Football

Whether we’re talking yards given up, points given up or pretty much any statistical category, Illinois isn’t that far off its 2024 pace after facing some of the nation’s best offenses.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 10, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The defense being played by the football team at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign isn’t nearly as poor as you may think.

One note before we go any further. If you’re reading and have reached the mental and emotional stage of ‘Aaron Henry should be terminated as soon as possible and nothing else will satisfy me’ then please stop reading this piece right now. If you’re at that point, no editorial piece is going to change your mind and IlliniGuys.com recognizes that, in this instance, we simply are not the audience for your needs.

For the rest of you, this in-depth is going to mostly be statistical in nature so let’s start with the idea that the statistic of total defense (yards a defense surrenders per game)

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema still publicly unclear whether fifth-year center Josh Kreutz will be in the lineup Saturday but seemed much more confident about having Aidan Laughery in the backfield.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 9, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois head coach Bret Bielema says he’s very confident about having a key offensive weapon back this weekend but he’s still unsure if Josh Kreutz will return to the center of the offensive line.

On Thursday afternoon, in his final media session before the No. 17 Illini host No. 1 Ohio State, Bielema confirmed fourth-year tailback Aidan Laughery was “with us all week”. Laughery was on the travel roster last weekend and went through pre-game warmups before the Illini’s 43-27 win over Purdue in West Lafayette but the severe ankle injury Laughery suffered in the road win at Duke on Sept. 6 has hampered his mobility for the last month but Bielema said the 5-foot-11, 200-pound tailback has not missed a day of practice this week as the Illini go through preparations for the defending national champions.

With the mentorship of Illinois veteran center Josh Kreutz, 20-year-old TJ McMillen was able to perform at a high level in his first career start in the Illini’s win at Purdue.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 8th, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The timeline of events last Saturday morning made it more and more obvious Josh Kreutz’s job had changed.

At 9 a.m. CST, Illinois put out its league-mandated injury report that listed the third-year starting center as questionable. About 90 minutes before kickoff, Kreutz walked out of the visiting tunnel of Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium with his uniform pants and knee braces on in what initially looked like an attempt by the 22-year-old to keep his streak of 30 consecutive starts alive.

However, as time of the pre-game warmup dwindled down, the organization of what was transpiring showed Kreutz looking more and more like a player-coach than somebody who would be in the center of Illinois’ offensive line for the next three and a half hours. Kreutz was followed closely by third-year lineman TJ McMillen.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

October 7, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Illinois put in a workmanlike effort and generally outclassed Purdue to record a 43-27 win in West Lafayette Saturday. It wasn't a work of art by any means, but it was nice to know that Illinois is at a point where it can put in a vanilla game plan and still secure a road win in the Big Ten. And for those who would dismiss Purdue, keep in mind that USC beat Purdue by the same 16 point margin a few weeks ago. Barry Odom is a quality coach and he brought 54(!) transfers with him to Purdue. So, while PU is not ready for prime time, they're in better shape than they were under Ryan Walters the last few years. However, while Odom is known as a defensive whiz, his offense looked pretty good Saturday, while his defense looked like it was lacking.

I'm going to start with the Illini defense because of a play I got completely wrong on game day, but on second watching I saw a well-run QB draw. On Saturday I cursed our defense for

Through six games this season, Illinois wide receiver Hank Beatty is the first Big Ten player to record a touchdown while passing, rushing, receiving, and on a punt return TD in 22 years.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 7, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — While at Big Ten Football Media Days in late August, Luke Altmyer told reporters from his podium in Las Vegas that he still wasn’t sure who the “alpha” wide receiver on the 2025 Illinois roster would be.

Hank Beatty has answered that call.

“No, it didn’t make me mad. It actually made me laugh because I think we all knew, including Luke, how good our (wide receiver) room was,” Beatty said Saturday.

Through six games of this 2025 season, it’s impossible to suggest Beatty isn’t the go-to target for the passing game of No. 17 Illinois and Altmyer. And the man who calls the plays for the Illinois believes Beatty is that figure in his offensive scheme.

