#17 Illinois Set for Orange Out Matchup Against #1 Ohio State

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – #17 Illinois welcomes the #1 team in the nation, Ohio State, to sold out Gies Memorial Stadium on Saturday for the program's annual "Hail to the Orange Out." The Fighting Illini and Buckeyes are scheduled to kick at 11 a.m. CT on FOX. 

Illinois (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) and Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will battle for the Illibuck rivalry trophy, a wooden turtle that is presented to the winning team. The Illibuck started in 1924 as a live turtle, but the coveted turtle died in 1926 and was replaced by a series of wooden replicas inscribed with the winning score following each matchup. The current trophy is Illibuck XI. 

Saturday will mark the first Illibuck matchup since 2017 and Ohio State's first visit to Champaign since 2015. Ohio State has won nine straight in the series dating back to Illinois' upset over #1-ranked Ohio State in 2007. 

Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), and Jenny Taft (reporter) have the television broadcast on FOX. The Busey Bank Illini Sports Network has the radio call with Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), and Michael Martin (sideline).

Tickets are sold out. Visit SeatGeek, the official ticket marketplace of Illinois Athletics.

Big Noon Kickoff and Barstool are Back

FOX's Big Noon Kickoff pregame show is coming back to Champaign on Saturday for the second time this season. The network's popular pregame show featuring Rob Stone; analysts Mark Ingram II, Matt Leinart, Urban Meyer, and Brady Quinn; and Barstool's Dave Portnoy will air live from Grange Grove from 9-11 a.m. CT on Saturday. Chris "The Bear" Fallica also provides analysis, in addition to insight and interviews from reporter Tom Rinaldi. 

FOX Big Noon Kickoff will be live from the south side of Grange Grove from 9 a.m. CT until approximately 10:15 a.m. CT before moving inside Gies Memorial Stadium for the remainder of the show. Admission to the Big Noon Kickoff area is free, and fans are encouraged to bring signs. FOX will be giving away game tickets, food, trucker hats, and other items. 

Big Noon Kickoff will be preceded by The Barstool College Football Show beginning at 8 a.m. CT in Grange Grove.

The Big Noon Kickoff pregame show will lead into the #17 Fighting Illini hosting #1 Ohio State at Gies Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on FOX. 

Hall of Fame Weekend

Illinois will celebrate its 11 new members to the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Friday, October 10, at State Farm Center. Returning members of the 2025 class will be honored at Saturday's football game. 

Kurt Kittner and Joe Rutgens represent the football team in this year's class. Kittner was one of the top quarterbacks in Illinois history and led the Illini to the 2001 Big Ten title, while Rutgens was a star defensive tackle and earned All-America status in 1960.

Press Conference

Notes

#17 Illinois, #1 Ohio State Battle for the Illibuck
• After a 5-1 start to the season, #17 Illinois hosts #1 Ohio State in a battle for the Illibuck Trophy.
• Saturday will mark the first Illibuck matchup since 2017 and Ohio State's first visit to Champaign since 2015.
• Ohio State has won nine straight in the series dating back to Illinois' upset over the #1-ranked Buckeyes in 2007. 
• Saturday will be the first ranked-vs.-ranked matchup between the teams since 2001, when #12 Illinois beat #25 Ohio State, 34-22, in Champaign on its way to the Big Ten title.

Illinois vs. #1
• Illinois will host the #1 team in the nation for the 11th time in history and the first time since 2006.
• Illinois is 3-13 against #1-ranked teams. Illinois knocked off top-ranked opponents in back-to-back opportunities at home in 1950 and 1956, plus beat #1 Ohio State in Columbus in 2007.
• Saturday will be the first time a ranked Illinois team will host a #1 team since 1950 (#8 Illinois beat #1 Ohio State).
• Illinois last played #1 last season, a 38-9 loss at #1 Oregon. 
• Illinois last hosted #1 in 2006, a 17-10 loss to #1 Ohio State. 
• Illinois is hosting the defending national champions at Gies Memorial Stadium for the second straight season. Last season,  Illinois beat defending national champion Michigan, 21-7, on Oct. 19, 2024 in the Memorial Stadium Rededication Game.

Winning Ways
• Illinois is 15-4 over the last two seasons, including 11 Power-4 wins and eight Big Ten wins.
• Illinois has won nine of its last 10 games. It is Illinois' first time going 9-1 over a 10-game stretch since finishing the 2001 regular season 10-1 and winning the Big Ten title.
• Illinois is 11-4 when playing as a ranked team over the last two seasons.
• Illinois has 15 wins over the last two seasons. A 16th win would give Illinois its most wins over a two-year stretch since 1989-90, when the Illini went 10-2 then 8-4 under John Mackovic. 
• Illinois is looking to become postseason eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2010-11.

