#20 Illinois Travels to #1 Oregon for Ranked Road Test

#20 Illinois Travels to #1 Oregon

• Illinois, #20 in the AP Top 25 and #21 in the Coaches Poll, takes on #1 Oregon on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS. 
• Illinois will visit Eugene for the second time in program history and the first time since 1995. 
• Illinois will travel west of the Rocky Mountains for the first time since the 2019 Redbox Bowl in Santa Clara, California. Saturday will be Illinois' first regular season game out west since a nonconference trip to Washington in 2014. 

Illinois Off to 6-1 Start, Ranked for the Sixth Straight Week

• Illinois is 6-1 with three AP Top 25 wins for the third time in program history (1983, 1990, 2024).
• Illinois is 6-1 for the second time in Bret Bielema's four seasons at Illinois (2022, 2024). 
• The 6-1 start is tied for the best start by an Illinois team through seven games since starting 6-0-1 in 1953.
• Illinois and #7 Tennessee are the only teams in the nation with three AP Top 25 wins this season. 
• Illinois is 3-1 against AP Top 25 teams this season. From the 2008 Rose Bowl game through the 2023 season, Illinois went 3-40 against AP Top 25 teams.
• Illinois has three AP Top 25 wins in a single season for the first time since 2007. Only one team in Illinois history has more ranked wins than this year's Illini squad: the 1946 team that went 4-0 against AP Top 25 teams.
• Illinois has been ranked for six consecutive weeks. The six AP Poll appearances are the Illini's most since the 2007 team was also ranked for six weeks.

The Illini vs. the AP Poll's #1

• Illinois will face #1 for the first time since the 2007 win at #1 Ohio State that helped the Illini reach the Rose Bowl.
• Illinois will face the #1 team in the nation for the 16th time in program history. The Fighting Illini are 3-12 against #1-ranked teams with wins in 1950 (Ohio State), 1956 (Michigan State), and 2007 (at Ohio State).
• Illinois is 1-5 all-time on the road against #1. The Illini have traveled to the #1 team twice in the last 55 years.
• Illinois' last six meetings against #1 teams have all been against Ohio State. The Illini will face a #1 team other than Ohio State for the first time since hosting #1 USC in 1972.

The Bielema Era  

• Bret Bielema has improved to 24-20 during his Illinois career. Since Robert Zuppke went undefeated in two of his first three seasons at Illinois from 1913-15, Bielema's 24-20 start is the third-best through 44 games by an Illini head coach, behind only Mike White (1980-83) and John Mackovic (1988-91).
• Bielema is 5-6 (.455) against ranked teams (AP/Coaches/CFP) as Illinois' head coach. His .455 winning percentage against ranked teams is the second-best in Illinois history, behind only John Mackovic (8-8, .500, 1988-91). 
• Bielema's five ranked wins (AP/Coaches/CFP) during his first four seasons are tied for the second-most in program history, behind only John Mackovic (8, 1988-91) and tied with Mike White (5, 1980-83).
• Bielema has had the Illini ranked in 11 polls during his first four seasons in Champaign. Only John Mackovic (39 weeks, 1988-91), Mike White (14 weeks, 1980-83), and Pete Elliott (13 weeks, 1960-63) have had the Illini ranked more during their first four seasons as Illinois head coaches. 
• Illinois has sold out Memorial Stadium twice in a single season for the first time since 2009 (vs. #19 Kansas, vs. #24 Michigan). The Illini have two wins in front of sell out crowds at Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2008.

Illinois Facing Stretch of Ranked Opponents

• Illinois will play five ranked opponents over a seven-game stretch. The five ranked opponents ties the program record for the most ranked opponents played during a regular season. The last time Illinois played five ranked opponents during a regular season was 2005.
• Illinois will start its Big Ten schedule with four ranked opponents in its first five Big Ten games. It is the first time in program history the Fighting Illini started their Big Ten schedule with four ranked opponents in their first five Big Ten games.
• Illinois has only played five previous stretches of 4+ ranked opponents over five games during its program history: 1958, 1968, 1971, 1997, 2003.

Illinois Excelling in Close Games

• Illinois has an 8-3 record in one-score games over the last two seasons, including a 3-0 record in one-score wins over #19 Kansas, #22 Nebraska, and Purdue this season. The Illini have been underdogs in four of the eight one-score wins over the past two seasons, including three as road dogs.

Ball Control and Turnover Margin

• Illinois is 18th in the nation in red zone scoring percentage (93.1%). The Illini are 27-for-29 with 19 touchdowns.
• Illinois is 13th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+1.0 per game).
• Illinois is tied for fifth in the nation and leads the Big Ten in forced fumbles (10).
• Illinois is tied for 26th in the nation and third in the Big Ten in interceptions (8).
• Illinois' +7 turnover margin on the season comes despite unlucky results on fumbles. Illinois has recovered eight of 19 total fumbles during its games (42%), including missing on all four fumbles at Nebraska (1 giveaway, 3 forced fumbles that Illinois did not recover).
• Illinois has scored on its first possession in six-straight games (3 touchdowns, 3 field goals).
• The Illini are averaging 9:03 time of possession during fourth quarters, including 12:04 in the win over #19 Kansas.

