Nov. 10, 2014
Beckman Press Conference: Video | Quotes
Monday Interviews: OC Cubit | QB Lunt | WR Dudek | DB Petty
IOWA GAME PROMOTIONS // Dads Day & Military Appreciation Day
• Dads Day - Annual Dads Association Weekend on campus Nov. 14-16
• Military Appreciation Day - In honor of Veterans Day, veterans and current military will be honored
• Illini Walk - 8:30 am starting at First and Kirby through Street Fest area
• Illini Street Fest - 8:30-11 am on First St. west of Memorial Stadium (Free admission, live music & food vendors)
• 90s Daughter Concert - Live performance at Street Fest
• $20 Horseshoe Tickets -A limited number of horseshoe tickets (south end zone) are available for $20 each
• $10 Student Tickets - University of Illinois students can purchase special $10 tickets (Reg. $40)
QUICK HITS
•The Fighting Illini (4-5 overall, 1-4 B1G West) return to action after an open week to host the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-2 B1G West) at 11 am CT on BTN. It will be the teams' first meeting since 2008, a 27-24 Illini win at Memorial Stadium.
•QB Wes Lunt is expected to return to action against Iowa after missing the last three games with a fractured fibula. At the time of his injury, Lunt ranked in the top 20 in the nation in completions per game (25.4, 10th), passing yards per game (313.8, 14th), passing touchdowns (13, 17th), passing yards (1,569, 18th), completion percentage (66.5, 20th) and passing efficiency (154.8, 20th), and was tied for fourth in FBS with 14 passing plays of 30+ yards.
•Freshman WR Mike Dudek has 707 receiving yards on 45 catches this season, breaking the Illinois record for receiving yards by a freshman (Arrelious Benn, 676 yards, 2007). Dudek broke Benn's mark with a 56-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter at Ohio State on Nov. 1.
•With his 12-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown against Minnesota, junior V'Angelo Bentley became the first Illinois player in school history to record a kick return, punt return, interception return and fumble return for TD in his career. His game-changing play gave the Illini a 28-24 lead with 6:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. See page four for more on Bentley's return prowess.
•Bentley ranks fifth in the nation and leads the Big Ten in combined kick return yards with 710 on 38 returns (26 KR for 587, 12 PR for 123). His punt return average (10.3 ypr) ranks 25th nationally.
•The Illini defense has scored three times this season, which ranks 14th in FBS and is tied with Ohio State for the Big Ten lead. V'Angelo Bentley has both a fumble return and an interception return for touchdown this season, and Taylor Barton also has a pick-six.
•Senior STAR Earnest Thomas III forced his seventh career fumble against Minnesota on Noct. 25, moving him into a tie for fourth place on UI's career fumbles forced list. The top four players on the list are all All-Americans: Simeon Rice 13, Whitney Mercilus 11, Dana Howard 8 and Kevin Hardy 7.
•Junior LB Mason Monheim is tied for the Big Ten lead and ranks 16th in FBS with three forced fumbles. Monheim has six career forced fumbles, which is tied for sixth on the UI career list, right behind Thomas III.
•Junior RB Josh Ferguson is one of only seven FBS players with over 500 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards on the season.
•Ferguson is one of only two active FBS players with more than 1,500 career rushing yards (1,695) and 1,000 receiving yards (1,106). Arizona State's D.J. Foster (1,815 rush yds / 1,648 rec. yards) is the other.
•Senior punter Justin DuVernois leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the nation in punting average (45.7 ypp), putting him on pace to break Steve Weatherford's single-season record of 45.4.
•As a team, the Illini lead the Big Ten and rank ninth in the nation in net punting average (41.21 ypp).
•Illinois has faced the 16th-toughest schedule in the nation thus far, with opponents posting a 37-21 record vs. FBS foes (.617).
