Final Notes | Final Stats

FOR OPENERS

• Kicking Off: The Fighting Illini started the season 4-1 after defeating Nebraska for the first time in 91 years, but dropped six of their last seven games to finish 5-7 overall and 2-6 Big Ten West to just miss out on a second straight bowl appearance.

• Season of Change: The 2015 season was a tumultuous one, filled with change in football, athletic administration and campus levels. 

    » Aug. 6 – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign chancellor Phyllis Wise resigns. Barbara Wilson named interim chancellor. 

    » Aug. 28 – One week before the season-opener vs. Kent State, OC/RB coach Bill Cubit named interim head coach following the dismissal of Tim Beckman. Assistant director of football operations Nathan Scheelhaase promoted to running backs coach. 

    » Nov. 9 – Paul Kowalczyk named interim Director of Athletics following the dismissal of Mike Thomas.

    » Nov. 28 – The morning of the season-finale vs. Northwestern, Bill Cubit named permanent head coach with a two-year contract. 

• D-Fence: The Fighting Illini defense has shown vast improvement since last season.

    » The Illini finished in the top-25 nationally in blocked kicks (4), third down defense (12), passing yards allowed (15), tackles-for-loss (16) and passing efficiency defense (21)

    » The Illini improved at least 65 spots in the NCAA rankings in seven different categories, including total defense (+79), third down defense (+76), first downs allowed (+75), passing efficiency defense (+74), interceptions (+72), scoring defense (+70)  and blocked kicks (+66). 

    » In 2014, the Illini allowed 456.4 ypg and 34.0 ppg. In 2015, they allowed 350.8 ypg and 23.3 ppg. The 105.6 ypg improvement was the best improvement in FBS.

    » The Illini ranked 12th in the nation in third-down conversion defense, allowing just 58 first downs in 185 third-down attempts this season (.314).

• Block Party: Illinois ranked fourth in FBS with five blocked kicks this season (2 punts, 2 PATs, 1 FG), who of which were returned for touchdowns. Junior DT Rob Bain ranked second among FBS individuals with three of those blocks (2 PATs, 1 FG). 

• Senior FS Clayton Fejedelem led the Big Ten and ranked fifth in in the nation in tackles per game (11.7). He was dominant in B1G play (12.8 tpg), leading the conference by two full tackles per game (Rutgers' Steve Longa was secodn at 10.8 tpg). Fejedelem's 140 tackles this year are the most for an Illini in a season since J Leman had 152 in 2006. 

• Senior RB Josh Ferguson finished 2015 as the only active FBS player in the nation with at least 2,500 career rushing and 1,500 receiving yards. He finished his UI career ranked second in program history in all-purpose yards (4,474) and sixth in rushing yards (2,586). 

• Junior QB Wes Lunt led the Big Ten in completions per game (22.5) and ranked fifth in passing yards per game (230.1). He has threw just six interceptions in 481 pass attempts in 2015 (80.2 att/int) and has nine career interceptions in 722 attempts (80.2 att/int).

• Senior WR Geronimo Allison had 65 catches for 882 yards on the season, ranking fourth in the Big Ten in receptions per game (5.4) and fifth in receiving yards per game (73.5). 

• Tough Sledding: The Illini faced the 27th-toughest schedule in the nation based on opponent winning percentage (.576). Illinois' losses came to teams that were a combined 68-25, including five teams ranked in the final AP Top 25.

• OL Pride: The Fighting Illini offensive line has had the same five starters all season – LT Austin Schmidt, LG Chris Boles, C Joe Spencer, RG Ted Karras and RT Christian DiLauro. 

Senior Send-off

Twenty-two Fighting Illini seniors played their final college game at Soldier Field on Nov. 28. Geronimo Allison, V'Angelo Bentley, Chris Boles, Tim Clary, Clayton Fejedelem, Josh Ferguson, Eric Finney, Pat Flavin, Joe Fotu, Ted Karras, Davontay Kwaaning, Nelson Lugo, Mason Monheim, Kenny Nelson, Jim Nudera, Chris O'Connor, Leslie Poole, Eaton Spence, Cameron Tucker, Jihad Ward, Sean White and Taylor Zalewski all were recognized prior to the game against Northwestern.

