Quarterback Katin Houser prepares to throw the ball. Illinois beat Southern Illinois 48-10 on Sept. 19, 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Illinois Athletics.
The two biggest storylines coming into the season for Illinois were quarterback play and a new defensive scheme.
Through three games, new starting quarterback Katin Houser has been a dependable starter. Houser has thrown for 758 yards and eight touchdowns while completing over 70% of his passes.?
The quarterback has already built a strong connection with senior wide receiver Collin Dixon.?
Through three games Dixon has 25 catches for 367 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s just four touchdown catches away from breaking the single-season program record.?
Things are less electric on the other side of the ball. Head coach Bret Bielema hired new defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck in the offseason, bringing a new 3-3-5 scheme to the defense.?
According to Bielema, the new defense would be the most aggressive in program history. The 3-3-5 brings a lot of pre-snap motion to throw off the offense. It utilizes heavy blitzing and strong pass coverage to overpower opposing offenses.?
However, the defense hasn’t been all it was chalked up to be. In the first two games, Illinois’ opponents rushed for 194 yards and 170 yards, respectively.??
While it wasn’t perfect, things looked cleaner against SIU. If Illinois can build off that performance, it could prove to be a difficult opponent in conference play just like the last few years.
