2019_Illinois_Fighting_Illini_football_team Knowpia

2019 Illinois Fighting Illini football
2019 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Redbox Bowl, L 20–35 vs. California
Conference	Big Ten Conference
	West Division
Record	6–7 (4–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Lovie Smith (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Rod Smith (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Lovie Smith
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2018 2020 →

The 2019 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2019 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 fourth-year head coach Lovie Smith.

2019 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$^	9	–	0	13	–	1
No. 9 Penn State	7	–	2	11	–	2
No. 18 Michigan	6	–	3	9	–	4
Indiana	5	–	4	8	–	5
Michigan State	4	–	5	7	–	6
Maryland	1	–	8	3	–	9
Rutgers	0	–	9	2	–	10
West Division
No. 11 Wisconsin xy	7	–	2	10	–	4
No. 10 Minnesota x	7	–	2	11	–	2
No. 15 Iowa	6	–	3	10	–	3
Illinois	4	–	5	6	–	7
Purdue	3	–	6	4	–	8
Nebraska	3	–	6	5	–	7
Northwestern	1	–	8	3	–	9
Championship: Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 21
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason edit

Preseason Big Ten poll edit

Although the Big Ten Conference has not held an official preseason poll since 2010, Cleveland.com has polled sports journalists representing all member schools as a de facto preseason media poll since 2011. For the 2019 poll, Illinois was projected to finish in last in the West Division.^[1]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (West Division)
1	Nebraska	198 (14)
2	Iowa	194.5 (14)
3	Wisconsin	172.5 (4)
4	Northwestern	142.5 (1)
5	Purdue	110.5
6	Minnesota	100 (1)
7	Illinois	34

Schedule edit

Illinois' 2019 schedule began with three non-conference games, starting with Akron of the Mid-American Conference at home, a road game to UConn of the American Athletic Conference, and then at home again for Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. In Big Ten Conference play, Illinois played all members of the West Division and draws Michigan, Rutgers, and Michigan State from the East Division.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	11:00 a.m.	Akron*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 42–3	30,654
September 7	2:30 p.m.	at UConn*	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	W 31–23	23,108
September 14	11:00 a.m.	Eastern Michigan*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 31–34	34,759
September 21	7:00 p.m.	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 38–42	44,512
October 5	2:30 p.m.	at Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	L 17–40	39,341
October 12	12:00 p.m.	No. 16 Michigan	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (series)	ABC	L 25–42	37,275
October 19	11:00 a.m.	No. 6 Wisconsin	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 24–23	37,363
October 26	11:00 a.m.	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	BTN	W 24–6	38,735
November 2	2:30 p.m.	Rutgers	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 38–10	35,652
November 9	2:30 p.m.	at Michigan State	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FS1	W 37–34	63,370
November 23	11:00 a.m.	at No. 17 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	L 10–19	58,331
November 30	11:00 a.m.	Northwestern	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	FS1	L 10–29	35,895
December 30	3:00 p.m.	vs. California*	Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA (Redbox Bowl)	FOX	L 20–35	34,177
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 5) released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[2]

Game summaries edit

Akron edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Zips	3	0	0	0	3
Fighting Illini	14	14	14	0	42

At UConn edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	0	24	7	0	31
Huskies	10	3	7	3	23

Eastern Michigan edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	14	9	0	11	34
Fighting Illini	17	0	0	14	31

Nebraska edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	7	7	13	15	42
Fighting Illini	14	7	14	3	38

At Minnesota edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	7	3	7	0	17
Golden Gophers	3	13	14	10	40

Michigan edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Wolverines	14	14	0	14	42
Fighting Illini	0	7	10	8	25

Wisconsin edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 Badgers	7	6	7	3	23
Fighting Illini	0	7	7	10	24

“KAM'S Miracle” edit

On October 19, during the Homecoming Weekend, the Fighting Illini upset the undefeated No. 6 ranked Wisconsin Badgers on a 39-yard game-winning field goal by James McCourt. It was Illinois' first win against a top ranked team since 2007, when they had upset No. 1 ranked Ohio State in Columbus with a score of 28–21.