Eleven Illini Garner All-Big Ten Accolades

Senior safety Clayton Fejedelem earned second-team All-Big Ten accolades and running back Josh Ferguson and offensive lineman Ted Karras both earned third team honors following the season, while eight more Illini earned honorable mentioin recognition. Senior wide receiver Geronimo Allison, junior safety Taylor Barton, senior DB/Return Specialist V'Angelo Bentley, senior LB Mason Monheim, junior LB T.J. Neal, junior OL Austin Schmidt, junior LEO Dawuane Smoot and senior DE Jihad Ward all earned honorable mention recognition from the coaches, media or both. Bentley picked up his first Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honor.

Six Illini Participate in Post-Season All-Star Games

Six Illinois football players accepted invitations to senior all-star games – five to the East West Shrine Game and two to the Reese's Senior Bowl – played in late January. The games, and workouts leading up to them, are used as a scouting tool for NFL teams and other professional football leagues.

    Senior Bowl (Jan. 30, 2016) – DE Jihad Ward and WR Geronimo Allison

    East-West Shrine Game (Jan. 23, 2016) – WR Geronimo Allison, DB V'Angelo Bentley, 

        DB Clayton Fejedelem, RB Josh Ferguson, OL Ted Karras

Illini Boast Record Number of Academic Big Ten Honorees

The Illinois football team set a program record for Academic All-Big Ten honorees for the fourth straight season, as 31 student-athletes were honored by the conference in 2015. A full list of all 31 Illini honorees can be found on page three. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

MAKING THE GRADE

The Illini have excelled in the classroom over the last four seasons. 

    • A total of 38 football student-athletes earned degrees in 2014-15, including 13 that are on the 2015 roster pursuing second degrees or master's degrees. Seven more earned degrees in December 2015 – Geronimo Allison, Rob Bain, Martize Barr, Josh Ferguson, Eric Finney, Michael Martin and Cam Tucker. 

    • Since 2012, the number of football graduates have gone from 15 (2012), to 16 (2013) to 21 (2014) to 38 (2015). 

    • Illinois has broken its school record for Academic All-Big Ten selections in each of the last four seasons in Champaign. Prior to 2012, the school record was 12 (2000 & 2009). Since then, the Illini have had 18 (2012), 21 (2013), 29 (2014) and now 31 (2015). 

    • For six consecutive semesters, at least 40 football student-athletes have posted at least a 3.0 grade-point-average, including a high of 60 in Spring 2015 and 58 in Fall 2015. In the same time frame, Illinois' team GPA also has risen steadily from 2.71 in fall 2012 to four straight semesters over a 2.9.

ILLINI FACED TOUGH SLATE IN 2015

• Illinois' schedule ranked as the 27th-toughest among FBS institutions in the final NCAA strength of schedule list as opponents posted a 72-53 record against FBS opponents (.576), not counting their games against Illinois. 

• Illinois' seven losses came against teams that were a combined 68-25 (.731) – including No. 4 Ohio State (12-1), No. 9 Iowa (12-2), No. 15 North Carolina (11-3), No. 21 Wisconsin (10-3) and No. 23 Northwestern (10-3).

Block Party

• Illinois ranked fourth in the NCAA with five blocked kicks in 2015 (2 punts, 2 PATs, 1 FG), the most for an Illinois team since the 2001 Big Ten champs blocked six kicks. Junior DT Rob Bain ranked second in individual blocked kicks with three of those five. 

    » In week eight at Penn State, Bain blocked two PATs back-to-back following the Nittany Lions' first two scores. It marked the first time the Illini had two blocked kicks in a game since 2003 at Purdue. 

    » In week four against Middle Tennessee, junior DB Caleb Day blocked a punt and senior FS Clayton Fejedelem recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

    » In week two against Western Illinois, sophomore CB Jaylen Dunlap blocked a punt and sophomore WR Marchie Murdock returned it 12 yards for a touchdown. Prior to that, the last Illinois blocked punt for a touchdown was by Vontae Davis against Missouri on Sept. 1, 2007.

