Preview
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois returns to its Big Ten schedule on Saturday, when it takes on Wisconsin on the road. The Fighting Illini (3-1, 0-1) are coming off back-to-back home wins to cap off an undefeated nonconference slate, while the Badgers (2-2, 0-1) enter the contest following a road loss to Ohio State.
The Illini allowed zero touchdowns in nonconference play for the first time in over 100 years, while the offense had two different receivers and one running back register over 100 yards in the same game for the first time in program history.
Chase Brown remains the leading rusher in the NCAA with 604 yards on the ground through four games, while the Illinois defense ranks tied for fourth in the country in points allowed per game (8) and ranks joint-best in touchdowns allowed (2) this season.
Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. CT from Camp Randall Stadium in Madison with Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), and Krystle Rich (reporter) on the call for Big Ten Network. The Busey Bank Illini Sports Network has the statewide radio call with Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Martin O'Donnell (analyst), and Michael Martin (reporter).
Press Conference
Illini Stats and Notes
Illini Travel to Wisconsin for Second Big Ten Road Game
• Illinois will play its second Big Ten road game to start the conference schedule. The Illini do not play another road game until Oct. 29 with back-to-back home contests against Iowa and Minnesota following Saturday's trip to Madison, then a bye before going to Nebraska.
• Illinois completed its first undefeated nonconference schedule since 2011 by beating Chattanooga, 31-0, last Thursday. The Illini also had nonconference wins against Wyoming and Virginia.
• Illinois did not allow a touchdown in nonconference play for the first time since 1921 (52-0 vs. South Dakota, 21-0 vs. DePauw). It was the first time Illinois played 3+ nonconference games without allowing a TD since 1917 (22-0 vs. Kansas, 44-0 vs. Oklahoma, 28-0 vs. Camp Funston).
• Bret Bielema improved to 8-8 in his Illinois career with the win last week. He is the first Illini head coach to start .500 or better through his first 16 games since John Mackovic started 9-6-1 in the 1988-89 seasons.
Illinois Defense Keeps Trending Up
• Illinois defensive ranks nationally: 1st in opponent passer rating (74.2), 2nd in red zone defense (50%), 5th in total defense (234.5), t-4th in scoring defense (8.0), 5th in first downs allowed (49), 7th in third-down conversion rate against (25%), 18th in rushing defense (87.2).
• Illinois' defense is ranked 10th in the nation by ESPN's SP+ metric and seventh by PFF.
• Illinois is one of four schools in the nation that has yet to allow a touchdown at home this season, joining Arkansas State, Marshall, and UMass.
• Illinois has allowed only 167 rushing yards over 88 rushes in the last three games (1.9 yards/rush).
• During Illinois' three wins, opponents have a third down conversion rate of 12.2%. Wyoming went 1-12 on third downs, Virginia went 0-15, and Chattanooga was 4-14.
• Illinois has allowed 50 passing yards or less in two games this season (30 vs. Wyoming, 49 vs. Chattanooga). It is the first time since at least 2000 Illinois has held two opponents under 50 passing yards.
Chase Brown Chases History
• Chase Brown is the nation's leading rusher with 604 yards.
• Brown leads the nation in rushes of 10+ yards (21) and ranks fifth in all-purpose yards (635).
• Brown is the first Illini ever to rush for 100+ yards in five straight games. The streak is tied for the second longest active streak in the nation, behind Minnesota's Mohamed Ibrahim's 13 and tied with Kentucky's Chris Rodriguez's five.
• Brown is the second Illini in history to rush for 100+ yards in the first four games of a season, joining J.C. Caroline (1953).
• Brown was the first player in program history to rush for 140+ yards in the first three games of a season. He went for 146 yards on 20 carries against Virginia, had 199 yards on 36 careers at Indiana, and 151 yards on 19 carries against Wyoming in Week 0.
• Brown had his 10th career 100-yard game against Chattanooga, tied for the fifth-most in Illini history.
• 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 last year. 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 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 Illinois.
• Brown surpassed 2,000 career yards in the season opener against Wyoming when he rushed for 151 yards and scored three touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 receiving).
• Brown has 2,167 rushing yards for his career at Illinois, No. 14 on Illinois' all-time career rushing list. Brown tallied 352 yards as a freshman at Western Michigan for 2,516 for his career, good for No. 9 on the NCAA's active career leaders list.
• Brown was the 14th 1,000-yard rusher coached 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 nearly became the first Illini running back to rush for 200 yards on three occassions, falling one yard short at Indiana.
• Brown's 223 rushing yards at Penn State last year were the most ever by an opponent at Beaver Stadium and the fourth-most ever against Penn State.
• 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).
#1 from QB to WR
• Former quarterback Isaiah Williams has been Illinois' leading receiver over the last two seasons, his first two seasons playing wide receiver in his life.
• Williams set career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (112) at Indiana, then he had nine more receptions and 103 yards against Chattanooga.
