Football Media Center: Illinois vs. Indiana
October 22, 2010 | Football
Oct. 22, 2010
GAME 7: Indiana (4-2, 0-2) at Illinois (3-3, 1-2)
Oct. 23, 2010 // 11 a.m. CT kickoff // Big Ten NetworkChampaign, Ill. // Memorial Stadium (62,870)
GAMEDAY COVERAGE:
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TELEVISION BROADCAST
The Illinois/Indiana game will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network with an air time of 11 a.m. CT. Tom Hart (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (color analyst) and Lisa Byington (sideline) will call the action with Bryan Carter producing and Tom Huet directing. Big Ten Network Channel Finder
RADIO BROADCAST
The 41-station Illini Sports Network will carry the radio broadcast with the pregame show beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT. Calling the action will be Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Kurt Kittner (color analyst) and Steve Kelly (pregame, halftime and postgame). The broadcast also can be heard on SIRIUS (127) & XM (198) satellite radio.
TICKET INFORMATION
A limited number of tickets are available for Saturday's Homecoming game against Indiana. Tickets can be purchased at the UI Athletic Ticket Office at Assembly Hall, by calling 1-866-ILLINI-1 or online at fightingillini.com. BUY TICKETS
THE OPENING KICK
• The Fighting Illini will help celebrate the university's 100th anniversary of Homecoming on Saturday when Indiana comes to Memorial Stadium. Illinois is looking to bounce back from a 26-6 loss at #13/11 Michigan State last week.
• The Illinois defense has made big strides this year under new defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. Illinois currently ranks 20th nationally in total defense (303.0 ypg), 23rd in rushing yards allowed (113.0 ypg), 24th in points allowed (18.5ppg). At the end of last season, the Orange and Blue ranked 91st in total defense (403.3 ypg), 76th in rushing defense (154.4 ypg) and 96th in scoring defense (30.2 ppg).
• While Illinois' record is 3-3 heading into this weekend's game, the Illini have faced the second-toughest schedule in the nation thus far according to the official NCAA schedule strength rankings. Illinois' opponents have a combined record of 26-7 this season vs. Division I opponents (not counting their game vs. Illinois). Only Iowa State has played a tougher slate so far (29-7 combined opponent record).
• Illinois' three losses this season (Missouri, Ohio State and Michigan State) have a combined record of 19-1 and all are currently ranked in the top-11 of the Oct. 17 BCS standings.
• The Fighting Illini have yet to allow more than 26 points in a game this season despite facing the nation's second-toughest schedule. Illinois held the high-powered offenses of Missouri (23) and Michigan State (26) to season-low point totals and held an Ohio State offense averaging 49.3 points per game to 24 points.
• Illinois' defense has held its opposition to under 100 yards rushing four times in six games this season (98 vs. Missouri, 46 vs. SIU, 65 vs. Penn St. and 93 vs. Michigan St.) and seven times in the last two seasons. Through six games, the Illini are allowing just 113.0 ypg on the ground, which ranks 23rd in the nation.
• Illinois ranks fourth in the nation in red zone scoring percentage, picking up points on 18 of its 19 trips inside the 20 this season (95 percent). The Illini have nine touchdowns and nine field goals in the red zone so far this season. The only time the Illini didn't convert a red zone trip into points was when the second half clock ran out at Michigan State.
• Conversely, the Illini defense ranks fifth in the nation in red zone touchdown percentage defense. The Orange and Blue have allowed just eight touchdowns on 23 opponent trips inside the 20 (34.8 percent).
• Doak Walker Award candidate Mikel Leshoure has topped the 100-yard mark in four games this season and in seven of Illinois' last 12 games dating back to last season. So far this season, Leshoure ranks third in the Big Ten and 14th in the nation in rushing with 113.3 ypg.
• Ray Guy Award and Campbell Award candidate Anthony Santella ranks fourth in the nation with an average of 46.7 yards on 28 punts. As a team, Illinois ranks fifth in the nation in net punting (41.14 ypk).
• Butkus Award candidate Martez Wilson leads Illinois and ranks in the top-10 in the Big Ten in tackles (8.7 tpg) and sacks (2.0). Wilson has led the Illini in tackles in three of the last four games, posting 11 stops against Northern Illinois, nine against Ohio State and 12 in the win at Penn State.
• With Illinois' win at Penn State on Oct. 9, Illini coach Ron Zook became just the sixth coach ever to defeat both Penn State's Joe Paterno and Florida State's Bobby Bowden on the road. Zook defeated Bowden's Seminoles in 2004 while coaching at Florida. He joins Larry Coker (Miami), Foge Fazio (Pitt), Dennis Erickson (Miami), Tom O'Brien (Boston College) and Howard Schnellenberger (Miami) as the only coaches to defeat the two winningest coaches in college football history on the road. (source Stats, Inc.)
 Ilinois is celebrating its 100th Homecoming anniversary this weekend  |
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ILLINOIS 100TH ANNIVERSARY HOMECOMING FACTS
• The first homecoming celebrated on Illinois' campus was on Oct. 15, 1910, which the Illini won 3-0 over Chicago, meaning this year's Homecoming vs. Indiana marks the 100th anniversary of that historic first. It is also the 100th Homecoming game in school history due to a flu pandemic canceling the 1918 game.
• Illinois has an all-time record of 42-55-2 in Homecoming games. This year will mark the fifth time the Illini have hosted Indiana on Homecoming. Illinois holds a 3-2 a Homecoming advantage against the Hoosiers, with the most recent Homecoming meeting being a 34-32 Hoosier victory in 2006.
• The University of Illinois boasts being one of the first universities to celebrate Homecoming, a tradition on almost every college campus. It was conceived in 1909 by students C.F. Williams and W. Elmer Ekblaw, members of the Shield and Trident senior society. They joined with another society, Phoenix, to organize the three-day event.
• For years, there has been a debate over which university had the first homecoming. Historians from various schools found research that puts Illinois among one of the first five universities to celebrate the Homecoming tradition. Baylor has documented proof of a formally named Homecoming celebration in 1909, but then took a six-year hiatus before celebrating the second event at the school in 1915. Northern Illinois had alumni events beginning in 1906, but didn't use the proper noun "Homecoming" until 1911. Indiana University renamed their 1909 Gala Day, Homecoming on Nov. 5, 1910, and Michigan began inviting alumni back to campus in 1897, but the formal name began on the Ann Arbor campus in 1916.
• For more information about Illinois' 2010 Homecoming, visit http://www.uiaa.org/illinois/homecoming/index.html
