CHAMPAIGN – OK, let’s be honest.

The game against UConn didn’t always go well for the Illini offense and quarterback Brandon Peters. The slow start and a pick-six allowed the Huskies to jump to a 13-0 lead.

So there’s that.

But after the Illini stumbled during the second and third quarters against Eastern Michigan in the deflating 34-31 loss in the non-conference finale Saturday, offensive coordinator Rod Smith isn’t sad. He’s mad.

Great. He fits in with the rest of the orange and blue crowd.

Moreso, he doesn’t want to hear about a lack of confidence or anything else with his Illini offense, considered the strength of this program.

“I don’t think their confidence is rattled at all,’’ Smith said Monday. “I think they’re pissed off. I am. I know they are. Because we know what could have, should have been. But could-a, would-a don’t get it done.’’

If there’s a guy who gets a reprieve or a mulligan around here, it’s Rod Smith, the mad scientist who pulled Illini fans from their caves last season with a running game that provided a spark to a fan base that had little to celebrate since the Zooker was forced out of town. In year two, Smith looked to balance the offense and score more points.

Maybe it’s just the way he talks. He sounds like a coach who knows what he’s talking about, and he delivers it in such an aw-shucks style, the big smiles and the big belly. He plays the role of overachieving underdog really well.

Hey, it’s easy to like that guy. But with so much else going wrong in Cham-bana over the last few years, he was a breath of fresh air.

So, here’s to giving Rod another chance when Illinois (2-1) hosts Nebraska (2-1) in the Big Ten opener Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. Everyone knows it will take a big game from Peters and the offense if the Illini are going to pull this one out. A year ago, the Huskers put up 54 on the Illini in a 19-point win.

That means getting it together and playing a clean game, something the Illini offense failed to produce against Eastern Michigan.

“We’re our own worst enemy right now in terms of penalties, turnovers,’’ Smith said. “Let’s see what happens when we take care of ourselves. Don’t worry about the rest of the bunch. You take care of yourself and see what happens. Let’s clean things up.’’

It’s hard to say if Smith was saying don’t worry about the rest of the offense or the rest of the team, i.e., the maligned defense. Perhaps it’s just expectations from what Smith did last season and what the Illini added to the offense this year through transfer portal. Much more was expected from the offense this fall than a year ago, especially after the Illini saw an experienced quarterback fall into their lap, mainly because everyone saw how far they came last season.

But there’s often a difference between expectations and reality, and Smith knows there’s still the chore of living up to the hype, even if it was only coming from inside the Champaign County line.

“We’ve got a lot to prove, a lot to earn,’’ Smith said. “A lot’s at stake in terms of proving who we are, who we can be. If you’re a competitor at all, this last Saturday doesn’t sit well with you. It doesn’t taste good. There’s only one way to get it out of your system. That’s to get back to work tomorrow and get back on the field as soon as possible.’’

So Rod Smith did what good coaches do. He took the blame. But as opposed to others, Rod can tell everyone why it happened and how it happened, rather than just throwing out a one-liner. And, quite possibly more importantly, Rod Smith has a track record of getting it done here, despite a short time on the job.

When he talks about the stalled offense in the second and third quarters, it comes from a guy who raised the bar last season.

“Part of it was my fault,’’ Smith said. “I got out of rhythm a little bit because we got behind the chains. I just felt like we were second and long and third and long because of penalties and false starts or just a lack of execution sometimes on first down. It kind of got me out of rhythm, to be honest with you, and I probably forced some things in the second and third quarters that I shouldn’t to try and get it back.’’

There aren’t many game plans good for third and 15, he said.

Meanwhile, the offense is still coming together with Peters at quarterback and a handful of newbies at skill positions.

“Brandon didn’t lose his composure,’’ Smith said. “He didn’t lose his head. Brandon played a decent game. He could limit the turnovers, but he’s also one of the reasons we drove the two last drives. He made some tremendous throws.’’

There was no communication from Smith in the press box to get freshman Isaiah Williams warmed up when Peters went was flattened during one of those six sacks.

“I didn’t tell him to warm up,’’ Rod Smith said. “First and foremost, our attention was if Brandon was OK. Our guys thought he was. He’s going to play if he’s OK. If he got hurt, I would decide who goes in. I didn’t tell any of them to warm up because I knew he was going to be OK.’’

Just three weeks into the season, there was a players-only meeting to watch film, the star running back bouncing back from a painful hip pointer (Reggie Corbin said he was far from 100 percent) and a distasteful performance against a MAC team, just when the Illini wanted to get over another hump.

But from this vantage point, Rod Smith gets another shot at it. He’s earned it after raising the bar in his short time on the job here.