• Williams had a 90.3 grade by PFF against Indiana, the second-best offensive grade in the Big Ten in Week 1 behind only Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud.
• Williams has at least one catch in all 16 games of the last two seasons.
• Williams ranks 12th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in receptions per game (7.0).
• Last season, Williams was third in the nation among Power-5 freshmen in receptions (47), behind only Texas' Xavier Worthy (62) and Georgia's Brock Bowers (56).
PB Breaks Out
• Pat Bryant had career highs in receptions (7) and receiving yards (115) against Chattanooga.
• Bryant was the #1 graded Power-5 wide receiver in the nation last week, according to PFF.
• Bryant leads the Illini in receiving yards with 262, two more than Isaiah Williams.
DeVito Playing Consistent
• Illinois QB Tommy DeVito is one of 19 quarterbacks nationally to have 900+ yards passing, 9+ touchdowns, and a completion percentage over 66%. In the Big Ten, only C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) has reached those numbers.
• DeVito is one of 11 quarterbacks in the nation to have multiple touchdown passes in each of the first four games. In the Big Ten, only C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) has accomplished the feat.
• DeVito's 954 passing yards are the most by an Illini through four games since Wes Lunt had 1,237 through four games in 2014.
The Law Firm
• Defensive linemen Jer'Zhan "Johnny" Newton and Keith Randolph Jr., who go by the nickname "The Law Firm," have been one of the top defensive tackle duos in the nation to date.
• Newton is the #3 graded interior defensive lineman in the nation by PFF and Randolph is #87.
• Newton leads the nation in QB hits with eight and ranks second in the nation in QB pressures with 22, both according to PFF.
• Newton and Randolph's combined 32 pressures are the most in the country among any interior defensive line tandem. They have five more than any other duo.
Sixth-Year Palczewski
• Alex Palczewski is the No. 2 graded tackle in the Big Ten according to PFF (min. 150 snaps).
• Palczewski is the NCAA's active leader in career starts with 56 and is nine 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 has started every game for the Illini in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. The only games he has not started were one as a true freshman in 2017 and four after a knee injury in 2020.
Series vs. Wisconsin
Series: Illinois trails, 38-44-7
Last: L, 24-0 (10/9/21 at Champaign)
Streak: L2
at Madison: Illinois trails, 16-25-4
Bielema vs. Wisconsin: 0-1
• This is the 90th meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Badgers.
• Wisconsin holds a 44-38-7 edge in the all-time series.
• Illinois pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Big Ten history in 2019 against Wisconsin. James McCourt's 39-yard field goal as time expired beat the No. 6/6 Badgers, 24-23, on Illinois' Homecoming, as the Illini won as 30.5-point underdogs (according to ESPN). Illinois had the most points (24), takeaways (3), rushing yards (141), passing touchdowns (2, tied), rushing touchdowns (1, tied), yards per carry (4.0), and the longest rush (43, Corbin) against Wisconsin to that point in the season.
• Illinois is 16-25-4 all-time against the Badgers in Madison. The Illini have lost eight straight in Madison dating back to 2002 when the Illini won 37-20 at Camp Randall. Jon Beutjer completed 22-of-34 passes for 319 yards and Antoineo Harris rushed 40 times for 158 yards to lead the Illini.
• The 1995 game between the Illini and Wisconsin holds historical significance as the last college football game to end in a tie (final score was 3-3). Overtime rules were instituted the following season.
• Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was formerly the defensive coordinator (2004-05) and the head coach (2006-12) at Wisconsin. He led the Badgers to three Big Ten championships (2010-12), six consecutive bowl games and a 68-24 record (.739).
• Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst was the offensive coordinator for Bielema's Wisconsin teams from 2006-11 before leaving to take the head coaching job at Pittsburgh.
• Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst was the tight ends coach for the San Diego Chargers in 2001 when Illinois AD Josh Whitman played for the Chargers.
• Illinois outside linebacker coach Kevin Kane was at Wisconsin from 2008-10 serving as a graduate assistant and serving as a graduate assistant (2008-09) and quality control assistant (2010) under Bielema.
• Illinois linebackers coach Andy Buh served the same postion at Wisconsin in 2012 under Bielema.
• Illinois defensive line coach Terrance Jamison played on the defensive line for the Badgers from 2005-07 under Bielema before knee injuries forced him to the sidelines, and combined to serve four seasons as a student assistant (2008-09), quality control assistant (2011) and a graduate assistant (2012).
• Illinois defensive backs coach Aaron Henry played under Bielema at Wisconsin where he was an All-Big Ten first team defensive back, earning 32 starts from 2007-11, and helping lead the Badgers to consecutive Big Ten titles and Rose Bowl appearances as a junior and senior.
• Illinois Football Chief of Staff Mark Taurisani spent seven seasons at Wisconsin, including the final four as Director of Football Operations. He served as football operations coordinator (2008-09), following two seasons as an operations assistant in 2006-07.
