'Pissed Off' Bret Bielema Takes Not-So-Subtle Shots at Purdue, Ryan Walters

Illinois coach Bret Bielema said he was "pissed off" heading into Saturday's game against Purdue in his postgame press conference.

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema on the sidelines | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Bret Bielema fired some shots at Purdue and coach Ryan Walters following Illinois' 50-49 overtime win in Champaign on Saturday. And no, those shots didn't come from the Purdue Cannon.

For the first time since taking over at Illinois, Bielema led the Fighting Illini to a win over the Boilermakers. It didn't come without some major drama, though, as Illinois blew a 27-3 lead and needed overtime to bring the cannon trophy back to Champaign.

After Saturday's thrilling win, Bielema unloaded some ammunition on Purdue — a team he clearly wanted to beat this year. While he didn't get into specifics, it's pretty clear he's been too happy with Walters, who was Illinois' defensive coordinator from 2021-22 before taking the job in West Lafayette.

"Our guys, I think they really wanted to win this game because they knew I was really into it. I'm into every game, but this one pissed me off on many different levels, to be quite honest," Bielema said in a video posted by Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner. "I just know how we run our business, and I'll stand on that."

When pressed about why he was "pissed off" about this game, Bielema remained vague in his response.

"Just everything," Bielema said. "Anybody who knows what I'm about. Just handle your business, do things right and a lot of good things can happen."

#illini Bret Bielema on why this game was "the best thing that could happen" to Illinois and why he was "pissed off" leading into the Purdue game and the game meant something. pic.twitter.com/jKhg3BnvjZ

— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) October 13, 2024

Typically, coaches aren't this animated when talking about their former staff members. Clearly, something agitated Bielema regarding Walters and the Purdue program.

Maybe, at some point, Bielema will go into the details as to why Saturday's game meant a little more to him. For now, though, all we have are vague responses.

While we won't dive into a rumors or anything, it's pretty clear that Bielema has developed his own rivalry with Purdue. One that carries a little more weight than some of the other games on the schedule.

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