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Bielema’s Tuesday Tirade Motivates Illinois’ “pissed off” Win in Evanston

Before the death of his father-in-law, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema verbally laid into his players Tuesday causing a mental reshift and leading into a 41-3 win at Northwestern.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 26, 2022

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Bret Bielema said he felt his Illinois football team would play “extremely pissed off this week” and it turns out the Illini head coach was the cause for some of that anger.

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Illini Ride Defense To Season-Ending 41-3 Romp Over Northwestern

By IlliniGuys Staff

November 26, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

EVANSTON, Ill. - Sydney Brown forced three turnovers and scored two defensive touchdowns as Illinois forced six turnovers in all to snap a three-game slide with a 41-3 demolition of rival Northwestern Saturday afternoon.

The win kept the Illini (8-4, 5-4 in Big Ten) in play for the conference's West Division title and a shot at a Big Ten Championship game berth next Saturday in Indianapolis for the moment, but a short time later Purdue rallied from a 7-3 deficit to post a 31-10 win at Indiana to clinch the West and head to Indy to face East Division champion and 3rd ranked Michigan. The eight wins represents Illinois' most successful season since 2007, when they won 9 games en route to a Rose Bowl appearance.

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Late cold snap knocks Illini from unbeaten ranks

By IlliniGuys Staff November 26, 2022 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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In A Month To Forget, November Could Still Be One To Remember For Illini

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Staff

November 26, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy David Craan/Illinois Athletics)

Remember that moment when Illinois found itself among the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time ever? The pride within the program. The euphoria among fans. The giddy speculation by the media.

It was a glorious time in the annals of Illini football. It was a moment that happened...just 25 days ago.

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Sturdy's Takeaways: Illini Roll Over Lindenwood

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

November 26, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

As the Illini recovered from their turkey coma, they got a chance to play a warmup game against the Lindenwood Lions on Friday night at the State Farm Center. The result was a 92-59 win over the Lions, but it was also a chance for them to work on some new things, get some players some court time and prepare for the future schedule, which is about to become a gauntlet.

Skyy Clark scored 19 points to lead the way, while RJ Melendez added 17 and Terrence Shannon 16 for the Illini. Lindenwood got 20 points from Keenon Cole. The Illini are now 5-1 and will host Syracuse at 6:30 PM on Tuesday evening in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Here’s what we saw.

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St. Rita 64-56 Loss Leaves Bitter Taste in Morez Johnson's Mouth

Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

November 26, 2022

Washington, Ill. -- Illinois commit Morez Johnson knew how big the stage was Wednesday night at Washington High School in Illinois.

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IlliniGuys Game Predictions Versus Northwestern

November 26, 2022 The Illini's losing streak moved up […]

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Watch: Brad Underwood postgame after Lindenwood win

Illini coach Brad Underwood earns his 99th win at […]

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Versatile Illini Toy With Lindenwood In Tuneup For ACC/Big Ten Challenge

By IlliniGuys Staff

November 25, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - RJ Melendez and Skyy Clark became the latest Illini to enjoy a breakout night as the 16th ranked team in the country ran past Lindenwood 92-59 to tune-up for their most difficult stretch of the season.

Coming off their first loss of the season to Virginia at the Main Event in Las Vegas on Sunday, Illinois (5-1) was in control throughout. The Illini shot 64% in the first half as they built a 49-25 halftime lead.

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