Illinois coach Tim Beckman believes a two-quarterback system is the path to success. Offensive coordinator Bill Cubit doesn’t seem so sure.

On Monday, the two seemed to share different philosophies. Beckman stated that utilizing two quarterbacks was more difficult for defenses to prepare for than one. Cubit intimated this week’s opponent, Minnesota, now has that film -- so it won’t be caught off-guard by dual-threat Aaron Bailey spelling pocket-passer Reilly O’Toole. Not like the Wisconsin Badgers were.

“Wisconsin, they were practicing against a certain offense,” Cubit said. “And I noticed first-hand because it was told to me afterward, and the other thing [dual-threat quarterback] gave them conflicts. Well, now it’s on tape so they’re going to game-plan against that.”

But, Cubit was asked, isn’t this at least the right week to try such a system since they’ve had two weeks to prepare? Doesn’t the bye help to formulate the game plan?

“No,” he told reporters Monday. “No.”

“Are you OK with using two QBs?” one reporter followed up.

“If it helps us win,” Cubit said with an unconvincing shrug.

Starting quarterback Wes Lunt broke his leg Oct. 4 against Purdue and only recently moved from crutches to a boot. He’ll be out until next month and, until then, there doesn’t seem to be an agreement on how to best handle his absence. There's no consensus on Illinois' plan for success.

Beckman said fans will see both quarterbacks Saturday afternoon against Minnesota. He also said he doesn’t necessarily plan to go with the hot-hand; he prefers giving each player a heads-up when he’s entering the game. Against Wisconsin, however, Bailey was told he was coming in late in the second quarter -- or the third quarter -- but plans shifted when O’Toole was successful.

So how would Cubit go about rotating them?

“I don’t know,” he said to open the interview. “I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never done it before, and they both got pretty good qualities. So we’ll figure it all out.”

That wasn’t the only time Cubit rested on, “I don’t know,” either. Right after his shrug, he was asked whether Beckman’s two-quarterback system was the best option.

“I don’t know. I’ll be honest with you, the playbook gets really expanded for one guy. How much can he handle?” Cubit said. “There’s a lot that’s involved with this. … It’s not as easy as everybody thinks it is.”

Illinois’ defense has surrendered at least 34 points in every game against an FBS team this season, so a lot of pressure is placed upon the offense. If Illinois stands any chance at a win, it usually comes during a shootout. Lunt was able to eke out three wins because of his consistency and accuracy; he completed 66 percent of his passes and tossed 13 touchdowns to just three picks.

O’Toole saw considerable time in the past three games and appeared to be the answer. But Bailey added another dimension to this offense in his first time under center against Wisconsin, when he finished 2-of-5 with an interception -- but also carried the ball 12 times for 75 yards and a score.

This isn't a system the Illini are accustomed to. But Beckman thinks it's worth the risk. If it helps his team win, maybe Illinois' plan for success won't be so controversial.

"I mean, I really haven't done that since freshman year but, I mean, whatever helps the team," O'Toole added. "I think we're both capable quarterbacks."