2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football
2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
	West Division
Record	5–7 (4–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bret Bielema (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Tony Petersen (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Ryan Walters (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

The 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented^[1] the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Bret Bielema. The Illini finished the season 5–7, 4–5 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place in the West division.^[2]

2021 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 3 Michigan xy$^	8	–	1	12	–	2
No. 6 Ohio State x	8	–	1	11	–	2
No. 9 Michigan State	7	–	2	11	–	2
Penn State	4	–	5	7	–	6
Maryland	3	–	6	7	–	6
Rutgers	2	–	7	5	–	8
Indiana	0	–	9	2	–	10
West Division
No. 23 Iowa xy	7	–	2	10	–	4
Minnesota	6	–	3	9	–	4
Wisconsin	6	–	3	9	–	4
Purdue	6	–	3	9	–	4
Illinois	4	–	5	5	–	7
Nebraska	1	–	8	3	–	9
Northwestern	1	–	8	3	–	9
Championship: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The team's 20–18 victory over No. 7-ranked Penn State set an NCAA record for the most overtime periods in one game, with nine.^[3]

Preseason

Big Ten media poll

The Illini were predicted to finish seventh in the Big Ten's West Division.^[4]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Big Ten West Division media poll
1	Wisconsin	233 (29)
2	Iowa	202 (5)
3	Northwestern	160
4	Minnesota	146
5	Nebraska	91.5
6	Purdue	72.5
7	Illinois	47

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 28	12:00 p.m.	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium^[a] Champaign, IL (Aer Lingus College Football Classic)	FOX	W 30–22	41,064
September 4	6:30 p.m.	UTSA*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 30–37	33,906
September 11	10:00 a.m.	at Virginia*	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	ACCN	L 14–42	36,036
September 17	8:00 p.m.	Maryland	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	FS1	L 17–20	37,168
September 25	2:30 p.m.	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (Purdue Cannon)	BTN	L 9–13	52,840
October 2	11:00 a.m.	Charlotte*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 24–14	30,559
October 9	2:30 p.m.	Wisconsin	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 0–24	40,168
October 23	11:00 a.m.	at No. 7 Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC	W 20–18 ^9OT	105,001
October 30	11:00 a.m.	Rutgers	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 14–20	36,942
November 6	11:00 a.m.	at No. 20 Minnesota	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	ESPN2	W 14–6	46,382
November 20	1:00 p.m.	at No. 17 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	FS1	L 23–33	64,132
November 27	2:30 p.m.	Northwestern	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy)	BTN	W 47–14	27,624
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time Source: ^[6]

^ Illinois and Nebraska were originally scheduled to play at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game was moved back to the United States due to travel concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5]

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Consecutive season at Illinois in current position
Bret Bielema	Head coach	1st
Tony Petersen	Offensive coordinator	1st
Ryan Walters	Defensive coordinator	1st
Ben Miller	Tight ends coach/special teams coordinator	1st
George McDonald	Wide receivers coach / assistant head coach	1st
Bart Miller	Offensive line coach	1st
Cory Patterson	Running backs coach	4th
Terrance Jamison	Defensive line coach	1st
Andy Buh	Linebackers coach	1st
Kevin Kane	Outside linebackers coach / associate head coach	1st
Aaron Henry	Defensive backs coach	1st