    » In week one against Kent State, Bain blocked a field goal in the second quarter. It was the first blocked field goal by an Illini since V'Angelo Bentley on September 9, 2012, against Penn State.

NO FLY ZONE

The improvement of the Illini defense in 2015, led by co-defensive coordinators Tim Banks and Mike Phair, was remarkable. The Illini finished in the top-30 nationally in blocked kicks (4), third down defense (12), passing yards allowed (15), tackles-for-loss (16), passing efficiency defense (21), first downs allowed (26) and total defense (30). The Orange and Blue jumped over 65 spots in national rankings from last season in seven categories.

FOURTH-QUARTER MAGIC

• The Illini mounted two fourth-quarter comeback victories in 2015, pulling out last-minute victories over Middle Tennesse on Sept. 26 and Nebraska on Oct. 3.  

• Against Nebraska, Illinois trailed 13-0 entering the final quarter and was down 13-7 with less than a minute remaining before QB Wes Lunt orchestrated a 6-play, 72-yard drive culminating in Geronimo Allison's 1-yard touchdown catch with 10 seconds left for a 14-13 Illini victory. 

• Against Middle Tennessee, the Illini trailed 25-24 with four minutes on the clock before Lunt engineered an 8-play, 41-yard drive ending in a 51-yard game-winning field goal by Taylor Zalewski with 2:09 left. MTSU missed a field goal in the final seconds to seal the Illinois victory. 

• In 2014, Illinois mounted five fourth-quarter comeback wins, coming back to beat Penn State, Minnesota, Texas State, Western Kentucky and Youngstown State after training at some point during the fourth quarter. 

• Illinois has 11 comeback wins since 2001 when trailing after three quarters. Five of those 11 have come since the start of the 2014 season. 

THAT'S SO FEJ

• Senior FS Clayton Fejedelem led the Big Ten and ranked fifth in the nation in tackles, averaging 11.7 per game, earning second-team All-Big Ten status by the media.

• He averaged 12.8 tackles per game in Big Ten to lead the league by a full two tackles over Steve Longa of Rutgers (10.8 tpg). 

• Fejedelem's 140 tackles in 2015 are the most for an Illini in a single season since J Leman had 152 in 2006 and are the most ever for a non-linebacker at Illinois. 

• His 19 tackles vs. Wisconsin on Oct. 24 tied for the most by a B1G player and 12th-most by an FBS player in a game in 2015. It also was the most by an Illini since J Leman had 20 vs. Missouri on September 1, 2007. 

• In addition to his team-high 140 tackles, Fejedelem also had two interceptions, 4.5 TFLs, seven PBUs and a forced fumble on the season season.

• A native of Chicago, Fejedelem was a star at NAIA St. Xavier University before transferring to Illinois as a walk-on. He sat out 2013 per NCAA rules before playing a reserve role in 2014 and earning a scholarship. 

Fergy Fast

•  Senior RB Josh Ferguson exits Illinois with his name all over the Fighting Illini record book. 

    » Ferguson ranks second in career all-purpose yards at UI (4,474) behind only Robert Holcombe's all-time UI mark of 4,737. 

    » Ferguson had 168 career receptions to rank third on the UI career list (first among non-wide receivers). 

    » Ferguson ranks sixth on the Illinois career rushing list with 2,586 yards. He passed Mikel Leshoure and Juice Williams (both had 2,557 yards) in the season finale vs. Northwestern. 

    » Ferguson scored 26 career touchdowns (18 rushing & 8 receiving) to rank seventh on the UI career TD list. Howard Griffith holds the school record of 33. 

• At the end of the 2015 season, Ferguson was the only active FBS players with more than 2,500 career rushing yards (2,586) AND 1,500 receiving yards (1,507).

• After missing three games due to injury midseason, Ferguson returned Nov. 7 vs.  Purdue and closed his career with a bang, rolling up 529 all-purpose yards in the last four games (327 rushing, 202 receiving).

• The Fighting Illini offense has a much different with Ferguson on the field. The senior missed three full games with an injury (Iowa, Wisconsin and Penn State), and the offense struggled in all phases in his absence. 

