There’s not much to cheer for when losing by 24 points in the fourth quarter.

But there’s no doubt many Illini fans were thrilled when quarterback Aaron Bailey came into the game at Wisconsin over the weekend. Since the injury to starter Wes Lunt, Illini fans have been clamoring to see the seldom-used four-star prospect from Bolingbrook.

Putting Bailey in the game came at a cost — the opportunity to redshirt this season. Bailey sat out the first six games to save eligibility, but with Lunt out for the next month or so, Bailey needs to be playing in order to develop. Illinois will need Bailey moving forward and the experience he will gain by starting will make him better in the future.

When thrust into garbage time against Wisconsin on Saturday, Bailey showed off his running ability and his strong arm. He finished with 75 rushing yards, only three yards less than the rest of the team combined.

Yes, it was against Wisconsin’s backups, but Bailey immediately made plays running the ball. He made correct decisions in the read-option, giving the Illini a much-needed threat in the running game.

The next step was adding the “pop” pass off of the read option, where Bailey keeps the ball and immediately hits a receiver in the seam. Bailey executed this to perfection to Matt LaCosse for 15 yards on one of his completions.

His flaws are just as apparent as his strengths: Bailey needs to be able to read defenses and go through a progression. He was 2-for-5 passing for 39 yards and one interception. His last few passes looked like a game of Madden: throw it as far as you can and hope for the best. Bailey was eventually picked off on the Illini’s last offensive play.

Playing Reilly O’Toole does nothing to help the Illini program, nor its beleaguered coaching staff. While O’Toole battled hard against Wisconsin and Nebraska in his two starts this year, Illinois knows what its getting from him.

O’Toole can’t carry this team back to its dreams of bowl contention until Lunt returns, so the Illini need to develop one of their most intriguing prospects. Augment the playbook to play to Bailey’s strengths — running the read-option and making plays with his feet — but slowly bring him along with passing concepts.

Bailey gives this coaching staff an opportunity to promote the future. The hot seat is blistering after Illinois’ recent performances and if Bailey can spark the team, it can give fans a little more patience to trust in the Beckman program.

While he might never start over Lunt, Bailey still needs to be ready for more than a gimmick package that the Illini used Bailey for last season. Lunt has a history of injuries, and it’s likely Bailey will be called upon over the next two seasons.

Bailey’s time to redshirt was last year with four-year starter Nathan Scheelhaase under center.

He’s had enough time to learn from the sidelines. Now it’s time to learn on the field.

Stephen is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected] and @steve_bourbon.