OPENING KICK
• Headed North: After an off weekend, the Fighting Illini return to action this Saturday with a trip to Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers at 2:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network. Illinois won last year's meeting with the Gophers, 55-31, in Champaign behind 430 rushing yards, including 213 yards from Reggie Corbin on just 13 carries.
• Putting Up Points: Illinois has scored 30+ points in each of the first four games this season.
» The Illini are averaging 35.5 points per game in year two under OC Rod Smith. The Illini averaged 26.0 points per game in Smith's first season in 2018, up from 15.4 ppg in 2017.
» The current four game streak of 30+ points is tied for the third-longest streak in program history and is the first since a program-record seven-game streak to end the 2001 season (includes Sugar Bowl).
» Illinois' 142 points are its most through four games since scoring 161 in the first four games of 2013.
• 2K Corbin: With 134 yards on the ground against Nebraska, senior RB Reggie Corbin became the 18th Illini in program history to gain 2,000 career rushing yards. He sits at exactly 2,000 yards after registering his second straight and sixth-career 100-yard game against the Cornhuskers (more on Corbin on page 4).
» Corbin's 7.14 yards per carry leads the Big Ten and ranks 13th in FBS. Last season, he ranked third in FBS in yards per carry (8.48).
» He ranks 19th in FBS and third in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game (104.7) and has the 3rd-best offensive grade among running backs in the nation according to Pro Football Focus (89.5).
» Corbin's career rushing numbers: 276 carries, 2,000 yards, 7.2 yards per carry, 14 touchdowns.
• No Way, Wole: Junior DE Oluwole Betiku Jr., a graduate transfer from USC, has been a force on the defensive line.
» Betiku continues to lead the nation in both sacks (1.75 per game) and TFLs (2.6 per game) on the season.
» His 7.0 sacks already are more than or equal to Illinois' season leader in 18 of the last 23 seasons.
» He is one of only 12 FBS players with 7+ sacks in the first four games of the season since 2000.
» His 3.5 sacks at UConn tied for the fifth-most sacks in a game in Illinois history and marked the first Illini with 3.0+ sacks in a game since Whitney Mercilus (3.0) at Indiana 10/8/2011.
• Havoc in the Backfield: The defense has made big improvement compared to last season, especially when it comes to creating turnovers and making plays in the backfield.
» Illinois leads the nation in TFLs per game (11.5) and ranks 13th in sacks per game (3.5).
» The Illini rank second in FBS in forced fumbles (2.0 per game), third in fumbles recovered (1.75 per game), ninth in turnovers gained (2.5 per game) and 17th in turnover margin (+1.0).
» Illinois is one of only seven FBS teams since 2000 to have at least 46 TFLs in its first four games of a season.
• Hansen, So Hot Right Now: Junior LB Jake Hansen is off to a fast start in 2019.
» Hansen is the No. 6 graded linebacker in the nation and No. 1 in the Big Ten by PFF (85.6).
» Leads the nation in fumbles recovered (3) and second in the nation in forced fumbles (3).
» He also has 33 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and one interception.
• Impact Transfers: As expected, the Illini's six power-five transfers have made a huge impact on the field this season. QB Brandon Peters (Michigan), WR Josh Imatorbhebhe (USC), WR Trevon Sidney (USC), OL Richie Petitbon (Alabama), DL Oluwole Betiku Jr. (USC), and LB Milo Eifler (Washington) all are starters and are putting up big numbers.
» QB Peters – 765 passing yards, 10 TD passes, 2 rushing TDs
» DL Betiku Jr. – 21 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 7.0 sacks, 5 QB hurries
» WR Imatorbhebhe – 11 catches, 193 yards, 4 touchdowns
» WR Sidney – 11 catches, 73 yards, 1 touchdown
» LB Eifler – 18 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1 PBU
» OL Petitbon – 4 starts at guard
• Very Special Teams: The Illini have excelled in virtually all special teams areas under coordinator Bob Ligashesky.
» Net Punting (team): 10th in FBS and first in the Big Ten (43.78 ypp)
» Kickoff Returns (team): 14th in FBS and first in the Big Ten (27.58 ypr)
» Dre Brown ranks 10th in the nation and leads B1G in kickoff return average (30.6 ypr). He has the second-best PFF kick return grade in the nation for any player with 10 or more returns (90.5).
» Blake Hayes ranks 21st in FBS and 2nd in the B1G in punting (45.4 ypp).
THE ILLINOIS-MINNESOTA SERIES
• Saturday's game between Illinois and Minnesota will be the 72nd meeting between the two teams.
• Illinois trails in the all-time series against Minnesota, 30-38-3. Illinois is 12-22-2 all-time at Minnesota.
