Defense was supposed to be Illinois' strength but the Illini have given up a total of 97 points in losses to Louisiana Tech and Arizona State.

Defensive tackle Akeem Spence said Monday that this year Illinois (2-2) isn't blitzing nearly as much. He said linebackers in particular are being asked to play back and react.

Coach Tim Beckman says part of what went wrong Saturday in a 52-24 loss to Louisiana Tech was due to the Bulldogs' ability. They're 1 of the top scoring teams in the country.

Beckman also says Nathan Scheelhaase (SHEEL'-hows) is his starting quarterback as the Illini get ready for Big Ten play Saturday against Penn State (2-2). Scheelhaase was pulled Saturday because of his ongoing ankle injury.