Tag: Illinois Fighting Illini

Game time announced for No. 2 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 22 Illinois Fighting Illini

The game time has been set for this top-25 showdown between Oregon and Illinois.

The Oregon Ducks just won the biggest game in Autzen Stadium history, a 32-31 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. The next time they strap on the helmets in Eugene could be another top 25 showdown.

On Oct. 26, the Illinois Fighting Illini will take on the red-hot Ducks in Eugene. Illinois is ranked 22nd this week. The game will be a 12:30 p.m. PT start and be televised on CBS.

This will be the fourth time Oregon and Illinois have played. The Ducks hold a 2-1 series lead, winning the last two meetings in 1993 and 1995.

Illinois has been one of the more surprising teams in the Big Ten this year. They are led by coach Bret Bielema and quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has been playing some stellar football so far this season.

While the Ducks have a short turnaround this week with a game against the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday night, Illinois faces a top 25 battle against the No. 24 Michigan Wolverines.

With a win, the Fighting Illini could rise into the top 20, making the matchup in Eugene all the more intriguing.

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Chiefs scouting report: Illinois Fighting Illini DB Xavier Scott

Kansas City #Chiefs fans should take some time to watch Illinois Fighting Illini DB Xavier Scott for the 2025 NFL draft.

Chamarri Conner made some impressive plays for the Kansas City Chiefs across the team’s opening games, but the defending Super Bowl champions should still consider upgrading their nickel role this offseason. Several second and third-round options are available, including a recent riser.

Illinois defensive back Xavier Scott put together some amazing film in the Fighting Illini’s first five games, vaulting himself onto the national radar. He almost singlehandedly beat Kansas. In that game, Scott picked off two passes, including a pick-six, and strip-sacked the quarterback on the final play.

Scott plays in the nickel and outside at corner, but his 5 foot 11, 190-pound frame makes him project as a full-time slot defender in the NFL. Despite his limited size, Scott plays an aggressive brand of football. He wraps up and drives through tackles in the run game and arrives with force at the catch point.

Scott lacks elite speed but is a fluid mover with nice footwork. His football IQ is among the best for draft-eligible defensive backs. He navigates switch releases and wide receiver stacks well to locate his man and quickly get in phase.

Scott operates well in man and zone coverages, but his instincts and processing shine when allowed to play off the line of scrimmage. He reads the eyes of quarterbacks and baits them into bad throws. Scott’s timing and closing burst help him undercut passing lanes. His mastery of leverage lets him sneakily drop under a receiver’s route and cut off the throwing lane.

Illinois faces Purdue on Saturday, October 12 at 2:30 p.m. CST The game is a great opportunity for Scott and the Fighting Illini to rebound after losing to Penn State.

Michigan football at Illinois Fighting Illini time and channel set

Set your calendars and DVRs! #GoBlue

It’s going to be a long wait for Michigan football to get the sour taste of losing out of its mouth after going on the road to Seattle and succumbing to Washington, 27-17. The Wolverines have a bye week before heading out on the road again in Week 8, set to play the currently-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini.

The matchup set for Saturday, October 19 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign will be the big 3:30 p.m. EDT game on CBS with play-by-play caller Brad Nessler, color commentator Gary Danielson, and sideline reporter Jenny Dell on the call. Illinois will likely enter the game at 5-1, having solely lost to Penn State but with a matchup this Saturday against a conference-worst Purdue team on deck.

The last time Michigan faced off against Illinois was in 2022 in the tightly-contested game at Michigan Stadium when Jake Moody kicked the game-winning field goal. The last time the Wolverines played in Champaign, it was 2019, and Michigan jumped out to an early lead before the Illinois staged an ill-fated comeback.

The last time Michigan was on CBS with this broadcasting crew, it was in the Week 4 win over USC.

Michigan will likely be with a new starting quarterback as head coach Sherrone Moore inserted Jack Tuttle against Washington and said in the postgame that Tuttle will likely start moving forward.

How to watch Nebraska vs. Illinois: Stream women’s college volleyball live, TV channel info

Everything you need to know in order to watch Nebraska vs. Illinois women’s college volleyball on Thursday, Oct. 3.

Nebraska and Illinois are on very different paths.

The Cornhuskers come into Thursday on a nine-match winning streak and fresh off a sweep of new conference foes over the weekend.

