Best and Worst of Illinois Football's 48-10 Win Over Southern Illinois

The Illini bounced back in Week 3 against the Salukis, but even among the many positives were a handful of concerns as they enter the Big Ten schedule

Sep 19, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Hudson Clement (13) poses after getting first down during the second half against the Southern Illinois Salukis at Gies Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

All things considered, Illinois football got what it needed out of Saturday's 48-10 rout of Southern Illinois at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign. And now the real fun – gulp – begins.

Avoiding a 1-2 start, cleaning the palate after last week's bummer of a home loss to Duke and building momentum as a road date against Ohio State looms were first and foremost on the minds of the Illini Saturday. But there were also numerous specific areas to clean up, and what was left behind was a finish that mostly sparkled but remained spotty.

Here was the best and worst we found in Illinois' win over Southern Illinois:

The best from Illinois' win over Southern Illinois

1. Better tackling. Not perfect tackling, but better. Keep in mind, though, the bar was low: In the season's first two weeks, the new-look Illini defense resembled a turnstyle, tick-tick-ticking with the sound of glancing, ineffective contact with every missed tackle.

Illinois' defenders generally took good angles, squared up and deliver strong hits, and wrapped up effectively against SIU, though they got away with occasional body-missile attacks – including from Mac Resetich and Tanner Heckel, among others.

That isn't a recipe for consistency, which is why it was promising to see Heckel deliver a vicious hit and wrap up on a takedown later in the game. Collectively, the Illini did a better job of shedding blocks to bring down ball carriers and limiting yards after contact. Not too shabby – but the tackling will have to be even more on point next week for Illinois to have a snowball's chance in Columbus.

2. Katin Houser explored the studio space. Although Collin Dixon turned in another big game (eight receptions for 131 yards and two TDs), he was joined for the first time by multuple wingmen in the Illini receiver corps. Hudson Clement (five catches, 69 yards) and Brayden Trimble (five catches, 57 yards) provided exactly what Houser needed working intermediate routes and underneath to keep the offense on schedule.

In particular, Trimble converted several short receptions into first downs with his running after the catch. With Ty Robinson also offering some big-play sizzle (four receptions for 88 yards and a TD on the season after his 24-yarder against the Salukis), it'll be interesting to see how things play out once Jayshon Platt is healthy.

3. The placekicking beat goes on. David Olano finished last season with the ultimate bang, knocking home the walk-off game-winning 29-yard field goal at last year's Music City Bowl to topple Tennessee. When he defected to Texas A&M weeks later, the Illini had a hole to fill.

But that has been an Illinois specialty under Bielema, and the answer this time was to run it back and sign up Ethan Moczulski for a second tour of duty. Moczulski ironically began his career at Texas A&M before transferring to Illinois after two seasons and then spending 2025 with Washington. His big leg has also proved trusty through three games: He converted a 51-yard field against Duke, converted two more Saturday and has forced 18 touchbacks in 19 kickoffs.

The worst from Illinois' win over Southern Illinois

1. Houser's interception. It's probably bad form to nitpick a guy who completed 80 percent of his passes (23-for-29) and threw for 305 yards in a 38-point win, but I'm hung up on the Houser interception in the third quarter.

With Dixon split wide alone to the right and a mess of DBs lurking, Houser looked his way not once, not twice but three times before the snap, then dropped back, stared him down and tried his damndest to squeeze a throw into him despite triple coverage. It wasn't close.

Not the end of the world in a blowout of the Salukis, but something else entirely if the pressure is on against, say, the Buckeyes in Columbus next week. I couldn't help thinking that Luke Altmyer would have floated that ball out of the end zone and lived to fight another down. Just something to keep tabs on.

2. Offensive line injuries. The situation went from thin to DEFCON 1 on Illinois' offensive line as center Jake Renfro and offensive tackle Nathan Knapik exited Saturday's game because of apparent injuries. The Illini were already playing without guards Maika Matelau and Brandon Henderson and key backup TJ McMillen (out for the season).

It didn't help that left tackle Christian Martin had a rough game against SIU (a holding penalty, three pressures allowed and a poor run-blocking grade, according to PFF stats). But even if he bounces back next week, Martin will need some healthy, experienced teammates by his side to have any shot at Ohio State.