Roster

2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`1`	Isaiah Williams	Fr
RB	`2`	Chase Brown	So
RB	`3`	Jakari Norwood	So
WR	`4`	Khmari Thompson	So
WR	`6`	Deuce Spann	Fr
WR	`7`	Brian Hightower	Jr
WR	`10`	Desmond Dan Jr	Sr
WR	`11`	Carlos Sandy	So
QB	`12`	Matt Robinson	So
WR	`13`	Pat Bryant	Fr
WR	`14`	Casey Washington	So
WR	`15`	Ty Lindenman	Fr
QB	`18`	Brandon Peters	Sr
WR	`19`	Dalevon Campbell	So
WR	`20`	Kyron Cumby	Fr
RB	`22`	Chase Hayden	Jr
RB	`23`	Reggie Love III	Fr
RB	`24`	Nick Fedanzo	Fr
RB	`26`	Mike Epstein	Jr
RB	`27`	Matt Bobak	Fr
TE	`42`	Michael Marchese	Sr
TE	`43`	Cooper Davis	Fr
TE	`43`	Griffin Moore	Fr
TE	`48`	Mike Cernigila Jr	Fr
OL	`52`	Verdis Brown	So
OL	`54`	Julian Pearl	So
OL	`55`	Blake Jeresaty	Sr
OL	`57`	Evan Kirts	Fr
OL	`59`	Josh Plohr	Fr
OL	`62`	Terry Zapf	So
OL	`63`	Alex Palczewski	Sr
OL	`65`	Doug Kramer	Sr
OL	`66`	Jordyn Slaughter	So
OL	`67`	Brody Wisecarver	Fr
OL	`69`	Moses Okpala	Fr
OL	`70`	Tommy Cronin	Fr
OL	`73`	Josh Gesky	Fr
OL	`75`	Alex Pihlstrom	Jr
OL	`79`	Vederian Lowe	Sr
TE	`80`	Preston Engel	So
WR	`81`	Marquez Beason	Fr
TE	`82`	Luke Ford	Jr
WR	`84`	Owen Hickey	Fr
WR	`86`	Donny Navarro	Jr
TE	`87`	Daniel Barker	Jr
TE	`88`	Branden Hohenstein	Sr
TE	`89`	Tip Reiman	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`2`	Derrick Smith	Jr
LB	`5`	Calvin Hart Jr	So
DB	`6`	Tony Adams	Sr
DB	`7`	Kendall Smith	Sr
DB	`7`	Coran Taylor	So
DB	`10`	Joriell Washington	Fr
DB	`15`	Delano Ware	So
DB	`17`	Kendall Smith	Jr
DB	`21`	Quan Martin	Jr
DB	`22`	Dylan Thomas	So
DB	`23`	Tahveon Nicholson	Fr
DB	`24`	Prather Hudson	Sr
DB	`25`	Kerby Joseph	Jr
DB	`27`	Matthew Judd	Fr
LB	`28`	Dylan Rosiek	Fr
DB	`29`	Christian Bobak	Sr
DB	`30`	Sydney Brown	Jr
DB	`31`	Devon Witherspoon	So
DB	`32`	Tailon Leitzsey	Sr
DL	`33`	Ezekiel Holmes	So
DB	`34`	Ryan Meed	Fr
LB	`35`	Jake Hansen	Sr
DB	`36`	Ben Schultz	Fr
DB	`37`	Jaden Jones-Watkins	So
LB	`38`	Isaac Darkangelo	Jr
LB	`40`	Shammond Cooper	Fr
LB	`44`	Tarique Barnes	So
LB	`45`	Khalan Tolson	Jr
LB	`46`	Alex McEachern	Jr
DL	`47`	Quinton McCoy	Fr
LB	`48`	Bryce Barnes	So
LB	`49`	Seth Coleman	Fr
LB	`51`	Sean Coghlan	Jr
LB	`54`	Marc Mondesir	Sr
DL	`55`	Sed McConnell	Sr
DL	`69`	Moses Okpala	Fr
DL	`88`	Keith Randolph Jr.	Fr
DL	`91`	Jamal Woods	Sr
LB	`92`	Isaiah Gay	Sr
DL	`93`	Calvin Avery	Jr
DL	`94`	Johnny Newton	Fr
DL	`96`	Roderick Perry II	Sr
DL	`98`	Deon Pate	Jr
LB	`99`	Owen Carney Jr.	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`5`	Caleb Griffin	So
P	`14`	Blake Hayes	Sr
K, P	`17`	James McCourt	Sr
P	`19`	Hugh Robertson	Fr
LS	`39`	Aidan Hall	Fr
LS	`56`	Ethan Tabel	Sr

