Oregon Coach Dan Lanning Offers High Praise for Illinois' Bret Bielema

The Ducks' head man credits his Illini counterpart with 'an unbelievable' job so far in Champaign

Sep 28, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema on the sideline during a timeout in the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

In a press conference leading up to Saturday's ranked-versus-ranked Big Ten showdown between No. 20 Illinois and No. 1 Oregon in Eugene (2:30 p.m. CT, on CBS), Ducks coach Dan Lanning felt compelled to give his Illini counterpart Bret Bielema his props:

Oregon's Dan Lanning on Bret Bielema and Illinois:

(Video from Oregon Athletics) pic.twitter.com/qi9a0enZWN

— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) October 22, 2024

“Coach Bielema’s done an unbelievable job there at Illinois," Lanning said. "He's a guy that I've followed throughout my career – even back to his days when he was at Iowa and Kansas State and Wisconsin as a young defensive coach, and then what he's been able to do there at Illinois has been very impressive."

In fact, the 38-year-old Lanning – who started in general assistant gigs and job-hopped a bit in his early Division I years, mostly in defense-oriented roles – has a career resume that looks vaguely like that of a young Bielema. Even this Ducks outfit, which isn't as sleek and high-powered but has been grittier than Oregon teams of the recent past, seems to share some characteristics with Bielema's current Illini squad.

"I've always felt like, watching his teams play, they have a clear identity – they don’t beat themselves, they play really hard, they’re physical," Lanning said of Bielema's trademarks. "I think all those things show up with this team as well. They’re playing really good football right now.”

A little too cookie-cutter? Look, it's how football coaches talk – and how they express admiration for their peers. In this case, it also happens to be spot-on.

The Illini don’t beat themselves – that is, aside from the 2-yard goal-line fiasco at Happy Valley in Week 5. Aside from that, Illinois has been leaps and bounds better than last year’s 5-7 group in terms of efficiency and avoiding mistakes.

Take quarterback Luke Altmyer. He has thrown just one interception against 15 touchdowns through seven games (compared to his nine picks thrown through seven games in 2023). It doesn’t take a rocket science to decipher why the Illini are vastly improved.

Couple that with a decrease in penalties – Illinois has committed just 5.8 per game this year (down from 6.6 last year) – and it’s clear that Bielema has the Illini focused on cutting out mistakes and making the most of every opportunity.

As for physicality? Illinois embodies the phrase, as Bret Bielema-coached teams typically have. Last week it was on offense, as the Illini gashed a then-top-five Michigan run defense for 187 yards. Before that, the flex came on defense. The Illinois D has been a meat grinder for opposing ball carriers, forcing 10 fumbles on the season (including multiple punch-outs from both Dylan Rosiek and Gabe Jacas. 

Walking into Eugene as three touchdown underdogs, the Illini need to live up to Lanning’s praise – continuing to limit unforced errors while imposing their physicality – to have any shot of upending college football's top-ranked team.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Football: A Historical Look at Matchups Against No. 1-Ranked Teams

Illinois Football vs. Oregon: Week 9 Odds, Ends and Prediction

Urban Meyer Breaks Down the Bret Bielema Effect at Illinois