They beat UCLA in four sets and then swept No. 20 USC on Sunday.

The nine-match winning streak for the Cornhuskers has been impressive, as they have beaten five ranked teams, including then No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 Louisville.

The Fighting Illini, though, are looking to shock the Cornhuskers and get a huge home win and snap a two-match losing streak.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Nebraska vs Illinois volleyball FREE on Fubo” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/stream/tv/?irad=343747&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAVolleyball&subId3=2024Oct&sharedid=Fubo”]

How to watch Nebraska vs. Illinois women’s college volleyball

Date: Thursday, Sept. 3, 2024

Time: 7:00 p.m.

TV Channel: FOX Sports 1 (Watch FREE on Fubo)

Live stream the Nebraska vs. Illinois match on Fubo: Start your free trial now

Along with Stanford and Louisville, the Cornhuskers also own a sweep over No. 14 Arizona State and a hard-fought five-set win over No. 9 Creighton.

The Fighting Illini opened up Big Ten play over the weekend and it did not go as the team would have hoped. They traveled to the West Coast to take on No. 11 Oregon and Washington and didn’t win a set. They now sit at 8-4 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. 

The Fighting Illini will host Northwestern on Sunday before they hit the road again to take on Michigan and Michigan State next week. Nebraska’s next two matches will be against Iowa and Purdue, who are both unranked at the moment. 

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Nebraska vs Illinois volleyball FREE on Fubo” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/stream/tv/?irad=343747&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAVolleyball&subId3=2024Oct&sharedid=Fubo”]

What time is the Nebraska vs. Illinois match?

This match will be played Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

What channel is this Women’s college volleyball match on?

You can watch Thursday’s game on FOX Sports 1, which is available to stream on Fubo with a free trial.

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Bret Bielema a big fan of Penn State tight end Tyler Warren

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema respects how well Penn State uses tight end Tyler Warren.

If there is one thing Illinois head coach Bret Bielema respects, it is how Penn State makes use of tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag]. Bielema saw firsthand just how versatile and valuable Warren is to Penn State’s offense under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

“Like number 44 I just love him,” Bielema said in his postgame press conference Saturday night when referring to Warren when discussing how Penn State uses some of their players in multiple ways. Warren played a key role in helping Penn State earn a 21-7 victory over Bielema’s Illini.

Penn State asked Warren to catch the football (four catches for 34 yards) and run the football out of a run-pass option package (13 yards and 1 touchdown) while taking snaps at the quarterback position. As a former quarterback, Warren looked comfortable handling those tasks

“One of the things I took from the league is when a guy has a lot of position flex which means he can do multiple things besides what he’s slatted into,” Bielema said.

Bielema spent three seasons in the NFL following his run as head coach at Arkansas, so he’s picked up a little more insight about players at the next level on top of his years as head coach at Wisconsin, Arkansas, and now Illinois. As far as Bielema is concerned, the NFL hype for Warren is legitimate.

“I just think the skillset of him just allows a lot of other things to happen.”

Warren and Penn State will host UCLA next weekend for another Big Ten matchup. Kickoff is set for a noon Eastern start time and Fox will bring its pregame show to Happy Valley for the game.

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Upset of Ole Miss helps Penn State move up in Week 5 US LBM Coaches Poll

Penn State capitalized on an upset loss in the top 10 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll.

Penn State took care of things on their home field on Saturday night with a victory over Illinois with a 21-7 win. But it was a loss by a team ranked ahead of them in the polls that led to the Nittany Lions managing to move up a spot in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. There is also a new no. 1 team in the nation after a wild ending to an SEC heavyweight fight Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.

Penn State moved up one spot this week by jumping from no. 8 last week to no. 7 in this week’s poll. The Nittany Lions benefitted from an upset loss by Ole Miss, who fell from no. 5 down to no. 11 after losing at home to Kentucky. Other teams moving up a spot as Ole Miss stumbled included no. 6 Oregon, no. 8 Miami, no. 9 Missouri (up two spots), and no. 10 Michigan (up two spots).

There is also a new team sitting on top of the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Texas Longhorns have taken over the top spot following a comfortable home win against Mississippi State and Georgia’s comeback effort ultimately cracking at Alabama in wild fashion last night. Georgia fell four spots in the coaches poll from no. 1 down to no. 5. Texas received 29 first-place votes and Alabama, now ranked no. 2 after moving up two spots, received 19 first-place votes.

