Football

Illinois seems insistent to use a three-way tailback attack of Aidan Laughery, Kaden Feagin and Ca’Lil Valentine in a way that is not unique to the way Bret Bielema’s offenses dominated at Wisconsin.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

September 1, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — The story has been told but, with the way Bret Bielema continues to speak about his current tailback depth, it deserves to be repeated one more time.

The 2012 Big Ten Conference Championship Game still serves as not only his finale at Wisconsin but also the peak of success of the running game of a Bielema-led program. Bielema’s 68th and final victory as the leader of the Badgers football program put a cap on what can happen with the optimal mixing of a power and finesse running game with three different tailbacks.

The 70-31 blowout victory in Indianapolis over Nebraska, then led by defensive-minded head coach Bo Pelini, will be remembered with three different tailbacks finding the Lucas Oil Stadium end zone in a game where Wisconsin set multiple school records including having two 200-yard rushers in one game. A freshman sensation named 

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said Monday he expects all of the injured players from Friday’s 52-3 win over Western Illinois to be prepared when the Illini head to Duke for this Week 2 matchup.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

September 1, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — All signs are pointing to Illinois being able to take a fully healthy 74-player travel roster to Durham this weekend.

Even after some minor injury scares from the season-opening 52-3 victory over Western Illinois on Friday night, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema indicated Monday afternoon that his whole roster was able to recover from the wear and tear of the four-hour ordeal against the Football Championship Subdivision opponent.

"I think we got out of the game fairly healthy as we had a couple guys with some minor things to get treatment on during Saturday,” Bielema said Monday in his weekly media conference at Memorial Stadium. “To have that extra day of prep because of the holiday weekend allows us to take advantage of an NCAA rule that lets us come over to the facility and work a little bit more to get ready.”

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

September 1, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini methodically pasted Western Illinois in a 52-3 domination that went about as well as expected. They were good, but not perfect. Here is a recap of the weekend thoughts from Friday night and Saturday:

Hank Beatty was a record setter on punt return and was also 5 for 5 on targets and catches. He is the slot security blanket for Luke Altmyer and has some suddenness to his game to make people miss. Breaking a Red Grange record is impressive,

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular September 1, 2025 The […]

Illinois played a dozen defensive linemen in Friday’s night 52-3 rout of Western Illinois and this snap count strategy may be a season-long plan to keep its ‘300 pound club’ players fresh.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 31, 2025

Illini ‘300 Pound Club’ Snap Count of Defensive Linemen vs. Western Illinois in Week 1
DL - James Thompson Jr. (*starter*) - 24
DL - Tomiwa Durojaiye (*starter*) - 24
DL - Jeremiah Warren - 13
DL - Eli Coenen - 13
DL - Pat Farrell - 12
DL - Carter Hewitt - 9
DL - Cameron Brooks - 3

NT - Curt Neal (*starter*) - 19
NT - Gentle Hunt - 17
NT - Angelo McCollum - 16
NT - Demetrius John - 5
NT - Isaiah White - 2

CHAMPAIGN — The new exclusive club inside the Illinois football locker room is one you have to get on a scale to be a part of - the 300-pound club.

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema has a specific snap-count plan for the defensive players on his roster that weigh 300 pounds or more and that would, of course, exclusively cover the young men in the positional room of Illini defensive line coach Terrance Jamison.

IlliniGuys.com discusses specific details of the 52-3 season-opening win over Western Illinois.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 31, 2025

CHAMPAIGN — In almost every way, the 52-3 victory for Illinois over a clearly overmatched Football Championship Subdivision program served as a prep work for the quickly upcoming future of the 2025 season. 

The most obvious prepwork on Friday night was an evaluation of how the Illinois rushing offense would/could operate when there’s no mystery that a run call has come in from Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. to the helmet of third-year starting quarterback Luke Altmyer. 

Near the end of preseason camp this month, Lunney Jr. once again reiterated a major identity of this program will be how well they can run the football similarly to how they developed that element of the offense. 

“The key to every offense, ours is not different, is about being able to physically dominate and change the line-of-scrimmage when everybody in the stadium, including the defense, knows you’re going to run the ball,” Lunney Jr. said in preseason camp. “Great teams run the ball even when the defense loads up to stop it. The fact is that is still how you normally close games.” 

It’s hard to imagine the Illini debut of transfer portal addition wide receiver Justin Bowick could have gone much better than Friday night.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 30, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — After being asked what he likes about new wide receiver Justin Bowick, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer essentially read the details of roster specifications.

“You just said it, right? He’s 6-foot-5, 210 pounds of really good weight and runs like a deer out there,” Altmyer said. “You can see that I was able to throw it up to him in the back of the end zone and he can just pluck it out of the air like he’s been doing it his whole life.”

August 30, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — IlliniGuys.com’s Matthew Stevens is handing out his Illini Report Card, assessing Illinois’ performance in several areas.

