Talk turns to football at Illinois after tough off season Posted Aug 22, 2015 No one is more ready to put the offseason behind him than Illinois coach Tim Beckman. The kickoff Sept. 4 against Kent State should at least temporarily slow the questions about the accusations by a handful of former players of mistreatment by Beckman and some of his staff. Not to mention the annual speculation about how much longer the fourth-year head coach will keep his job as the Illini remain mired near the bottom of the Big Ten. (Associated Press)