Tag: Illinois Fighting Illini Football

Illinois Football Schedule 2022: 3 Things To Know

Illinois football schedule. The 2022 schedule with 3 things to know

Illinois football schedule 2022: Who does Illinois miss on the Big Ten schedule and what are 3 things to know?

Illinois Football Schedule 2022

Aug 27 Wyoming

Sept 3 at Indiana

Sept 10 Virginia

Sept 17 OPEN DATE

Sept 24 Chattanooga

Oct 1 at Wisconsin

Oct 8 Iowa

Oct 15 Minnesota

Oct 22 OPEN DATE

Oct 29 at Nebraska

Nov 5 Michigan State

Nov 12 Purdue

Nov 19 at Michigan

Nov 26 at Northwestern

2022 College Football Schedules: All 131 Teams

Illinois Football Schedule What To Know: Who do the Fighting Illini miss from the Big Ten East Division?

How many of the big four from the East do you miss? The Illini don’t have to deal with Ohio State or Penn State – no recreating the multi-overtime two-point fest of last year – but they get Michigan and Michigan State in November. They’re on the road to play the Wolverines, and at home to deal with the Spartans.

They also play Indiana – if you’re going to play a Big Ten game on the road, it might as well be against the Hoosiers.

In the West, it’s not all that bad. Going to Wisconsin isn’t fun, but the road game at Nebraska is coming off a two week break and the Purdue, Iowa, and Minnesota games are in Champaign.

Illinois Football Schedule What To Know: The non-conference games are quirky, but …

Illinois doesn’t have to do much traveling in September.

The Big Ten opener at Indiana is just down the road, and the three non-conference games against Wyoming, Virginia, and Chattanooga are all winnable.

It’ll be a new-look Cowboy team in Week 0, Virginia will have a high-powered offense, and Chattanooga is a focus game before going Wisconsin.

Illinois Football Schedule What To Know: What does it all really mean?

The Illini won’t be favored in too many Big Ten games, but overall it’s as good a slate as they could’ve asked for.

There might be five Big Ten road games, but Indiana, Nebraska, and Northwestern aren’t all that bad. There’s no run of three road games in four, and the Week 0 game means the slate is stretched out with two off weeks and that date with Chattanooga to ease things up.

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2022 College Football Schedules: All 131 Teams

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s 9 overtime loss to Illinois

A more in-depth look and grades for the performance of the Nittany Lions in their 9 overtime loss to Illinois

Penn State had a gutsy performance today, despite them not winning the game against Illinois.

Let’s take a more in-depth look and grade the performance of the Nittany Lions.

Next: The Quarterbacks

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Penn State upset by Illinois 20-18 in 9OT

Penn State has been upset by Illinois 20-18 in 9OT in a game where both sides struggled.

Penn State has been upset by Illinois 20-18 in 9OT in a game where both sides struggled.

James Franklin made Sean Clifford the starter last minute and the offense struggled to get it going.

The offense as a whole just wasn’t clicking today. There were flashes of the passing game, including some impressive catches by Jahan Dotson and their first six points scored by wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. However, the run game continued to struggle and they were eaten alive by the Illinois defense.

As mentioned, Penn State had been rotating backup quarterbacks all week in wake of Clifford’s injury.

The game started with a lot of the run game, almost trying to be conservative of Clifford’s health.

Speaking of Clifford, he just wasn’t on his game today. There were plays where he tried to do too much and there were overthrown passes for a good amount of the game.

Penn State’s defense made Illinois running back Chase Brown look spectacular today. Brown had two nice runs on the left side to start the game.

Illinois’ offense had two big plays called back from penalties while Penn State had a big fumble recovery touchdown called back early in the game on a questionable call.

Penn State’s defense showed flashes, but this was not their best game.

Penn State heads to Columbus next weekend to take on Ohio State. The buckeyes aren’t as strong as they used to be, and they are a beatable team. However, Penn State needs to play lights out in every aspect of their game. This will be their biggest challenge yet.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

How to watch: Wisconsin vs. Illinois

How to watch, listen and stream the Wisconsin Badgers against the Illinois Fighting Illini:

The Wisconsin Badgers will go up against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. on Saturday afternoon. This is a must-win game for the Badgers, who have started the season off 1-3 after falling to Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan.

Related: Let’s remember what happened the last time Graham Mertz played Illinois

Wisconsin will need starting quarterback Graham Mertz back healthy following his chest injury against the Wolverines that ended his promising performance early in the third quarter. The Badgers’ offense stumbled under backup QB Chase Wolf, who threw an interception and lost a fumble in his second-half performance off the bench.

