Illinois defense misses 16 tackles in defensive coordinator debut

The Illinois football team struggled with tackling during its opening game against UAB. PFF recorded 16 missed tackles by the Illini defense, which also allowed 191 rushing yards throughout the contest. This appearance marked the first game under new defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck. At halftime, Hauck addressed his players to emphasize a change in focus, moving away from schematic adjustments to address the fundamental performance issues. Players acknowledged that the performance level did not meet internal expectations. The team now faces the task of correcting these tackling issues following the concerning defensive showing in Champaign.

• 4:28 PM247Sports — Poor tackling new Illini defense's 'downfall' in concerning debut: 'We expect more out of ourselves' - 247Sports