Head coach

Bret Bielema

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Tony Petersen – Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks
Ryan Walters – Defensive coordinator
Ben Miller – Special teams coordinator/tight ends
Cory Patterson – Running backs
Terrance Jamison – Defensive line
George McDonald – Wide receivers / assistant HC
Aaron Henry – Defensive backs
Bart Miller – Offensive line
Andy Buh – Linebackers
Kevin Kane – outside linebackers / associate HC
Reggie Bain – Graduate assistant – offense
Taylor Reed – Graduate assistant – offense
Aaron Gonzales – Graduate assistant – defense
Kevin Laeone Richardson II – Graduate assistant – defense
John Marinelli – Senior analyst
Grant O'Brien – Defensive analyst
Adam Kleffner – Offensive analyst
Greg Froelich – Special teams analyst
Tank Wright – Head strength and conditioning coach
Pete Roley – Director of football operations
Mark Taurisani – Football chief of staff
Patrick Embleton – Director of recruiting
Terry Hawthorne – Director of high school personnel
Pat Ryan – Director of high school relations
Nate McNeal – Assistant recruiting coordinator
Travis Perry – Director of creative content

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

Game summaries

Nebraska

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Illinois Fighting Illini – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	0	9	7	6	22
Fighting Illini	2	14	14	0	30

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Date: August 28
Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny, 94 °F (34 °C)
Game attendance: 41,064
Referee: John O'Neill
TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis and Brock Huard
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

ILL – Cam Taylor-Britt tackled in own end zone by Kerby Joseph, 4:07. Fighting Illini 2–0.

Second quarter

NEB – Markese Stepp 2-yard run (kick failed), 14:25. Cornhuskers 6–2. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 2:27.
NEB – Connor Culp 27-yard field goal, 9:15. Cornhuskers 9–2. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:01.
ILL – Mike Epstein 1-yard run (James McCourt kick), 2:51. Tied 9–9. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:24.
ILL – Calvin Hart Jr. 41-yard fumble return (James McCourt kick), 0:37. Fighting Illini 16–9.

Third quarter

ILL – Luke Ford 2-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt kick), 6:56. Fighting Illini 23–9. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 8:04.
ILL – Isaiah Williams 1-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt kick), 4:01. Fighting Illini 30–9. Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, 1:10.
NEB – Adrian Martinez 75-yard run (Connor Culp kick), 3:48. Fighting Illini 30–16. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:13.

Fourth quarter

NEB – Oliver Martin 4-yard pass from Adrian Martinez (kick failed), 2:41. Fighting Illini 30–22. Drive: 19 plays, 91 yards, 6:42.

Statistics	NEB	ILL
First downs	19	18
Total yards	392	326
Rushes–yards	39–160	48–167
Passing yards	232	159
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–32–0	15–19–0
Time of possession	25:05	34:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing	Adrian Martinez	16/32, 232 yards, TD
	Rushing	Adrian Martinez	17 rushes, 111 yards, TD
	Receiving	Oliver Martin	6 receptions, 103 yards, TD
Illinois	Passing	Artur Sitkowski	12/15, 124 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Mike Epstein	16 rushes, 75 yards, TD
	Receiving	Deuce Spann	1 reception, 45 yards

UTSA

UTSA Roadrunners at Illinois Fighting Illini – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Roadrunners	7	13	3	14	37
Fighting Illini	0	14	3	13	30

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Date: September 4
Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Cloudy, 73 °F (23 °C)
Game attendance: 33,906
Referee: Greg Blum
TV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington, Anthony Herron, and Coley Harvey
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

UTSA – Frank Harris 9-yard run (Hunter Duplessis kick), 1:32. Roadrunners 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 94 yards, 4:40.

Second quarter

UTSA – Brendan Brady 7-yard run (Hunter Duplessis kick), 11:31. Roadrunners 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 3:43.
ILL – Deuce Span 31-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt kick), 9:21. Roadrunners 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 2:10.
UTSA – Hunter Duplessis 32-yard field goal, 6:24. Roadrunners 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 2:57.
ILL – Daniel Barker 14-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt kick), 2:46. Roadrunners 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:38.
UTSA – Hunter Duplessis 28-yard field goal, 0:47. Roadrunners 20–14. Drive: 5 plays, 15 yards, 1:01.