The weekend also marked the last nights of beloved campus bar KAM'S. KAM'S had been a popular bar on campus since 1975. In September 2019 it was announced that KAM'S would be closing on Sunday night of Homecoming 2019. The victory coincided with this closing.

^[3]

At Purdue edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	3	14	7	0	24
Boilermakers	0	0	0	6	6

Rutgers edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	0	10	0	0	10
Fighting Illini	10	0	21	7	38

At Michigan State edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	3	7	0	27	37
Spartans	14	14	3	3	34

“The Comeback In East Lansing” edit

Illinois started the road game off rough, giving up 14 points and only scoring a field goal in the first quarter. By halftime, they were losing 28–10 and at one point in a 28–3 deficit in the second quarter. After Halftime, both teams struggled in the 3rd quarter, scoring only 3 combined points. But the comeback started in the 4th quarter on which the first play was an Illinois touchdown on a 46-yard Brandon Peters pass to wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe. Then on the next Illinois possession, Reggie Corbin ran it in the end zone from 6-yards out to make the score 31–24. On the next Spartans possession, Michigan State's quarterback Brian Lewerke couldn't handle a bad snap and Illinois recovered the fumble at Michigan State's 8-yard line. Peters then tried throwing the game tying touchdown pass but it was intercepted in the end zone by MSU. On the ensuing possession, Lewerke threw an interception to Illinois defender Sydney Brown for a 76-yard touchdown. But the score remained untied when Illinois kicker junior James McCourt missed the PAT to make it 31–30. Michigan State then drove down the field but only managed to kick a field goal to make the score 34–30, MSU leading with 3:17 remaining in the 4th. Illinois drove down the field, completing a 37-yard throw and catch by Peters to Imatorbhebhe and drove to the MSU 4-yard line. The Spartans defense then held and stopped the Illini on 4th and Goal but a defensive pass interference kept the game alive. Brandon Peters then completed a 6-yard, game-winning touchdown to tight end Daniel Barker with 5 seconds remaining. Illinois stopped Michigan State on the kickoff, sealing a Fighting Illini win. The victory clinched a bowl game for the Illini, their first since 2014.

At Iowa edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	7	0	0	3	10
No. 17 Hawkeyes	7	6	0	6	19

Northwestern edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	3	7	7	12	29
Fighting Illini	0	7	3	0	10

Vs. California edit

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	7	14	7	7	35
Fighting Illini	10	3	0	7	20

Personnel edit

Coaching staff edit

Staff as of April 17, 2019.^[4]

Name	Position	Consecutive season at Illinois in current position	Salary ^[5]^[6]
Lovie Smith	Head coach/Defensive coordinator	4th	$4,000,000
Rod Smith	Offensive coordinator	2nd	$700,000
Michael Bellamy	Running backs coach	1st	$250,000
Andrew Hayes-Stoker	Wide receivers Coach	4th	$335,000
Bob McClain	Offensive line coach	1st	$310,000
Cory Patterson	Tight Ends coach	2nd	$275,000
Austin Clark	Defensive line coach	2nd	$275,000
Miles Smith	Linebackers coach	1st	$220,000
Keynodo Hudson	Cornerbacks coach	1st	$250,000
Gill Byrd	Safeties coach/Passing Game Coordinator	2nd	$300,000
Bob Ligashesky	Special Teams Coordinator	4th	$331,000

