Illinois Falls to Duke at Sold-Out Gies Memorial Stadium

Saturday, September 12

Champaign, Ill.

2:30 PM CT

University of Illinois

1-1 , 0-0

Duke

2-0 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Duke	7	14	7	3	31
Illinois	10	14	3	0	27

Illinois Falls to Duke at Sold-Out Gies Memorial Stadium

September 12, 2026 | Football

Box Score

RECAP

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois fell to Duke, 31-27, on Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd at Gies Memorial Stadium.

Collin Dixon hauled in career-best marks across the board with 11 receptions for 166 yards and three receiving scores, tying the program record for single-game touchdown catches. He became the only Illini in program history to have three receiving touchdowns in a single half. Katin Houser completed 24 of his 35 pass attempts for 271 yards and three touchdowns.

Duke (2-0) was led by running back Nate Sheppard, who rushed 24 times for 147 yards and a score to go along with five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns. Walker Eget went 15-for-21 on his pass attempts for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

Illinois (1-1) closes its season-opening three-game homestand on Saturday, Sept. 19 with an in-state matchup against Southern Illinois. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT on Peacock.

PRESS CONFERENCE

POSTGAME NOTES

Team Notes

Illinois fell to 13-3 at Gies Memorial Stadium over the last three seasons.
Illinois snapped a 10-game nonconference winning streak dating back to 2023
Illinois had its fifth sellout in the last eight games at Gies Memorial Stadium.
Illinois lost a one-score game for the first time since a 25-17 loss to Minnesota on Nov. 2, 2024, snapping a five-game winning streak in one-score games.
Illinois is now 8-2 in one-score games over the last three years and 13-5 over the last four years.

Player Notes

Collin Dixon posted career-best marks with 11 receptions for 166 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions, tying the Illinois single-game record for TD catches.
- Became the first Illini in program history to record three receiving touchdowns in a single half.
- Opened the game with his third receiving touchdown of the season, a 13-yard strike from Katin Houser, to cap the Illini's opening possession.
- Hauled in his second receiving TD of the game on a 4-and-1 from the Duke 40 at the 12:47 mark in the second quarter.
- The third receiving TD, a 2-yard pass from Houser, came with 1:48 to play in the first half.
- Now has five receiving touchdowns on the season, 10 for his career.
- His 11 receptions and 166 yards both set career-best marks.
  - Was the first 100-yard receiving game of his career.
Ethan Moczulski went 2-for-3 on field goals and made all three of his extra points.
- Hit a 51-yard field goal to give the Illini a 10-7 lead at the 3:41 mark in the first quarter.
  - Second of his career over 50 yards after he connected on a program-record 59-yarder vs. Central Michigan (9/14/24)
Katin Houser threw for 271 yards and had three passing scores.
- Has posted three passing touchdowns in each of his first two games as an Illini.
Will Holmes made five tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss.
- Recorded a strip sack, marking the first sack of his Illini career.

QUOTES

Head Coach Bret Bielema

Opening statement:
"I want to start by giving full credit to Duke; they earned the win today. Over the past five or six years, one of our main points of pride has been winning more games than we lose. It's something we have strived for since day one. I don't want to diminish Duke's performance, but I believe our own mistakes led to this outcome. We had a turnover, but the self-inflicted penalties and mental errors across all three phases are what ultimately hurt us.

"It comes down to the simple things: communication, execution in critical moments, and avoiding simple errors. To have a sellout crowd like we did today and not deliver is disappointing. Winning is addictive for players, coaches, and fans alike, so when we fall short it is frustrating and I feel that deeply.

"As challenging as this is, you learn far more through moments of adversity than from success. This is a tough moment, but we have to take advantage of the opportunity to grow. Tomorrow we are asking the team to come in with open minds and a willingness to learn. As coaches, we must set the standard in our meetings, address what needs fixing, and get ourselves back on track as quickly as possible.

"Regarding injuries, I don't have a full update yet. I know TJ (McMillen) went out near the end and was the only player ruled out for the remainder of the game. A few other players left briefly but were able to return, so I will know more once we complete evaluations."

Collin Dixon

On what he thinks has been working well for him:
"I think, as a receiver room, for a while when we're making plays, we're very detailed. Something that Coach Stepp pushes is being very detailed, and whether it's our routes, our blocking or something. When things are going well, I think it's coming back to the details and executing the way that we want to."

On coming together collectively as an offense:
"It's the first time that we had a situation with a lot of new guys, but I think now that we've gone through this, it will be better next time."

On moving forward from this loss:
"Coming in tomorrow, flush it. After we dissect tomorrow, we'll get coached up on it. Next week, there's nothing on my mind that says this is gonna be a setback. I think that we'll respond well, and I have all the confidence in the world in the guys in the locker room."

On having confidence in his teammates:
"That's just the guys that we bring to the building. Tough, smart, and dependable. We understand that we let one get away from us today. Did a great job and beat us, but you know there's things that we have to fix, and I think that the guys understand that and that we'll get it done."

Matthew Bailey

On the improvements of tackling:
"Tackling is a mindset. Understanding leverage and recognizing the running back's tendencies are important. Those are several areas within our non-contact fundamentals that can be corrected and improved. Those are the things we need to clean up moving forward."

On improving mental errors:
"Improving mental errors starts with meeting together off the field. Being on the same page with how we communicate on the field is our main emphasis. Knowing the way we are going to communicate and what it will look like should feel like second nature when we step out on the field."

Katin Houser

On his connection with Collin Dixon:
"He's very reliable, he gets in the right spot, and he makes really good plays. I trust him with the football."