Following the 43-27 victory at Purdue last weekend, the main objective of the Illini defensive coaches is putting a limit on the explosive plays being surrendered. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 7, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois head coach Bret Bielema acknowledged Saturday following the 16-point win at Purdue that the program he’s built is currently in a different mode where “

In that new mentality, our IlliniGuys.com is going to start with the defensive breakdowns that, quite frankly, made the final score of this game seem closer than the two-possession game it was for basically the entire second half. 

Let’s start with philosophy of Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry is operating in the 2025 season - especially considering the loss of All-Big Ten defensive back Xavier Scott for likely the remainder of the regular season following a severe ankle injury. 

By Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

October 6, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Mark Busch)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Just a few weeks ago, the Fighting Illini hosted then- #21 USC for homecoming. Illinois pulled off a thrilling 34-32 win on a walk-off field goal by David Olano. That game had a smaller list of recruits, but this weekend’s matchup will be on an entirely different level.

For yet another time, Fox Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast from Champaign. The stage is set as defending national champion and current #1 Ohio State comes to Gies Memorial Stadium in what is being billed as one of the biggest games in years for Illinois football.

The Illini are planning to host a much larger group of recruits who will get to see firsthand the buzz around Champaign when two top-20 programs collide.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular October 6, 2025 The […]

By IlliniGuys Staff October 5, 2025 The Illinois football […]

If the Big Ten Conference keeps its current scheduling format, Illinois will likely draw two of the most hapless rebuilding projects in the 18-team league.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 5, 2025

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As Illinois embarks on a historically remarkable program build, the Big Ten Conference may have handed Bret Bielema the best possible poker hand for its annual league schedule.

For all the whining, complaining, belly-aching and conspiracy theory generating that comes for this Illini fanbase about how the league office is out to make sure they suffer for the benefit of the Ohio State’s, Michigan’s, Penn State’s and now Oregon’s of the football world, the pocket aces dealt to Bielema annually are in the form of its two permanent league opponents.

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema has noticed he’s built a program that can bring a ‘B’ effort and still comfortably walk away with a 16-point victory on the road in the Big Ten.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 4 , 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Illinois head coach Bret Bielema likely said it best following his team’s 43-27 win at Purdue as the fifth-year leader knew his team played anything but a perfect football game Saturday.

“The biggest thing is I think we’re at a point as a team where maybe even if we don’t play our best, we can still get out of here with a 16-point win on the road against Purdue then we’ve made progress,” Bielema said in his post-game opening statement.

By IlliniGuys Staff October 4, 2025 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. […]

In less than two playing seasons, Illinois wide receiver Collin Dixon has become a valuable weapon to this offense in a variety of ways.

No. 22 ILLINOIS AT PURDUE

Records: Illinois 4-1, 1-1 in Big Ten; Purdue 2-2, 0-1 in Big Ten

Date/Time/Place: Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025: 11 a.m. CST, Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Surface: Grass

Capacity: 61,441

Series notes: Saturday's contest is the 101st meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Boilermakers. The overall series is 48-46-6 in Purdue’s favor, while leading The Cannon series, 42-31-2, since 1943. Illinois looks to retain The Cannon after snapping a four-game losing streak to Purdue last season with a 50-49 overtime win in Champaign.

TV: Big Ten Network; Mark Followill (play-by-play); Yogi Roth (color analyst); Rhett Lewis (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 85, the SiriusXM App, and at FightingIllini.com/live.
---------

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 4, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

It’s simply not an accident that Collin Dixon is described by everyone in the Smith Family Football Complex as the living embodiment of everything the University of Illinois football program looks for in a prospect.

Three seasons into his development that has now seen him transition into him being a starting wide receiver and a trusted go-to passing and run-blocking perimeter target for Illini play-caller Barry Lunney Jr., the same player who told IlliniGuys.com that “I know I need a year to learn everything at this level” is still not in a hurry to accept congratulations.

October 3, 2025 The Illini rebounded in fantastic fashion […]

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 3, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Champaign isn’t exactly known as the city of brotherly love – that goes to Philadelphia – but it looks as though Illinois head coach Bret Bielema is making a push to earn his football team that superlative.

Bielema’s roster for this season has followed two distinct themes: he’s a big believer in in-state recruiting (50 of the 115 players on the roster are from Illinois), and thinks football is something that runs in the family.

Five sets of brothers are on this year’s Illinois roster.