Ohio State remained at no. 3 amid the reshuffling of the top-ranked SEC programs around them, but the Buckeyes did receive the seven remaining first-place votes in this week’s poll.

Penn State handing Illinois its first loss did not drop the Illini out of the top 25 this week. Illinois rounded out this week’s top 25 with the no. 25 ranking. Indiana also jumps into the coaches poll this week with the no. 24 ranking with a 5-0 record. With Indiana moving in and Illinois hanging on to a top 25 ranking, the Big Ten has seven teams ranked in this week’s coaches poll (USC is no. 15).

Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll following Week 5.

Ranking Team Record Points
1 Texas Longhorns 5-0 1,339 (29)
2 Alabama Crimson Tide 4-0 1,330 (19)
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 4-0 1,281 (7)
4 Tennessee Vols 4-0 1,163
5 Georgia Bulldogs 3-1 1,153
6 Oregon Ducks 4-0 1,090
7 Penn State Nittany Lions 4-0 1,062
8 Miami Hurricanes 5-0 981
9 Missouri Tigers 4-0 948
10 Michigan Wolverines 4-1 792
11 Ole Miss Rebels 4-1 743
12 LSU Tigers 4-1 725
13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-1 702
14 Clemson Tigers 3-1 671
15 USC Trojans 3-1 660
16 Iowa State Cyclones 4-0 500
17 Oklahoma Sooners 4-1 470
18 Utah Utes 4-1 408
19 BYU Cougars 5-0 375
20 Kansas State Wildcats 4-1 242
21 Texas A&M Aggies 4-1 198
22 Louisville Cardinals 3-1 197
23 UNLV Rebels 4-0 180
24 Indiana Hoosiers 5-0 143
25 Illinois Fighting Illini 4-1 122

Penn State will be home next weekend to face UCLA. The Bruins are coming off a home loss to Oregon and have lost both of their first two Big Ten games at home this season. This will be UCLA’s first road game in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions will host the Bruins for a noon Eastern kickoff and will host Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show.

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Big Ten Week 5 Recap: All final scores and updated standings

Here is a look at everything that happened in the Big Ten in Week 5 and the updated conference standings.

For the first time this season, we had a Big Ten football schedule that stretched from Friday night on the East Coast to the late night hours on the West Coast. While not every Big Ten team was in action this week, there was enough to keep us entertained with a trophy game in Michigan, an unofficial whiteout game in Happy Valley, and Oregon and UCLA giving us some Big Ten After Dark.

Here is a look at everything that went down around the Big Ten in Week 5, including a look at the updated Big Ten standings as we head into October.

Washignton played its first road game in the Big Ten and had to fly all the way across the country to New Jersey to do so. It was a long flight back after coming up short against the Scarlet Knights on Friday night.

Kyle Monangai rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown to help Rutgers hold off the Huskies, who dropped its second game of the season already. Washington had a chance to force overtime but a 55-yard field goal attempt by Grady Gross went wide left as time expired.

Washington outgained Rutgers 521-299, Washignton quarterback Will Rogers passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns and Jonah Coleman rushed for 148 yards. But the Huskies had three missed field goals and were just 2-for-12 on third-down attempts.

Next up for Washington: vs. Michigan

Next up for Rutgers: at Nebraska

This was a game about missed opportunities by Maryland. The Terrapins forced four Indiana turnovers but could not score any points off those free possessions. Indiana forced Maryland to punt three times following a turnover by the offense and Maryland was stopped on a turnover on downs following a fourth turnover. The Hoosiers offense more than made up for the rare miscues this season by racking up over 500 yards of offense led by 359 passing yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Kurtis Rourke.

Indiana is off to its first 5-0 start since 1967 and the Hoosiers are already one win shy of bowl eligibility before even getting into October. Not a bad start for new head coach Curt Cignetti in Bloomington.

Next up for Maryland: vs. Northwestern (Week 7)

Next up for Indiana: at Northwestern

Michigan may have retained possession of the Little Brown Jug once again, but the visiting Minnesota Golden Gophers made them work for it. Minnesota put together a furious fourth-quarter rally that ultimately fell short after closing the gap to a three-point margin with 1:37 remaining. Minnesota recovered an onside kick but was flagged for an offsides call on the attempt, and Michigan recovered the second onside kick attempt to put the game on ice.

