CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois football team opens its 133rd season of football on Saturday at Memorial Stadium with a Week 0 matchup against Wyoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Joshua Perry (analyst), and Rick Pizzo (reporter) have the call on BTN. The Busey Bank Illini Sports Network will have the radio call featuring Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Martin O'Donnell (analyst), and Michael Martin (sideline).
PRESS CONFERENCE
ILLINOIS STATS AND NOTES
ILLINOIS, WYOMING KICK OFF COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON
- Illinois and Wyoming meet in Week 0, the Illini's second straight season playing the first week of the year. Last season, Illinois beat Nebraska, 30-22, in Week 0.
- Illinois and Wyoming meet on the football field for the first time in history.
- Illinois is one of 22 FBS teams playing Week 0 and one of six Power-5 teams. Nebraska and Northwestern meet in Dublin, Florida State hosts Duquesne, North Carolina hosts Florida A&M, and Vanderbilt travels to Hawaii.
HOME OPENER
- Illinois debuts its new turf during the first game of the 2022 season. Some of the notable changes are "Zuppke Field" written in the sidelines, "FamILLY" displayed beyond the south end zone and the sideline, and orange sidelines inside the 20-yard lines to mimic those of the Rose Bowl.
- Illinois is 276-247-14 all-time at Memorial Stadium.
- Illinois is 84-43-5 in season-openers and 61-28-4 when opening the season at home.
BIG WINS IN BIELEMA'S YEAR ONE
- Bret Bielema became the first first-year head coach in Illinois history to win two top 25 games. The Illini had marquee wins at #7 (AP) Penn State, in the longest game in college football history, and at #20 (CFP) Minnesota, in Illinois' first ever College Football Playoff ranked win.
- The Illini were one of four teams to win two AP/CFP ranked games on the road in 2021, along with Boise State, Fresno State, and Mississippi State.
- Illinois had as many AP/CFP ranked wins in 2021 (2) as the previous 12 years combined.
- Illinois tied for its most Big Ten wins (4) since the 2007 team went 6-2 en route to the Rose Bowl (tied with the 2010, 2013, 2019, which also had four Big Ten wins).
- Illinois dominated Northwestern, 47-14, in the season finale for the Illini's first win in the Land of Lincoln Trophy rivalry game since 2015, snapping a six-game losing streak.
- According to ESPN's SP+ metric, Illinois had its best season since 2011 and 8th-best season in the last 25 years.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
- Illinois announced a contract extension for defensive coordinator Ryan Walters on Nov. 14, 2021, after Walters has helped Illinois have one of the best defensive turnarounds in college football.
- Illinois' defense has made a 13.0-point improvement from last season (34.9 ppg to 21.9 ppg). The 13.0 ppg improvement is the program's third-best improvement since 1950.
- Illinois' scoring defense (31st from 97th), total defense (32nd from 89th), and third-down defense (51st from 114th) have all improved 50 or more spots in the national rankings.
- Illinois allowed only 18.9 points in Big Ten games, the fourth-best in the conference. In 2020, Illinois allowed 34.9 points allowed per Big Ten game, ranking last in the conference.
- Illinois' Big Ten defensive ranks in conference play improved 7+ spots in points per game (4th from 14th), touchdowns allowed (t-3rd from 14th), yards per play (4th from 13th), yards per game (5th from 14th), rush yards per carry (7th from 14th), pass yards per throw (4th from 14th), and pass yards per game (1st from 10th).
- Illinois held nine of its 12 opponents under their season scoring average.
- Illinois' total defense has improved by 101.0 yards per game (467.3 to 366.3). The 101.0 ypg improvement is the program's fourth-best improvement since 1950.
- Illinois' defense allowed only 48 points (12.0) in regulation of its four Big Ten road games in 2021, including only four TDs by opposing offenses in Big Ten road games.
- Illinois allowed only one passing touchdown over its final six games of the season and none in the final 19 quarters (4 games + final 3 quarters at Penn State).
- Illinois allowed only 2.5 yards per carry in Big Ten road games in 2021 (142 carries, 361 yards) and only 1.7 yards per carry in the fourth quarter of those games (31 carries, 52 yards).
- Illinois had a streak of holding opponents to 24 points or fewer in seven straight games.
- Brown was 21st in the nation and third in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game (99.2) in 2021.
- Brown has 1,451 rushing yards for his career at Illinois, No. 28 on Illinois' all-time career rushing list. Brown also tallied 352 yards as a freshman at Western Michigan for 1,806 for his career.
CHASE BROWN CHASES HISTORY
- Chase Brown became the 14th 1,000-yard rusher in program history when he broke the 1,000-yard mark in the season finale against Northwestern. He finished the season with 1,005 rushing yards on 170 carries (5.9 per carry) and five touchdowns.
