Illini set to unveil newly designed offense vs. Nebraska

Bret Bielema isn’t bringing the Wisconsin or Arkansas playbook with him to Illinois, nor is he borrowing liberally from the NFL where he spent three seasons before returning to the college game.

He started from scratch in forging an offensive playbook, beginning with the hiring of former Appalachian State OC Tony Petersen in December, the first assistant coach that jumped on board.

Together, the pair sat out to create a system that would fit what they wanted to accomplish on the field.

“I’ve said from day one, I didn’t want someone to throw out a manual and say this is what we are running,” Bielema said on Monday at his weekly press conference. “I wanted someone that was going to help build it together.”

We won’t know what this Illinois offense will look like exactly until the Illini take the field on Saturday in the opener against Big Ten West foe Nebraska. Preseason practices were steeped in secrecy, with the outside world only getting to see warm-ups and a few drills.

Based on the history of both of the coaches at the forefront of developing the playbook, we can assume it will be predicated on balance, efficiency, and above all else, physicality.

The goal was to establish an identity, but also to tweak things according to the talent and skill sets already in the system.

Petersen was aided in figuring out what would work and what wouldn’t in year 1 by a large group of veteran players, including three long-time starters on the offense line and a quarterback in Brandon Petersen who enters his third season under center.

It’s been an ongoing process through spring ball and fall training camp. Petersen now believes they’ve tinkered with it enough and are ready to put it to the test.

“It’s very much what Coach B and I talked about putting together,” Petersen said. “We talked about putting together Illinois’ offense. That’s what we’ve done right now. At the same point, you have pieces that get better here, a little bit worse there and you tweak some things. You have to go with what you’ve got and sometimes things change.”

Illinois hasn’t had a three-year starter at quarterback since West Lunt from 2014-17. Thanks to an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA, Peters returns for a sixth season. The former Rivals250 prospect and Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana spent his first three years at Michigan.

Bielema said on Monday that Peters has the arm to make all of the throws. Now it’s a matter of refining things, making good decisions, and delivering the ball accurately and on time.

"BP has a really live arm," Bielema said. "If you sit down and watch him throw, he has a really special arm. I've been in the NFL, and he has that kind of arm. From a 10-yard out route, to a 60-yard post, he has all of the throws."

Success or failure won’t all fall on the shoulders of Peters. It might be a shiny new playbook, but Bielema’s MO at each of his stops has been to establish the running game.

With Mike Epstein getting healthy and deciding to return, the Illini have a stockpile of running backs that the staff has confidence in. Chase Brown has been the presumed starter. Reggie Love and transfer Chase Hayden have also shown they can be feature backs. Even true freshman Josh McCray has had his moments in camp.

Having a big running back room isn’t a new thing for Petersen. In 2020 at App State, four running backs received at least 68 carries and all of them had at least 500 rushing yards with Camerun Peoples leading the Mountaineers at 1,124 rushing yards.

“To have some depth there is awesome,” he said. “It’s a blessing for us. We have five great kids who we feel like can go into Big Ten football games and win games, so how we use that on Saturday, we will see. We feel fortunate that we have five guys that know what they are doing.”

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THE X-FACTOR

Last season, Peters leaned heavily on Josh Imatorbhebhe, but the big wideout elected to move on rather than play out the extra season. Since the spring, Petersen has been looking for a playmaker to solidify the wide receiver corps.

They added Notre Dame transfer, Jafar Armstrong, through the portal and convinced Casey Washington to return after he previously transferred to Wake Forest.

But the most intriguing addition is Isaiah Williams, the explosive converted quarterback who came to Illinois with high expectations after starring at St. Louis Trinity High School. Williams, a shifty playmaker with the ball in his hands, could be the X-Factor.

“When Isaiah goes to receiver, that changes us on offense,” Petersen said. “That makes a big difference right there. We’ve added some wide receivers, added some depth. We’ve kind of morphed into and changed as we went. I think you have to do that to be what you want.”

The new system, whatever that may be, will be led by a pro-style quarterback. Williams saw the writing on the wall following spring football, and the move to receiver was a joint decision and in his best interest

Another new wrinkle could be a much bigger role for the tight end. Former prep superstar Luke Ford and junior Daniel Barker are both potential NFL prospects.

While the casual fan may be expecting to see shades of James White, Montee Ball, and a behemoth offensive line, they may be treated to something totally unexpected.

Either way, we’ll finally get to see this newly designed “Illinois” offense that Bielema and Petersen set out to create. The hope is that their new invention will run like a well-oiled machine.

“Our kids have worked so hard, and I can’t wait to see them,” Petersen said. “I don’t know how it’s going to go, but I’m excited about it. I think we are ready and I can’t wait to watch them.”