OPENING KICK
• On the Road Again: The Fighting Illini (2-2, 0-1) travel to Iowa this Saturday to face the Hawkeyes (3-2, 0-2) at Kinnick Stadium (11 am CT on BTN).
• Old Rivals: Saturday will be the 73rd meeting between the Illini and Hawkeyes in a series that dates back to 1899. Illinois leads the all-time series against Iowa, 38-32-2, and the Illini hold a slim 18-17-2 edge in Iowa City.
• Block Party: Illinois has three blocked kicks (2 field goals and one PAT) through four games to lead the nation in blocked kicks per game (0.75). The Illini are one of four teams with three blocked kicks along with Utah State, Hawaii and South Florida, who have all played five games. Jamal Milan blocked the potential game-tying field goal as time expired in the win over Ball State and then the Illini got a pair of blocks at USF, a blocked field goal by Isaiah Gay and a blocked PAT by Tito Odenigbo that was returned by Nate Hobbs for a defensive PAT.
• Standout Stats: A few intersting nuggest from the latest NCAA FBS stat rankings. For more follow @IlliniStats:
» Illinois is one of eight teams in FBS and two teams in the Big Ten (Maryland) that has yet to lose a fumble.
» Illinois is one of six teams in FBS and three teams in the Big Ten perfect on fourth down conversions (1-1).
» The Illini have forced seven fumbles in four games to rank seventh in FBS in forced fumbles per game (1.75).
» The Illini rank third in the Big Ten and 13th in FBS in kickoff return defense (15.71 ypr).
» Sophomore DB Patrick Nelson is tied for sixth in FBS with two forced fumbles in four games (0.50 per game).
• Mike & Mike: A pair of Mikes, Dudek and Epstein, have led the Illini offense through the first four games.
» Illini WR Mike Dudek, who missed all of 2015 and 2016 due to injury, hasn't missed a beat despite not playing in a game for 981 days. He leads the team receptions (16), receiving yards (195) and punt returns (13.8 ypr) on the season. His first catch in over two years was a 16-yard TD pass in the win over Ball State, who he racked up 102 all-purpose yards against. His 52-yard punt return late in the game set up the Illini's game-winning score in the final minutes.
» Freshman RB Mike Epstein is tied for fourth in the nation in touchdowns among true freshmen (4) and ranks eighth in the nation among true-freshmen in rushing yards per game (65.8). He had 21 carries for 111 yards in the week two win over WKU to become the first Illinois true freshman to eclipse 100 yards rushing since Ke'Shawn Vaughn at Purdue 11/7/2015. Epstein had a team-high 105 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in his Illini debut against Ball State and had 83 scrimmage yards and two TDs at USF.
• Phillips All Over the Field: Junior LB Del'Shawn Phillips, a junior college transfer in his first season at Illinois, ranks second in the Big Ten and ranks 20th in FBS in tackles per game (9.8). He had a Big Ten-best 16 tackles in the week one win over Ball State. In the week two win over WKU, Phillips put pressure up the middle to force the throw on Julian Jones' interception and tied for the team lead with six tackles. He added 17 tackles combined in the next two games against USF and Nebraska.
• Fresh Faces: Youth has been all over the field this season. In fact, the Illini are putting one of the youngest teams in the nation on the field.
» lllinois has started more true freshmen than any team in the nation (11): DB Tony Adams, OL Larry Boyd, TE Louis Dorsey, RB Mike Epstein, DL Isaiah Gay, DB Nate Hobbs, OL Alex Palczewski, DL Bobby Roundtree, WR Ricky Smalling, DB Bennett Williams and DL Jamal Woods. Baylor and LSU are tied for second with eight true-freshmen starters.
» The 10 true freshmen starters at USF in week three are the most in a game in program history. Prior to this season, the most true freshman to start at Illinois in a SEASON was nine in 1980. In the most recent game against Nebraska eight true-freshmen got starts, the second-most ever in a game in program history.
» Illinois has played 19 true freshmen, tied for the second-most in the nation (LSU 20, Ball State 19, UAB 19).
» Illinois had 19 first-time starters in the first four games, tied for second-most in FBS (Baylor 21, Ball State 19, UAB 19).