    » Illini with Ferguson (9 games): 5-4 record, 26.6 ppg,  401.0 total ypg, 157.0 rushing ypg

    » Illini without Ferguson (3 games): 0-3 record, 11.0 ppg, 287.7 total ypg, 46.0 rushing ypg

• Ferguson became the all-time Illini leader in career receiving yards by a running back in week two vs. WIU. He finished with 1,507 career receiving yards, eclipsing Ty Douthard's previous record of 1,250 from 1993-'96. His 168 receptions shatter Douthard's previous UI running back record of 128. 

HE'S LUNT, HE'S LUNT, HE'S LUNT, HE'S IN MY HEAD

• Junior QB Wes Lunt led the Big Ten in completions per game (22.5) and ranked fifth in the conference in passing yards per game (230.1). 

• Lunts 270 completions in 2015 rank fourth on the UI single-season list, while his 481 attempts rank third and his 2,761 passing yards rank ninth. 

• Lunt led game-winning drives in the final minute of two games during the 2015 season (Middle Tennessee and Nebraska) and has led five fourth-quarter comeback wins in his first two seasons with the Illini.

• Lunt has thrown 28 touchdowns against just nine interceptions in his two-year UI career. He threw just six interceptions in 481 pass attempts in 2015 (80.2 att/int) and has nine career interceptions in 722 attempts (80.2 att/int).

• As a team, the Illini ranked 14th in the nation in fewest passes intercepted  (8), while only six of those came from Lunt, who had 481 of Illinois' 519 pass attempts. 

• With just six interceptions in 481 pass attempts in 2015, Lunt is one of just three players in the nation with over 400 attempts and six or less INTs. Paxton Lynch of Memphis (4 INT on 444 attempts) and Dak Prescott of Mississippi State (5 INT on 477 attempts) are the other two.

• After two seasons at Illinois, Lunt has already cracked the UI career top-10 in passing yards (4,524), completions (423) and attempts (722), ranking 10th in all three categories. 

• Lunt had a career-high completion percentage of 72.3 at Minnesota last week, completing 34 of 47 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Lunt's completions and passing yards were the most by a QB against Minnesota in 2015. 

• Lunt had a career-ling streak of 190 straight pass attempts without an interception snapped in the fourth quarter against Wisconsin on Oct. 24. It was the third-longest active streak in the nation at the time.

• Against Iowa on Oct. 10, Lunt posted his fourth career 300-yard game, completing 25-of-42 passes for 317 yards against the Hawkeyes. He connected on 11-straight passes at one point in the game and went 19-for-27 for 228 yards in the second half alone.

• In 2014, Lunt led all Power Five QBs in 4th qtr QB rating when the game was within seven points (plus or minus), completing 20-of-25 passes for 5 TDs and 0 interceptions in that situation. 

• Despite missing three full games and parts of two others with a fractured fibula, Lunt still managed to break the UI single-season QB efficiency record in 2014 (141.61). At the time of his injury, he ranked in the top 20 in the nation in completions per game (25.4, 10th), passing yards per game (313.8, 14th), passing TDs (13, 17th), passing yards (1,569, 18th), completion percentage (66.5, 20th) and passing efficiency (154.8, 20th).

BENTLEY IN GOOD COMPANY WITH THE "GALLOPING GHOST"

• Bentley finished his career as Illinois' all-time leader in kickoff return yardage. With 1,860 career kick return yards, he shattered Pierre Thomas' previous UI mark of 1,495. Bentley's career yards per return average of 21.6 ranks 10th in the UI all-time record books. 

• Bentley ranks third on the UI career punt return average list (11.0 ypr) and fourth on the career punt return yardage list (550). 

• His 236 punt return yards in 2015 were the most for an Illini in a season since Eugene Wilson had 270 in 2002. 

• Named honorable mention All-Big Ten as a return specialist in 2015, Bentley ranked sixth in the conference in punt return average (9.2) and eighth in kick return average (22.0). 

• Bentley played a primary role in shutting down Nebraska's leading receiver, Jordan Westerkamp, in the Oct. 3 win over the Huskers. Westerkamp entered the game with 26 receptions for 351 yards and four touchdowns, but was limited to one catch for -1 yard as the Illini came away with a 14-13 victory.  

