What Illinois coaches said about UAB in Friday's press conference

Illinois held its final press conference Friday before Thursday's season opener against UAB (8 p.m. CT, Big Ten Network) in Champaign, and head coach Bret Bielema, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney and defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck all had something to say about the Blazers. Here is what the Illini coaches said about UAB, sorted by topic.

On Alex Mortensen as a play-caller and head coach

Bobby Hauck, defensive coordinator: "They're a hard prep. Coach Mortensen has done a great job as a play caller. ... I think it's interesting how they elevate a guy to the head coaching role of a staff when it isn't winning. I think that speaks in and of itself volumes. He does a great job. They've got a lot of variety. They do a lot of things that are kinda exotic, so to speak, in terms of personnel groups, formations. And so they give you a lot of things to prepare for. They're a hard prep."

Hauck: "He does a really nice job. I think he's got a great — seems like to me that he's got a great vision for what he wants. Even though it's a small sample of games, there's enough of one there to see that he's doing the things the way he's kinda always prepared for. What he's doing right now looks like he's prepared for years, and I just think he does a terrific job."

Bret Bielema, head coach: "You hear you got the head coach that takes over a program that was in trouble, right, in the first game that he's the head coach. They beat the number 22 team, so undefeated team Memphis in the country. It was six and O at the time. That head coach later got the Arkansas job. So I think for Alex, just knowing his dad — I know Arkansas people, so I do love them. Especially when we got to know Alex's story when he was at Alabama. Just super impressed with him as a young coach, for him to take over that program last year after getting like two and four after he took over. But his offensive touch, and what they've done offensively at that place since he's been there has been pretty impressive."

Bielema: "I think we've got an immense challenge, especially on the defensive side of the ball, to see what they're gonna come into."

On Todd Grantham and UAB's defense

Barry Lunney, offensive coordinator: "Obviously, a defensive coordinator that is recognized nationally for his work that he's done in the previous stops he's been in his career. Somebody being in the SEC myself for several years, knew who he was and knew some of the defenses that he's coordinated. So trying to piece together what that might look like is always a challenge. And obviously that's just part of doing business as far as the players as well."

Lunney: "I played UAB when I was in the conference at UTSA, and without question, the best defense in the league at that point in time when we were playing. Physical, physical. So I know from a talent standpoint, what we're getting into is gonna be a defense that can run and hit and tackle."

Bielema: (On studying Grantham's film from previous stops) "The amount of time I put on UAB, going back to Florida in 2021 for their DC and watching end of game scenarios from 2020 against Ole Miss."

On the challenge of scouting a new-look UAB team

Lunney: "It is a challenge. It's part of football anymore. Especially in the opener, it's very rare — there's a lot of continuity in the off-season anymore for anybody. So it's a unique challenge. ... We feel like we have an idea of what to expect, but inevitably there's gonna be some things that are thrown at us that we have not planned for or prepared for. That's football. You gotta adjust and improvise as a staff, and you have to be able to give that to the players as well. And that probably is only exaggerated in the opener because there's just more surprises in the opener."

Bielema: "Really from Monday on, we kind of transitioned 10 days out from the game where you kind of focus in on specifically UAB. Well, at this point forward it's all UAB."