Football

The 255-pound tailback for Illinois had a 100-yard evening against Western Michigan and might be hitting his most confident stride as the No. 9 Illini enter Big Ten Conference play.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

September 17, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The first and possibly only person who can properly know if Kaden Feagin finally felt back to normal in a game following extensive lower body physical therapy is the young man wearing a No. 3 Illinois jersey.

Following his 100-yard performance in the 38-0 win over Western Michigan on Saturday, Feagin told local reporters that in the midst of his 20-carry performance, the 21-year-old said there was a moment he felt different with the football.

“I felt like on my (3-yard) touchdown run was where I stuck my head in there, made one cut and then kept my feet going after contact,” Feagin said Saturday night. “I felt like that moment really set the tone for the night for me.”

According to Pro Football Focus data,

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

September 16, 2025

I hope everyone enjoyed the last out of conference warm-up before the Big Ten season starts off with an exciting game at Indiana next Saturday night.  Despite another bad start for the Illini, it was a good night in Champaign as Illinois outclassed the Broncos and pulled away to make it a laugher at the end.

I'm going to start with the more problematic side of the ball, the offense.  Illinois was hapless on the offensive line again in the first half before outmuscling and outclassing Western Michigan in the second half.  This particular play was especially hapless.  Hank Beatty apparently didn't feel like the accolades he'd earned so far were sufficient, because he decided to go ahead and make a TFL as well.  On one hand, its easy to look at this and wonder what he's thinking.  However, on the other you can see why a mistake like this would happen.  Any time you're running a play that depends on precise timing from the motion man, you're taking a risk like this.  And to be fair, if Beatty wasn't the only person on the wrong page, as JC Davis starts to block down before realizing his mistake that he was leaving 2(!) edge defenders unblocked.  I'm pretty sure Beatty was supposed to motion down and block the safety on the end of the line while Davis and Josh Gesky double the defensive end before Gesky climbs to the linebacker.  However, the snap count, organization, and effort were all lacking on this one.

IlliniGuys.com’s Matt Stevens gives his weekly Top 25 ballot […]

Through the first three quarters of the 38-0 win over Western Michigan, the Illinois run defense allowed just 2.8 yards per rush. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

September 16, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a honestly very forgettable game, Illinois showed in the most important play its physical dominance and intelligence in gap control in its run defense. 

With just three seconds remaining in the second half, Western Michigan had the football inside the Illini’s 1-yard-line in what obviously their best chance to score on Saturday night. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema talks about the “double dip” of scoring at the end of the first half and then getting the football first in the second half to score again. With Illinois ahead 10-0 in this moment, Western Michigan desperately needed this “double dip” opportunity and Lance Taylor’s squad ran a play that requires perfect nose tackle play and solid fundamental eye discipline in the second level of the defense. 

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular September 16, 2025 The […]

Despite Bret Bielema’s best efforts at avoiding this reality, Illinois proved Saturday they don’t need their ‘A’ or ‘B’ game to beat lower-level competition. And this hasn’t been the case for decades.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

September 14, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There is one obvious reason Saturday night was a night to celebrate if you’re a fan of the University of Illinois football program.

Yes, Illinois didn’t play very well and you might go as far as to say poorly for 30 minutes. Let’s not argue about the fact that Illinois was still up two scores (10-0) at halftime.

Yes, Illinois - the No. 9 team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll - has a lot of teachable moments for coaches and players and corrections to make this upcoming week before they travel to face a ranked Indiana team in Bloomington. Let’s not argue about the fact that this is probably exactly what Illini head coach Bret Bielema wanted going into a matchup that will immediately grab the attention of his entire roster.

Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

September 14, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The ninth-ranked Illinois football program welcomed several recruits to campus Saturday for its matchup against Western Michigan. Among them was Caleb Offner, a 2026 offensive lineman from Winside, Nebraska, who updated IlliniGuys on his gameday experience.

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) September 14, 2025 CHAMPAIGN, […]

IlliniGuys.com beat writer Matthew Stevens assesses the categories and […]

Zeno Jo, IlliniGuys Writer September 13, 2025 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. […]

Washington placekicker Devin Miller is part of a talented […]

September 13, 2025 The Illini won an impressive game […]

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema knows the Illini’s senior special teams assistant Chris Hurd helped turn the momentum of a 45-19 win at Duke last weekend

Matthew Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

September 13, 2025

WESTERN MICHIGAN at No. 9 ILLINOIS

Records: Western Michigan 0-2; Illinois 2-0

Date/Time/Place: Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025: 6 p.m. CST, Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.

Surface: FieldTurf

Capacity: 60,670

Series notes: Illinois leads all-time series is tied at 4-2 but Western Michigan won the last meeting in blowout fashion by leaving Champaign on Sept. 17, 2016 with a 34-10 victory. The Broncos held Lovie Smith’s Illinois team to three yards rushing while they piled up 287 yards on 54 carries. Sophomore running back Jamauri Bogan led a Western Michigan with P.J. Fleck as its head coach with 189 yards on 24 carries, including a pair of long touchdowns.

TV: FS1; Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (color analyst)

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 382, the SiriusXM App, and at FightingIllini.com/live.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Despite having over 20 years of experience as a special teams coach at the collegiate level,

The Illinois offense is thriving in 2025, especially in the red zone and on third downs, with the versatility of Jordan Anderson being able to line up several different ways.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

September 12, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — At the same, the same thing that makes Jordan Anderson unique is what makes Illinois a distinctive offensive team in 2025.

Anderson, who officially moved from being listed as a tailback to tight end this past spring, is actually defined by everyone working inside the Smith Family Football Complex with the same moniker of ‘football player’ because of the many different positions and ways he can be lined up on a given play.

In the 45-19 victory at Duke last Saturday, Anderson played a total of nine snaps of offense but four of them was as a base tight end, three of them was as an H-back in the backfield when Illinois had the football in the red zone and two of them was in the almost extinct position of fullback.

Eight years ago, Larry Gies told Illinois AD Josh Whitman he’d never donate to Illini athletics. In 2025, Gies has his name on Memorial Stadium after a $100 million gift.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

September 12, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Maybe the lesson for the several Gies School of Business students in attendance on the Memorial Stadium field Friday afternoon was the idea of never using the word ‘never’ in negotiations.

About a year into Josh Whitman being the athletics director at the University of Illinois, he sat across a dinner table from Larry Gies in 2017 as the billionaire alum made a directly awkward promise.

“I told him ‘Josh, I just want to be honest with you that I will never give any money to University of Illinois athletics’. True story,” said Gies, a billionaire booster and CEO of Madison Industries.

Approximately eight years later, Gies found himself standing in front of a block ‘I’ podium talking about his $100 million gift to Illini athletics that will fund a future renovation to a stadium that features a permanent name change to ‘Gies Memorial Stadium’.