• Last season, the Illinois offense exploded for 646 total yards on its way to a 55-31 victory over Minnesota at Memorial Stadium 11/3/2018. The Orange and Blue gashed the Gopher defense for 430 yards on the ground, its most since 11/20/2010. Reggie Corbin ran for a career-high 213 yards on just 13 carries (16.4 yards per carry), including a 72-yard touchdown on Illinois' second snap of the day and a 77-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
• In Illinois' last visit to Minnesota, the Gophers beat Illinois 24-17 on their Homecoming in 2017. The game was tied 10-10 in the fourth quarter before Minnesota pulled away in true freshman QB Cam Thomas' Illini debut.
• Illinois' 2014 win over Minnesota was the Illini's last over a ranked opponent, as the Gophers came in ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. It was the first win over an opponent ranked in either the Associated Press or coaches poll since a 17-14 victory over No. 22 Arizona State on Sept. 17, 2011.
• Illinois has lost three straight at Minnesota since a 35-32 win in 2009, the Illini's first game at TCF Bank Stadium. Terry Hawthorne returned an interception for a touchdown and Clay Nurse had four of Illinois' seven sacks to lead the Illini. Jacob Charest threw for 185 yards and a touchdown after replacing Juice Williams, who left in the first quarter with an injured left ankle.
• Longest Illinois winning streak vs. Minnesota: 5 (1981-1984, 1987)
• Longest Minnesota winning streak vs. Illinois: 7 (1900-1903, 1911-1913)
MINNESOTA SUPERLATIVES
• John Sullivan set Illinois' single-game tackles record of 34 vs. Minnesota 11/12/1977
• Rich Kreitling set Illinois' single-game yards per catch record of 41.5 (4-166) at Minnesota 10/18/1958
• Dike Eddleman set Illinois' single-game punt return average record of 51.0 vs. Minnesota 10/18/1947
• Illinois' most rushing yards vs. Minnesota: 315 Robert Holcombe 11/16/1996, 213 Reggie Corbin 11/3/2018, 206 Robert Holcombe 11/18/1995, 205 J.C. Caroline 10/17/1953, 201 Rashard Mendenhall 11/3/2007
• Illinois' most receiving yards vs. Minnesota: 188 David Williams 11/5/1983, 181 Arrelious Benn 10/11/2008
• Illinois' most passing yards vs. Minnesota: 462 Juice Williams 10/11/2008, 343 Jeff George 10/29/1988
• Illinois' longest rush vs. Minnesota: 77 Reggie Corbin 11/3/2018, 72 Reggie Corbin 11/3/2018, 72 Dre Brown 11/3/2018
• Illinois' longest pass vs. Minnesota: 83 Hickey to Kreitling 10/18/1958, 80 Eason to Martin, 10/2/1982
MINNESOTA CONNECTIONS
• Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck is a native of Sugar Grove, Illinois, and went to Kaneland High School.
• Minnesota running backs coach Kenni Burns is a native of Springfield, Illinois, and went to Sacred Heart Griffin.
• Illinois chancellor Robert J. Jones had a 34-year career at the University of Minnesota, where he began as a plant physiologist in the department of agronomy and plant genetics and rose through a series of academic administrative appointments, serving as senior vice president for academic administration at the University of Minnesota System from 2004 to 2013.
• Illinois head football athletic trainer Jeremy Busch was a graduate assistant athletic trainer with the Minnesota football program and graduated from Minnesota with a master's degree in sports management in 2005.
• Illinois' Travis Perry worked for Minnesota's football staff for four years as the Gophers' full-time graphic designer/recruiting assistant before coming to Champaign. Perry's wife, Brittany Perry, is Illinois' Director of Sports Nutrition and was a four-year hockey letterwinner for the Gophers.
• Illinois QB Brandon Peters' first career start for Michigan came against Minnesota 11/4/17. He completed eight of 13 pass attempts for 56 yards with one touchdown.
QUICK STRIKE 2.0
In four games, the Illini have eight scoring drives lasting under two minutes, including five that spanned less than one minute. Last season, the Illini offense showed its explosiveness with 16 scoring drives of less than a minute, fifth-most in FBS behind only Utah State, Alabama, Clemson and Memphis. 12 of the 16 drives came against B1G competition and 10 spanned 30 seconds or less. In 2017, before the arrival of Rod Smith as offensive coordinator, the Illini had four sub-one minute scoring drives all season.
FRESHMAN REDSHIRT WATCH
• The NCAA passed legislation prior to the 2018 that allows players who play in up to four games -- regardless of when they take place -- to redshirt for that season and preserve a year of eligibility. Here's look at games played for each of the 12 Illini true-freshmen that has played in 2019.