Roster edit

2019 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`1`	Isaiah Williams	Fr
RB	`2`	Reggie Corbin	Sr
RB	`3`	Jakari Norwood	Fr
WR	`4`	Ricky Smalling	Jr
WR	`5`	Trevon Sidney	Jr
WR	`6`	Dominic Stampley	Jr
QB	`7`	Coran Taylor	Fr
WR	`8`	Casey Washington	Fr
WR	`9`	Josh Imatorbhebhe	Jr
TE	`10`	Justice Williams	Sr
WR	`11`	Carlos Sandy	So
QB	`12`	Matt Robinson	Fr
WR	`13`	Caleb Reams	Sr
WR	`15`	Trenard Davis	Sr
QB	`16`	Cam Miller	Jr
QB	`18`	Brandon Peters	Jr
WR	`19`	Dalevon Campbell	Fr
WR	`20`	Kyron Cumby	Fr
RB	`21`	Ra'Von Bonner	Jr
RB	`22`	Kenyon Sims	Fr
RB	`23`	Conner Lillig	So
RB	`24`	Nick Fedanzo	Fr
RB	`25`	Dre Brown	Sr
RB	`26`	Mike Epstein	Jr
RB	`28`	Chase Brown	So
TE	`43`	Griffin Moore	Fr
TE	`48`	Bryce Barnes	Fr
OL	`52`	Verdis Brown	Fr
OL	`53`	Kendrick Green	So
OL	`54`	Julian Pearl	Fr
OL	`57`	Evan Kirts	Fr
OL	`58`	Preston Engel	Fr
OL	`59`	Josh Plohr	Fr
OL	`63`	Alex Palczewski	Jr
OL	`65`	Doug Kramer	Jr
OL	`66`	Jordyn Slaughter	Fr
OL	`68`	Jake Stover	So
OL	`70`	Thomas Cronin	Fr
OL	`72`	Kievan Myers	Fr
OL	`73`	Jake Cerny	Jr
OL	`74`	Richie Petitbon	Sr
OL	`75`	Kurt Gavin	Jr
OL	`79`	Vederian Lowe	Jr
WR	`80`	Edwin Carter	Fr
TE	`81`	Griffin Palmer	Jr
TE	`82`	Luke Ford	So
TE	`83`	Bobby Walker	Sr
WR	`84`	Jordan Holmes	So
WR	`85`	Dylan Thomas	Fr
WR	`86`	Donny Navarro	Jr
TE	`87`	Daniel Barker	So
TE	`89`	Alex Pihlstrom	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB	`2`	Derrick Smith (I)	Jr
DB	`3`	Marquez Beason	Fr
LB	`5`	Milo Eifler	Jr
DB	`6`	Tony Adams	Jr
DB	`7`	Stanley Green	Sr
DB	`8`	Nate Hobbs	Jr
LB	`9`	Dele Harding	Sr
LB	`10`	James Knight	Jr
DB	`15`	Delano Ware	So
DB	`17`	Kendall Smith	Jr
DB	`20`	Nick Walker	Jr
DB	`21`	Quan Martin	So
DB	`22`	Dylan Wyatt	So
DB	`23`	Joseph Thompson	Fr
LB	`24`	Dawson DeGroot	Jr
DB	`25`	Kerby Joseph	So
DB	`27`	Matthew Judd	Fr
DB	`28`	Nolan Bernat	Sr
DB	`29`	Christian Bobak	Jr
DB	`30`	Sydney Brown	So
DB	`31`	Devon Witherspoon	Fr
DB	`32`	Tailon Leitzsey	Jr
DL	`33`	Ezekiel Holmes	Fr
LB	`34`	Ryan Meed	Fr
LB	`35`	Jake Hansen	Jr
DB	`36`	Ben Schultz	Fr
LB	`37`	Mark Di Iorio	Fr
LB	`40`	Shammond Cooper	Fr
DB	`42`	Michael Marchese	Jr
LB	`44`	Tarique Barnes	Fr
LB	`45`	Khalan Tolson	So
LB	`46`	Alex McEachern	So
DL	`47`	Oluwole Betiku Jr.	Jr
DL	`49`	Seth Coleman	Fr
LB	`51`	Sean Coghlan	So
LB	`52`	Ayo Shogbonyo	Jr
DL	`54`	Marc Mondesir	Jr
DL	`55`	Jamal Milan	Sr
DL	`69`	Moses Okpala	Fr
DL	`88`	Keith Randolph Jr.	Fr
DL	`90`	Lere Oladipo	So
DL	`91`	Jamal Woods	So
DL	`92`	Isaiah Gay	Jr
DL	`93`	Calvin Avery	So
DL	`95`	Kenyon Jackson	Sr
DL	`96`	Tymir Oliver	Sr
DL	`97`	Bobby Roundtree	Jr
DL	`98`	Deon Pate	So
DL	`99`	Owen Carney Jr.	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`11`	Caleb Griffin	Fr
P	`14`	Blake Hayes	Jr
K, P	`17`	James McCourt	Jr
LS	`39`	Aidan Hall	Fr
LS	`41`	Nolan Rossback	Fr
LS	`56`	Ethan Tabel	Jr