Kalel Mullings led Michigan with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns, putting together his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game for Michigan. The Michigan defense held Minnesota to just 38 rushing yards as a team, and limited Darius Taylor to just 36 yards (Taylor did score two touchdowns and catch 10 passes for 52 receiving yards).

The Michigan passing game continues to lack much punch with Alex Orgi completing 10 of 18 passes for 86 yards, but the Wolverines appear comfortable working around their apparent shortcomings for now.

Next up for Minnesota: vs. USC

Next up for Michigan: at Washington

It took a while for anything to happen on the scoreboard in this one, but Nebraska did its part to make up for a slow start. After a scoreless first half by both teams, Nebraska put the first touchdown on the board in the third quarter to take a 7-3 lead and then pulled away in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns for a good road victory for the Cornhuskers.

Dylan Raiola passed for 244 yards and a touchdown but the Huskers were just 1-of-8 on third down conversion attempts. Nebraska’s defense did handle Purdue well by allowing just 224 yards of offense and holding the Boilermakers out of the end zone until the final minute and a half of regulation. It was a defensive touchdown, a 29-yard interception return by John Bullock, that helped put the game firmly out of reach in the fourth quarter.

Next up for Nebraska: vs. Rutgers

Next up for Purdue: at Wisconsin

USC quarterback Miller Moss passed for 308 yards and three touchdowns as USC shut down the visiting Wisconsin Badgers in the second half. USC trailed Wisconsin at halftime 21-10 but weren’t on a 28-0 run in the second half to run away for their first Big Ten conference victory in program history.

This was a bit of a sloppy game for much of the afternoon with five combined turnovers (USC with three, Wisconsin with two), and 14 penalties for over 100 yards of penalty yardage fairly evenly split between the two teams.

Next up for Wisconsin: vs. Purdue

Next up for USC: at Minnesota

Penn State and Illinois traded touchdown drives to start the game, but then the defenses for each took over. The Illini would not manage to score any more points in the game, so Penn State had to gain control with the running game to get the win. Fortunately for Penn State, the combination of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen helped grind out a win with 221 total yards of offense combined between the two, and some good work from tight end Tyler Warren out of the wildcat formations, the offense was too much to slow down for the Illini.

Penn State’s defense also forced a couple of turnovers and sacked Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer seven times. This was not an officially sanctioned whiteout game for Penn State, but the fans turned the night game into one anyway.

Next up for Illinois: vs. Purdue (Week 7)

Next up for Penn State: vs. UCLA

Ohio State’s first game away from home was not expected to be a massive challenge for the Buckeyes, and perhaps it wasn’t. The Buckeyes got off to a somewhat slow start with a 3-0 lead after the first quarter but put together three touchdowns in the second quarter and never had a reason to look back against Michigan State.

Will Howard passed for 244 yards, and the combo of Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith combined for 12 catches and 179 receiving yards with a touchdown each. the defense locked in on the Spartans’ running game and held Nate Carter to just 27 yards on six carries.

Michigan State had their opportunities though. But Michigan State had three turnovers inside the red zone in the first half, suggesting a team can move on the Buckeyes but still has to find a way to finish. Micigan State was unable to do so and paid the price.

Next up for Ohio State: vs. Iowa

Next up for Michigan State: at Oregon

Orgeon wide receiver Tez Johnson caught 11 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns as the Ducks enjoyed a big win at UCLA to wrap up the Big Ten schedule in Week 5. Dillon Gabriel completed 30-of-39 pass attempts for 268 yards and had three touchdowns, including the two to Johnson, and his one interception was returned for a touchdown by former Oregon player Bryan Addison.

After a shaky start to the season, it appears as though Oregon has found its groove and is beginning to live up to some of the preseason hype. They’ll return home next week for their first Big Ten game in Autzen Stadium. Meanwhile, UCLA will make its first cross-country trip in Big Ten play for an early kickoff next Saturday in Happy Valley.

Next up for Oregon: vs. Michigan State

Next up for UCLA: at Penn State

B1G WB1G LWL
Indiana2050
Michigan2041
Ohio State1040
Oregon1040
Penn State1040
Rutgers1040
Iowa1031
Illinois1141
Nebraska1141
USC1131
Michigan State1132
Washington1132
Northwestern0122
Wisconsin0122
Purdue0113
Maryland0232
Minnesota0223
UCLA0213

Best Penn State football photos from the Illinois game

Check out some of the best photos from Penn State’s win over Illinois.

