{"id":175755,"date":"2023-01-03T07:17:02","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T07:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/illinois-bret-bielema-has-no-intention-to-settle-after-eight-win-2022-campaign\/"},"modified":"2023-01-03T07:17:02","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T07:17:02","slug":"illinois-bret-bielema-has-no-intention-to-settle-after-eight-win-2022-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/illinois-bret-bielema-has-no-intention-to-settle-after-eight-win-2022-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois’ Bret Bielema has no intention to ‘settle’ after eight-win 2022 campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Massimo Biscardi<\/b> drilled a 27-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to break a 10-10 tie, and Mississippi State edged Illinois 19-10 in Monday’s ReliaQuest Bowl in the program’s first game after the sudden, tragic death of coach Mike Leach . Illinois’ quest for its first nine-win season since 2007 fell just short, but the Illini took a clear step forward in Year 2 under Bret Bielema<\/b>.<\/p>\n

“Last year, we didn’t go to a bowl, this year we’re going to a January bowl game playing an SEC program,” Bielema said. “This is not where we will settle. This is hopefully a springboard for what’s to come. <\/span><\/span>Very thankful to get here to the ReliaQuest Bowl and have this opportunity. We were trying to get to a nine-win season and obviously fell short. I think we did a lot of good things, but I think it’s OK to be disappointed in the end because of how close we were to doing some even bigger things. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Bottom line, you usually get what you prepare for and execute to. We played some good football this year and we played some games that weren’t that good and that proved to get us in the end. Today, again, did some good things against a good football team that won eight games in the SEC, but we didn’t do enough to win and that obviously hurts, but it’s part of the process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Here is everything the Illinois coach had to say in his postgame press conference:<\/span><\/p>\n

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