2024 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

2024 Illinois Fighting Illini football
2024 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 25
AP	No. 24
Record	4–1 (1–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Bret Bielema (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Barry Lunney Jr. (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Aaron Henry (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Terrance Jamison (2nd season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 23 Indiana	2	–	0	5	–	0
No. 10 Michigan	2	–	0	4	–	1
No. 3 Ohio State	1	–	0	4	–	0
No. 6 Oregon	1	–	0	4	–	0
No. 7 Penn State	1	–	0	4	–	0
Rutgers	1	–	0	4	–	0
Iowa	1	–	0	3	–	1
No. 24 Illinois	1	–	1	4	–	1
Nebraska	1	–	1	4	–	1
No. 11 USC	1	–	1	3	–	1
Michigan State	1	–	1	3	–	2
Washington	1	–	1	3	–	2
Northwestern	0	–	1	2	–	2
Wisconsin	0	–	1	2	–	2
Purdue	0	–	1	1	–	3
Maryland	0	–	2	3	–	2
Minnesota	0	–	2	2	–	3
UCLA	0	–	2	1	–	3
Championship: December 7, 2024
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of September 30, 2024 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2024 Illinois Fighting Illini football team will represent the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Illini are led by Bret Bielema in his fourth season as the team's head coach. They play home games at Memorial Stadium located in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	8:00 p.m.	Eastern Illinois*		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 45–0	43,849
September 7	6:00 p.m.	No. 19 Kansas*		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	FS1	W 23–17	60,670
September 14	11:00 a.m.	Central Michigan*		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	Peacock	W 30–9	51,498
September 20	7:00 p.m.	at No. 22 Nebraska	No. 24	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	FOX	W 31–24 ^OT	86,936
September 28	6:30 p.m.	at No. 9 Penn State	No. 19	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	NBC	L 7–21	109,911
October 12	2:30 p.m.	Purdue		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	FS1
October 19		Michigan		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)
October 26	3:30/4:00/7:30 p.m.	at Oregon		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR
November 2		Minnesota		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL
November 16		Michigan State		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL
November 23		at Rutgers		SHI Stadium Piscataway, NJ
November 30		at Northwestern		Wrigley Field Chicago, IL (rivalry)
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll - Released prior to game All times are in Central time Source: ^[1]^[2]

Game summaries

vs Eastern Illinois

Eastern Illinois Panthers (0–0) at Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0
Fighting Illini	14	17	7	7	45

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL

Date: August 29
Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
Game attendance: 43,849
Referee: Ron Snodgrass
TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Jeremy Leman (analyst), and Kylen Mills (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

(4:15) ILL – Pat Bryant 15-yard pass from Luke Altmyer (David Olano kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 5:12; Illinois 7–0)
(0:43) ILL – Tanner Arkin 5-yard pass from Luke Altmyer (David Olano kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 1:49; Illinois 14–0)

Second quarter

(10:10) ILL – David Olano 39-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 4:45; Illinois 17–0)
(4:43) ILL – Pat Bryant 28-yard pass from Luke Altmyer (David Olano kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 29 yards, 0:38; Illinois 24–0)
(1:30) ILL – Malik Elzy 34 yard pass from Luke Altmyer (David Olano kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 0:59; Illinois 31–0)

Third quarter

(7:04) ILL – Kaden Feagin 1-yard run (David Olano kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards, 4:40; Illinois 38–0)

Fourth quarter

(13:51) ILL – Josh McCray 6-yard run (David Olano kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 4:27; Illinois 45–0)

Statistics	Eastern Illinois	Illinois
First downs	9	27
Total yards	196	488
Rushing yards	49	246
Passing yards	147	242
Passing: comp–att–int	16–32–2	21–29–0
Time of possession	23:59	36:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	16/32, 147 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	9 carries, 28 yards
	Receiving	DeAirious Smith	5 receptions, 63 yards
Illinois	Passing	Luke Altmyer	19/24, 213 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Kaden Feagin	16 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Pat Bryant	5 receptions, 63 yards, 2 TD

vs No. 19 Kansas

No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks (1–0) vs Illinois Fighting Illini (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Kansas	0	10	7	0	17
Illinois	3	10	0	10	23