Penn State played its first night game of the season on Saturday night, and what better setting to do so than at home in an electric Beaver Stadium? Although this was not an officially scheduled white-out game, the fans packed the stadium dressed for the occasion and later celebrated a 21-7 victory over Illinois as Penn State improved to 4-0 overall and opened Big Ten play with a win.

Penn State’s running game and defense led the way in what turned out to be a competitive defensive slugfest between two programs known for their hard-nosed defensive styles. Penn State eventually proved to have the upper hand with a stronger and more consistent running attack and the defense came up with seven sacks and a couple of turnovers to help put a cap on the first Big Ten win of the season in front of the home crowd.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s primetime win over the Illini in Week 5.

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Penn State defense and running game power past Illinois in Big Ten opener

Penn State’s defense and running game powered the Nittany Lions to a win over Illinois.

After lighting up the scoreboard a week ago in an easy win, Penn State had to find a way to win a defensive battle in its Big Ten opener on Saturday night. After Illinois marched right down the field in surgical fashion on the game’s opening possession for a touchdown, Penn State’s defense locked down for the rest of the night. Penn State’s offense didn’t have the explosiveness they have displayed at times early this season, but there was just enough offense to score a 21-7 victory on Saturday night in Beaver Stadium.

[autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag]’s five-yard touchdown right up the middle coming out of the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter gave Penn State the elusive breathing room it had been looking for. Allen’s touchdown run put him at 102 rushing yards on the night on 18 rushing attempts. His partner [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] had a solid night as well with 94 rushing yards on 16 carries. Singleton also scored a touchdown on a run on Penn State’s first offensive series of the night, answering the opening drive by Illinois. Singleton also caught two passes for 25 yards for over 100 all-purpose yards.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] was not able to get too many deep balls to go his way, and he was off the mark on a few passes in the first half, but he did play a turnover-free game and passed for 135 yards. Allar also picked up some yards with his legs in key spots.

Penn State’s defense was the story of the night for the Nittany Lions. Jayden Reed led the defense with 9 tackles and the team combined for seven sacks of Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer. Altmyer also tossed his first interception of the year, courtesy of Georgia transfer [autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag]. Harris would have scored a touchdown on his return if not for a block in the back penalty on Penn State.

If there is one thing Penn State head coach James Franklin will be displeased with, it may be his team’s penalties. After harping on the discipline in recent weeks, Penn State was flagged for six penalties for 63 penalty yards, many coming at critical times on defense, including a block in the back on an interception return in the fourth quarter that wiped a defensive touchdown off the board.

But Franklin’s bigger concern may be the status of his special teams. Penn State kicker [autotag]Sander Sahaydak[/autotag] missed two field goals, one from 40 yards and another from 41. The kicking woes did not hurt Penn State in this game, but this will have to be discussed as a potential problem moving forward.

Penn State will be home next week for another Big Ten matchup with new conference member UCLA. Penn State has not played UCLA since 1968 and UCLA has not played in Beaver Stadium since 1967. Kickoff is set for noon Eastern as part of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff programming. Fox will bring its pregame show to Happy Valley as well.

Illinois will be off next week and will host Purdue in Week 7.

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Penn State’s Tyler Warren goes airborne for touchdown against Illinois

Tyler Warren can really do it all, and he shows it on this diving touchdown against Illinois.

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren has been everything coach James Franklin could have asked for this season, doing it all for a much improved Penn State offense. He had yards on the ground, through the air, and as a passer last week, and he just made another huge play early against Illinois.

After Illinois stunned the Happy Valley crowd with an opening-drive touchdown, Penn State’s offense marched down the field themselves. Warren lined up at quarterback, faked the handoff, and went over the top of the defense for a rushing score.

 

Warren continues to be Penn State’s best offensive player. He is the rare tight end who can be a threat with the ball in his hands and be an impactful blocker in the run game. It allows him to be on the field in any situation for offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, and he has rewarded him with plenty of chances with the football.

If he keeps this up, he could be Penn State’s first John Mackey Award winner at the end of the season.

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