» Played in 5+ games (0):
» Have played in 4 or fewer games (12): TE Bryce Barnes (4), LB Tarique Barnes (4), WR Dalevon Campbell (4), DB Devon Witherspoon (4), LB Shammond Cooper (3), RB Nick Fedanzo (2), DL Keith Randolph Jr. (2), WR Casey Washington (2), WR Kyron Cumby (1), DB Matthew Judd (1), DL Moses Okpala (1), and QB Isaiah Williams (1).
RUNNIN' REGGIE
Senior RB Reggie Corbin is the Illini's home run hitter.
» No. 1 graded offensive running back in the Big Ten by PFF (89.5) ahead of Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor (87.4).
» Has two straight 100-yards games (144 vs. EMU and 134 vs. NEB) and six career 100-yard games.
» Ranks 13th in FBS and first in B1G in yards per carry (7.14)
» Ranks 19th in FBS and third in B1G in yards per game (104.7)
» Has 314 yards on the season to bring his career total to 2,000 yards, good for 18th on Illinois' all-time rushing yardage list.
» Ran for a career-high 213 yards on 13 carries (16.4 ypc) and two touchdowns (72 and 77 yards) in the 2018 win over Minnesota. It was the eighth-best rushing performance in Illini history.
» Career yards per carry of 7.25 ranks fifth among all active FBS player with at least 100 carries. He has had 10 scrimmage plays over 50 yards in his career, all coming against Big Ten competition.
» 80 yard TD run at Wisconsin (2018)
» 77 yard TD run vs. Minnesota (2018)
» 73 yard TD run at Rutgers (2018)
» 72 yard TD run vs. Minnesota (2018)
» 69 yard TD run at Maryland (2018)
» 66 yard TD run vs. Nebraska (2019)
» 53 yard run at Rutgers (2016)
» 52 yard run at Rutgers (2018)
» 52 yard reception vs. Purdue (2018)
» 51 yard run vs. Penn State (2018)
Active Career Yards Per Carry Leaders (min. 100 carries)
1. Kennedy Brooks, Oklahoma 8.8 (144-1,262)
2. Raymond Calais, Louisiana 8.2 (153-1,247)
3. Greg McCrae, UCF 7.9 (210-1,653
4. Travis Etienne, Clemson 7.6 (378-2,886)
5. Reggie Corbin, Illinois 7.2 (276-2,000)
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
Now in his fifth year with the Illini, RB Dre Brown has battled through a lot of adversity. He is finally healthy and it shows, rushing for 165 yards on 27 carries (6.1 ypc) and making four catches for 27 yards this season. His biggest impact has been on kickoff returns, where he ranks 10th in FBS and leads the B1G at 30.6 ypr (10 returns for 306 yards).
» Brown ranks third in program history in kickoff return average at 25.9 ypr (min. 15 att.), behind only Red Grange (30.2 ypr) and Mike Bellamy (26.4 ypr), and just ahead of Pierre Thomas (25.3 ypr).
» His current 30.6 yards-per-return average this season not only leads the Big Ten, but also is on pace to break the Illinois single-season record of 29.7 by Darryl Usher in 1987.
» One of the top signees in the 2015 recruiting class, Brown was poised for playing time as a true freshmen before going down with an ACL injury prior to the season. In all, he missed nearly two-and-a-half seasons after enduring 2 torn ACLs, 2 sprained MCLs, a stress fracture and 4 knee surgeries before making his Illini debut Oct. 7, 2017, at Iowa as part of the kick return unit. He got his first offensive snaps and carries Oct. 14 at Rutgers. He had a breakout game at Ohio State that season, rushing for a career-high 76 yards on 15 carries (5.1 ypc) and finished the season with 138 yards on 31 carries (4.5 ypc).
» In 2018, Brown was limited to seven games (missing five due to injury), but he finished the season with 181 yards on 18 carries (10.0 ypc) and two touchdowns. He also was the team's top kick returner, averaging 22.0 yards on 15 returns.
ILLINI STANDOUTS
• BP Scores TDs: Michigan transfer QB Brandon Peters has been as good as advertised thus far.
» Ranks 15th in FBS in passing touchdowns per game (2.5) and 14th in points responsible for per game (18.0)
» Has already surpassed the Illinois season passing touchdown leader for each of the past three seasons: 2018 - AJ Bush Jr. (6), 2017 - Jeff George Jr. (7), 2016 - Wes Lunt (8).
» Peters threw four touchdown passes at UConn, tied for seventh-most in Illinois history, and the most since Wes Lunt threw 4 TDs vs. Kent State 9/5/2015.
» Peters was officially announced as the starter by Lovie Smith on Aug. 20. He graduated from Michigan in three years and transferred to Illinois this summer with two years of eligibility remaining.
