Illinois' Bret Bielema Outcoached by Indiana's Curt Cignetti in Blowout Loss

No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana. The biggest game in series history. A tense, electric atmosphere at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. So much for that. Even if Saturday's matchup was the most significant game between the schools on paper, it proved to be not much of a matchup at all.

The final score of 63-10, in favor of the Hoosiers, did in fact tell the story: Indiana wiped the field with Illinois. In every facet of the game, in all three phases (offense, defense and special teams) and at all three levels on both sides of the ball.

Clearly, the Hoosiers were the better football team. Sure, the Illini were without defensive backs Xavier Scott and Jaheim Clarke (and later lost safety Miles Scott and others), and that all undoubtedly was a factor in Indiana’s wide receiver corps gashing the visitors’ secondary. But the absence of that DB trio doesn’t translate to a 25-point difference.

And it certainly doesn’t explain the lack of offensive explosion, the poor offensive line play or additional shortcomings of Illinois’ defense.

At the end of the day, the difference on the scoreboard can be boiled down to one primary factor: coaching. Although a valid argument can be made that the Hoosiers have more on-field talent than the Illini, that’s not what ultimately lost Bret Bielema’s squad the game. The key determinant was X’s and O’s.

Illinois’ defensive struggles

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s stat line through two quarters: 220 yards (15-for-17) and four touchdowns. (He finished with a glossy 267 yards and five touchdowns, including just two incompletions.) Behind Mendoza’s arm, the Hoosiers diced up the Illini defense at will. By the second half, which was also all Indiana, the game was already out of hand (35-10 at the break).

Mendoza 👉 Sarratt 🧇@IndianaFootball adds on ANOTHER before the half 🔥

📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/qbzBPsDXtx
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 21, 2025

RPO’s (run/pass option) were the name of the game for Hoosiers offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan – and Mendoza made the right read every time. Illinois’ linebackers surged downhill on nearly every RPO, allowing Indiana’s passing game to thrive on quick-hitters – many of which the home squad turned into big gains with their ultra-elusive wideouts in the open field.

Any pressure the Illini defense was able to manage failed to affect Mendoza, since the ball was often already out of his hands in Shanahan’s RPO-heavy scheme.

The Illini’s offensive struggles

Seven of Illinois’ 10 points in the first half came by way of a broken coverage from Indiana’s secondary. Aside from that, the Illini couldn’t move the ball. At all.

Running backs Kaden Feagin and Ca’Lil Valentine combined for seven carries and 14 yards, while quarterback Luke Altmyer was sacked five times.

Too often – in both the first and second half – Altmyer failed to get rid of the ball when facing pressure, or simply walked directly into it. On other occasions, Indiana’s defensive stunts and schemes left Illinois’ offensive line bewildered, allowing a defender to fly into the backfield unimpeded and bring down Altmyer.

Special teams

The sore thumb: Indiana’s blocked punt for a touchdown. Obviously, that was a momentum-shifting play, but there was also the holding penalty on another first-half punt, not to mention the inability to save a Keelan Crimmins punt from bouncing into the end zone for a touchback. Oh, and then there was the massive punt return in the third quarter, plus the five-yard penalty from the gunner running out of bounds.

D'ANGELO PONDS WITH THE BLOCKED PUNT FOR THE SCOOP AND SCORE!

No. 19 @IndianaFootball strikes first tonight.

📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/r4Q60uBtLq
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 21, 2025

Who is at fault for Illinois’ blowout loss?

Sep 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema reacts during the second half against the Western Michigan Broncos at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Some of it seems trivial. A five-yard penalty here, an eight-yard pickup allowed there. But as we saw Saturday night, it all adds up.

And, yes, the blame falls at least partially on the Illini players themselves. But it all comes back to one man: Bielema. Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and defensive coordinator Aaron Henry are integral to the operation, but win or lose, one individual takes the brunt of the responsibility for the final outcome.

The lack of discipline, lack of preparation, inability to adapt to adverse situations – they are all signs of coaching shortcomings. To be clear, Bielema has been phenomenal since he took over in Champaign back in 2021. But we're all human, and Bielema showed that side Saturday.

Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and his staff had their players at a different level: prepared, poised and simply better equipped for the big moment.

The Illini’s season is far from over, but Saturday was a tough pill to swallow and it’ll be quite the uphill battle – especially in terms of confidence – to climb back from this loss.

And not for nothing, Illinois’ ability to do that hinges on Bielema. Saturday can be the wake-up call the Illini clearly needed or the knockout punch from which they don’t recover. It’s up to Bielema to ensure it’s the former.