2026 games, tackles for loss per game. W and L: the team’s results.
Joe Barna
Wins the gap play after play. Three seasons in the Illinois defensive front to date. A game that shows it: 5 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against UAB — Week 1, 2026.
20 tackles · 0.5 sacks
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
20 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 2.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 1 tackle.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-23vs UAB | 5 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 2 | L 27-31vs Duke | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 48-10vs Southern Illinois | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 19-42@ No. 7 Ohio State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 17-24vs Purdue | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 38-37@ Michigan State | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 21-10vs Oregon | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 20-17@ Maryland | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 6 | 2.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
Oct. 31 · W 20-17 at Maryland, play by play
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 2 tackles for loss, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Illinois’s defense played that day
Maryland’s 10 drives: 7 stopped (2 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 7 of 10.
1 tackle. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 2 of his 3, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. Fourth quarter, up 31-24.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 16-yard loss. First quarter, up 14-7.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 6 for him; the box score credits 5.
Week 3 · 2026
W 48-10
0.5 sacks · 1.5 tackles for loss · 3 tackles
Dominant 38-point win at home against Southern Illinois.
Ratings of the games shown run from -10 to +29 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
12%2 TFLSack rate
2%0 sacksHurry rate
10%2 hurries20 tackles · 2.5 for loss · 0.5 sacks.
3 seasons under Bret Bielema — 24-10 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Pass share
49.5%
243 pass / 248 run
Plays / game
61.4
8 games
Team sack rate
3.7%
271 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive linemen who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #107 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #50 of 72 Big Ten LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
The No. 1,362 recruit in the country is starting on the defensive line in the Big Ten as a junior.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 24 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Bret Bielema.