Third quarter

ILL – James McCourt 52-yard field goal, 9:22. Roadrunners 20–17. Drive: 4 plays, -2 yards, 1:26.
UTSA – Hunter Duplessis 27-yard field goal, 3:19. Roadrunners 23–17. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:39.

Fourth quarter

ILL – James McCourt 53-yard field goal, 14:15. Roadrunners 23–20. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 4:04.
UTSA – Zakhari Franklin 19-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick), 12:37. Roadrunners 30–20. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:38.
ILL – Daniel Barker 15-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt kick), 9:56. Roadrunners 30–27. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:41.
UTSA – Brendan Brady 33-yard run (Hunter Duplessis kick), 4:57. Roadrunners 37–27. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:59.
ILL – James McCourt 32-yard field goal, 1:55. Roadrunners 37–30. Drive: 14 plays, 60 yards, 2:56.

Statistics	UTSA	ILL
First downs	26	24
Total yards	497	416
Rushes–yards	50–237	35–166
Passing yards	280	266
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20–32–0	22–43–0
Time of possession	30:42	29:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTSA	Passing	Frank Harris	20/32, 280 yards, TD
	Rushing	Sincere McCormick	31 rushes, 117 yards
	Receiving	Zakhari Franklin	10 receptions, 155 yards, TD
Illinois	Passing	Artur Sitkowski	22/42, 266 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Reggie Love III	11 rushes, 39 yards
	Receiving	Isaiah Williams	8 receptions, 101 yards

Virginia

Illinois Fighting Illini at Virginia Cavaliers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	0	7	7	0	14
Cavaliers	14	7	14	7	42

at Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Virginia

Date: September 11
Game time: 10:00 a.m. CDT/11:00 a.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 36,036
Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
TV: ACCN
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

UVA – Jelani Woods 32-yard pass from Brennan Armstrong (Justin Duenkel kick), 13:44. Cavaliers 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:16.
UVA – Dontayvion Wicks 28-yard pass from Brennan Armstrong (Justin Duenkel kick), 10:04. Cavaliers 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:37.

Second quarter

ILL – Deuce Spann 33-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski (James McCourt kick), 11:09. Cavaliers 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 4:19.
UVA – Dontayvion Wicks 6-yard pass from Brennan Armstrong (Justin Duenkel kick), 1:17. Cavaliers 21–7. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 2:41.

Third quarter

ILL – Chase Brown 21–yard run (James McCourt kick), 12:59. Cavaliers 21–14. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:01.
UVA – Billy Kemp IV 2-yard pass from Brennan Armstrong (Justin Duenkel kick), 9:04. Cavaliers 28–14. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:55.
UVA – Keytaon Thompson 8-yard run (Justin Duenkel kick), 4:06. Cavaliers 35–14. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 3:50.

Fourth quarter

UVA – Wayne Taulapapa 3-yard pass from Brennan Armstrong (Justin Duenkel kick), 6:02. Cavaliers 42–14. Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 2:44.

Statistics	ILL	UVA
First downs	20	31
Total yards	337	556
Rushes–yards	27–116	33–133
Passing yards	221	423
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24–45–1	28–40–1
Time of possession	27:52	31:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Artur Sitkowski	24/45, 221 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Chase Brown	7 rushes, 41 yards, TD
	Receiving	Dalevon Campbell	2 receptions, 43 yards
Virginia	Passing	Brennan Armstrong	27/36, 405 yards, 5 TD, INT
	Rushing	Wayne Taulapapa	10 rushes, 35 yards
	Receiving	Jelani Woods	5 receptions, 122 yards, TD

Maryland

Illinois Fighting Illini (1–2) vs. Maryland Terrapins (2–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Maryland	0	3	7	10	20
Illinois	0	3	7	7	17

