CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It was probably the first Saturday in a while we were all bummed out there wasn’t an Illinois football game to watch, but a bye week was much needed for this ranked team (yep, still love saying it).

Ahead of Saturday’s upcoming matchup against Nebraska, the Illinois coaching staff addressed the media on Monday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in their weekly press conferences.

Much needed break

After winning the last five games — including the four that were in-between this past bye week and the first bye week — Illinois was able to take a deep breath.