Sept. 27, 2004
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GAME 5
ILLINOIS (2-2, 0-1) vs.
No. 20 WISCONSIN (4-0, 1-0)
Oct. 2, 2004 • 1:00 p.m. CT (no TV) Camp Randall Stadium (81,318) Madison, Wis.
FOR OPENERS
Illinois and Wisconsin will meet Saturday for the 73rd time in the two schools' history.
Illinois leads the all-time series with the Badgers by a 35-30-7 count since the first meeting in
1895. The series is deadlocked in games played in Madison, 16-16-4. In the last decade,
Wisconsin is 2-1-1 over the Illini at Camp Randall and 5-2-1 against Illinois at both sites.
For the second consecutive game the Illini will face an undefeated opponent.
The Illini will face its second Top-25 team of the season when it travels to No. 20 Wisconsin
(L, 30-38 to No. 15 Purdue, 9/25/04). Illinois has five wins against ranked opponents during
the Turner-era. Illinois defeated No. 9 Michigan and No. 25 Ohio State in 1999 and No. 25
Louisville, No. 20 Purdue and No. 25 Ohio State in 2001.
Sophomore Pierre Thomas ranks 10th in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 31.2 yards
per return. He returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown against Western Michigan
and followed up that performance with a 72-yard return against Purdue. The return made him
just the second player in school history, along with Red Grange, to record two career kickoff
returns over 70 yards. His 132 return yards vs. WMU ranked fourth in the school record book
and his 121 yards against Purdue ranked 10th. With 374 yards through four games, Thomas
needs just 24 more to break the into the school's single-season Top-10 kickoff return yardage list
(32 yards for ninth place and 46 to move to eighth).
Thomas is also ninth in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten in all-purpose yardage, averaging
175.5 per game, with 318 rushing, 374 return yards and 11 receiving.
The Illini take to the road for the first time this season after hosting its first four games at
Memorial Stadium.
Senior offensive lineman Bucky Babcock has the longest tenure on the Illini offense this season.
He is in his fourth season as a starter and this week will start his 41st career game, which
ranks ninth in the record books. The school record for starts by any player is 48 by offensive
lineman Tim Simpson from 1988-91.
Newly converted cornerback Kelvin Hayden has been responsible for three of the team's six
turnovers this season, including a forced fumble and two interceptions in his first game at his
new position. He is also tied for first on the team in tackles with 38, one for loss. He ranks
fourth in the league with seven pass breakups and set a career high with 15 tackles last week
against Purdue.
Through four games, the Illini offense is averaging 438.3 yards of total offense, which would
rank second on the school's all-time list. Twice in Turner's career Illinois has set school-record
total offensive numbers (446.3 in 2002 and 420.1 in 2001).
Sophomore running back E.B. Halsey needs just 125 yards rushing to become Illinois' 31st
career 1,000-yard rusher. Last season, he played in only nine games and recorded 525 yards on
140 carries. Through four games this season, he has 72 carries and 350 yards.
THE COACHES' CORNER
Ron Turner, ILLINOIS - (34-51 in his eighth year at Illinois, 41-55 overall, 19-38
in the Big Ten). Turner's 34 wins at Illinois ranks fourth on the all-time coaching list. Turner is 2-3
vs. the Badgers during his tenure at Illinois (Wisconsin was off the schedule in 1999 and 2000.)
The Illini have won two of the last three meetings with victories coming in Champaign during the
Big Ten Championship season in 2001 and in Madison in 2002. Illinois' three losses in the Turner
era came in 1997, 1998 and 2003.
Turner earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 2001 after leading Illinois to the Big Ten
championship and a trip to the Nokia Sugar Bowl and its first 10-win season since 1989. The
league title was the Illini's first since 1990.
Turner has served as quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator or head coach since 1981.
During that time he coached quarterbacks such as Jeff Garcia, Erik Kramer, Jim Harbaugh, Sean
Salisbury, Rodney Peete and Kurt Kittner.
Turner led the Illini to an 8-4 record and a 63-21 thumping of Virginia in the Micronpc.com
Bowl in 1999. For his efforts, Turner finished fourth in the Associated Press Coach of the Year vot-ing.
Turner came to Illinois after a four-year stint as the offensive coordinator for the Chicago
Bears (1993-96). In 1992, he was the head coach for San Jose State where he turned in a 7-4
record and a second-place finish in the Big West Conference. Turner served as an assistant at
Stanford, Texas A&M, Southern California, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Arizona, working mainly
with quarterbacks and receivers during his 20+ years in college coaching.
BARRY ALVAREZ, WIS. - (103-67-4 in his 15th season at Wisconsin and as a head
coach at the collegiate level) Alvarez is in his 15th season at Wisconsin and has led the Badgers to
three Big Ten Championships and nine bowl appearances. He has coached the four winningest
teams in the modern era of Wisconsin football. Alvarez is 6-5-1 against Illinois during his tenure
at Wisconsin.
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois leads the all-time series 35-30-7 entering this weekend's contest at Camp Randall
Stadium. The series is deadlocked at 16-16-4 in Madison.
Illinois has won two of the last three meetings, 42-35 at Memorial Stadium in 2001 and 37-20
at Madison last season. After the Illini won 11 of 12 meetings from 1981-1992, the Badgers went 6-
2-1 in the series up to the present.
ILLINOIS/WISCONSIN - THE LAST TIME OUT
9/27/03 -- CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The return of Illinois' star fullback, Carey Davis, was not enough to lift the Illini past Wisconsin, as the Fighting Illini opened the Big Ten season at Memorial Stadium with a 38-20 loss to the Badgers. Davis, who missed the first three games of the season with a staph infection, was limited to five touches, rushing twice for 23 yards, catching two passes for seven yards and returning one kick for 12 yards.
Trailing 21-0 in the second quarter, the Illini fought back, closing to 21-10 at halftime on a John Gockman field goal followed by an E.B. Halsey 4-yard TD pass from quarterback Jon Beutjer, who finished the day 23-of-41 for 207 yards and one TD. Halsey added another touchdown, a 4-yard run with 5:14 left in the third quarter. The score was Halsey's first rushing touchdown of his career. The freshman compiled 211 all purpose yards, including a 66-yard kickoff return that led to Gockman's second quarter field goal. Gockman added a 47-yarder in the third quarter. Halsey's performance was not enough as the Badgers ran 63 times for 307 yards and five TDs.