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL

Date: Saturday, September 17, 2021
Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: sunny • Temperature: 75°F
Game attendance: 37,168
Referee: Ron Snodgrass
TV: FS1
Pregame line:

Game information

Second Quarter

(10:43) UMD – Joseph Petrino 32 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 5:07; UMD 3-0)
(1:27) ILL – James McCourt 25-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 2:16; Tied 3-3)

Third Quarter

(13:11) UMD – Tayon Fleet-Davis 2-yard run, Joseph Petrino kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:49; UMD 10-3)
(6:15) ILL – Josh McCray 38-yard run, James McCourt kick (Drive: 8 plays, 93 yards, 3:37; Tied 10-10)

Fourth Quarter

(14:13) ILL – Casey Washington 30-yard run, James McCourt kick (Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 1:05; ILL 17-10)
(13:11) UMD – Tayon Fleet-Davis 10-yard pass from Taulia Tagovailoa, Joseph Petrino kick (Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 2:37 Tie 17-17)
(00:00) UMD – Joseph Petrino 32-yard field goal (Drive: 3 plays, 32 yards, 00:47; UMD 20-17)

Statistics	UMD	ILL
First downs	25	19
Total yards	481	368
Rushes/yards	27/131	45/183
Passing yards	350	185
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	32-43-0	10–26–1
Time of possession	29:09	30:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Maryland	Passing	Taulia Tagovailoa	32–43, 350 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Tayon Fleet-Davis	11 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Dontay Demus Jr.	8 receptions, 77 yards
Illinois	Passing	Brandon Peters	10–26, 185 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Reggie Love III	10 carries, 63 yards
	Receiving	Chase Brown	2 receptions, 54 yards

^[7]

Purdue

Illinois Fighting Illini at Purdue Boilermakers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	0	3	3	3	9
Boilermakers	6	0	0	7	13

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Date: September 25
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 52,840
Referee: John O'Neill
TV: BTN
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

PUR – Mitchell Fineran 23-yard field goal, 8:31. Boilermakers 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 69 yards, 6:29.
PUR – Mitchell Fineran 30-yard field goal, 3:34. Boilermakers 6–0. Drive: 6 plays, 34 yards, 2:57.

Second quarter

ILL – James McCourt 51-yard field goal, 2:24. Boilermakers 6–3. Drive: 7 plays, 29 yards, 3:40.

Third quarter

ILL – James McCourt 35-yard field goal, 8:18. Tied 6–6. Drive: 13 plays, 58 yards, 6:42.

Fourth quarter

ILL – James McCourt 45-yard field goal, 14:51. Fighting Illini 9–6. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 1:39.
PUR – TJ Sheffield 14-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (Mitchell Fineran kick), 5:44. Boilermakers 13–9. Drive: 10 plays, 94 yards, 3:42.

Statistics	ILL	PUR
First downs	17	17
Total yards	275	315
Rushes–yards	42–175	26–38
Passing yards	100	277
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	14–27–0	24–40–2
Time of possession	33:45	26:15

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Brandon Peters	14/26, 100 yards
	Rushing	Josh McCray	24 rushes, 156 yards
	Receiving	Casey Washington	3 receptions, 31 yards
Purdue	Passing	Aidan O'Connell	12/19, 182 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Dylan Downing	10 rushes, 39 yards
	Receiving	Milton Wright	7 receptions, 88 yards

Charlotte

Charlotte vs Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	7	7	0	0	14
• Fighting Illini	3	7	14	0	24

Date: October 2
Location: Memorial Stadium (Champaign)
Champaign, IL
Game start: 11:01 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:02
Game attendance: 30,559
Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 5 MPH
Referee: Reggie Smith
TV announcers (BTN): Chris Vosters, Stanley Jackson, Krystle Rich

Sources:^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]

Wisconsin

Wisconsin vs Illinois – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Badgers	3	7	14	0	24
Fighting Illini	0	0	0	0	0

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Date: October 9, 2021
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C); Sunny; Wind at n/a MPH
Game attendance: 40,168
Referee: Mark Kluczynski
TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play) and Matt Millen (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

WISC – Collin Larsh 25-yard field goal, 4:14. Wisconsin 3–0. Drive: 18 plays, 67 yards, 9:44.