IOWA SERIES NOTES
•Saturday's game between Illinois and Iowa will be the 70th meeting between the two schools, but just the first since 2008. The Fighting Illini pulled out that game, 27-24, behind a 46-yard field goal by Matt Eller with 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
•That 2008 Illinois victory snapped a five-game skid against the Hawkeyes and Iowa has won seven of the last 10 meetings in the series, dating back to 1997. Iowa also is 3-2 in the last five meetings in Champaign.
•This will be Illinois coach Tim Beckman's first time coaching against Iowa and his first head-to-head meeting with Hawkeye leader Kirk Ferentz.
•There is one connection among the teams' assistant coaches, as Illini defensive line coach Greg Colby and Hawkeye defensive coordinator Phil Parker served on the Michigan State coaching staff in 1987 that led the Spartans to the Big Ten title that season and the 1988 Rose Bowl.
•Hawkeye receivers coach Bobby Kennedy also served as a graduate assistant at Illinois under John Mackovic in 1991 and Lou Tepper in 1992, helping the Illini to the 1991 John Hancock Bowl and 1992 Holiday Bowl.
ILLINI BYE WEEK FACTS
•The Fighting Illini are coming off an open weekend heading into the Iowa game. It's the second of two byes for Illinois this season (the other was the weekend of Oct. 18), marking just the fifth time in school history Illinois has more than one open week in a season. The only other times were in 1989, 2009, 2010 and 2013.
•Following the first bye this season, the Illini defeated Minnesota, 28-24, marking their second-straight win after an open week. But last season's win over Miami (Ohio) snapped a 10-game post-bye week losing streak, meaning Illinois has dropped 11 of its last 13 games following a bye. Prior to the Miami victory, the last Illini win after a bye was on Oct. 26, 2002, over Indiana.
•Illinois has played 35 games after a bye in the modern era (since 1985, when bye weeks became commonplace) and is 13-22 in those contests.
FOURTH-QUARTER MAGIC
•Trailing 24-21 after three quarters on Oct. 25, Illinois mounted its fourth fourth-quarter comeback this season to defeat Minnesota, surpassing the 1992 and 2001 seasons when the Illini had three fourth-quarter comeback wins. Illinois overcame a 9-7 deficit against Youngstown State in its season opener and won 28-17; then beat Western Kentucky 42-34 after trailing 27-21 entering the fourth quarter; UI also trailed 28-25 entering the final quarter against Texas State before winning 42-35.
•Illinois has had 10 comeback wins since 2001 when trailing after three quarters. Four of those 10 came in the first eight games this season.
| Illinois Fourth Quarter Comebacks (since 2001) |
|---|
| Date | Opponent | Trailed (entering 4th) | Final Score | QB |
| 10/25/2014 | Minnesota | 21-24 | 28-24 | O'Toole |
| 9/20/2014 | Texas State | 25-28 | 42-35 | Lunt |
| 9/6/2014 | Western Kentucky | 27-21 | 42-34 | Lunt |
| 8/30/2014 | Youngstown State | 9-7 | 28-17 | Lunt |
| 10/1/2011 | Northwestern | 28-17 | 38-35 | Scheelhaase |
| 9/3/2005 | Rutgers | 27-10 | 33-30 (OT) | Brasic |
| 11/6/2004 | Indiana | 22-14 | 26-22 | Beutjer |
| 11/17/2001 | at Ohio State | 22-21 | 34-22 | Kittner |
| 11/10/2001 | Penn State | 21-14 | 33-28 | Kittner |
| 9/8/2001 | Northern Illinois | 6-3 | 17-12 | Kittner |
LUNT EXPECTED TO RETURN VS. HAWKEYES
•Junior QB Wes Lunt is expected to return to action this week after missing the last three games with a fractured fibula suffered against Purdue on Oct. 4. At the time of his injury, Lunt ranked in the top 20 in the nation in completions per game (25.4, 10th), passing yards per game (313.8, 14th), passing touchdowns (13, 17th), passing yards (1,569, 18th), completion percentage (66.5, 20th) and passing efficiency (154.8, 20th), and was tied for fourth in FBS with 14 passing plays of 30+ yards.
