ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (O-0) Vs. NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (0-0) Saturday, Aug
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ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI FOOTBALL ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (O-0) vs. NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (0-0) Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021 // 12:20 p.m. CT // FOX Champaign, Ill. // Memorial Stadium GAME DAY INFO The First Kickoff of the College Football Season • Saturday’s 12:20 p.m. CT kickoff will be the first of the college football season and the only Power- TV | FOX 5 vs. Power-5 game of Week 0. » Joe Davis (play-by-play) and Brock Huard • Illinois returns to full capacity for the first time since the 2019 season. (analyst) • The last time the Illini had a season opener at Memorial Stadium against a conference opponent was Sept. 2, 1995 when #25 Illinois hosted #13 Michigan. RADIO | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network » Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Martin The 2021 Fighting Illini O’Donnell (analyst), and Steve Kelly • Illinois returns 82% of its total starts on offense (72/88). Only OL Kendrick Green (8 starts), WR (pregame/halftime/postgame) Josh Imatorbhebhe (7), and TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe (1) have departed among offensive players that started a game in 2020. » The broadcast can be heard live on TuneIn online radio, Sirius, XM, SiriusXM Internet, and • Illinois returns 86% of its total starts on defense (76/88). Only LB Milo Eifler (5), DB Nate Hobbs (5), and DB/LB Delano Ware (2) have departed among defensive players that started a game in at FightingIllini.com. 2020. • Illinois returns its entire specialists unit, led by P Blake Hayes, K James McCourt, and LS Ethan NATIONAL RADIO | Compass Media Networks Tabel. » Gregg Daniels (play-by-play) and • Illinois returns 131 career FBS starts on its offensive line, tied for the ninth-most in the nation: Chad Brown (analyst) Vederian Lowe (40), Alex Palczewski (40), Doug Kramer (37), Verdis Brown (8), Julian Pearl (4), Alex Pihlstrom (2) GAME DAY • One of Bielema’s first tasks as head coach was to get the know the Fighting Illini roster and invite » FightingIllini.com/gameday student-athletes back to Champaign. All 2020 football student-athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. » Illinois returned 21 of the 26 student-athletes listed as seniors on the 2020 roster. SOCIAL MEDIA » Twitter: @IlliniFootball » Illinois returned 18 scholarship seniors from last year’s roster, the most of any Power-5 team in the nation. » Instagram: @IlliniFootball • Illinois returned 83% of its production according to Bill Connelly, ESPN’s SP+ writer. The 83% is » Facebook: /IlliniFootball ranked sixth in the Big Ten and 42nd in the nation. ALL-TIME SERIES vs. NEBRASKA (Super) Seniors Series: Illinois trails, 4-13-1 Last: Illinois 41, Nebraska 23 (11/21/20 at Lincoln) • Illinois has 42 seniors, including 22 super seniors who received an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. Streak: Illinois W1 • Illinois’ 22 super seniors are the most in Power-5. at Champaign: Illinois trails, 2-4-1 • Illinois’ 20 other seniors still have one year of eligibility remaining following this season - if they choose to use it - and are listed as juniors on the roster. • The Fighting Illini roster features 29 student-athletes that already earned bachelor’s degrees, the most of any team in the nation. • Illinois returns 10 four-time letterwinners, tied for the second-most in the nation (Toledo, USC) ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (0-0) behind only Ball State (11). Aug. 28 ....Nebraska........... 12:20 p.m. CT (FOX) Sept. 4 ....UTSA ...............6:30 p.m. CT (BTN) 2021 Captains Sept. 11 ...at Virginia.............10 a.m. CT (ACC) Sept. 17 ...Maryland...............8 p.m. CT (FS1) • Illinois’ six captains - Tony Adams, Owen Carney Jr., Jake Hansen, Blake Hayes, Doug Kramer, and Sept. 25 ...at Purdue .......................TBA Vederian Lowe - are all super seniors. Hansen, Hayes, and Kramer are the first three-time captains in Illinois program history. Oct. 2 .....Charlotte........................TBA Oct. 9 .....#12 Wisconsin ...................TBA Oct. 23 ....at #19 Penn State.......11 a.m. CT (TBA) PROMOTIONS Oct. 30 ....Rutgers.........................TBA Nov. 6 .....at Minnesota.....................TBA 2001 BIG TEN CHAMPIONS REUNION Nov. 20 ....at #18 Iowa......................TBA » The 2001 title team will be honored at the game and members of the team will sign Nov. 27 ....Northwestern.....................TBA autographs in Grange Grove pregame. The 2001 Fighting Illini will also be in Dec. 4 .....Big Ten Championship ....7 p.m. CT (FOX) Champaign on Friday night for an event at the Smith Football Center. A formal reunion Rankings are AP poll is planned for postgame. