Notes from Bret Bielema's week two press conference, previewing Duke game

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema spoke with the media on Monday to recap his team's week one win against UAB, and look ahead to its week two matchup with Duke. Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck also took questions from reporters. Bielema touched on a number of subjects, including the recently announced sellout for Illinois vs Duke. INJURIES Bielema says there is a chance Illinois gets linebacker Daniel Brown back in action, after he missed the season opener. Wide receiver Jayshon Platt is expected to miss a second-straight week. Plus, offensive lineman Brandon Henderson will not play against Duke. Henderson left the game with an injury in the fourth quarter on Thursday, Sept. 3 against the Blazers. 'Could be as short as two weeks, could be as long as 4-6. Kind of a little bit along the lines of Jayshon,' Bielema said of Henderson's injury. Coach Bielema said TJ McMillen and Dezmond Schuster are both options to replace Henderson's snaps. WEEK TWO NOTES Coach B says former Illini wide receiver Brandon Lloyd will be the team's honorary captain against Duke. The team will be taking measures to remember 9/11, and honor the 25th anniversary of Illinois' 2001 Big Ten champion team. As for the expected soldout crowd, Bielema again expressed his appreciation for the packed student section which showed up through intense heat on Thursday. 'Our student section was absolutely awesome last week,' he said. 'Hope our students continue to represent the way they did last week.' TACKLING Bielema says Illinois made a decision to tackle very little in fall training camp practices, out of a desire to stay healthy. For that reason, he wasn't overly surprised when the tackling was imperfect in week one. 'I think some of these guys getting the understanding, getting their feet underneath them, balance… I know it's a good article to write – but it's just something that can get corrected in a short amount of time,' he said. DUKE Bielema has a background of familiarity with Blue Devils' head coach Manny Diaz, since both came up as defensive coaches. 'When his offense, defense and special teams come together on the field they're very aggressive, they play very physical,' he said. 'It's very easy to see that Manny probably has his hands involved in a lot of different things.' Illinois and Duke are set to kickoff at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12 in Champaign. The game is scheduled to air on FS1.