- Brown is looking to join an elite group of running backs if he can reach 1,000 yards again in 2022. Only Jim Grabowski and Robert Holcombe have reached 1,000 yards rushing in two seasons for the Fighting Illini.
- Brown was the 14th 1,000-yard rusher coach by Bielema in his 13-year head coaching career.
- Brown's 223-yard rushing game at Penn State marked his second game of 2021 with 200+ yards (257 vs. Charlotte). He joined Howard Griffith (1990) and Rashard Mendenhall (2007) as the only players in Illinois history with multiple 200-yard rushing games in a single season.
- Brown's 223 rushing yards at Penn State were the most ever by an opponent at Beaver Stadium and the fourth-most ever against Penn State.
- Brown's 147 rushing yards at Minnesota were the most by an opponent at Minnesota since 2017.
- Brown was the first Illini in history to run for 220+ yards twice in a career. He did it in the span of three games during the 2021 season (vs. Charlotte, at Penn State).
- Brown led the nation in yards after contact in 2021's Week 8 with 145 at Penn State, according to PFF. He led the nation in yards after contact twice in a four-week span in October 2021 and he was the only running back to lead the nation in yards after contact twice during the 2021 season.
- Brown had 71 carries last season while facing at least 8 defenders in the box, and averaged 5.96 yards per carry with 4.97 of those yards coming after contact.
- Brown was 23rd in the nation and third in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game (100.5).
- Brown has 1,563 rushing yards for his career at Illinois, No. 25 on Illinois' all-time career rushing list. Brown also tallied 352 yards as a freshman at Western Michigan for 1,915 for his career.
INCOMING TRANSFERS
- Like most teams in college football, Illinois will rely on the help of transfers. Here's a list of the 12 transfers to join the team for 2022, including their years of eligibility remaining.
» OL Isaiah Adams, Garden City CC (2 years)
» WR Kody Case, South Dakota (1 year)
» OL Zy Crisler, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (3 years)
» OL Dylan Davis, Furman (3 years)
» QB Tommy DeVito, Syracuse (1 year)
» DL TeRah Edwards, Northwestern (4 years)
» DB Terrell Jennings, Minnesota State (1 year)
» QB Kirkland Michaux, Blinn JC (4 years)
» WR Jonah Morris, Northern Colorado (1 year)
» K/P Fabrizio Pinton, Air Force (4 years)
» DB Solo Turner, Hawaii (3 years)
» DL Raashaan Wilkins, Vanderbilt (2 years)
GRADUATES
- Illinois has 20 college graduates on its 2022 roster, 16.9% of its total roster.
» Chase Brown: Strategic Brand Communication (Master's)
» Verdis Brown: Communication (Second Bachelor's Degree)
» Kody Case: Strategic Leadership & Management (Certificate Program)
» Tommy DeVito: Strategic Brand Communication (Master's Program)
» Preston Engel: Management (Master's Program)
» Caleb Griffin: Strategic Brand Communication (Master's Program)
» Chase Hayden Strategic Brand Communication (Master's Program)
» Ezekiel Holmes: Communication (Second Bachelor's Degree)
» Terrell Jennings: Strategic Brand Communication (Certificate Program)
» Ryan Johnson: Strategic Brand Communication (Master's Program)
» Tailon Leitzsey: Management (Master's Program)
» Michael Marchese: Accountancy (Master's Program)
» Jartavius Martin: Strategic Leadership & Management (Certificate Program)
» Jonah Morris: Strategic Leadership & Management (Certificate Program)
» Alex Palczewski: Organizational & Community Leadership (Second Bachelor's Degree)
» Alex Pihlstrom: Strategic Brand Communication (Master's Program)
» Jordyn Slaughter: Communication (Second Bachelor's Degree)
» Kendall Smith: Strategic Brand Communication (Certificate Program)
» Peyton Vining: Food Science & Human Nutrition (Master's Program)
» Raashaan Wilkins: Strategic Brand Communication (Certificate Program)
PALCHO - CAREER STARTS LEADER
- Illinois senior captain Alex Palczewski is the NCAA's active leader in career starts with 52 and is 13 away from tying the NCAA record set by App State WR Thomas Hennigan from 2017-21.
- Palczewski is the active leader in snaps, according to PFF.
- Palczewski started every game for the Illini in 2018, 2019, and 2021. The only games he has not started were one as a true freshman in 2017 and four after a knee injury in 2020.
CAPTAINS
ALL-TIME SERIES
ILLINOIS vs. WYOMING
- Series: First ever meeting
- Last: -
- Streak: -
- at Champaign: -
- Bielema vs. Wyoming: 0-0
- Illinois offensive line coach Bart Miller served as Wyoming's offensive line coach in 2019 and 2020.
