Bret Bielema Isn’t Concerned About Illinois’ Tackling Problems Before Duke — Should He Be?

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema isn’t putting much stock into his team’s tackling struggles from Week 1, believing the issue will improve as his defenders gain more live-game experience.

If there has been one major talking point around Illinois football this week, it’s tackling. The Illini were inconsistent in that area during their opener against UAB, contributing to the Blazers piling up 194 rushing yards.

That could become a major concern with Duke coming to Zuppke Field on Saturday. Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard has already made an impression, rushing for 227 yards and two touchdowns in the opening week of the season.

Bielema, however, doesn’t appear particularly worried about Illinois’ tackling — at least not to the extent that some observers are. Speaking to reporters Monday, he pushed back against the notion that the problems from the opener point toward a larger issue.

Bielema: Tackling Problems Can Be Fixed Quickly

Bielema explained that college football teams have limited opportunities to practice tackling at full speed.

According to Bielema, the NCAA’s practice restrictions allow teams only two full-contact scrimmages. There are also limited opportunities to incorporate tackling into regular practices, particularly with younger players.

Because of those restrictions, Bielema believes tackling deficiencies are fairly common when teams begin playing meaningful games.

He pointed to several Illinois defenders as examples.

Matt Bailey struggled with his first tackle against UAB, but Bielema said the linebacker responded by making three technically sound tackles afterward. Bailey had not been in a live tackling situation since Illinois’ game against Northwestern the previous year, so Bielema believes it was simply a matter of getting reacclimated.

Xavier Scott experienced a similar situation. After making a mistake on his first tackle, Scott corrected the issue on his next attempt.

Then there’s Grant Beerman, who entered the game without much recent playing experience. Bielema noted that Beerman had not played since the previous season and had seen limited action dating back to his high school career.

From Bielema’s perspective, some of these defenders simply need time to get comfortable, establish proper balance and adjust to the speed and physicality of live competition.

He acknowledged that the tackling struggles make for an appealing storyline, but maintained that they are not necessarily difficult problems to fix.

The Lack of Experience Is Important

There is certainly some merit to Bielema’s argument, but one question remains: If limited live tackling affects every college team, why did Illinois surrender nearly 200 rushing yards in its opener?

The Illini do have a legitimate explanation for some of their early struggles.

Illinois’ starting linebacker combination of James Kreutz, Mason Muragin and Ismael Kante had only one combined start during the 2025 season.

The defensive tackle position is also relatively inexperienced. Joe Barna, Darrell Prater and Pat Ferrell combined for just three starts last season, with all three of those starts coming from Prater during his time at Jacksonville State.

That means Illinois is relying on several players with limited game experience, particularly in the first two levels of its defense.

The secondary is a little different. Illinois returns several experienced contributors, although some important players are coming off injuries, which could have played a role in the defensive inconsistency against UAB.

The overall rushing total also requires some context. While UAB finished with 194 rushing yards, the Blazers averaged only 4.0 yards per carry. That figure is hardly disastrous and suggests the raw yardage total may have been influenced by the flow of the game.

Still, Bielema’s larger point remains true: The best way for defenders to become better tacklers is to experience actual game situations.

If that is the primary issue, Illinois should naturally improve as its players accumulate more snaps.

There Could Be a Bigger Problem

The other possibility is less encouraging.

Because Illinois has inexperienced players at several important defensive positions, some of the struggles could potentially be tied to personnel rather than simply a lack of game reps.

That’s obviously not something Bielema or his staff would be expected to acknowledge publicly. But Saturday’s matchup with Duke should provide another valuable test.

There is another reason to question whether tackling alone explains what happened in Week 1. The NCAA restrictions Bielema referenced have been around for roughly seven years. Yet Illinois has not typically experienced this level of tackling trouble in a season opener under Bielema.

That suggests there could be something else going on.

The best-case scenario for Illinois is that the issues were simply the result of younger players gaining experience, veterans returning from injuries and the defense adjusting to a new scheme.

Bailey and Scott should have little trouble getting back to their normal level of play, particularly after Bailey appeared to settle down as the UAB game progressed.

The bigger question is what happens with the rest of the defense.

Duke and Sheppard will offer Illinois an immediate opportunity to find out whether the Week 1 tackling issues were merely early-season rust — or evidence of a more significant weakness.