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois

Date: September 7
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 67 °F (19 °C) • Wind: N 8 mph
Game attendance: 60,670
Referee: David Alvarez
TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(3:35) ILL – David Olano 23-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 62 yards, 7:35; Illinois 3–0)

Second quarter

(12:39) KAN – Tabor Allen 29-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 5:56; Tied 3–3)
(3:32) KAN – Luke Grimm 3-yard pass from Jalon Daniels, Tabor Allen kick (Drive: 7 plays, 81 yards, 3:05; Kansas 10–3)
(1:05) ILL – David Olano 50-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 43 yards, 2:27; Kansas 10–6)
(0:36) ILL – Xavier Scott 30-yard interception, David Olano kick (Illinois 13–10)

Third quarter

(4:57) KAN – Lawrence Arnold 13-yard pass from Jalon Daniels, Tabor Allen kick (Drive: 14 plays, 81 yards, 8:17; Kansas 17–13)

Fourth quarter

(9:34) ILL – Kaden Feagin 1-yard run, David Olano kick (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:54; Illinois 20–17)
(0:58) ILL – David Olano 43-yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 42 yards, 6:46; Illinois 23–17)

Statistics	Kansas	Illinois
First downs	18	14
Plays–yards	65–327	59–271
Rushes–yards	33–186	34–79
Passing yards	141	192
Passing: comp–att–int	18–32–3	16–25–0
Time of possession	29:22	30:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kansas	Passing	Jalon Daniels	18/32, 141 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Devin Neal	14 carries, 101 yards
	Receiving	Lawrence Arnold	4 receptions, 44 yards, 1 TD
Illinois	Passing	Luke Altmyer	16/25, 192 yards
	Rushing	Kaden Feagin	16 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Zakhari Franklin	9 receptions, 99 yards

vs Central Michigan

Central Michigan Chippewas (1–1) vs Illinois Fighting Illini (2–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Central Michigan	3	3	0	3	9
Illinois	7	6	10	7	30

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois

Date: September 14
Game time: 11:00 a.m.
TV announcers (Peacock): Jac Collinsworth (play-by-play), Michael Robinson (analyst), and Caroline Pineda (sideline reporter)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	Central Michigan	Illinois
First downs	19	20
Plays–yards	62–309	58–379
Rushes–yards	33–142	29–137
Passing yards	167	242
Passing: comp–att–int	15–29–1	19–29–0
Time of possession	20:03	30:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Michigan	Passing	Joe Labas	12/25, 125 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Myles Bailey	6 carries, 49 yards
	Receiving	Evan Boyd	3 receptions, 38 yards
Illinois	Passing	Luke Altmyer	19/29, 242 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Josh McCray	8 carries, 54 yards
	Receiving	Pat Bryant	7 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TD

at #22 Nebraska

#24 Illinois Fighting Illini (3–0) at #22 Nebraska Cornhuskers (3–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
#24 Illinois	7	3	7	7	7	31
#22 Nebraska	10	7	0	7	0	24

at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska

Date: September 20
Game time: 7:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 86,936
Referee: Greg Blum
TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando (play-by-play), Devin Gardner (analyst), and Josh Sims (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter

(11:54) ILL – Pat Bryant 27 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 2:08, Illinois 7–0)
(3:15) NEB – John Hohl 21 yard field goal (Drive: 18 plays, 72 yards, 8:39, Illinois 7–3)
(0:32) NEB - Isaiah Neyor 6 yard pass from Dylan Raiola, John Hohl kick (Drive: 4 plays, 37 yards, 2:09, Nebraska 10–7)

Second Quarter

(11:37) ILL – David Olano 26 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:48, 10–10)
(0:16) NEB – Isaiah Neyor 11 yard pass from Dylan Raiola, John Hohl kick (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:06, Nebraska 17–10)

Third Quarter

(1:55) ILL – Tanner Arkin 3 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 5:00, 17–17)

Fourth Quarter

(14:57) NEB – Janiran Bonner 1 yard pass from Dylan Raiola, John Hohl kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:58, Nebraska 24–17)
(10:36) ILL - Brandon Henderson 6 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:21, 24–24)

Overtime

ILL - Pat Bryant 4 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 2 plays, 25 yards, Illinois 31–24)