Second quarter

WISC – John Chenal 1-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 5:27. Wisconsin 10–0. Drive: 14 plays, 79 yards, 6:50.

Third quarter

WISC – Chez Mellusi 15-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 8:38. Wisconsin 17–0. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:22.
WISC – Braelon Allen 23-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 1:00. Wisconsin 24–0. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 2:45.

Fourth quarter

No scoring

Top passers

ILL – Artur Sitkowski – 8/27, 55 yards
WISC – Graham Mertz – 10/19, 100 yards, INT

Top rushers

ILL – Chase Brown – 8 rushes, 35 yards
WISC – Chez Mellusi – 21 rushes, 145 yards, TD

Top receivers

ILL – Isaiah Williams – 4 receptions, 23 yards
WISC – Kendric Pryor – 2 receptions, 47 yards

Top defenders

ILL – Tarique Barnes – 12 tackles, forced fumble, QB hurry, pass breakup
WISC – Noah Burks – 6 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 3 QB hurries

At. No. 7 Penn State

Illinois Fighting Illini at No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	3OT	4OT	5OT	6OT	7OT	8OT	9OT	Total
Fighting Illini	0	7	0	3	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	20
No. 7 Nittany Lions	7	3	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	18

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

Date: October 23
Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT/12:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Rain, 48 °F (9 °C)
Game attendance: 105,001
Referee: Reggie Smith
TV announcers (ABC): Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, and Kris Budden
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

PSU – KeAndre Lambert-Smith 42-yard pass from Sean Clifford (Jordan Stout kick), 0:09. Nittany Lions 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 93 yards, 1:55.

Second quarter

PSU – Jordan Stout 35-yard field goal, 11:12. Nittany Lions 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 1:41.
ILL – Chase Brown 1-yard run (James McCourt kick), 2:52. Nittany Lions 10–7. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 8:20.

Third quarter

No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

ILL – James McCourt 37-yard field goal, 11:49. Tied 10–10. Drive: 16 plays, 70 yards, 7:33.

Overtime

PSU – Jordan Stout 31-yard field goal. Nittany Lions 13–10. Drive: 8 plays, 12 yards.
ILL – James McCourt 39-yard field goal. Tied 13–13. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards.

Second overtime

ILL – James McCourt 22-yard field goal. Fighting Illini 16–13. Drive: 7 plays, 21 yards.
PSU – Jordan Stout 40-yard field goal. Tied 16–16. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards.

Eighth overtime

ILL – Isaiah Williams 2-point pass from Brandon Peters. Fighting Illini 18–16.
PSU – Noah Cain 2-point run. Tied 18–18.

Ninth overtime

ILL – Casey Washington 2-point pass from Brandon Peters. Fighting Illini 20–18.

Statistics	ILL	PSU
First downs	27	14
Total yards	395	227
Rushes–yards	67–357	29–62
Passing yards	38	165
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	8–21–1	19–34–0
Time of possession	36:25	23:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Artur Sitkowski	8/19, 38 yards, INT
	Rushing	Chase Brown	33 rushes, 223 yards, TD
	Receiving	Donny Navarro III	2 receptions, 12 yards
Penn State	Passing	Sean Clifford	19/34, 164 yards, TD
	Rushing	Noah Cain	11 rushes, 43 yards
	Receiving	Jahan Dotson	6 receptions, 69 yards

Rutgers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	7	3	0	10	20
Fighting Illini	0	14	0	0	14

No. 20 Minnesota

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	7	7	0	0	14
No. 20 Golden Gophers	0	0	0	6	6

No. 17 Iowa

Illinois at Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	10	3	3	7	23
• No. 17 Hawkeyes	7	10	3	13	33

