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>> #ve of its #rst six possessions against the defensive reserves. If he can carry even a little of that momentum into the regular season, Illinois will have gone a long way toward improving an o:ense that #n- ished 13th in the Big Ten with an average of 20.1 points per game. If not, well… Artur Sitkowski has transferred in from Rutgers. DEFENSE New coordinator Ryan Wal- ters joined Bielema's sta: in January a5er six seasons at Missouri, the last three as the team's primary DC. He's got a big job ahead of him, as Illinois surren- dered 467.3 yards and 34.9 points per game last season, ranking last in the Big Ten in the former category and 13th in the latter. The Illini were especially so5 against the run, allowing 230.1 yards per game on the ground to rank 116th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. But there are some playmakers returning. Linebacker Jake Hansen led the Illini in both tackles (68) and tackles for loss (10) and was tied for the team lead with two intercep- tions. Second-leading tackler Tony Adams is also back and is moving to cor- nerback, his original position, a5er to- taling 51 stops as a safety last year. Walters has a track record that suggests he's the right guy for this diEcult job. In 2019, his second season as Mizzou's DC, the Tigers #nished 14th in the country in total defense. SPECIAL TEAMS Veteran punter Blake Hayes is the star of Illinois' kicking units. The 6-foot-6 Australian was Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2019 and was a third-team All-Conference honoree last season a5er averaging 43.8 yards, with nine kicks of 50 or more yards. James McCort is back as place kicker. He missed two games last year due to COVID-19 protocols and was more er- ratic than he had been the previous sea- son, hitting 6 of 10 attempts. But one of those kicks was a 47-yard game-winner in the #nal seconds against Rutgers, and he also had 14 touchbacks on 27 kick- o:s. SCHEDULE Bielema may have inherited a struggling program, but he also inher- ited a favorable schedule. The Illini's #rst three Big Ten games are against Ne- braska, Maryland and Purdue, and the #rst two of those are in Champaign. Their nonconference slate consists of home games vs. Texas San Antonio and Charlotte and a road trip to Virginia. There's a best-case scenario in which Illinois goes into its home game against Wisconsin on Oct. 9 with a winning record. A5er facing the Badgers, things get quite a bit tougher, with visits to Penn State, Minnesota and Iowa. But the Big Ten slate does include a few very nice perks: The Illini won't have to face Ohio State, Michigan or Indiana as they transition to a new coaching regime. GAME OF THE YEAR The Illini will end their regular season on Nov. 27 against Northwestern. They've lost six in a row to their in-state rivals, including a 28-10 defeat last December in Evanston. OUTLOOK Bielema was an interesting choice to take over a struggling Illini program. He was a disappointment in his most recent Power Five head coach- ing job, going 29-34 at Arkansas before being shown the door a5er a 4-8 season in 2017. But he's got plenty of credibility in the Big Ten. An Illinois native, he played at Iowa for Hayden Fry and went on to enjoy great success at Wisconsin, leading the Badgers to a 68-24 record and three Rose Bowl appearances in his seven seasons as head coach. Bielema inherited a strong program in Madison when he took over for Barry Alvarez, but that's not the case this time. The Illini managed only #ve winning seasons in the 24-year combined tenure of Bielema's #ve predecessors, Ron Turner, Ron Zook, Tim Beckman, Bill Cubit and Lovie Smith. Even with the NCAA hav- ing turned the transfer process into a form of free agency, some problems don't have quick #xes. Bielema may get the Illini back to bowl contention, but right now, this is a team whose best player is probably its punter. It's going to take some time. –M.H. TOP RETURNEES PASSING Brandon Peters 39 of 80 | 429 yds. | 3 TD | 0 int. RUSHING Chase Brown 104 att. | 540 yds. | 3 TD RECEIVING Daniel Barker 19 rec. | 268 yds. | 2 TD TACKLING Jake Hansen 36 solo | 32 asst. | 68 total SACKS Owen Carney Jr. 5 sacks | 40 yds. 2020 RECORD 7-1, 5-0 Big Ten COACH Ryan Day (23-2 in two full sea- sons and one partial season at Ohio State; career record: same) SERIES HISTORY The Buckeyes have won four in a row and lead the series against the Nittany Lions, 21-14. MOST RECENT MEETING Justin Fields completed 28 of 34 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns, and Master Teague III rushed for 110 yards and a score, as Ohio State held o: a second- half comeback attempt to defeat the host Lions, 38-25, on Oct. 31, 2020. OFFENSE If you need to break in a new quarterback, as is the case at Ohio State this year following Fields' departure, you could hardly do better than to have a pair of receivers like Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson helping ease the transition. Olave delayed an NFL payday to come back for one more season a5er catching 50 passes for 729 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games last year. Wilson, mean- WEEK 8 OHIO STATE T I M E T B A | O C T . 3 0 | O H I O S T A D I U M | C O L U M B U S , O H I O

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