Illinois Football Week 1 Grades vs. Western Illinois: Keep the Curve in Mind

Hank Beatty had a big night (108 receiving yards) and Bowick impressed, but projected Pat Bryant replacement Malik Elzy and Collin Dixon, whom the coaching staff has talked up all fall, were relatively quiet. In their defense, there is only one ball to go around and everything else was clicking against the Leathernecks. But a Hudson Clement misread in the end zone shows that these guys still need time to get on the same page with Altmyer.

Offensive tackles J.C. Davis and Melvin Priestly are a little banged up, and it's possible right guard Brandon Henderson was thrown off his game by a benching (after he was late to a meeting), but there isn't much excuse for allowing three sacks and entirely too much penetration in general to a poor WIU outfit. That said, the blocking – especially in the run game – was exquisite at times. The bar must be raised against Duke.

Gabe Jacas is listed at linebacker, but he was 10 toes down, two ears pinned back and ready to blast off the line practically every play Friday, so we're lumping him with the big fellas here. And they're lucky to have him. This group played a huge role in limiting WIU to 11 first downs, 29 rushing yards and a sub-50-percent pass-completion rate, and was responsible for four sacks and four more quarterback hurries.

This group held its own in the opener, for the most part. They still lack ideal personnel for covering tight ends and backs out of the backfield (partially scheme-based), but they jammed up running lanes and tackled consistently.

Not their best work. Kaleb Patterson played one deep sideline route pretty well but got beat on a jump ball that was initially called a touchdown. Xavier Scott got beat in coverage not once but twice. Miles Scott gave up one. Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah appears to be the real deal, and the Illini pass rush isn't likely to generate the same heat on him as they fired up against WIU. Time for llinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry to get back in the lab.

Kicker David Olano was sound but had one short field-goal attempt blocked. But Beatty picked up all the slack for the special teamers with a record-breaking day: His 69-yard touchdown in the third quarter was his first career score on a punt return, broke a 12-year punt return TD drought for Illinois and helped Beatty compile 133 punt return yards, eclipsing the great Red Grange for a school record that had stood since 1923.

Henry needs to get some things figured out in the secondary, particularly when it comes to covering opposing pass targets in the midfield and over the middle. And the offensive line, for all its experience, still has kinks to work out in terms of blocking schemes that aren't going to get Altmyer plowed on basic rollouts. But for the most part, Bielema and his staff had the Illini prepared and motivated for an opponent that all but begged to be taken lightly.