• Hall of Fame Weekend: Members of the inaugural 2017 Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame, including legendary linebacker Dick Butkus, were officially inducted on the weeknd of 29-30. Butkus is the only surviving football inductede of seven. The list includes Dike Eddleman (1943, 47-49), Red Grange (1923-25), George Halas (1916-18), George Huff (1901-1936), Buddy Young (1944 & '46) and Robert Zuppke (1913-41).
• NFL Experience: Lovie Smith's Illini staff has 56 seasons of combined NFL head and assistant coach experience – the most in college football in 2017, ahead of UCLA (45), Michigan (40), Baylor (38) and Alabama (34).
THE ILLINOIS-IOWA SERIES
• Saturday will be the 73rd meeting between the Illini and Hawkeyes in a series that dates back to 1899.
• Illinois leads the all-time series against Iowa, 38-32-2.
• Illinois is 18-17-2 all-time against Iowa in Iowa City.
• Iowa has won four straight meetings dating back to 2008. Saturday, the Hawkeyes will attempt to tie their longest winning streak in the series (5, 2003-07).
• Iowa shut out Illinois, 28-0, at Memorial Stadium last season in the Illini's home finale. Wes Lunt finished 19-of-41 for 137 yards and Zach Grant caught 8 passes for 65 yards. Tre Watson led the defense with 15 tackles.
• The Illini lost at Iowa, 29-20, during Illinois' last trip to Iowa City in 2015, 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-yardfield 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.
• Illinois' last win over the Hawkeyes in Iowa City came in 1999, 40-24. Since then, the Illini have visited Kinnick Stadium just four times entering Saturday's matchup (2003, 2005, 2007, 2015).
• Mike Dudek had a career-best two receiving touchdowns against Iowa in 2014.
• Al Brosky started one of the most impressive streaks in college football history when he intercepted a pass Nov. 11, 1950 against Iowa. That was the first of Brosky's NCAA record 15 consecutive games with an interception.
• Shawn Wax tied a program record with three touchdown receptions vs. Iowa 11/3/1990.
• Dike Eddleman set an Illinois record with an 88-yard punt vs. Iowa 11/6/1948.
• Illinois' most rushing yards vs. Iowa: 178 Jack Pierce 11/10/1945, 174 John Karras 10/8/1949
• Illinois' most receiving yards vs. Iowa: 190 Rex Smith 11/8/1952, 148 Geronimo Allison 10/10/2015
• Illinois' most passing yards vs. Iowa: 358 Jason Verduzco 11/3/1990, 317 Wes Lunt 10/10/2015
• Illinois' longest rush vs. Iowa: 65 Buddy Young 10/14/1944, 63 John Karras 10/8/1949, 62 Chubby Phillips 10/27/1973, 61 Dick Raklovits 11/11/1950
• Illinois' longest pass vs. Iowa: 67 O'Connell to Smith 11/8/1952
IOWA CONNECTIONS
• Iowa wide receivers coach Kelton Copeland was on the coaching staff at Northern Illinois with Illinois running backs coach Thad Ward from 2013-15.
• Iowa has 21 Illinois natives on its roster.
OFF THE FIELD NUGGETS
• Travel Buddies: Illini QB Chayce Crouch and WR Mike Dudek spent part of their summer together in Europe taking a study abroad program for the College of Business. The pair, who also have been roommates for three years, spent most of May in Vienna, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Prague and Budapest while taking a International Negotiations class.
• First-time Footballer: Freshman punter Blake Hayes, a native of Melbourne, Australia, had never played in or attended a college football game until making his Illini debut against Ball State on Sept. 2. Hayes played Australian rules football before training at ProKick Australia for the last two years in hopes of getting a college scholarship in the United States.
• Rugby Champ: Illini RB Reggie Corbin was a national champion rugby player in addition to being a football star in high school. Corbin helped Gonzaga HS in Washington D.C. to back-to-back rugby national titles in 2014 and 2015 after joining the team on a dare by star player Ben Cima, who plays on the U.S. national rugby team. The team lost only games in Corbin's two years on the team.
• Facebook Find: Facebook was a key part in the recruitment of freshman safety Bennett Williams, at least according to Illini defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson. Nickerson was a teammate of Bennett's father, Garey Williams, at Cal and the two are connected on Facebook. Nickerson says he would see highlights of Bennett on Garey's Facebook page and became more impressed as he got older, eventually leading to his recruitment to Illinois.
» Complete Illinois-Iowa Game Notes (PDF)
