Houser’s Hail Mary leads Illini to Week 1 win over Blazers

*** This story originally appeared on DailyIllini.com on Sept. 4, 2026. You can read the original here ***

Seemingly every time UAB (0-1) redshirt junior quarterback Ryder Burton dropped back to pass on Thursday night, Illinois’ (1-0) new 3-3-5 defense hounded the signal-caller with suffocating pressure. 

Despite the constant presence of an orange-and-blue-clad defender barreling towards him, Burton and the Blazers’ offense managed to turn the pressure back on the Illini. Burton found redshirt sophomore running back Rod Robinson II for a touchdown in the final seconds of the first half, cutting Illinois’ lead to 14-13. 

With just 13 seconds left in the second quarter, fifth-year quarterback Katin Houser connected with fifth-year wide receiver Hudson Clement to bring the Illini to the 46-yard line. Two plays later — with no time on the clock — Houser remained collected enough to deliver a deep pass towards the center of the end zone. 

“I saw they had one rusher and everyone deep, and I’m like, ‘All right, let’s just take a shot,’” Houser said. 

A jumble of Illini and Blazers converged on the football, and from the pile emerged sixth-year wide receiver Ty Robinson — making his first appearance of the season on the play — clinging to the ball.

“Three or four people touched (the ball), but at some point I just seen it right in my face,” Robinson said. “I just grabbed it and fell with it.”

Houser’s 54-yard Hail Mary turned what was shaping up to be a 1-point halftime lead into a more comfortable 21-13 advantage. The Illini rode the momentum of the play to another touchdown to begin the second half, and from there to a 42-23 win. 

3-3-5 shows promise, concern

In its much-anticipated debut, Illinois’ new 3-3-5 defensive scheme performed as expected. The unit delivered both the highs and lows common to the alignment. 

On one hand, defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck’s unit was as aggressive as promised. On the other, UAB’s run game — which they deployed early and often — consistently punched its way through for meaningful gains. 

However, head coach Bret Bielema is confident that the unit will be able to remedy its struggles ahead of next week’s matchup against the reigning ACC Champions, the Duke Blue Devils. 

“They were talking really good on the headset,” Bielema said of his defensive coaches. “We got a really good staff over there. I think they’ll make a lot of adjustments.”

The Blazers racked up 221 yards of offense in the first half alone, including 126 on 31 rushing attempts. The defense was better at limiting Burton’s efficiency, holding the quarterback to just 6 completions on 13 attempts (41%) in the half. Still, though, he tallied 95 yards thanks to some big plays. 

UAB ended the game with 413 total offensive yards against Illinois’ 332. Burton finished his day with 18 completions on 31 attempts (58%) for 219 yards. 

Thin offense proves moot

With fifth-year wide receivers Jayshon Platt and Alex Perry out for the game, Houser’s targets appeared to be limited. 

Instead, Houser leaned on two program veterans — Clement and senior wide receiver Collin Dixon.

The duo combined to haul in nine of Houser’s 13 completions, with Robinson, sophomore wide receiver Brayden Trimble and junior running back Ca’Lil Valentine picking up the rest of the receptions. 

Dixon proved to be Houser’s most reliable target on the day, hauling in 6 receptions for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns. Houser said that the two have been building their relationship ever since the quarterback arrived on campus.

“We’ve been hanging out, golfing, (I) took him on a trip to California, just building that relationship,” Houser said. “I think that showed up on the field today, just knowing where he’s going to be at, knowing his spot. Just having the ball in his hands, he’s going to go make a play to score some touchdowns.”

Illinois also leaned heavily on its top two running backs in Valentine and fifth-year Aidan Laughery. Valentine racked up 88 rushing yards on 11 attempts, looking poised for a big season. The junior showcased his patience, waiting for gaps to open up in the Blazers’ defense before taking off.

The Illini will now enjoy a long break before welcoming the Blue Devils on Sept. 12. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CDT with streaming on FS1.