•Lunt started his Illini career in impressive fashion, recording the best debut as well as the best first two- three- and four-game starts in an Illini signal-caller's first season in school history. In five games before his leg fracture, Lunt completed 127-of-191 passes (66.5%) for 1,569 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions, and was leading the Big Ten in passing yards per game (313.8).
•Lunt has shown big-play ability for the Illini, completing 14 passes of 30+ yards in five games (2.8 per game), which leads the nation on a per game basis. His 14 30+-yard plays have gone to five different receivers (Dudek 6, Allison 4, Ferguson 2, Hardee 1, LaCosse 1).
•Lunt has been at his best in the fourth quarter, completing 31-of-38 passes for 417 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. He ranks second in FBS in fourth-quarter efficiency (217.18) and leads FBS in completion percentage (81.6) (min. 30 att.). He has led the Fighting Illini to three fourth-quarter comeback wins this season.
DUDEK DOES A BIT OF EVERYTHING
Freshman receiver Mike Dudek has burst onto the scene in 2014, as the newcomer from Naperville, Illinois, has posted a team-high 45 catches for 707 yards and three touchdowns.
•He ranks 38th in FBS in receiving yards per game and fourth among freshmen receivers (third among true-freshmen). He ranks fourth in the Big Ten in receiving yards, receiving yards per game (78.6) and fifth in receptions per game (5.0). He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after grabbing four passes for 55 yards and a touchdown against Western Kentucky.
•Dudek broke Arrelious Benn's school record for receiving yards by a freshman (676 in 2007) with his 56-yard first-quarter catch at Ohio State on Nov. 1. He needs 10 more receptions to break Benn's record in that category and four more receiving TDs would break David Williams' freshman TD receptions record of six from 1983.
•Dudek posted one of the top receiving performances in school history against Purdue on Oct. 4, racking up 200 yards on eight catches to become only the fourth Illini to total 200 or more receiving yards in a game.
•Dudek ranks 10th among all FBS players in scrimmage plays of 20-plus yards with 16 and leads all Illini non-quarterbacks in 20-plus yard plays.
•Dudek ranks fourth on the Illini with 30 first downs. Seventeen of those have come on second and third down, as he has grabbed 25-of-39 (64.1 percent) passes thrown his direction on those two downs. Ten of his 12 third-down catches have converted a first down.
•Dudek also ranks sixth in the nation with 269 fourth-quarter receiving yards and is 12th with 453 yards on 28 catches in the second half and overtime. Dudek's 21 first downs after halftime rank fifth nationally, and his 13 plays of 15-plus yards in the second half and OT rank second. Dudek's 12 first downs in the fourth quarter rank fourth nationally and his eight plays of 15-plus yards in the fourth quarter are tied for the lead among all FBS players.
BENTLEY IN GOOD COMPANY WITH THE "GALLOPING GHOST"
•After his game-winning 12-yard fumble return for touchdown against Minnesota and his 45-yard interception return for a touchdown earlier this season against Texas State, V'Angelo Bentley became the only player in Illinois history to record a kickoff return, punt return, interception return and fumble return for touchdown in his career. Football legend Harold "Red" Grange is the only other Illini player with kickoff, punt and interception returns for TDs, but he never returned a fumble for a score. While Grange's offensive and return exploits are well-known, he also took an interception back 90 yards for a score against Northwestern on Oct. 27, 1923. Bentley returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Southern Illinois on Aug. 31, 2013, and notched a 67-yard punt return for touchdown against Ohio State on Nov. 16, 2013.
Bentley Return TDs (4)
KR 100 yards vs. Southern Illinois 8/31/2013
PR 67 yards vs. Ohio State 11/16/2013
INT 45 yards vs. Texas State 9/20/2014
FR 12 yards vs. Minnesota 10/25/2014
Grange Return TDs (6)
KR 95 yards vs. Michigan 10/18/1924
KR 83 yards at Iowa 10/17/1925
PR 70 yards vs. Butler 10/10/1925
PR 66 yards vs. Nebraska 10/6/1923
PR 35 yards vs. Northwestern 10/27/1923 (*returned a blocked punt for TD)
INT 90 yards vs. Northwestern 10/27/1923
•Bentley has shown why he's a candidate for the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the most versatile player in major college football. Bentley is averaging 22.6 yards on 26 kick returns, 12.2 yards on 12 punt returns and has tallied 39 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, a pick-six, a PBU and two fumble recoveries. He is fifth in the nation in combined kick return yardage with 710 kick and punt return yards.