Head coach

Lovie Smith – Defensive coordinator

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Rod Smith – Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
Gill Byrd – Passing Game Coordinator / Safeties
Bob Ligashesky – Special Teams Coordinator
Mike Bellamy – Running Backs
Austin Clark – Defensive Line
Andrew Hayes-Stoker – Wide Receivers
Keynodo Hudson – Cornerbacks
Bob McClain – Offensive Line
Cory Patterson – Tight Ends
Miles Smith – Linebackers
Rob Delaney - Graduate Assistant - Offense
Zach Grant - Graduate Assistant - Offense
Carson Hall - Graduate Assistant - Defense
Brent Jackson - Graduate Assistant - Defense
Peter Collins - Defensive Analyst
Ilir Emini - Defensive Analyst
Cody Gibson - Offensive Analyst
Devin Holiday - Defensive Analyst
Garrett Schwettman - Special Team Analyst
Jake Ellsworth - Defensive Analyst
Lou Hernandez - Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
Tim Knox - Director of Football Operations
Jake Zweig - Director of Man Development
Patrick Embleton - Director of recruiting
James Kirkland - Director of Player Personnel
Joe Price - Director of High School Relations
Cameron Skelding - Assistant Recruiting Coordinator
Travis Perry - Director of Creative Content

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: September 20, 2019

Recruiting edit

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Marquez Beason CB	Duncanville, TX	Duncanville	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	Mar 10, 2018
Marquez Beason CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 84
Isaiah Williams ATH	St. Louis, MO	Trinity Catholic	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Mar 23, 2018
Isaiah Williams ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 84
Shammond Cooper OLB	St. Louis, MO	Trinity Catholic	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jan 3, 2019
Shammond Cooper OLB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 83
Moses Okpala DE	St. Louis, MO	Ladue Horton Watkins	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Nov 2, 2018
Moses Okpala DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 80
Kyron Cumby RB	Plano, TX	Plano Senior	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jun 21, 2013
Kyron Cumby RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 79
Keith Randolph Jr. DE	Belleville, IL	Belleville West	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Dec 18, 2018
Keith Randolph Jr. DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 76

Incoming Transfers edit

Name	Number	Pos.	Previous School	Year
Chase Brown	#28	RB	Western Michigan	(RS)(I) Sophomore
Josh Imatorbhebhe	#9	WR	USC	(RS) Junior
Brandon Peters	#18	QB	Michigan	(RS) Junior
Luke Ford	#82	TE	Georgia	(RS)(I) Sophomore
Trevon Sidney	#5	WR	USC	(RS) Junior
Oluwole Betiku Jr.	#47	OLB	USC	Junior
Richie Petitbon	#74	OG	Alabama	(RS) Senior

Key:

(RS) = Redshirt

(I) = Ineligible/Sitting out

References edit

^ Lesmerises, Doug (July 18, 2019). "Michigan named Big Ten football favorite in cleveland.com 2019 preseason poll". Cleveland.com.
^ "2019 Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
^ "KAM's gets ready to shut its doors, new location open in 2020". September 25, 2019.
^ "Illinois Athletics – Football Coaches". Retrieved April 17, 2019.
^ "Smith's revised contract drops buyout cost to $1 million in 2021". The News-Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
^ "Show them the money: Lovie's newest staff receives pay bump". The News-Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2019.