On the way into the locker room for half-time, trailing by three points to 3-7 Wisconsin, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was asked by a reporter how the Illini can fix things in the second half. His following quote was a disrespectful quote towards Wisconsin; he said, "We got to play our game, not down to theirs." And while the Wisconsin team won't have time to see that bulletin board material before the second half starts, they still need to make him eat his words.
"We got to play our game, not play down to theirs." -Bret Bielema
— Badger of Honor (@BadgerOfHonorFS) November 23, 2025
Bret Bielema has no respect for the Wisconsin Badgers this season in half-time quote
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The reality is, Illinois is 7-3 and ranked No. 21 in the nation. The Wisconsin Badgers are 3-7 with only one Big Ten win. They are the second-worst offense in FBS and easily the worst scoring offense in the conference. The Badgers beat the Washington Huskies by disrupting their game plan and creating chaos all day long, until they could pull off the 13-10 win.
The same game plan is at play against the Illini. Wisconsin has its offense out of rhythm, and they've taken advantage of some holes in the defense. Illinois hasn't been able to establish its game plan, and so on one hand, Bielema is right. They are off schedule, and Wisconsin is creating chaos.
However, the way he said it is disrespectful, as if Illinois is Georgia or Ohio State or some other program actually bidding for a chance in the college football playoff. Come on, Bert, you're Illinois and you're schedule hasn't been that hard. You don't have to disrespect Wisconsin, you're closer to Wisconsin than you are to Indiana or Oregon, embrace it, bud.
Wisconsin has a legit chance to win this game, as they headed into halftime with a 10-7 lead, and they are controlling things with their defense.