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Bret Bielema updated the health of the team during his press conference on Monday.

RB Reggie Love (ankle) hasn't been cleared yet. Bieleam said he's making progress and they hope to have for the game on Saturday.

Same state for DL Keith Randolph (undisclosed injury).

WR Malik Elzy (hip pointer) will practice on Tuesday and should be available.

LB Tarique Barnes and OL Josh Gesky were cleared late last week. They are back for practice this week and will be available.

RB Kaden Feagin came out of the Maryland game with a bruised arm, but he's fine.

DB Zach Tobe left the Maryland game with a chest injury. X-rays were negative. He is likely questionable for Saturday. He'll be back after the bye week at the latest.

Tanner Mordecai late in the second quarter appeared to suffer a hand injury, hitting the helmet of an Iowa defender on a throw. He was ruled out for the rest of the game. He said he could not grip the ball. Wisky scored a single TD (I believe extra point no good) in the second half and that was it.

Fickel says it may be awhile before he is back.

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois outside linebacker Seth Coleman and running back Kaden Feagin earned Big Ten honors following the Fighting Illini's Big Ten road win at Maryland. Coleman is this week's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and Feagin earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.

Seth Coleman
• Six tackles, 3.0 sacks, 3.0 TFLs in Illinois' 27-24 win at Maryland
• 3.0 sacks are the most in a game by any Big Ten player this season
• First Illini to have 3.0+ sacks in a game since Owen Carney Jr. on Oct. 31, 2020, vs. Purdue

Kaden Feagin
• 19 carries for 84 yards and one touchdown in Illinois' 27-24 win at Maryland
• Game's leading rusher among both teams
• Tied the game at 14-14 in the final seconds of the second quarter with a 4th-and-1 touchdown run

Big Ten Players of the Week - Oct. 16
Offensive Player of the Week: J.J. McCarthy, Jr., QB, MICH
Defensive Player of the Week: Seth Coleman, Jr., OLB, ILL
Co-Special Teams Players of the Week: Tory Taylor, Sr., P, IOWA AND Daequan Hardy, CB, Sr., PSU
Freshman of the Week: Kaden Feagin, RB, ILL

Predicted finish of 12-8 in the Big Ten, tied for 3rd with Maryland and Wisconsin.

I thought the consensus for us was in the 25-30 range but some of the computer rankings are more optimistic.

I could get on board with this prediction.

Bret Bielema has to love how they won this game. Grit, toughness, smartest team on the field.

I believe Bret Bielema got much more personally involved in game planning for Maryland (on both sides of the ball) than he let on during his media appearances this week. That game had his stamp on it.

It was a good switch to see the opposition making the boneheaded plays that changed the game. Maryland 15-yard penalties killed them.

The offense won the way Bielema wants to win. They set up the pass with the run and had makeable 3rd downs. Third and long is still a problem. The pass pro scheme isn't very good, the O-line struggles picking up blitzes, and Altmyer holds the ball too long at times. He was much better in the second half and Lunney did a better job creating situations that protect him.

Illinois kept pounding the inside zone. I think that was mainly about simplifying things for the offensive line. Bielema has said they've been asking guys to do things they can't do well. They now play 3 teams in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Indiana that haven't been very good at stopping the run.

Kaden Feagin is a freak. I love how he gets 1-2 extra yards just by falling forward. I do think he still has a lot to learn about playing running back, though. He'll learn to accelerate better and kick in a second gear in space. When he gets to edge he looks like he’s still looking for someone to run through. Also needs to learn to get his feet up in a crowd and not allow tacklers to take them out. Feagin and Cal'il Valentine should compliment each other pretty well.

Tyler Stain took a page out of the Devon Witherpoon book today. Very aggressive, very handsy. He was called for a PI but got away with it more often than not.

We saw way more from Aaron Henry today in terms of disguising coverages, showing different fronts, pre-snap movement, etc.. It looked a lot more like 2022. They played some 4-man front, did quite a bit of shifting up front, lined up in Cover-0 then switched into man coverage at the snap, etc. Henry didn't really dial up much pressure, focusing on containing the QB instead. Good game plan, and they held Maryland well under their scoring average (35 ppg).

The inside linebackers may be coming int their own. Rosiek and Odeluga still get pushed back too much in short yardage situations but they are doing a really good job playing their gaps and making plays from sideline to sideline.

For those wondering, Malik Elzy had a hip pointer suffered in practice on Wednesday. He'll be back next week, per Bielema. Keith Randolph should also be back.

When will we start getting reports for practices and scrimmages?

Beat Maryland from Newfoundland!! 17-13 Illini.

Deep thoughts.

One kid Illinois has recruited wants more NIL $ than high major coaches believe he is worth.

Another kid has to decide if he wants to take what's on the table now, or take a chance that blue blood money will be there later.

What a world.

Illinois badly needs an upset win today. Lost season if they lose this one.