• Oh, BheBhe: Junior WR Josh Imatorbhebhe has four touchdown catches in four games to share the Big Ten lead and rank 24th nationally. He's second on the team with 193 receiving yards and 11 catches for a 17.5 yards per catch average. He had three catches for 82 yards on Illinois' game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter against Eastern Michigan.
• Tackling Machine: Senior LB Dele Harding ranks 13th in FBS and second in the Big Ten in tackles per game (10.3). He had a career-high 17 stops, along with 1.5 TFLs against EMU. It was the most sacks by an Illini since Clayton Fejedelem had 19 against Wisconsin in 2015. He has a team-high 41 tackles on the season.
• James and the Giant Leg: Junior K James McCourt has hit three field goals in his Illinois career and he's already established himself as one of the biggest legs in program history.
» McCourt tied the Illinois record with a 57-yard field goal against EMU, tying Dan Beaver's 44 year old mark (vs. Purdue, 10/18/1975). It's also tied for the longest field goal in FBS this season.
» His first Illini make was from 53-yards at UConn Sept. 7, tying for the longest road field goal in Illinois history (Mike Bass at Syracuse 9/18/1982; Dave Finzer at Purdue 10/15/1977).
» McCourt is one of just four players in FBS with at least two 50+ field goals this season.
» On kickoffs, McCourt ranks 14th in FBS in average (64.52 ypk) and 27th in touchback percentage (72.0%)
• Hayes, Australian for Boot: Punter Blake Hayes was named Big Ten Special Teams player of the week on Sept. 23 after averaging 46.0 yards per punt and dropping five punts inside the 20 against Nebraska, including a 59-yard boot to the 2-yard line that set up an Illini score.
» Hayes ranks 21st in FBS in second in the B1G in punting average (45.4) and his versatility, whether it's booming kicks or bouncing rugby-style kicks, have helped the Illini rank 10th in FBS in net punting (43.78 ypp).
» Hayes' current season average of 45.4 yards per punt is tied with Weatherford for the best single-season in Illinois history.
» Hayes' career punting average of 43.1 yards per punt is only 0.4 yards behind Steve Weatherford's Illinois career record set from 2002-05.
TRANSFER PORTAL U
Lovie Smith and staff used the transfer portal to load up the roster with talent, adding seven new power-five transfers, five of which are eligible to play immediately in 2019 as graduate transfers. In addition, LB Milo Eifler (Washington) and WR Donny Navarro (Valparaiso) are now eligible to play after sitting out the 2018 season, and RB Chase Brown (Western Michigan) also transferred in. In all, 10 transfers have joined the team over the last two off-seasons, with seven eligible to play in 2019.
Transfers On the Field in 2019
DL Oluwole Betiku Jr. (USC) » 2 years left
QB Brandon Peters (Michigan) » 2 years left
OL Richie Petitbon (Alabama) » 1 year left
LB Milo Eifler (Washington) » 2 years left
WR Trevon Sidney (USC) » 2 years left
WR Josh Imatorbhebhe (USC) » 2 years left
WR Donny Navarro (Valparaiso) » 3 years left
Transfers Sitting Out 2019
TE Luke Ford (Georgia) » 3 years left starting in 2020
LB Derrick Smith (Miami) » 2 years left starting in 2020
RB Chase Brown (WMU) » 3 year left starting in 2020
GRADS ON GRADS ON GRADS
The 2019 Fighting Illini roster features 11 student-athletes that already earned 12 college degrees prior to the season – seven at Illinois and five at different schools
Student-Athlete | Bachelor's Degree » Degree Pursuing
Oluwole Betiku Jr. | International Relations (May '19 at USC) » Recreation, Sport & Tourism
Dre Brown | Recreation, Sport & Tourism (Dec. '18 at Illinois) » Management
Reggie Corbin | Communication (May '18 at Illinois) » Recreation, Sport & Tourism
Josh Imatorbhebhe | Business Administration (May '19 at USC) » Strategic Brand Communication
Jamal Milan | Sociology (May '19 at Illinois) » Communication (2nd bachelor's)
Brandon Peters | General Studies (June '19 at Michigan) » Recreation, Sport & Tourism
Richie Petitbon | Communication Studies (Dec. '18 at Alabama) » Sport Management
Caleb Reams | Community Health (May '19 at Illinois) » Management
Trevon Sidney | Communication (June '19 at USC) » Recreation, Sport & Tourism
Bobby Walker | Political Science (Dec. '18 at Illinois) » Management
Justice Williams | Business Management (Aug. '18 at Illinois) » Already finished M.S.
Justice Williams | M.S., Business Administration (Aug. 19 at Illinois) » Spanish (2nd bachelor's)
