Jan. 08--Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas retained head coach Tim Beckman before the Illini played in a bowl game.
But it was apparent that changes still needed to be made.
Illinois fired defensive line coach Greg Colby and special teams coach Tim Salem, the school announced on Thursday.
Both units were problematic for the Illini.
The rushing defense ranked 115th nationally, allowing 239.2 yards on the ground per game.
Special teams errors were obvious throughout the season as the Illini never settled on a kicker between Taylor Zalewski and David Reisner. The two combined for just 9 of 17 field goals and 38 of 42 extra point attempts.
The special teams also ranked near the bottom nationally in kick return average (19.5 yards) and kick return coverage (23.3).
Colby was on the Illini staff for two seasons, but had previously served as an assistant with the program from 1988-95 and had played football and baseball for the university.
Salem joined the Illini in 2012 from Central Florida.
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