
Bielema Bye Week Questions: Is the Illini Offensive Line Rounding Into Form?
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema has repeatedly said he and his staff are using this off week to answer questions about specific problem areas of a his football team after seven straight games.
By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst
October 18, 2025
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The obvious lesson from the 63-10 loss at Indiana for Illinois offensive line coach Bart Miller was something he says he learned at six years old when dealing with a school bully.
Miller says one day after school he told his parents that he got physically dominated by the bully and instead of punishing him for being in a fight, his mother gave him a quick directive.
“You have to deal with it and she told me ‘Do you think the fight is over just because you got knocked down?’,” Miller said on Sept. 30 just days following the Illini’s 34-32 win over Southern California. “I thought our guys were pretty resilient in learning from that experience and responding like the veteran mature group that we thought they were.”
As Illinois (5-2, 2-2 in Big Ten Conference) finally approaches its first off weekend of the 2025 season, they went into Friday night still last in the 18-team Big Ten Conference in sacks allowed with 23 in seven games. However, this statistic may not adequately represent the improvement of Miller’s veteran five-man operation in the last three games following the 53-point blowout loss in Bloomington.