• Bentley was a preseason candidate for the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the nation's most versatile player. An elite corner and returner, Bentley also saw snaps on offense in several games during 2015.

• Bentley is 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. 

MONHEIM STEAMROLLER

• Senior LB Mason Monheim finished his UI career with 392 career tackles, the third-most among active FBS players at the end of 2015 and seventh-most in Illinois history. 

• After a season-high 14 stops against Middle Tennessee and then adding 71 more during Big Ten games, Monheim had 98 tackles in 2015, third-most on the team, to go along with six PBUs, 5.5 TFLs, one sack and two interceptions, one returned 58-yards for a TD against Northwestern. 

• A Butkus and Lombardi Award preseason candidate, Monheim made 47 consecutive starts for the Illini, the longest active streak in the Big Ten and eighth-longest in FBS at the end of 2015. 

• Monheim seven career forced fumbles, tied with former Illini great Kevin Hardy and Earnest Thomas III for fourth on the UI career fumbles forced list.

KARRAS CONTINUES FAMILY'S B1G LEGACY

• Senior OG Ted Karras was a mainstay on the offensive line for four years. Karras started at right guard for the first nine games of 2014, before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Ohio State. After starting all 12 games in 2015, the honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree finished his career with 43 career starts, second most among active Illini behind only Mason Monheim's 47. 

• If the Karras name seems familiar, that's because it's familial. Karras is the seventh member of his family to play football in the Big Ten, including his great-uncle, Alex, who was an All-American offensive lineman for Iowa a four-time NFL Pro Bowler before starting an acting career that resulted in a starring role in the 1980s sitcom "Webster." In addition, his grandfather, Ted, played at Indiana; his father, Ted Jr. – now the coach at Division II Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio – played at Northwestern; his great-uncle, Paul, played at Iowa; his great-uncle, Lou, played at Purdue; and his uncle, Tony, played at Northwestern. 

JIHAD WARD: IT'S TIME TO EAT 

• Senior defensive end Jihad Ward returned quickly from a training camp injury to start the season opener and slowly regained his end of 2014 form. Ward finished with 53 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, two QB hurries, two pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 2015 to earn honorable mention All-Big Ten status for the second straight year. 

• Ward was added to the Hendricks Award Watch list in late October, which goes to the nation's top defensive end. Illini great Whitney Mercilus won the award in 2011. 

• The junior college transfer came on strong late in his first season at Illinois, starting all 13 games and finishing with 51 tackles, 8.5 TFLs – including 3.0 sacks – two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries (tied for second-most in the nation) and five QB hurries. He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by conference coaches.

• Ward has an interesting story, as one of five children of a single mother who had him at the age of 17 – the reason he wears No. 17 on the field. A receiver and safety in high school, Ward hit a growth spurt during his senior year and moved to defensive line. He went to Globe Institute of Technology in Manhattan, taking on the role of big brother to the teammates he lived with in Staten Island. He helped the group navigate the two-hour journey to Globe's campus near Times Square via bus, ferry, train and foot every day, often leaving their housing at 4 a.m. and not returning home until as late as 11:30 p.m. Ward posted 10 sacks in two seasons at Globe Tech, earning recognition as the No. 2 junior college DT by 247sports in 2013.

GERONIMOOOOOOOO!

• Senior WR Geronimo Allison had team-highs in receptions (65) and receiving yards (882) in 2015, ranking 47th nationally and fourth in the Big Ten in receptions per game (5.4) and 49th in FBS and fifth in the B1G receiving yards per game (73.5). 

• Allison had five career 100-yard games, including an 8-catch, 148-yard performance at No. 22 Iowa Oct. 10.

• Allison caught the game-winning TD against Nebraska, a 1-yard strike from Wes Lunt with 10 second left in the game to put the Illini up 14-13. He finished with eight receptions for 91 yards against the Huskers. 

• Allison hauled in 14 receptions of 20+ yards in 2015, a team-high. His 41 receptions of 10+ yards tied for 30th-most in FBS. 

• A midseason addition to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, Allison finished his two-year Illini career with 106 catches for 1,480 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Complete 2015 Illinois Football Season Wrap-Up