Illinois in the Rankings
• Illinois is ranked #17 in this week's AP Top 25, up five spots from last week. 
• Illinois has been ranked in 12 straight AP Top 25 polls and 19 of the last 21 dating back to Week 3 of 2024.
• Illinois is ranked #17 in this week's US LBM Coaches Poll, up five spots from last week.
• Illinois had its highest preseason ranking (#12) since 1990, when the Illini started #11 in the Preseason AP Top 25.
• Illinois' #12 preseason ranking is the ninth-highest in program history since the AP Preseason Poll began in 1950.
• Illinois was ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25 and the Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time since 2008.
• Illinois has the #11 strength of record and the #9 strength of schedule in the nation, according to ESPN.

The Illinois Offense 
• Illinois is averaging 35.7 points per game over its last 10 games, while going 9-1 during that stretch.
• QB Luke Altmyer ranks in the top 15 in the nation in four major passing categories: passing efficiency (5th, 189.7), passing yards (6th, 1,573), completion percentage (7th, 73.6), and touchdown passes (14th, 12).
• Altmyer (12 TD/0 INT) is tied for the national lead in touchdown passes among quarterbacks that have not thrown an interception this season, along with Temple's Evan Simon (12/0).
• Altmyer is second in the nation in 50+-yard passing plays (5) and fourth in the nation in 40+-yard passing plays (8).
• WR Hank Beatty is the first Big Ten player to record a passing, rushing, receiving, and punt return touchdown in a single season since Michigan's Steve Breaston in 2003.
• Beatty is the only player in the nation with a passing, rushing, receiving, and punt return touchdown this season.
• Beatty is fifth in the nation and second in the Big Ten in receiving yards (569).
• Beatty is fifth in the nation and second in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards (764). 
• Illinois and Indiana are the only teams in the Big Ten with two running backs over 300 yards this season. Both Ca'Lil Valentine (323), who had a career-high 95 yards at Purdue, and Kaden Feagin (316) are over 300 yards for the Illini.

The Illinois Defense
• Illinois leads the nation in fumble recoveries (8), two more than any other team.
• Illinois is tied for second in the nation in forced fumbles (7), behind only Houston (9).
• Illinois is tied for 18th in the nation and tied for fourth in the Big Ten in sacks (15.0).
• Preseason All-American OLB Gabe Jacas is tied for 14th in the nation and tied for third in the Big Ten in sacks (4.5), while ranking tied for seventh in the nation in forced fumbles (2).

The Illinois Special Teams
• Hank Beatty ranks sixth in the nation in yards per punt return (18.9) and ninth in punt return yards (170).
• David Olano has hit 10 straight field goals after his second attempt of the year was blocked due to a blocking breakdown against Western Illinois in the season opener. It is his lone miss on the season on field goals or extra points.
• Olano's 10 straight makes is tied for the Illini's longest streak since 1993 and three away from tying the Illini record.
• Olano is 17th in the nation in kickoff touchback percentage (35/40, 87.5%). 
• Keelan Crimmins would rank 26th in the nation and third in the Big Ten in yards per punt (45.5), but he does not meet the minimum punts threshold. Crimmins has 3.3 punts per game, the NCAA minimum is 3.6 punts per game.

The Battle for the Illibuck
• Saturday marks the 104th meeting between the Fighting Illini and Ohio State in the overall series dating back to 1902, and the 92nd contest for the Illibuck rivalry trophy which officially began 1924.  
• The Illibuck is the second-oldest rivalry trophy in the Big Ten, behind only The Little Brown Jug (Michigan-Minnesota) which dates back to 1909. 
• "Illibuck" was a live turtle, but he died in 1926 and was replaced by a series of wooden replicas inscribed with the winning score following each matchup. The current trophy is Illibuck XI. 
• Ohio State leads the overall series 69-30-4 with a 65-24-2 advantage in the battle for the Illibuck. 
• Saturday's contest is the first matchup between the Illini and Ohio State since 2017 (in Columbus), and the Buckeyes' first trip to Gies Memorial Stadium since 2015. 
• The two programs met on the gridiron every year from 1914 to 2002, and again for 11 straight seasons from 2005 to 2015. OSU's scheduled visit to Champaign, Nov. 28, 2020, was canceled because of an elevated number of COVID-19 cases within the Buckeyes' program.
• In the last 38 seasons (1988-2025), only Michigan (17) has more wins against Ohio State than Illinois (9). 
• Illinois' last win over the Buckeyes was in 2007. It marked the first time the Illini beat a top-ranked team since 1956. The victory ended OSU's 29-game regular-season winning streak and 21-game Big Ten win streak. The Illini rushed for 260 yards against a Buckeyes defense that came in allowing just 65 yards per game on the ground. Rashard Mendenhall set an Illinois season record (1,402 yards at the end of the game) with 88 yards on 26 carries. Juice Williams threw for four touchdowns and led Illinois on a 16-play drive lasting the final 8:09 to close out the win.
• Ohio State has won nine straight over Illinois dating back to 2007.