Statistics	Illinois	Nebraska
First downs	25	20
Plays–yards	66–381	68–345
Rushes–yards	39–166	31–77
Passing yards	215	297
Passing: comp–att–int	21–27–0	23–35–1
Time of possession	29:38	30:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Luke Altmyer	21/27, 215 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Kaden Feagin	12 carries, 69 yards
	Receiving	Pat Bryant	5 reception, 74 yards, 2 TD
Nebraska	Passing	Dylan Raiola	23/35, 284 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Dante Dowdell	20 carries, 72 yards
	Receiving	Isaiah Neyor	4 receptions, 90 yards, 2 TD

at #9 Penn State

#19 Illinois Fighting Illini (4–0) at #9 Penn State Nittany Lions (3–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
#19 Illinois	0	0	0	0	0
#9 Penn State	0	0	0	0	0

at Beaver Stadium • University Park, Pennsylvania

Date: September 28
Game time: 6:30 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 109,911
Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
TV announcers (NBC): Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), and Kathryn Tappen (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

UI – Carson Goda, 4-yard TD pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick, 9:36 (UI 7–0)
PSU – Tyler Warren, 3-yard TD run, Sander Sahaydak kick, 5:34 (TIE 7–7)

Second quarter

No scoring

Third quarter

PSU – Nicholas Singleton, 4-yard TD run, Sahaydak kick, 8:38 (PSU 14–7)

Fourth quarter

PSU – Kaytron Allen, 5-yard TD run, Ryan Barker kick, 1:55 (PSU 21–7)

Statistics	Illinois	Penn State
First downs	17	24
Plays–yards	57–219	65–374
Rushes–yards	32–34	44–239
Passing yards	185	135
Passing: comp–att–int	16–25–1	15–21–0
Time of possession	26:11	33:49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Luke Altmyer	16/25, 185 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Kaden Feagin	13 carries, 64 yards
	Receiving	Zakhari Franklin	4 receptions, 49 yards
Penn State	Passing	Drew Allar	15/21, 135 yards
	Rushing	Kaytron Allen	18 carries, 102 yards, TD
	Receiving	Harrison Wallace III	4 receptions, 50 yards

vs Purdue

Purdue Boilermakers (0–0) vs #24 Illinois Fighting Illini (4–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	0	0	0	0	0
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois

Date: October 12

Statistics	Purdue	Illinois
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Michigan

Michigan Wolverines (0–0) vs Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan	0	0	0	0	0
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois

Date: October 19

Statistics	Michigan	Illinois
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Oregon

Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) at Oregon Ducks (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0
Oregon	0	0	0	0	0

at Autzen Stadium • Eugene, Oregon

Date: October 26

Statistics	Illinois	Oregon
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Oregon	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Minnesota

Minnesota Golden Gophers (0–0) vs Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Minnesota	0	0	0	0	0
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois

Date: November 2

Statistics	Minnesota	Illinois
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Minnesota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans (0–0) vs Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan State	0	0	0	0	0
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois

Date: November 16

Statistics	Michigan State	Illinois
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Rutgers

Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0
Rutgers	0	0	0	0	0

at SHI Stadium • Piscataway, New Jersey

Date: November 23

Statistics	Illinois	Rutgers
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Rutgers	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Northwestern

Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) at Northwestern Wildcats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0
Northwestern	0	0	0	0	0

at Ryan Field • Evanston, Illinois

Date: November 30

Statistics	Illinois	Northwestern
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	—	—	RV	24	19	24
Coaches	—	—	RV	RV	21	25
CFP	Not released																Not released

References

^ "2024 Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
^ "2024 Football Schedule". University of Illinois Athletics. Retrieved January 5, 2024.

[1] "2024 Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 5, 2024.

[2] "2024 Football Schedule". University of Illinois Athletics. Retrieved January 5, 2024.

[1]

[2]

v t e Illinois Fighting Illini football
Venues	Illinois Field (1890–1922) Memorial Stadium (1923–present) Soldier Field (1994–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Indiana Michigan Missouri Northwestern Ohio State: Illibuck Trophy Purdue
Culture & lore	Illinois Loyalty "Oskee Wow-Wow" Marching Illini Gene Honda Fighting Illini Sports Network Chief Illiniwek 1960s slush fund scandal 2021 Penn State game
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold