GAMEDAY TIMELINE
• Tailgating at Grange Grove » 7-11 am (games, food trucks, beer tent and live music)
• Illini Walk » 8:20 am (Ikenberry Commons to First Street, then through Grange Grove)
• Senior Day » 24 Fighting Illini seniors will be honored on the field prior to the game (approx 10:35 am)
OPENING KICK
• Final Home Game: The Fighting Illini return to Memorial Stadium for the final time this season to face the Iowa Hawkeyes (11 am CT on BTN).
• Senior Day: Saturday's game will mark the final home game for 24 Illini seniors. Rob Bain, Taylor Barton, Man Berg, Connor Brennan, Dillan Cazley, Chunky Clements, Andrew Davis, Ryan Frain, Zach Grant, Justin Hardee, Ainslie Johnson, Wes Lunt, Michael Martin, Darius Mosely, Hardy Nickerson, Carroll Phillips, Gimel President, David Reisner, Austin Schmidt, Dawuane Smoot, Joe Spencer, Mike Svetina, D.J. Taylor and Tyler White will be recognized on the field at Memorial Stadium prior to the game.
• Phillips in the Backfield: Senior DE Carroll Phillips is having a monster year, leading the Big Ten in both TFLs (17.0) and sacks (8.0), ranking fourth and 22nd in FBS, respectively. Phillip has had at least one TFL in nine of 10 games this season and has one sack in four straight games. He's on pace to crack the Illini single-season top-10 list in both categories.
• TFL U: As a team the Illini defense has been making plays in the backfield often in 2016.
» Illinois ranks sixth in the nation and third in the Big Ten in TFLs per game (8.2)
» Senior DE Carroll Phillips is averaging 1.7 TFLs per game, fourth-most in FBS and most in the Big Ten.
» Senior DE Dawuane Smoot paces the B1G during conference play, averaging 1.5 TFLs per game
» Phillips (17.0) and Smoot (12.5) have combined for 29.5 TFLs, the second-most of any duo in FBS behind only Virginia Tech's Baron (16.0) & Edmunds (15.0).
• Fourth Down 'D': A stop on fourth-and-3 in the final seconds sealed the win over Michigan State. That's something the Illini defense has excelled at all season, as opponents have converted just five of 13 fourth-down attempts (.385), 25th-best in FBS.
• Declining Penalties: The Illini have cut down on penalties as of late, an issue that plagued the team early in the season. Through five games, Illinois averaged 9.2 penalties/game and 75.0 penalty yards/game, ranking last in the Big Ten in both categories. In the last four games, they're averaging just 4.2 penalties/game and 38.8 penalty yards/game. In the last three games, those numbers are down to just 3.3 and 29.7, respectively.
• Tackling Machine: Graduate transfer LB Hardy Nickerson is averaging 9.2 tackles/game to rank third in the Big Ten. He has 338 career tackles (246 at Cal, 92 at Illinois), fifth-most among active FBS players. No active Power-5 player has more career tackles than Nickerson.
• Smoot Point: Senior DE Dawuane Smoot has come on strong in conference play, averaging 1.5 TFLs per game to lead the Big Ten during league play. He is currently eighth in Illinois history with 36.0 career TFLs.
• Jaylen Island: Junior CB Jaylen Dunlap had four PBUs in the win over Michigan State, tied for the fifth-most in a game in program history and the most by an Illini since 2002. He has eight PBUs in the last three games (4 vs. MSU, 3 vs. MINN, 1 at WIS) and has 10 for the season, tied for 16th in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten.
• Big Play Run Game: Illinois has five runs of 50+ yards this season, tied for 10th-most in the nation. Kendrick Foster had a pair of 56-yard TD runs against Murray State and added a 64-yard TD run against Michigan State, Ke'Shawn Vaughn had a 65-yard TD scamper vs. North Carolina and Reggie Corbin busted a 53-yard run at Rutgers.
• Dual Threat: Junior RB Kendrick Foster (671 rush, 524 KOR) is the only player in the nation with at least 600 rushing yards and 500 kick return yards. Foster ranks fourth in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards (124.5 ypg).
• Fresh Start: Illinois has had 27 first-time starters this season, the most in the nation, just ahead of Missouri (26). Included in that number are 12 freshmen (four true-freshmen and eight redshirt-freshmen).
THE ILLINOIS-IOWA SERIES
• Saturday will be the 72nd meeting between the Illini and Hawkeyes in a series that dates back to 1899.
• Illinois leads the all-time series against Iowa, 38-31-2.
• Illinois is 20-13 all-time against Iowa in Champaign.
• Iowa has won seven of the last 10 meetings against Illinois.
• The Illini lost at Iowa, 29-20, last season as the Hawkeyes held off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt by Illinois. Geronimo Allison caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from Wes Lunt, who threw for 317 yards, to cut Iowa's lead to 23-20 with 10:13 left in the fourth quarter. Jordan Canzeri rushed for 256 yards on 43 carries to lead Iowa.
• The Illini's last win in the series was a 27-24 victory in Champaign on Nov. 1, 2008. Matt Eller kicked a 46-yard field goal with 24 seconds left and Illinois withstood Iowa's fourth-quarter comeback. Illinois sacked Ricky Stanzi six times, scoring a touchdown on one of them when defensive back Dere Hicks forced a fumble, scooped up the ball and ran in for 24-9 lead in the third quarter. The 2008 win snapped Iowa's five-game winning streak vs. Illinois, the longest by the Hawkeyes in the series.
IOWA CONNECTIONS
• Iowa wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy got his start in college coaching as a graduate assistant at Illinois from 1990-91.
• Illinois TE Andrew Davis is a native of Marion, Iowa, and attended Iowa Western Community College. He is the only Iowa native on Illinois' roster.
• Iowa has 16 Illinois natives on its roster.
HIGHLIGHTS AGAINST THE HAWKEYES
• Dike Eddleman's 88-yard punt against Iowa on Nov. 6, 1948 is the longest in Illinois history.
• Most indvidual receiving yards vs. Iowa (since 1945): 190 Rex Smith (1952), 148 Geronimo Allison (2015), 144 John Wright, Sr. (1967)
• Most individual rushing yards vs. Iowa (since 1945): 178 Jack Pierce (1945), 174 John Karras (1949), 157 Robert Holcombe (1997)
• Most individual passing yards vs. Iowa (since 1945): 358 Jason Verduzco (1990), 317 Wes Lunt (2015), 306 Tom O'Connell (1952)
• Last 100-yard receiving game vs. Iowa: Geronimo Allison, 148, 10/10/2015
• Last 100-yard rushing game vs. Iowa: Pierre Thomas, 100, 10/1/2005
• Last 300-yard passing game vs. Iowa: Wes Lunt, 317, 10/10/2015
TOUGH ROAD
• The Illini have played the 20th-toughest schedule in the nation based on winning percentage vs. FBS teams (.587).
• Illinois' nine FBS opponents are combined 57-33 this season – Western Michigan (10-0), Michigan (9-1), Wisconsin (8-2), Nebraska (8-2), Minnesota (7-3), North Carolina (7-3), Purdue (3-7), Michigan State (3-7) and Rutgers (2-8). When projecting out future games, the Illini schedule ranks as the 11th-toughest in the nation according to NCAA stats.
• Four Illinois opponents are ranked in the latest AP Top 25 (Nov. 13) – No. 4 Michigan, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 14 Western Michigan and No. 19 Nebraska, plus North Carolina comes in just outside the poll at No. 27.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
• Illinois has had 27 first-time starters this season, the most in the nation, just ahead of Missouri (26). Included in that number are 12 freshmen (four true-freshmen and eight redshirt-freshmen).
• Freshmen accounted for 34 tackles in the win over Michigan State (Nelson 9, Harding 7, Green 6, Sumpter 6, Watkins 5, Milan 1).
• On Oct. 29 vs. Minnesota, six Illini freshmen started on defense – true-freshmen S Stanley Green, LB Jake Hansen and DT Kenyon Jackson along with RS freshmen DT Jamal Milan, S Patrick Nelson and CB Frank Sumpter. Last week at Wisconsin, four freshmen started on defense – Green, Jackson, Nelson and CB Cameron Watkins.
• As the season has progressed, several new faces have seen their playing time and production increase, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
» RS freshman CB Cameron Watkins is the latest frosh to crack the starting lineup. He got his first start at Wisconsin on Nov. 12 and responded with a career-high seven tackles and one PBU.
» RS freshman SS Patrick Nelson played only on special teams the first two games, making zero tackles. In the last seven games, he's racked up 74 tackles at safety, making six starts. He ranks fifth in the Big Ten in tackles during conference games (9.7 tpg)
» True-freshman Stanley Green did not play in the first two games before seeing action on special teams in games three and four. In week five against Purdue, he saw his first action at safety and made three tackles. He has started the last five games, making 42 tackles and forcing three fumbles in those games.
» RS freshman CB Frank Sumpter started two straight games (Minnesota and Michigan State) before missing the Wisconsin game due to injury. In those two starts, Sumpter made seven tackles. He did not see extended action on defense until game seven at Michigan.
» A pair of freshmen have seen increasing snaps the senior-laden defensive line. After playing sparingly in the first two games, RS freshman DT Jamal Milan has come on to make four starts, 19 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, two forced fumbles, two hurries and one sack in his last five games (missed Purdue & Wisconsin games due to injuries). Meanwhile, true-freshman DT Kenyon Jackson has made 16 of his 18 tackles during Big Ten play and has made five starts.
» RS freshman RB Reggie Corbin had seven carries for 71 yards in the first three games before breaking out for 52 carries for 371 yards the last seven games.
» True-freshman LB Jake Hansen made his first career-start in game eight against Minnesota. He played only on special teams prior to that start.
SMOOT, SO HOT RIGHT NOW
• Senior DE Dawuane Smoot has been stuffing the stat sheet as of late, leading the Big Ten in TFLs during conference play (10.5 total / 1.5 per game). For the season, he has 48 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, seven hurries, two forced fumbles and one safety, wreaking even more havoc than the stats indicate.
• Smoot currently sits in eighth place on Illinois career TFLs list with 36.0.
• In the Nov. 5 win over Michigan State, Smoot played a key role in the final fourth down stop to seal the victory, getting deep penetration to force MSU QB Damion Terry to scramble where Carroll Phillips was waiting to make the game-clinching sack.
• Smoot had his best game of the year at Rutgers on Oct. 22, making five tackles and adding three TFLs, one sack, one forced fumble and two QB hurries performance in the win.
• When Smoot tackled UNC RB Elijah Hood in the end zone for a safety on Sept. 10, it marked the Illini's first safety since Sept. 13, 2014, at Washington.
• The preseason hype for Smoot was large. In addition to being named to three preseason watch lists (Bednarik, Hendricks, Lombardi), Smoot also was named a preseason All-American, the 20th-best college football player in the country and is a projected first round draft pick by Pro Football Focus. Phil Steele, Athlon and Lindy's all named him to their preseason All-Big Ten teams.
• Smoot had a breakout year in 2015, racking up 15.0 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks while earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors.
• For his career, Smoot has racked up 36.0 TFLs, 14.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles.
GRAD TRANSFERS MAKING BIG IMPACT
Both of Illinois' graduate transfers have made a huge impact for the Fighting Illini defense.
• Cal transfer LB Hardy Nickerson is averaging 9.2 tackles per game to rank third in the Big Ten and 27th nationally. He has added 5.5 TFLs, fifth-most on the team, a team-high two interceptions and 2.0 sacks.
• Auburn transfer DE Gimel President has 8.5 TFLs to rank third on the team and 18th in the Big Ten. He also has 34 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, two QB hurries and one PBU on the season.
HE'S LUNT, HE'S LUNT, HE'S LUNT, HE'S IN MY HEAD
• The Return: Senior QB Wes Lunt returned from an injury at Wisconsin on Nov. 12. He had been out since the first half of the Purdue game on Oct. 8, missing four full games before coming in on the final play of the first half in Madison and playing the entire second half.
• Streak Snapped: When Lunt missed the Rutgers game on Oct. 15 with an injury, it snapped a streak of 17 consecutive starts. He missed four total games due to the injury (RUT, MICH, MINN, MSU), before returning at Wisconsin.
• Throwing Strikes: QB Wes Lunt is one of the most accurate passers in the nation during his time with the Illini.
» Now in his third season starting at Illinois, Lunt has thrown 34 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions on 859 attempts (85.9 att/int).
» Lunt's interception percentage (1.16 percent) at Illinois is the second-lowest in FBS since 2014 behind only Northern Illinois' Drew Hare (0.93 percent)
» With one interception on 137 pass attempts in 2016, Lunt is one of two players in the nation with at least 125 attempts and 1 or less INT (the other is Western Michigan's Zach Terrell with 1 INT on 256 att.)
• Lunt's Legacy: QB Wes Lunt ranks in the top 10 on several UI career lists:
» 5,386 passing yds – 7th (1,645 behind Tony Eason for 6th)
» 503 completions – 7th (58 behind Tony Eason for 6th)
» 122.0 passing efficiency – 9th (just behind Reilly O'Toole's 122.1 for 8th)
» 34 passing touchdowns – 9th (1 behind Johnny Johnson for 8th & 4 behind Tony Eason for 7th)
» 5,115 yards of total offense – 9th (43 behind John Beutjer for 8th)
• Lunt was named to four preseason watch lists heading into 2016 – Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Unitas Golden Arm and Manning Award.
TARGET TURNER
• Junior WR Malik Turner returned to action at Wisconsin after missing the Michigan State game with an injury. He caught one pass for 12 yards versus the Badgers and has at least one catch in 25 of his last 26 games.
• Turner is the No. 1 target in the passing game, leading all Illini receivers with 36 catches for 535 yards (14.9 ypc) and four TDs. He has nearly three times more receiving yards than any other Illini (Hardee 183 yards).
• Always a deep threat, Turner has three catches of 40+ yards this season – a career-long 68-yard catch against Murray State and two 43-yard snares at Michigan.
• Turner went over 100 yards for the third time in his career Oct. 8 vs. Purdue (CH 129 yards on nine receptions).
• Turner's high school coach, Ken Leonard (Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin), is the father of senior QB Wes Lunt's high school football coach, Derek Leonard (Rochester HS).
NO AVERAGE JOE
• Senior OL Joe Spencer continues to be a model student-athlete both on and off the field, as evidenced by being a semifinalist for the Campbell Award (top student-athlete in the nation) and on the preseason watch lists for the Rimington Award (top center in the country) and Wuerffel Trophy (an award recognizing community service).
» On the field, Spencer has been an anchor of the offensive line for the past three years, making 35 career starts, and is regarded as a team leader by his teammates. He sat out the Murray State game due to injury, but returned to start at center against North Carolina, even picking up a fumble and advancing it 14 yards to nearly gain a key first down.
» Off the field, he's been even more valuable, serving as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Illinois Uplifting Athletes chapter, which raises money for rare disease research. He's also a member of the Illinois Leadership Academy, serves as a "Big" for Big Brothers Big Sisters and organizes countless visits to local schools and events.
» Spencer also is one of 11 graduates on this years roster, earning a bachelor's degree in finance in May. He's currently pursuing a master's degree in business administration.
THE HARDY BOYS
• Former NFL great Hardy Nickerson is on the Illinois sideline as defensive coordinator in 2016, and he's joined by his son, also named Hardy, manning the middle of the defense. The younger Nickerson is a graduate transfer middle linebacker from Cal. He said he couldn't pass up the chance to play for his father and for Coach Lovie Smith for his final season of college football.
• In 10 games with the Illini, Young Hardy has started at middle linebacker and leads the team in tackles (9.2 tpg) and interceptions (2) while adding 5.5 TFLs and 2.0 sacks.
• His 338 career tackles (246 at Cal + 92 at Illinois) rank fifth in FBS among active players.
• Father and son have different middle names, so they are not Sr. and Jr. They both simply go by Hardy Nickerson. We usually refer to them as defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson and linebacker Hardy Nickerson, or Hardy and Young Hardy.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• No Sack Zone: Illinois has not allowed a sack in the last two games (vs. MSU & at WIS) and has allowed just seven sack in seven Big Ten games, tied for second in conference play. For the season, the OL is allowing 1.5 sacks per game, 27th-best in FBS.
• Comeback Kid: RS Freshman QB Jeff George Jr., in his third career start, led the Illini on a game-winning drive in the final minutes to beat Michigan State, 31-27. The Illini marched 75 yards on four plays, culminating in a 16-yard TD strike from George to sophomore WR Sam Mays with 1:35 left. George was 3-of-3 for 42 yards on the drive. It was Illinois' eighth fourth-quarter comeback win in the last three seasons.
• Mistake Free: Illinois had zero turnovers in the win against Michigan State, the third time this season the Illini had zero giveaways (Murray State 9/3 and Nebraska 10/1).
• Three-headed Monster: The backfield trio of junior Kendrick Foster, sophomore Ke'Shawn Vaughn and RS freshman Reggie Corbin has been explosive at times, combining for 1,414 yards on 229 carries (6.17 ypc) and 11 touchdowns in 2016.
» Foster broke out for a 118 yards, including two 56-yard TDs, on four carries in the season-opening win over Murray State (29.5 ypc), breaking a 61-year old Illini record for most yards/rush in a game. He had his second 100-yard game in the win at Rutgers (108 yards on 21 carries) and ran for a career-high 146 yards and two TDs in the win over Michigan State.
» After playing sparingly in the first three games, Corbin has burst onto the scene with 371 yards in seven conference games. For the year, he is second on the team with 442 yards on only 60 carries (7.4 ypc). Entering the Nebraska game, he had 7 carries for 71 yards in his brief Illini career.
» Vaughn recently became the 42nd Illinois player to reach 1,000 career rushing yards. He started the North Carolina game with a 65-yard touchdown run and finished the night with 116 yards on 15 carries, his second career 100-yard game. He has 301 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and has added 86 receiving yards (on eight catches) this season.
• Foster Fast: Junior RB Kendrick Foster ran for a career-high 146 yards on 17 carries in the win over Michigan State, his third 100-yard game of the season. All three of his 100-yard games have come in the three Illini wins (118 vs. Murray State, 108 at Rutgers and 146 vs. Michigan State).
» Foster leads the team with 671 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns and nine total touchdowns.
» Foster is averaging 6.2 yards per carry, second-best in the Big Ten and 29th in FBS (min. 10 rush/gm)
» Foster has three touchdown runs of 50+ yards (56, 56 and 64), tied for the seven-most in FBS
» Foster ranks fourth in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards per game (124.5) and third in the Big Ten in combined kick return yards (824)
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Nice Recovery: Illinois has recovered nine fumbles this season to rank 22nd in FBS and third in the Big Ten.
• Elementary, Watson: Sophomore LB Tré Watson was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 7 after making a career-high 16 tackles, including 1.5 TFLs, and breaking up one pass in the Illini's victory over Michigan State. During conference play, Watson is averaging 10.1 tackles per game to rank fourth in the B1G.
• Push 'Em Back: The Illinois defense had 10 TFLs against Michigan State. It marked the third time this season the Illini D had 10+ TFLs in a game and the first time since Sept. 10 against North Carolina. For the season, the Orange and Blue are averaging 8.2 TFLs per game, sixth-most in FBS.
• He's Not Green: True-freshman Stanley Green forced two fumbles in the win over Michigan State and has three for the season, ranking 13th in FBS and second in the Big Ten (0.38 FF/game).
• Freshmen Forcing Fumbles: Freshman DB Stanley Green had two forced fumbles in the win over Michigan State and RS freshman Jamal Milan had two in the win at Rutgers. They are two of only four freshmen to force two fumbles in an FBS game this season. On top of that, Illinois, Wake Forest and Nevada are the only FBS teams to have two players who have forced two fumbles in one game this season.
• Don't Throw Toward Dunlap: Junior CB Jaylen Dunlap leads the team with 10 PBUs on the season, including four in the win over Michigan State, tied for the fifth-most in a game in program history and the most by an Illini since 2002. He also had a big game at Michigan, making nine tackles and a career-high 2.5 TFLs. For the season, Dunlap is fourth on the team with 60 tackles and 4.5 TFLs in addition to his team-high 10 PBUs.
• Nelson Making Noise: RS freshman safety Patrick Nelson has burst onto the scene in Big Ten play. He had 16 tackles at Nebraska in his first career start and then 14 at Rutgers to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Nelson's 68 tackles since Oct. 1 are the most by any FBS freshman and his 9.7 tackles per game in conference play ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
• Mild Peppers: The Illinois defense held Michigan's Jabrill Peppers to nine yards on five carries (1.8 yards per carry) after he averaged 19.6 yards per carry (5 for 98) with two TDs in the first six games. Defensively, Peppers had two tackles without a TFL. He came into the game as Michigan's second-leading tackler and had 10.0 TFLs.
» COMPLETE ILLINOIS-IOWA GAME NOTES (PDF)
