CHAMPAIGN, Ill – The bye-week couldn’t have come at a better time for interim defensive coordinator Roger Cooper and the Illinois (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) defense. Against Michigan State (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten), it looked like the same defense we have seen all season, solid flashes then lackluster energy.
Cooper described the past week as a “kind of reset” for the defense. He also said that he implemented parts of his former Idaho State defense and combined it with what he has learned from the Illinois system.
Head coach Bret Bielema described Cooper as a “bridge builder” who has done a good job of bridging the gap from the short-lived Bobby Hauck era. He kept the defensive coaches together during the bye-week so they can assess where they are at, and is hopeful they can continue to get even better as the season progresses.
“Those guys I thought did a nice job of kind of evaluating where they were at after six games,” Bielema said. “In particular those last two weeks, what they did well, what they didn’t do well, and then hopefully we’ll see that continue to grow this week.”
Reducing explosive plays and creating turnovers
Cooper and Bielema emphasized two key areas that could make an impact going forward, reducing explosive plays and creating turnovers. While it wasn’t perfect, the Illini defense saw some slight improvement in limiting explosive plays against the Spartans.
Cooper noted that the two given up was an improvement from the week before, but thinks they didn’t respond well enough during certain momentum shifts.
“They just kind of got rolling down there,” Cooper said. “We had some sudden change opportunities we didn’t respond to well at all.”
Against an offense like Oregon who has multiple speedy playmakers like WR Dakorien Moore and RBs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr, any small misplay could lead to larger consequences. Cooper knows his defense must make it a point to limit these chances.
“You’re a missed tackle away from an explosive play.” Cooper said
Illinois has also made it a point to put more emphasis on creating turnover opportunities. It has just 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery on the season, and lack of pressure also doesn’t help when trying to secure takeaways.
Cooper says that they have focused more on this during practices, and that it’s less talking about it and more about being about it.
“It’s one of those things you just can’t talk about, you have to rep it,” Cooper said. “So, we’re doing turnover circuits and … we’re seeing more strip attempts, more punches, more balls come out. We’re going to keep doing that until those balls are popping out.”
The end of the Michigan State game was a promising sign for what the defense could be if it continues to grow. DB Xavier Scott got the game sealing pass breakup after solid pressure was forced onto the quarterback.
Bielema noticed the defensive improvement last game, while also admitting that they need to be more efficient on early downs so they can avoid putting themselves in tougher positions in later downs. The Illini will need to build off this progress by forcing shorter drives and being able to get off the field consistently.
“We went from giving up sometimes in multiple of five, six big plays a game,” Bielema said. “Last week there were just two statistically, and obviously we got a W and had a big play at the end.”
Illinois will look to secure its first two-game win streak of the season when it hosts Oregon on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Gies Memorial Stadium.