Illinois football coach Bret Bielema was speechless after his team got shellacked by Big Ten rival Indiana. The Hoosiers took Illinois to the woodshed and beat them soundly Saturday, 63-10. Following the loss, the Illinois football coach opened up about how the loss affected him.
“I'm at a loss for words. I've never been a part of anything like that,” Bielema said, per 247Sports. “The thing that jumped out to me as we began to unfold in the second half was we just didn't have answers for what they were doing and they kept pouring it on, which was exactly what they should do.”
Illinois entered the game with a top 10 ranking, in the Associated Press College Football poll. It was simply a devastating defeat, which also hurts the team's chances of getting to the College Football Playoff.
“I told our guys driving over here yesterday on the bus that I was excited to see this team play and excited to play in this environment, but the way it unfolded it looked like we just didn't belong in that moment. That was the concerning part to me,” Bielema said.
“I've never had myself against two ranked opponent teams play like that. That's uncharted waters.”
Illinois football is now 3-1 on the season.
Illinois football will have to quickly forget this Indiana loss
The Fighting Illini must immediately bounce back from this loss. Illinois struggled all night and looked uncompetitive throughout the game.
“We broke their will,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said, per ESPN.
Illinois looked earlier this season like a contender to win the Big Ten Championship. The Fighting Illini had been impressive in their first three games. The squad must now essentially win the rest of their games against quality conference opponents, if they want CFP consideration. The team has USC and Ohio State in the weeks ahead.
Indiana rolled up nearly 600 yards of offense in the game. Illinois managed just 161 total yards against the Hoosiers. The squad managed just two rushing yards.
“I thought our defensive line could whip their offensive line, and we did,” Cignetti said.
Illinois must fix a lot before its next game. The Fighting Illini play USC on Saturday.
