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· collected 2026-08-18 · by Steve Stein The Associated Press
Illinois coach Bret Bielema is entering his sixth season with a new quarterback, transfer Katin Houser, who replaces three-year starter Luke Altmyer in the NFL. Houser threw for over 6,400 yards and 43 touchdowns during his four-year collegiate career at Michigan State and East Carolina. The Illini face a challenging schedule with three games against Top 25 teams, including home matches against No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Oregon. Illinois' defense has undergone changes, switching to a 3-3-5 scheme under new coordinator Bobby Hauck.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Illinois football coach Bret Bielema is looking to maintain the team's momentum in his sixth season, having achieved 19-7 and 12-2 records over the past two years, including back-to-back bowl game wins. To keep this streak going, the Illini will rely on new quarterback Katin Houser, who has transferred from Michigan State and East Carolina, where he threw for 6,438 yards and 43 touchdowns in four years. Houser replaces three-year starter Luke Altmyer, who is now playing in the NFL. The team faces a challenging schedule with three games against Top 25 teams, including two at home. On defense, Illinois has switched to an unconventional 3-3-5 scheme, led by new coordinator Bobby Hauck and anchored by experienced defensive backs Matthew Bailey and Xavier Scott.
Written for “Illinois Football Season” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 935 · logged 2026-08-26
Over the past two seasons, Illinois went 19-7, including 12-2 at home — both records for any two-year span in school history — and won back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2010-11 as fans came back to Gies Memorial Stadium to see what coach Bret Bielema had cooking.
asserted
Bielema → go → what
Keeping the moment going in Bielema’s sixth season will depend a lot on transfer QB Katin Houser.
asserted
moment → keep → Houser
He is replacing three-year starter Luke Altmyer, now in the NFL.
asserted
He → replace → NFL
Houser threw for 6,438 yards and 43 touchdowns and rushed for 15 TDs in four years split between Michigan State and East Carolina before returning to the Big Ten.
asserted
Houser → throw → Ten
The unranked Illini have three games vs. Top 25 teams on their schedule, and two are at home.
asserted
two → have → home
Strengths include the secondary
asserted
Strengths → include → secondary
The Illini have switched to an unconventional 3-3-5 scheme on defense orchestrated by new coordinator Bobby Hauck and anchored by fifth-year DBs Matthew Bailey and Xavier Scott.
asserted
Illini → switch → Bailey
The reason is to make the best use of their talent on defense and force opponents to prepare for a defense they don’t usually see.
asserted
they → make → defense
Bailey was Illinois’ leading tackler the last two seasons; Scott missed the final 10 games last season because of an injury but was one of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back in 2024.
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Scott → lead → 2024
Weaknesses include backup QB
asserted
Weaknesses → include → QB
About half the players on the Illinois roster are new to the team, which makes the Illini vulnerable to a regression.
asserted
Illini → make → regression
They don’t have an experienced backup QB behind Houser, like they did in past years with Art Sitkowski and John Paddock.
asserted
they → have → Sitkowski
