CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois football team looks for its first win of the season Saturday at Memorial Stadium against Minnesota at 2:30 p.m. CT. Big Ten Network has the television broadcast with Mark Followill (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), and Elise Menaker (sideline) on the call.

ILLINI HOST GOPHERS IN CHAMPAIGN

BACK-AND-FORTH SERIES

• Minnesota leads the all-time series 39-30-3 but Illinois is 19-15-1 against the Gophers in Champaign.
• In Minnesota's last visit to Champaign, 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.
• Last season, Illinois scored two defensive touchdowns but was outscored 24-7 in the second half of a 40-17 loss. Dele Harding had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown to give Illinois a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and Milo Eifler had a seven-yard fumble return for a touchdown after a Jake Hansen strip sack in the third quarter.

ILLINOIS STATS AND NOTES

TWO SIDELINED WITH POSITIVE COVID-19 TESTS

• Senior QB Brandon Peters and redshirt freshman TE Griffin Moore were both sidelined for 21 days following positive test results Oct. 29 for the COVID-19 virus. Per Big Ten Conference protocol, following recovery both players will be eligible to return for the Nov. 21 game at Nebraska.
• Contact tracing also sidelined several other players for the Purdue game and this week's game against Minnesota.
• Illinois was missing 14 potential contributors for the Purdue game due to a combination of COVID-19 positives, contact tracing, and injuries: DB Christian Bobak, LB Shammond Cooper, OL Brevyn Jones, WR Kerby Joseph, OL Doug Kramer, DB Michael Marchese, K James McCourt, TE Griffin Moore, OL Moses Okpala, QB Brandon Peters, DL Keith Randolph Jr., WR Trevon Sidney, OL Jordyn Slaughter, QB Isaiah Williams

NEXT MAN UP

• Fourth-string QB Coran Taylor shined against Purdue after being thrown into action following Peters' positive COVID test, Isaiah Williams being out, and Matt Robinson's injury on the first drive of the game. Taylor was 17-of-29 passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns along with 32 rushing yards in the first significant playing time of his career. If Taylor were to start against Minnesota, it would be the first start of his career.
• Starting LG Kendrick Green was forced to move to center with starting C Doug Kramer out for the Purdue game.
• OL Alex Pihlstrom started at left guard against Purdue with Green moving to center. Pihlstrom is a former walk-on tight end that gained 45 pounds (240 to 285) from the 2019 season to 2020 in order to switch to offensive line. 
• Backup K Caleb Griffin was 3-for-3 on extra points and made a 28-yard field goal against Purdue with starting K James McCourt out. 
• LB Jake Hansen left the season opener in the first half with an injury and was replaced by Tarique Barnes, who received his first significant playing time. Barnes had a team-high 11 tackles (seven solo), 1.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, and a 39-yard fumble return for a touchdown. 
• Barnes was the No. 4 graded linebacker in the nation according to PFF (88.2) after Illinois' first week, behind only Tulsa's Zaven Collins (92.1), Army's Jon Rhattigan (90.4), and North Texas' Grayson Murphy (89.3). 
• Barnes was the No. 6 graded linebacker in the nation during Oct. 23/24 according to PFF

LIMITED ATTENDANCE

• Illinois will host families of coaches and student-athletes from both teams as the only fans in attendance in accordance with the Big Ten rule due to COVID-19.
• There are expected to be about 1,000 people in the 60,670-seat Memorial Stadium.
• Illinois's home opener against Purdue had an official attendance of 838.
• More than 1,100 cutouts will also be in the stands, including photos of the Marching Illini, Illinettes Dance Team, and the Illinois cheerleading team.
       » For an added donation to the Bobby Roundtree Trust, cutouts could be returned to fans with a Lovie Smith autograph

ALL-ILLINOIS OFFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line returned four starters from one of the best groups in the Big Ten in 2019. Junior Kendrick Green,(Peoria, Ill.), senior Doug Kramer (Hinsdale, Ill.), senior Vederian Lowe (Rockford, Ill.), and senior Alex Palczewski (Mount Prospect, Ill.) are back.

• In addition to the returning four, Illinois starts an all-Illinois offensive line. Sophomore Verdis Brown (Chicago, Ill.) was announced as the starting right guard by head coach Lovie Smith on Oct. 19.
• With C Doug Kramer and G Jordyn Slaughter (Belleville, Ill.) out for the Purdue game, former tight end Alex Pihlstrom (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) started at guard.
• Palczewski-Kramer-Green-Lowe have started 25 games together (all 12 in 2018, 12 of 13 in 2019, 1 in 2020). The group had started 24 straight games together before Kramer missed the Redbox Bowl with an injury.
• The starting group of Palczewski-Brown-Kramer-Green-Lowe has combined for 136 career starts, the most in the Big Ten and the fourth-most in the nation among starting offensive lines.
• Illinois has the highest rated returning offensive line in the Big Ten according to Pro Football Focus. The Illini's returners grade 81.6, ahead of second place Ohio State (80.1) and third place Iowa (79.8).

TRANSFER U

The Illini's have had huge success in the transfer market. Some of the notables...      

• RB Chase Brown – Brother of DB Sydney Brown transferred from WMU and has competed for the starting running back spot
• WR Desmond Dan Jr. – New Mexico State grad transfer adds WR depth
• LB Milo Eifler – Second-year starter for the Illini after transferring from Washington
• TE Luke Ford – Former No. 1 TE recruit in the nation sat out last year after transferring from Georgia
• WR Brian Hightower – Former four-star recruit transferred from Miami (Fla.)
• TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe – Brother of Josh and former USC TE is a grad transfer
• WR Josh Imatorbhebhe – Illini's leading receiver last year after transferring from USC
• OL Blake Jeresaty – FCS All-American grad transferred from Wofford (injured, out for the year)
• WR Donny Navarro – Valpo transfer had a big second-half of the season in 2019
• DL Roderick Perry II – NFL Draft prospect grad transferred from South Carolina State
• QB Brandon Peters – Second-year starter for the Illini after transferring from Michigan
• WR Trevon Sidney – USC transfer had 16 catches for 123 yards last year before an injury
• LB Derrick Smith – Potential starter sat out last year after transferring from Miami (Fla.)

THREE TWO-TIME CAPTAINS

• Illinois has five captains for the season: Doug Kramer, Brandon Peters, Jake Hansen, Nate Hobbs, and Blake Hayes.
• The captains were selected by a vote of the student-athletes and staff.
• Kramer, Hansen, and Hayes were named captains for the second consecutive year. It is the first time in program history the Illini have had three two-time captains on the roster.

ALL-TIME SERIES

ILLINOIS vs. MINNESOTA

• Series: Minnesota leads, 39-30-3
• Last: Minnesota 40, Illinois 17 (at Minnesota, 10/5/2019)
• Streak: Minnesota W1
• at Champaign: Illinois leads, 19-15-1
• 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 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.