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Illinois defensive coordinator Vic Koenning left preseason camp genuinely worried about his defense.
The Illini didn't look good.
Three weeks into the season, however, the defense has been one of the biggest strengths for the No. 24 Illini (3-0). They're giving up just over 10 points a game and have forced eight turnovers, including three in last week's 17-14 win over Arizona State. They also had six sacks against the Sun Devils.
''Don't worry, they didn't get patted on the back much today or yesterday,'' Koenning told reporters . ''Right now, we're a dog trying to find a bone. We're just scrambling.''
If that sounds harsh, it could be because Illinois on Saturday will host Western Michigan, a team that upset Illinois in their last meeting three years ago.
Linebacker Jonathan Brown, who had seven tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception against Arizona State, offered an assessment of the defense that wasn't much different from his coach's. The defense left the field thinking it had played a heck of a game, he said, but saw something different on film - the Illini worked hard, but not always smart.
''We had a lot of missed assignments on defense,'' he said, ''but I think effort overcame that.''
When Illinois left its annual training camp on a former Air Force base in Rantoul, Ill., defense was the team's biggest question.
Two key players - lineman Corey Liuget and linebacker Martez Wilson - were gone. An offense led by improving sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was expected to get better, but no one quite knew what to expect on the other side of the ball after a 7-6 season.
Brown has been good so far. Senior Trulon Henry moved from safety to linebacker and leads the team with 18 tackles. His big hit on Arizona State's first play from scrimmage last Saturday gave the Illini a fast emotional edge that coach Ron Zook said set a pattern for the entire game.
Defensive end Whitney Mercilus and pass-rush specialist Michael Buchanan have combined for 19 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for losses through three games.
Tackles Glen Foster - who held onto a tipped ball for the first turnover against the Sun Devils - and Akeem Spence have 13 tackles, a sack and 2.5 tackles for losses between them.
And linebacker Ian Thomas, asked to take over for Wilson at middle linebacker, has 15 tackles and a sack.
The defense must be doing something right.
Buchanan, qualifying his assessment with the same sort of critique offered by Brown, said that, yes, the front four has been pretty good so far. And the secondary forced Sun Devils quarterback Brock Osweiler to hold the ball longer than he wanted.
''Just watching the quarterback and seeing him patting the ball, I think the secondary played great,'' Buchanan said.
But Koenning, the sometimes loud, hat-throwing coach who Buchanan and the rest of the defense seem to genuinely love, isn't ready to say much beyond acknowledging that his secondary is ''doing OK.''
Watching film with the team this week, he finally had to stop making corrections because there were just so many, he said. And he's sure the Illini left five sacks on the field against ASU.
''We've just got to make sure we don't have a hiccup,'' he said. ''Keep the hammer on.''