Here are the grades coming out of the Illini’s' season-opening win over Western Illinois:

Run Offense

The 52-3 victory over Western Illinois served as nothing more than a dress rehearsal for games where this team will be more harshly evaluated. But that reality doesn’t take away from Illinois being 1-0.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 30, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — And now the 2025 season can unofficially start.

Yes, Illinois will have a 1-0 overall record when they take their show on the road next weekend to Duke. However, yes, basically the same amount of questions involving practically the same topics still exists following the 52-3 dress rehearsal victory over Western Illinois - a developing Football Championship Subdivision program.

Please don’t get me wrong, dress rehearsals (when you can figure out how to schedule them properly certainly serve a valid purpose and this four-hour run through is no different.

For a program where history likely needs to be forgotten than relied upon, beginning a season in the win column should obviously never be taken for granted. Bret Bielema’s 29th victory as he begins his fifth season as the Illinois head football coach is the perfect way for him to begin the summer’s final holiday weekend into a fall season.

No. 12 Illinois makes it an easy 18-0 all-time […]

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 29, 2025

WESTERN ILLINOIS AT ILLINOIS

Date/Time/Place: Friday, Aug. 29, 2025: 6:30 p.m. CST, Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.

Surface: Field Turf

Capacity: 60,670

Series notes: Illinois leads the season series 3-0 with the last meeting being a 34-14 win in 2018. Illinois opens the season at Memorial Stadium for the fifth straight season and the 14th time in the last 15 seasons (2020 at Wisconsin).

TV: Peacock; Paul Burmeister (play-by-play), Phil Simms (color analyst) and Zora Stephenson (sideline reporter)

Radio (Illinois): Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), Michael Martin (sideline), and Steve Kelly (pre/half/post). The broadcast can be heard live on TuneIn online radio, SiriusXM, the SiriusXM App, and at FightingIllini.com/live.

CHAMPAIGN — So, you want to play the gunner position on the punt team, huh?

Well, here is your assignment: First, run as fast as you can for a 40-45 yard sprint where you can physically either outrun or outphysical your 1-on-1 matchup on the outside. Next, have the instincts while you’re going full speed to get near the opposing team’s returner while keeping your head up the whole time as to observing the invisible circle the rules provide for the returner to make the catch of the punt. Finally, you have to essentially love the idea of physical contact because if win your 1-on-1 battle and time the play up correctly and there’s no fair catch signal, your hit/tackle could be the most violent collision on the field on that given day because of the amount of speed generated from your 40-yard sprint.

“I get it. Trust me, I get it.

August 29, 2025 The new season is here and […]

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema says only Xanai Scott currently on pace to play more than the four-game threshold in 2025 season to preclude a redshirt year.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 28, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — Basically every Division I college football team adheres to a injury prevention protocol during preseason camp practices that requires a lack of full-contact tackling during the month-long preparation. Illinois was no different in August 2025. It is this fact that what scares Illinois defensive coordinator as they approach a season-opening contest against Western Illinois on Friday night (6:30 p.m. CST, Peacock).

“We’ve got to do the best we can at limiting the damage because they have explosive players and the number one thing a defensive coach is going to say bothers him about a Week 1 game is tackling because we just don’t do much of it in the preseason and in college football there’s no preseason games to get you used to four hours of tackle-to-the-ground action,” Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry said. “Nobody does full tackle scrimmaging in the preseason for as long as everybody is going to play a game this weekend.”

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 26, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — The closer we get to the 2025 season beginning, the less interested the folks who work inside the Smith Family Football Complex sound about making their play evaluations complicated.

While nobody surrounding the University of Illinois football program would deny Hudson Clement has found some adversities since arriving in Champaign-Urbana from West Virginia this past spring. Clement himself during the on-campus media day two weeks ago would admit the transition has had setbacks on and off the field including adjustment to the Barry Lunney Jr. offensive scheme and some nagging injuries that hampered not only his confidence but his summer conditioning program before entering preseason practices this month.

And after all of the meetings, practices, film work, conditioning drills and every analytical tool used to evaluate skill position players on a football field, Lunney Jr.’s answer to what he likes most about Clement since his arrival from the transfer portal was a back-to-the-basics formula that practically everybody can and should understand.

Bielema hints that players who were dealing with nagging injuries in preseason camp may be on a play snap count in Friday night’s season opener vs. Western Illinois.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 26, 2025

CHAMPAIGN — After he confirmed his star left tackle had returned to the practice field with full medical clearance, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema hinted that J.C. Davis may not be the only player on the roster being intently watched by this coaching staff.

As Bielema stated last week, the Illini head coach said Davis was given full medical clearance to return to practice on Saturday and was on the field for a Monday morning practice just four days before the No. 12 Illini host Western Illinois Friday night (6:30 p.m. CST, Peacock) at Memorial Stadium after being held out of most of the preseason training camp due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

"Today was his most reps by far," Bielema said. "He took all the team (reps) today and didn't have any issues.”