Oct. 15—CHAMPAIGN — Ready or not Michael Clayton II — and he looked like a poised veteran late at Michigan State — the keys to the Illinois offense now belong to you.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema said Wednesday that starter Katin Houser had a procedure done on his broken right hand and is lost for "anywhere from four to six weeks." That is what he was told after the game.

In steps Clayton, who led Illinois to a 38-37 overtime win this past Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The Floridian (he attended high school in Orlando and Miami) completed 6 of 8 passes for 88 yards against the Spartans.

Two went for touchdowns, one to Collin Dixon and the 25-yard game-winner in overtime to Hudson Clement.

"Huddy knew he was coming to him," Bielema said. "Everybody was on the same page, and that's when good thing happen."

That Clayton was the first off the bench in place of Houser, instead of Carson Boyd, definitely surprised outsiders. But not Bielema.

In recent weeks, he said, Clayton had moved into the backup role ahead of Boyd.

"Going back to the opener, we kind of had a plan: 'If Katin went down, what would happen?'" Bielema said. "At first, Carson was the answer. Then, we got a little further into fall camp and Michael had a really good couple last weeks."

Against Michigan State, Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. was able to call the same plays as if Houser was still in the game, Bielema said.

The results were dreamlike for the team and coaching staff.

"He was obviously ecstatic after the game," Bielema said of Clayton. "I had a long conversation with him on Sunday night about what it means to be a starting quarterback in this league."

Bielema said Clayton and Boyd both practiced well on Wednesday.

Good timing

No coach ever wants to lose his starting quarterback during the season.

But when it does happen, better when an open week is coming up for the affected team.

Illinois doesn't play Saturday, giving Clayton and his teammates two full weeks to make the adjustment from No. 4 to No. 7.

Toss in the fact that Clayton was a hit from the start makes it an even better situation as Illinois (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) preps to host Oregon (3-2, 1-1) on Oct. 24 at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

Understand that Houser, though certainly disappointed about being on the sidelines, will be important to Clayton during the final six games. Houser has been a team player since his arrival at Illinois, helping to show the younger quarterbacks what they need to do to compete at the highest level.

One of the reasons Bielema and his staff targeted Houser as a transfer this past offseason after he entered the portal following two seasons at East Carolina was his leadership skills.

"He has that bravado," Bielema said. "He has a very Type A personality. He's been a leader through his high school program."

Busy time

The Illini have practiced on Tuesday and Wednesday, with another workout set for Thursday.

"We'll have a little bit of introduction of Oregon," Bielema said.

The Ducks play late Saturday night against Nebraska, with a 10 p.m. kickoff set for Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

Bielema took one offensive coach with him recruiting earlier in the week and will take one with him on Friday.

"We've got to win the bye week," Bielema said. "I think it's really big for us. We've got to be really good in our recovery, getting guys who have been injured back."

Bielema and new defensive playcaller Roger Cooper, who took over those duties after Bielema and now-former defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck mutually agreed to part ways on Sept. 27, have talked about what's ahead on that side of the ball.

"Where we're going and what we're going to do definitely continues along the lines of where we're at," Bielema said. "I thought Coop through two games definitely got better each game. I hear his voice. I know his composure. I really like his demeanor."

What does Bielema want his players doing this weekend?

"We always talk about, 'Hey, if you want to get good at football, you've got to watch football,'" Bielema said.

On target

Bielema celebrated Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week Ethan Moczulski, who was responsible for 12 points in the win against Michigan State after he made three field goals and three extra points.

Moczulski has done well, replacing former starter David Olano after Olano transferred to Texas A&M. Moczulski is familiar with the portal, and College Station, Texas, with his college football journey taking him to Texas A&M in 2022 and 2023, Illinois in 2024, Washington in 2025 and now back with the Illini in 2026.

"He reached out to me when David got in the portal and said, 'If you'd like me back, I'd like to be back,'" Bielema said. "I'm glad about that phone call to this day."

The coach was hoping Clayton would be Freshman of the Week, but that honor went to Southern Cal receiver Trent Mosley.

"(Clayton) did some things statistically that have never been done in Illinois history — let alone Big Ten history," Bielema said. "I thought the guys rallied around him."

Source: Yahoo Sports