DUVERNOIS BOOTING HIS WAY INTO ILLINI RECORD BOOK
•Senior punter Justin DuVernois is having a career year, holding a 45.7 yard-per-punt average through nine games, which ranks sixth nationally and leads the Big Ten. DuVernois' season average of 45.7 currently stands as the best punting season in school history, besting record-holder Steve Weatherford's 2004 campaign by 0.3 yards, and he is tied with Steve Fitts for second on the career punting list at 41.7 ypp.
•For the season, DuVernois has 16 punts over 50 yards, including five over 60 yards and a long of 74. He also has had 12 punts downed inside the 20, including seven inside the opponent's 10 yard line.
•The Plantation, Florida, native was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 27 after averaging 48.7 ypp on nine punts against Minnesota, helping Illinois win the field-position battle. He had a pair of 61-yard boots, pinned Minnesota inside its 20 four times and inside its 10 twice.
•DuVernois booted a career-long 74-yard punt in the first quarter at Nebraska, besting his previous long of 72 against Western Michigan on Sept. 1, 2012. He also had a 72-yard punt at Wisconsin on Oct. 11, pinning the Badgers at their own one yard-line. Sixteen of his 51 punts this season have been over 50 yards.
•DuVernois had a career day against at Washington, booting seven punts with an average of 51.7 yards per kick, the fifth-best single-game average in UI history. He had three punts over 50 yards, a long of 60 and one downed inside the 10-yard line, which set up an Illinois safety.
•DuVernois currently ranks second on Illinois history in career punting average (41.7 ypp), third in career punting yards (9,515) and fourth in career punts (228).
ILLINI FACE TOUGH SLATE IN 2014
Illinois has faced a formidable schedule thus far in 2014, as its slate is currently ranked as the 16th-toughest among FBS institutions, third-most difficult in the Big Ten. The Illini schedule includes three opponents currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 - all three of which Ilinois played on the road in the first eight weeks of the season. Illinois visited No. 11 Nebraska on Sept. 27, No. 22 Wisconsin on Oct. 11 and No. 8 Ohio State on Nov. 1.
UNI-WATCH
Thanks to the Nike rebranding process, the Fighting Illini have all new uniforms for 2014. Illinois wore white helmets for the first time in school history in the season-opener against Youngstown State, going with a white-orange-white combination of helmet, jersey and pants. Then at Washington on Sept. 13, the Illini wore all white uniforms (helmet, jersey, pants) for the first time in school history. On Oct. 25, the "Gray Ghost" alternate uniforms were worn for the first time ever. In all, Illinois has worn seven different combinations in nine games this season. Below is a chart of what uniform combination for each game this season along with their record in that combination:
| Illini Uniform Combos |
|---|
| Opponent | Result | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Rec in Combo |
| Youngstown State | W, 28-17 | White | Orange | White | 1-0 |
| Western Kentucky | W, 42-34 | White | Orange | White | 2-0 |
| @Washington | L, 19-44 | White | White | White | 0-1 |
| Texas State | W, 42-35 | White | Orange | White | 3-0 |
| @Nebraska | L, 14-45 | Orange | White | Orange | 0-1 |
| Purdue | L, 27-38 | Orange | Orange | Orange | 0-1 |
| Wisconsin | L, 28-38 | Blue | White | White | 0-1 |
| Minnesota | W, 28-24 | White/Chrome | Gray | Gray | 1-0 |
| Ohio State | L, 14-55 | Orange | White | White | 0-1 |
» Complete Illinois-Iowa Game Notes (PDF)
