CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — This week and last week looked eerily similar for the Illini, squandering a fourth quarter lead and dropping their fourth straight contest. Offensive Coordinator Tony Petersen, Defensive Coordinator Ryan Walters and head coach Bret Bielema met the media on Monday to discuss the 13-9 loss at Purdue and preview this week’s contest at home against Charlotte.

Here’s what Petersen had to say about:

The Purdue Game

“We wanted to get zero (Josh McCray) some carries.”

“We had no turnovers, no penalties...just needed to make some more plays.”

“We got to do a better job as coaches to go out and make those plays.”

“I was happy with where BP (Brandon Peters) was.”

“Very excited about where he’s (Jakari Norwood) at...He’s not just a situational back.”

“Love Pat Bryant. Big time freshman who is gonna be a great receiver here for many years.”

“He (Daniel Barker) was physically limited early in the week and as the week developed we felt Tip (Reiman) was a better matchup.”

“Coach B makes the calls on fourth down... we got to do better to not put him in that situation.”

“Losing sucks.”

Playing Charlotte

“They’re gonna be moving, slanting, blitzing, twisting.”

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Here’s what Walters had to say about:

The loss against Purdue

“If you look at the last two games, the mental errors are way down.”

“Two weeks in a row we had a chance to end it on defense and we didn’t get it done.”

“Those are two capable guys (Khalan Tolson and Tarique Barnes) obviously they have the athletic talent to play well at those positions.”

“It sucks.”

“I think our guys have earned the right to be confident.”

“We need to bring that confidence to end of game drives.”

Charlotte’s offense

“They do a lot of shifting.”

“Every run action compliments a pass game off of it.”

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Here’s what Bielema had to say about:

Purdue loss

“I do think Ryan (Walters) has learned his roster.”

“I am excited that we continue to find some young players.”

“I’m really excited about what’s going on in the Smith Center.”

“What I like about our offense is we did take some shot plays.”

“Consistency breeds a lot of success.”

Injuries

“Jake (Hansen) stands for so much more than just a linebacker for us...We do expect him to plays this week.”

Also mentioned that Devon Witherspoon and Chase Brown need to be further evaluated.

Players

“Every game he teaches me something about him (Josh McCray) that I didn’t know he could be.”

“He (Josh McCray) will be one of the main faces when it (the program) turns.”

“The emergence of Josh McCray continues to impress me.”

“Luke Ford just probably played the most complete game as a tight end I’ve seen from him.”

“You like the way he (Brandon Peters) throws the football, you like his maturity.”