TAMPA, FL. – Remember that cold December weekend in 2020, just a few days after the Illini had fired Lovie Smith.

Not only did Illinois hire Bret Bielema has the head coach, but he was driving through a Pennsylvania snowstorm to get to Happy Valley in time for the final game of the regular season against the Nittany Lions.

If nothing else, it was a show of determination, getting on the job and making a change. Nobody knew what Bielema could bring to the table after leaving a successful run at Wisconsin, losing his momentum as a rising star in college football coaching and eventually losing his job with the Razorbacks before taking a gig in the NFL.

Sure, he was working for Bill Belichick, the NFL’s version of The Godfather, before landing another job with the New York Giants, but Bielema was a college guy who wanted another shot at coaching on Saturdays.

After the Illini showed respectfully in his first year and came within a one win of reaching bowl eligibility, Bielema’s program made a big jump forward in Year 2, and now the Illini look to take it to another level, even if the climb continues to get more difficult.

“Last year we didn't go anywhere, and this year we're in a January bowl game in Florida against an SEC opponent,’’ Bielema said Monday after the 19-10 loss to No. 22 Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Assuredly, the Illini were beaten by a team who buried its head coach in December, and Mississippi State bounced back with a defensive coordinator promoted to head coach. Back here in Illinois, far from the T-shirt weather on the Gulf Coast, Illini fans are already looking forward to what Bielema puts on the field next fall.

It’s quite remarkable how far the Illini have come since Bielema was interviewed on the sidelines at Beaver Stadium, an Illini knit cap pulled down tight over his head. In two seasons, he brought the Illini back from the dead, shocked the heart back into rhythm and Illinois is now showing a pulse after Lovie barely faked interest in truly building something in east-central Illinois.

“What I do know about Illinois is it’s in better position now than we got here,’’ Bielema said. “There’s no question about that. If we’re disappointed in an eight-win season, we’ve made a step in the right direction.

“By no means am I going to be settling for an eight-win season.’’

The Illini overachieved this year after Vegas oddsmakers put the over-under for wins at 4.5.

Illinois finished the season 8-5 with the losses coming essentially in one-score games, overlooking Mississippi State won by nine when a desperation final play by the Illini turned into a turnover and a Bulldogs TD after the buzzer.

As the Illini move forward with the roster in transition, Bielema will turn his sights to the transfer portal for immediate help while working high school recruiting circles. The Illini lose one of the top running backs nationally in Chase Brown, watch Devon Witherspoon head to the NFL with hopes of a first-round call and safety Sydney Brown also gone from a sturdy defense.

Before going their own way for a short break before the semester begins, Bielema challenged the Illini to take it to the next level.

Said Bielema: “The last thing I said before leaving the locker room, ‘When you guys are home, the guys returning should think about where you truly want to be. Think about do you want to be a good football team and talking about winning games, or do you want to sacrifice and get to the level of championship expectations on a yearly basis. That’s where (Josh Whitman), myself and everyone wants us to go on with sustained success.’’’

Bielema was already coaching against an exhale after all those losing seasons.

“This is not where we’re going to settle,’’ he said. “Hopefully, this is a springboard into bigger and better things. We were trying to get to a nine-win season, and obviously we fell short. This is a season where we did a lot of really good things.’’

Without the star running back and the receiving corps dinged, thanks to a hamstring injury to Brian Hightower, the Illini targeted Isiah Williams, a big-play threat who may blossom next season. He was charged up after nine catches for 114 yards against the Bulldogs.

“For me, it was a great opportunity to get some deep shots, show what I could do, more than just catch it,’’ Williams said. “You want to win every game. You want to end the season on a win. I feel like everything in the locker room in going the right way. We lost five games witin one possession. That’s something that’s going to be huge. Good teams know how to win those games. That’s our biggest need going into next season.’’

While the defense just reloaded in the secondary with rising talent and Aaron Henry is his role as defensive coordinator, the offense sputtered against Mississippi State.

“Offensively, it was just one of those days that’s just a little bit off,’’ Bielema said. “A lot of positive things, just not enough to get over the hump.’’

The Illini went with Reggie Love and Josh McCray at running back, finishing with 35 yards rushing, and the Illini likely will look for immediate help at the position in the transfer portal.

“Depending on what we feel at the running back position, it’s easy there to go 1-for-1,’’ Bielema said. “I don’t want to make a huge living in the portal, but it gives us a chance to replace older players who aren’t here any more.’’

Without Brown and quarterback Tommy DeVito, the Illini face a steep transition in the second year for Barry Lunney Jr. Like his first season here with DeVito, Lunney must coach up a transfer quarterback after Ole Miss backup Luke Altmyer announced he’s headed to Illinois.

“Barry is a very smart football coach, and he’ll continue to move this thing forward,’’ Bielema said.

Bielema isn’t satisfied with eight wins, but from here the climb is just getting harder.

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