The Illinois Offense

• QB Luke Altmyer is 17th in the nation in passing efficiency. His 161.5 passing efficiency would be the best in Illini history.
• Altmyer is tied for 15th in the nation in passing touchdowns (15). 
• Altmyer has the best TD/INT ratio among Power 4 quarterbacks (15:1)
• Altmyer joined an impressive list of Illini QBs who have led the team to three Top 25 wins in a single season over the last 50 years: Jack Trudeau (1983), Jason Verduzco (1990), Kurt Kittner (2001), Juice Williams (2007), and Altmyer (2024).
• WR Pat Bryant is tied for eighth in the nation in receiving touchdowns (7) and second in the Big Ten.  
• Bryant has two game-winning touchdown catches in overtime, both coming from Altmyer (at Nebraska, vs. Purdue).

The Illinois Defense

• In Aaron Henry's second season as defensive coordinator, Illinois ranks 22nd in the nation in scoring defense (18.1), an improvement of 71 spots in the national rankings year-over-year (93rd, 29.4).
• The Illini defense ranks in the top 30 nationally in forced fumbles (5th, 10) and interceptions (26th, 7).
• Illini DBs Xavier Scott (3 interceptions), Miles Scott (2), and Torrie Cox Jr. (2) have multiple interceptions. 

The Illinois Special Teams

• Kicker David Olano is 12-for-15 on field goals, including 11-for-13 inside of 50 yards and 7-for-7 inside of 40 yards.
• Kicker Ethan Moczulski's 59-yard field goal vs. Central Michigan, the only attempt of his career, set an Illinois program record and is tied for the fourth-longest field goal in the nation this season. 
• Punter Hugh Robertson has landed 63.6% (14/22) of his punts inside the 20, which is on pace for an Illinois record.
• Hank Beatty is averaging 16.6 yards per punt return on eight returns, which would lead the Big Ten and rank seventh in the nation if he qualified (he is one return short of qualifying for the national leaderboard).

The Illinois-Oregon Series

• Saturday is the fourth meeting between Illinois and Oregon.
• The game is the first between Illinois and Oregon as Big Ten Conference opponents. Each of the three previous matchups between the two programs were regular-season, nonconference contests.
• The Fighting Illini and Ducks first met Sept. 19, 1970, a 20-16 Illinois win at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
• The Ducks also visited Champaign Sept. 25, 1993, coming away with a 13-7 victory over the host Illini.
• The last meeting in the series, Sept. 9, 1995, was Illinois' only visit to Eugene, Oregon. The Illini led 31-20 after three quarters but fell 34-31 to the 24th-ranked Ducks, who completed the fourth quarter comeback at Autzen Stadium.
• Illinois' most rushing yards vs. Oregon: 84 Robert Holcombe at Oregon 9/9/1995
• Illinois' most receiving yards vs. Oregon: 92 Doug Dieken vs. Oregon 9/19/1970
• Illinois' most passing yards vs. Oregon: 190 Johnny Johnson vs. Oregon 9/25/1993
• Illinois' longest rush vs. Oregon: 42 Johnny Johnson at Oregon 9/9/1995
• Illinois' longest pass vs. Oregon: 41 Johnny Johnson to Jason Dulick at Oregon 9/9/1995
• Illinois' most tackles vs. Oregon: 9 by Kevin Hardy, Dana Howard, Simeon Rice, and Antwoine Patton at vs. Oregon 9/25/1993

Oregon Connections

• Illinois Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Barry Lunney Jr. and Oregon Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Will Stein spent two seasons together at UTSA from 2020-21. Lunney served as the Roadrunners' Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach in both seasons before leaving UTSA for Illinois. Following Lunney's departure, Stein was elevated to Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach for his final year in San Antonio in 2022 before making the move to Oregon. 
• Illinois Director of Football Branding and Creative Media Patrick Pierson came to Champaign from Oregon, where he was Associate AD/Communications for the Ducks from 2018-20. Pierson was the primary media contact for the Oregon football team that won back-to-back Pac-12 titles and the 2020 Rose Bowl, while managing a communications staff of six that promoted Oregon's 20 athletic programs.
• Illinois head coach Bret Bielema coached against Oregon in the 2012 Rose Bowl during his tenure as head coach at Wisconsin. The Ducks, then coached by Chip Kelly, escaped with a 45-38 victory, a then-record for points by two teams in the history of the Rose Bowl.