CHAMPAIGN – New Illinois coach Tim Beckman knows from experience that Western Michigan likes to put the ball in the air.

Beckman said Tuesday that the key to defending the Broncos in Saturday’s season opener will be to keep fresh legs on the field – he just doesn’t know if he has the depth on defense to do it. At least he has four games to find out before the conference opener Sept. 29 against Penn State.

“That’s one of the things that prior to going into the Big Ten is a question that has to be answered – how good are our backups?” Beckman said. “The game of football’s a tough game. It lasts a long time.”