Illinois head coach Bret Bielema confirmed Thursday there will be no starting lineup changes for the offensive line after giving up seven sacks in a 63-10 loss at Indiana.
No. 21 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA at No. 23 ILLINOIS
Records: USC 4-0, 2-0 in Big Ten; Illinois 3-1, 0-1 in Big Ten
Date/Time/Place: Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025: 11 a.m. CST, Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 60,670
Series notes: Southern California leads all-time series is tied at 11-2. Illinois and USC will meet for the first time since the 2008 Rose Bowl Game following the 2007 regular season. USC will be making its first visit to Champaign since 1996. The last win for Illinois came on Sept. 4, 1989 in a game that was originally supposed to be played in the Soviet Union where Illinois scored 14 points in the final five minutes to steal a 14-13 win in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
TV: FOX; Gus Johnson (play-by-play); Joel Klatt (color analyst) and Jenny Taft (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 84, the SiriusXM App, and at FightingIllini.com/live.
By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst
September 27, 2025
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — On Illinois’ first offensive series of the afternoon on Saturday, the same five offensive line starters will jog on the field at Gies Memorial Stadium against the University of Southern California.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema confirmed Thursday there will be no starting lineup changes for the offensive line after giving up seven sacks in a 63-10 loss at Indiana. From left to right, J.C. Davis, Josh Gesky, Josh Kreutz, Brandon Henderson and Melvin Priestly will again be charged with making the five-man cohesion work.