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI QUICK FACTS TEAM NOTES UNIVERSITY INFORMATION Location: Urbana-Champaign (135,000) The Bret Bielema Era Begins Founded: 1867 Enrollment: 52,331 • Bret Bielema was named as the 26th Fighting Illini Head Football Coach in the 132-year history of Colors: Orange & Blue the program in December 2020. Nickname: Fighting Illini • A native of Prophetstown, Illinois, Bielema has 24 years of collegiate coaching experience and Conference: Big Ten (West Division) compiled a 12-year record of 97-58 (.626) as head coach at Wisconsin and Arkansas. President: Timothy L. Killeen • From 2006-12 Bielema was the head coach at Wisconsin, where he led the Badgers to three Chancellor: Robert J. Jones Big Ten championships (2010-12), six consecutive bowl games and a 68-24 record (.739). He Director of Athletics: Josh Whitman Stadium: Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf – 60,670) was the first coach in Big Ten history to win 10 games in his first season, the first Wisconsin coach to win 11 games prior to a bowl game and became the third coach in NCAA history to COACHING STAFF win 12 games in his first season. Bielema won 17 of his first 18 games with the Badgers. The Head Coach: Bret Bielema (First season at Illinois) Badgers shared or won Big Ten championships three straight seasons from 2010-12 and led Assistant Coaches: Wisconsin to victories in the first two Big Ten championship games. Ryan Walters: Defensive Coordinator • Bielema has spent the last three seasons in the National Football League. His first two Tony Petersen: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks seasons in the NFL were with the New England Patriots as a consultant to six-time Super Bowl George McDonald: Asst. Head Coach/Wide Receivers champion head coach Bill Belichick in 2018 and as the team’s defensive line coach in 2019, Kevin Kane: Assoc. Head Coach/Outside Linebackers when the Patriots won the AFC East with a 12-4 record and had the NFL’s best defense. In Bart Miller: Offensive Line Andy Buh: Linebackers Bielema’s first season with the Patriots, New England was 11-5 and defeated the Los Angeles Terrance Jamison: Defensive Line Rams in Super Bowl LIII. He has been the outside linebackers coach and senior assistant for Aaron Henry: Defensive Backs the New York Giants during the 2020 season. Ben Miller: Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Cory Patterson: Running Backs All-Big Ten Returners • Illinois returns 11 student-athletes who have earned All-Big Ten recognition (top award listed). FOOTBALL INFORMATION » RB Chase Brown » 2020 All-Big Ten third team 2020 Record: 2-6, 2-6 (7th Big Ten West Division) » DB Sydney Brown » 2019 All-Big Ten third team Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 44/6 » OLB Owen Carney » 2020 All-Big Ten second team Offense Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 25/3 » RB Mike Epstein » 2020 All-Big Ten honorable mention Defense Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 16/3 » LB Jake Hansen » 2020 All-Big Ten second team Special Teams Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 3/0 » P Blake Hayes » 2019 Big Ten Punter of the Year Starters Returning/Lost: 18/4 » C Doug Kramer » 2020 All-Big Ten honorable mention Offense Starters Returning/Lost: 9/2 » OT Vederian Lowe » 2020 All-Big Ten honorable mention Defense Starters Returning/Lost: 9/2 » K James McCourt » 2020 All-Big Ten honorable mention All-Time Record (Years): 614-606-51 (131) entering 2021 All-Time Big Ten (Years): 348-444-32 (125) entering 2021 » DT Roderick Perry II » 2020 All-Big Ten honorable mention Memorial Stadium (Years): 276-246-14 (98) entering 2021 » OT Alex Palczewski » 2019 All-Big Ten third team Big Ten Championships (Last): 15 (2001) National Championships (Last): 5 (1951) 2021 Preseason All-Big Ten, All-America Honors Bowl Appearances (Last): 19 (2019 Redbox Bowl) » LB Jake Hansen » Phil Steele All-American (4th), Phil Steele All-Big Ten (1st), Athlon All-Big Ten (2nd), PFF All-Big Ten (3rd) » C Doug Kramer » PFF All-American (HM), PFF All-Big Ten (2nd), Athlon All-Big Ten (3rd), ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION Phil Steele All-Big Ten (4th) KENT BROWN, Assoc. Director of Athletics, Media Relations » OLB Owen Carney Jr. » Phil Steele All-Big Ten (1st), Athlon All-Big Ten (2nd) Phone: 217-244-6533 (o) / 217-493-9795 (c) Email: [email protected] » RB Chase Brown » Phil Steele All-Big Ten (2nd), Athlon All-Big Ten (4th), PFF All-Big Ten (HM) » P Blake Hayes » PFF All-Big Ten (2nd), Phil Steele All-Big Ten (3rd), Athlon All-Big Ten (3rd) BRETT MOORE, Asst. Director of Athletics Communication » TE Daniel Barker » PFF All-Big Ten (3rd) Phone: 309-212-6367 (c) Email: [email protected] » OL Alex Palczewski » Athlon All-Big Ten (3rd) » LS Ethan Tabel » Phil Steele All-Big Ten (3rd) SAM ANDERSON, Intern » DB Tony Adams » Phil Steele All-Big Ten (4th) Email: [email protected] » OL Blake Jeresaty » Phil Steele All-Big Ten (4th) BRANDON PEREL, Intern » K James McCourt » Athlon All-Big Ten (4th) Email: [email protected] TWITTER: @IlliniStats NFL Departures CREDENTIAL WEBSITE: FightingIllini.com/media • NFL Draft » OL Kendrick Green (Pittsburgh, 3rd round), DB Nate Hobbs (Las Vegas, 5th round) • NFL Free Agent Signings » LB Milo Eifler (New York Jets), WR Josh Imatorbhebhe (Jacksonville) 2 3 ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI TEAM NOTES CAREER STARTS PLAYER ...........’20..’19 .