2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team explained

The 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented^[1] the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Bret Bielema. The Illini finished the season 5–7, 4–5 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place in the West division.^[2]

The team's 20–18 victory over No. 7-ranked Penn State set an NCAA record for the most overtime periods in one game, with nine.^[3]

Preseason

Big Ten media poll

The Illini were predicted to finish seventh in the Big Ten's West Division.^[4]

Big Ten West Division media poll
1	Wisconsin	233 (29)
2	Iowa	202 (5)
3	Northwestern	160
4	Minnesota	146
5	Nebraska	91.5
6	Purdue	72.5
7	Illinois	47

Personnel

Coaching staff

Bret Bielema	Head coach	1st
	Offensive coordinator	1st
		1st
	Tight ends coach/special teams coordinator	1st
	Wide receivers coach / assistant head coach	1st
Bart Miller	Offensive line coach	1st
Cory Patterson	Running backs coach	4th
	Defensive line coach	1st
Andy Buh	Linebackers coach	1st
	Outside linebackers coach / associate head coach	1st
Aaron Henry	Defensive backs coach	1st

Roster

Game summaries

Nebraska

See also: 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.

Statistics	NEB	ILL
First downs	19	18
Total yards	392	326
Rushes–yards	39–160	48–167
Passing yards	232	159
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–32–0	15–19–0
Time of possession	25:05	34:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing		16/32, 232 yards, TD
Rushing	Adrian Martinez	17 rushes, 111 yards, TD
Receiving	Oliver Martin	6 receptions, 103 yards, TD
Illinois	Passing		12/15, 124 yards, 2 TD
Rushing	Mike Epstein	16 rushes, 75 yards, TD
Receiving	Deuce Spann	1 reception, 45 yards

UTSA

See also: 2021 UTSA Roadrunners football team.

Statistics	UTSA	ILL
First downs	26	24
Total yards	497	416
Rushes–yards	50–237	35–166
Passing yards	280	266
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20–32–0	22–43–0
Time of possession	30:42	29:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTSA	Passing		20/32, 280 yards, TD
Rushing		31 rushes, 117 yards
Receiving		10 receptions, 155 yards, TD
Illinois	Passing	Artur Sitkowski	22/42, 266 yards, 3 TD
Rushing	Reggie Love III	11 rushes, 39 yards
Receiving		8 receptions, 101 yards

Virginia

See also: 2021 Virginia Cavaliers football team.

Statistics	ILL	UVA
First downs	20	31
Total yards	337	556
Rushes–yards	27–116	33–133
Passing yards	221	423
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24–45–1	28–40–1
Time of possession	27:52	31:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Artur Sitkowski	24/45, 221 yards, TD, INT
Rushing	Chase Brown	7 rushes, 41 yards, TD
Receiving	Dalevon Campbell	2 receptions, 43 yards
Virginia	Passing		27/36, 405 yards, 5 TD, INT
Rushing	Wayne Taulapapa	10 rushes, 35 yards
Receiving		5 receptions, 122 yards, TD

Maryland

See also: 2021 Maryland Terrapins football team.

Statistics	UMD	ILL
First downs	25	19
Total yards	481	368
Rushes/yards	27/131	45/183
Passing yards	350	185
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	32-43-0	10–26–1
Time of possession	29:09	30:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Maryland	Passing		32–43, 350 yards, 1 TD
Rushing		11 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD
Receiving		8 receptions, 77 yards
Illinois	Passing		10–26, 185 yards, 1 INT
Rushing	Reggie Love III	10 carries, 63 yards
Receiving		2 receptions, 54 yards

^[5]

Purdue

See also: 2021 Purdue Boilermakers football team.

Statistics	ILL	PUR
First downs	17	17
Total yards	275	315
Rushes–yards	42–175	26–38
Passing yards	100	277
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	14–27–0	24–40–2
Time of possession	33:45	26:15

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing		14/26, 100 yards
Rushing	Josh McCray	24 rushes, 156 yards
Receiving		3 receptions, 31 yards
Purdue	Passing		12/19, 182 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing	Dylan Downing	10 rushes, 39 yards
Receiving		7 receptions, 88 yards

Charlotte

See also: 2021 Charlotte 49ers football team.

• Sources:^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]}

Wisconsin

See also: 2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team.

At. No. 7 Penn State

See also: 2021 Illinois vs. Penn State football game and 2021 Penn State Nittany Lions football team.

Statistics	ILL	PSU
First downs	27	14
Total yards	395	227
Rushes–yards	67–357	29–62
Passing yards	38	165
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	8–21–1	19–34–0
Time of possession	36:25	23:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Artur Sitkowski	8/19, 38 yards, INT
Rushing	Chase Brown	33 rushes, 223 yards, TD
Receiving	Donny Navarro III	2 receptions, 12 yards
Penn State	Passing		19/34, 164 yards, TD
Rushing		11 rushes, 43 yards
Receiving		6 receptions, 69 yards

Rutgers

See also: 2021 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team.

No. 20 Minnesota

See also: 2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team.

No. 17 Iowa

See also: 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team.

• Source: Box Score

Statistics	ILL	IOWA
First downs	11	18
Total yards	312	255
Rushing yards	64	172
Passing yards	248	83
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	25:42	34:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Brandon Peters	16/36, 248 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing	Chase Brown	13 carries, 42 yards
Receiving	Casey Washington	3 receptions, 61 yards
Iowa	Passing		6/17, 83 yards, INT
Rushing		27 carries, 132 yards
Receiving	Arland Bruce IV	2 receptions, 45 yards

Northwestern

See also: 2021 Northwestern Wildcats football team and Illinois–Northwestern football rivalry.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Yahoo Sports College Football. Yahoo Sports College Football on Twitter: "The following teams reached win No. 6 this weekend and are bowl eligible: - Ball State - Florida - LSU - Maryland - Memphis - Middle Tennessee - North Texas - Old Dominion - Tulsa - Virginia Tech - West Virginia There are 83 bowl eligible teams for 82 spots. No 5-7 teams.. live. 2021-11-28. Twitter. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20211128092520/https://twitter.com/yahoosportscfb/status/1464819332458987520 . 2021-11-28 .
2. Web site: 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results . 2022-08-29 . College Football at Sports-Reference.com . en.
3. Web site: Illinois outlasts Penn State in record-breaking nine overtimes . 2022-08-29 . RSN . October 23, 2021 . en.
4. Web site: Ohio State voted overwhelming favorite in 2021 Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Poll. July 21, 2021. Cleveland.com. Nathan. Baird.
5. Web site: Maryland vs. Illinois - Game Summary - September 17, 2021 - ESPN. 2021-12-03. ESPN.com. en.
6. Web site: GAME NOTES: Charlotte at Illinois. September 28, 2021. September 28, 2021.
7. Web site: Second Half Surge Carries Illini Past Charlotte, 24-14. October 2, 2021. October 4, 2021.
8. Web site: Scoring Summary Report 2021 Charlotte Football, Charlotte Vs Illinois (Oct 02, 2021 at Champaign, Illinois). October 4, 2021.
9. Web site: Charlotte vs Illinois – Game Summary. ESPN. October 2, 2021. October 4, 2021.
10. News: Charlotte runs aground against Illinois: How the Illini held off the 49ers. Hunter. Bailey. The Charlotte Observer. October 4, 2021. October 4, 2021.
11. Web site: TPA:Charlotte at Illinois. Charlotte49ers.com. October 3, 2021. October 4, 2021.