’t happen with that level of frequency. In the last Nebraska touchdown, after Illinois defense bled 6:42 from the game clock, it broke down and two receivers were open in the endzone.

Illinois got bailed out time and again with overthrows from Martinez. This is an issue that needs to be addressed before we play teams with a better offensive line, better quarterbacks, and faster receivers.

Stat of the Game

Hayes outgained every player on the field.

Play of the Game

Absolute dot from Sitkowski to converted QB Duece Spann.

Bottom Line

We witnessed a complete game from the Illini on Saturday. There is a lot to look forward to in Year One of the Bielema era, and the kinks in the offense and defense will be fixed over time.