Date: November 20
Location:
Kinnick Stadium
Iowa City, IA
Game start: 1:10 p.m. CST
Elapsed time: 3:31
Game attendance: 64,132
Referee: Larry Smith
TV announcers (FS1): Adam Alexander (play-by-play) and Devin Gardner (analyst)

Source: Box Score

Statistics	ILL	IOWA
First downs	11	18
Total yards	312	255
Rushing yards	64	172
Passing yards	248	83
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	25:42	34:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Brandon Peters	16/36, 248 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Chase Brown	13 carries, 42 yards
	Receiving	Casey Washington	3 receptions, 61 yards
Iowa	Passing	Alex Padilla	6/17, 83 yards, INT
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	27 carries, 132 yards
	Receiving	Arland Bruce IV	2 receptions, 45 yards

Northwestern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	7	0	7	14
Fighting Illini	14	23	3	7	47

References

^ Yahoo Sports College Football. "Yahoo Sports College Football on Twitter: "The following teams reached win No. 6 this weekend and are bowl eligible: - Ball State - Florida - LSU - Maryland - Memphis - Middle Tennessee - North Texas - Old Dominion - Tulsa - Virginia Tech - West Virginia There are 83 bowl eligible teams for 82 spots. No 5-7 teams". Twitter. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
^ "2021 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
^ "Illinois outlasts Penn State in record-breaking nine overtimes". RSN. October 23, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
^ Baird, Nathan (July 21, 2021). "Ohio State voted overwhelming favorite in 2021 Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Poll". Cleveland.com.
^ "2021 College Football Game moved from Aviva Stadium". CollegeFootballIreland.com. February 17, 2021. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
^ "2021 Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
^ "Maryland vs. Illinois - Game Summary - September 17, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
^ "GAME NOTES: Charlotte at Illinois". September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
^ "Second Half Surge Carries Illini Past Charlotte, 24-14". October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
^ "Scoring Summary Report 2021 Charlotte Football, Charlotte Vs Illinois (Oct 02, 2021 at Champaign, Illinois)" (PDF). Retrieved October 4, 2021.
^ "Charlotte vs Illinois – Game Summary". ESPN. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
^ Bailey, Hunter (October 4, 2021). "Charlotte runs aground against Illinois: How the Illini held off the 49ers". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
^ "TPA:Charlotte at Illinois". Charlotte49ers.com. October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

[6] Illinois and Nebraska were originally scheduled to play at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game was moved back to the United States due to travel concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5]

[1] Yahoo Sports College Football. "Yahoo Sports College Football on Twitter: "The following teams reached win No. 6 this weekend and are bowl eligible: - Ball State - Florida - LSU - Maryland - Memphis - Middle Tennessee - North Texas - Old Dominion - Tulsa - Virginia Tech - West Virginia There are 83 bowl eligible teams for 82 spots. No 5-7 teams". Twitter. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.

[2] "2021 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.

[3] "Illinois outlasts Penn State in record-breaking nine overtimes". RSN. October 23, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2022.

[4] Baird, Nathan (July 21, 2021). "Ohio State voted overwhelming favorite in 2021 Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Poll". Cleveland.com.

[5] "2021 College Football Game moved from Aviva Stadium". CollegeFootballIreland.com. February 17, 2021. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.

[7] "2021 Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.

[8] "Maryland vs. Illinois - Game Summary - September 17, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.

[9] "GAME NOTES: Charlotte at Illinois". September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.

[10] "Second Half Surge Carries Illini Past Charlotte, 24-14". October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

[11] "Scoring Summary Report 2021 Charlotte Football, Charlotte Vs Illinois (Oct 02, 2021 at Champaign, Illinois)" (PDF). Retrieved October 4, 2021.

[12] "Charlotte vs Illinois – Game Summary". ESPN. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

[13] Bailey, Hunter (October 4, 2021). "Charlotte runs aground against Illinois: How the Illini held off the 49ers". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

[14] "TPA:Charlotte at Illinois". Charlotte49ers.com. October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

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2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football

Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Record	5–7 (4–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bret Bielema (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Tony Petersen (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Ryan Walters (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Uniform

Seasons ← 2020 2022 →