Hopefully, a healthy Mertz and improved offensive line play will help to solve the Badgers’ woes and lead them to their first Big Ten victory of the season against Illinois.

How to watch:

Matchup: Wisconsin Badgers at Illinois Fighting Illini

Where: Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.

When: Oct. 9, 2021, at 2:30 p.m. CST

Where to watch: Big Ten Network(BTN)

  • Announcers:
    • Play-by-Play: Mark Followill
    • Analyst: Matt Millen
    • Sideline Reporter: Elise Menaker

Where to stream: Fox Sports App or Foxsports.com/Live

Where to listen: Badger Sports Network on the Varsity Network App or Sirius Satellite Radio 99, XM 210

  • Announcers:
    • Play-by-Play: Matt Lepay
    • Analyst: Mike Lucas, Mark Tauscher
    • Sideline Reporter: Patrick Herb

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

Where Big Ten teams stand in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Several Big Ten teams are in the top 10 of the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

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For the second week in a row, the Wisconsin Badgers did not make an appearance in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after losing at home to the now No. 8-ranked Michigan Wolverines 38-17.

Although the Badgers were no longer in the poll, several other Big Ten schools moved up in the latest Coaches Poll after having huge wins. Iowa was able to shut down the talented Maryland Terrapins, while Ohio State convincingly stopped Rutgers. The Ohio State win, along with Michigan’s blowout victory against the Badgers, has now made allowed four Big Ten teams to be ranked in the top 10.

The USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll top 10 for this week is Alabama(1), Georgia(2), Iowa(3), Penn State(4), Oklahoma(5), Cincinnati(6), Ohio State(7), Michigan(8), Oregon(9) and Brigham Young(10).

Wisconsin will face off next against former Badgers’ head coach Bret Bielema and the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 2:30 p.m CDT.

Below are the Big Ten teams represented in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

How to watch every Week 0 matchup of the 2021 college football season

How to watch every game of Week 0 of the 2021 college football season:

Although the Wisconsin Badgers will have to wait until Sept. 4 to play their season opener against the Penn State Nittany Lions, several teams will begin their season on Saturday in Week 0 of the college football season.

Related: WATCH: Wisconsin football releases video tour of Camp Randall Stadium renovation

Big Ten West foes Nebraska and Illinois will be matching up in the first game of the season, which will feature former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema as the new coach for the Fighting Illini. This game is the only Big Ten matchup of the weekend, but several notable schools including UCLA, San Jose State and Fresno State will be hitting the field on Saturday

Here is how to watch every nationally televised Week 0 game of the 2021 college football season:

Illinois Fighting Illini: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Illinois season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Illinois season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Illinois Schedule Analysis
– Illinois Fighting Illini Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

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2020 Record: 2-6 overall, 2-6 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Bret Bielema, 1st year (97-58 overall)
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 71
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 70
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 69

Illinois Fighting Illini College Football Preview 2021: Offense

– What’s the Illinois offense going to be under new head man Bret Bielema? Will he try to make it the Champaign version of Wisconsin? Bielema would love to create a pounding attack that controls games, but that’s not going to be the Illini early on. There’s plenty of work to do for an O that averaged just 349 yards and 20 points per game.

Offensive coordinator Tony Petersen is a veteran who’s about getting the passing attack going and coaching up quarterbacks, and …

– The Illinois quarterback situation is a plus. Brandon Peters only seems like he’s in his 14th year of college football, but the 6-5, 220-pound former Michigan transfer has the passing ability to ease the new coaching staff into the first year.

Third-year freshman Isaiah Williams was a super-recruit for the program who finished second on the team in rushing, but he struggled way too much with his accuracy when he got his shot – now he’s listed as a wide receiver. On the way is Artur Sitkowski from Rutgers to make things even more interesting, but he’s likely an option for next year.

There’s an exodus of wide receivers from the program, and there’s going to be an overhaul.

Leading target Josh Imatorbhebhe is a Jacksonville Jaguar, his brother – tight end Daniel Imatobhebehe – left for Kansas State, fourth-leading receiver Casey Washington is on Wake Forest, and 2018 top target Ricky Smalling is in the transfer portal, too.

However, 6-3, 210-pound former Miami transfer Brian Hightower has the size and deep ability to grow into a No. 1 target. 6-4, 250-pound junior TE Daniel Barker was second on the team with 19 catches for 268 yards and two scores, and in comes WR Jafar Armstrong from Notre Dame to potentially make a big splash right away. Throw in former Georgia transfer TE Luke Ford, and there’s sneaky-good talent here.

– The offensive line loses Kendrick Green to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but everyone else is expected to be back on a veteran front full of super-seniors. There isn’t a star like Green – 6-6, 320-pound senior OT Veteran Lowe will be a factor – but there are a whole lot of options to play around with.

It’s a Bret Bielema offense – the running game is going to work.

Chase Brown is a slippery 5-11, 200-pound former transfer from Western Michigan who ran for a team-high 540 yards and three scores, and Mike Epstein is a good veteran who averaged over five yards per carry and led the team with four scores. Chase Hayden was a nice get from East Carolina for the rotation, and 5-11, 190-pound Reggie Love can move.

– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Illinois Schedule Analysis

NEXT: Illinois Fighting Illini College Football Preview 2021: Defense

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Wisconsin football leads the nation in this defensive statistic

Early Friday afternoon, Wisconsin Football released a very exciting defensive statistic on the team’s social media. The 10th-ranked Badge…

Early Friday afternoon, Wisconsin Football released a very exciting defensive statistic on the team’s social media. The 10th-ranked Badgers are now the number one defense in the nation after their dominant performances against the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Michigan Wolverines.

Related: A leader on defense will return for Wisconsin this Saturday

The statistic that measures the best defense in FBS is total defense, which ranks teams by the total amount of offense they have allowed. According to the ESPN ranking, Wisconsin leads the FBS in total defense with the least average points and yards allowed a game. Through Wisconsin’s first two games, the Badgers have only allowed 218.5 average yards and nine average points a game.

This statistic is a bit deceptive as Wisconsin has played significantly fewer games than most of the FBS and Power Five Conferences, with the exception of the Pac-12 that are only two games into their season as well. Teams in other conferences, or around the Big Ten, have played more games against oftentimes tougher opponents. This will lower their defense ranking, while the Badgers have played two teams that are struggling tremendously in Illinois and Michigan.

The Wisconsin defense has played exceptionally well this season in their first two matchups, and their outstanding performances have earned them a quite exceptional accomplishment in being the best defense in college football. This defense will be tested this Saturday as the Badgers will face off against the undefeated 19th-ranked Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, Ill. The Wildcats currently have the 10th-ranked defense in FBS.

Graham Mertz named PFF’s Offensive MVP of the Week

Monday morning, Pro Football Focus named Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz College Football’s Offensive MVP of the Week after his specta…

Monday morning, Pro Football Focus named Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz College Football’s Offensive MVP of the Week after his spectacular performance in the 45-7 blowout victory against the Illinois Fighting Illini Friday night.

Mertz threw for 248 yards and five touchdowns against the Illini, as well as only had one incompletion going 20-21 on the day. At halftime, Mertz had thrown for 190 yards and four touchdowns, while not having a single incompletion.

Oct 23, 2020; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz (5) is tackled by Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Tarique Barnes (44) during the second quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Related: Graham Mertz brings the ‘swag’ to Camp Randall in a masterclass of a debut

In addition to the PFF Offensive MVP of the Week, Mertz also won Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his outstanding performance.

Sunday evening, news broke of Graham Mertz’s positive initial daily test for COVID-19, but a follow-up PCR swab test has been done to confirm if he does have COVID-19. If Mertz’s follow-up test does come back positive, he will be out for at least 21 days per Big Ten protocol including games against Nebraska, Purdue, and Michigan.

Graham Mertz puts on show in first half as starter

Graham Mertz made his first start tonight for the Wisconsin Badgers against the Illinois Fighting Illini and put on quite the show in the…

Graham Mertz made his first start tonight for the Wisconsin Badgers against the Illinois Fighting Illini and put on quite the show in the first half of the matchup.

Mertz has led the Badgers to a 28-7 lead in the first half with an eye-popping 190 yards and four touchdowns. Mertz also completed every single passing attempt he threw, going 14-14 in the first half. Some of the highlights of Mertz’s game so far include a 53-yard touchdown to Danny Davis and two touchdowns to Jake Ferguson. Mertz’s other passing touchdown was the first score of the game to fullback Mason Stokke.

Mertz has certainly lived up to the hype in his first half as a starter for the Badgers, and the future looks bright for Wisconsin fans.