2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

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]

2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record5–7 (4–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTony Petersen (1st season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorRyan Walters (1st season)
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
(Capacity: 60,670)
Uniform
2021 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
No. 3 Michigan xy$^  8 –1   12 –2  
No. 6 Ohio State x  8 –1   11 –2  
No. 9 Michigan State  7 –2   11 –2  
Penn State  4 –5   7 –6  
Maryland  3 –6   7 –6  
Rutgers  2 –7   5 –8  
Indiana  0 –9   2 –10  
West Division
No. 23 Iowa xy  7 –2   10 –4  
Minnesota  6 –3   9 –4  
Wisconsin  6 –3   9 –4  
Purdue  6 –3   9 –4  
Illinois  4 –5   5 –7  
Nebraska  1 –8   3 –9  
Northwestern  1 –8   3 –9  
Championship: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

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

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 28 12:00 p.m. Nebraska
FOX W 30–22 41,064
September 4 6:30 p.m. UTSA*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
 BTN L 30–37 33,906
September 11 10:00 a.m. at Virginia*
ACCN L 14–42 36,036
September 17 8:00 p.m. Maryland
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
 FS1 L 17–20 37,168
September 25 2:30 p.m. at Purdue
BTN L 9–13 52,840
October 2 11:00 a.m. Charlotte*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
 BTN W 24–14 30,559
October 9 2:30 p.m. Wisconsindagger
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
 BTN L 0–24 40,168
October 23 11:00 a.m. at No. 7 Penn State
ABC W 20–18 9OT 105,001
October 30 11:00 a.m. Rutgers
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
 BTN L 14–20 36,942
November 6 11:00 a.m. at No. 20 Minnesota
ESPN2 W 14–6 46,382
November 20 1:00 p.m. at No. 17 Iowa
FS1 L 23–33 64,132
November 27 2:30 p.m. Northwestern
BTN W 47–14 27,624
  1. Illinois and Nebraska were originally scheduled to play at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game was moved back to the United States due to travel concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

Personnel

Coaching staff
Name Position Consecutive season at
Illinois in current position
Bret BielemaHead coach1st
Tony PetersenOffensive coordinator1st
Ryan WaltersDefensive coordinator1st
Ben MillerTight ends coach/special teams coordinator1st
George McDonaldWide receivers coach / assistant head coach1st
Bart MillerOffensive line coach1st
Cory PattersonRunning backs coach4th
Terrance JamisonDefensive line coach1st
Andy BuhLinebackers coach1st
Kevin KaneOutside linebackers coach / associate head coach1st
Aaron HenryDefensive backs coach1st

Roster
2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 1 Isaiah Williams Fr
RB 2 Chase Brown So
RB 3 Jakari Norwood So
WR 4 Khmari Thompson So
WR 6 Deuce Spann Fr
WR 10 Desmond Dan Jr Sr
WR 11 Carlos Sandy So
QB 12 Matt Robinson So
WR 14 Brian Hightower Jr
WR 15 Ty Lindenman Fr
QB 18 Brandon Peters Sr
WR 19 Dalevon Campbell So
WR 20 Kyron Cumby Fr
RB 22 Chase Hayden Jr
RB 23 Reggie Love III Fr
RB 24 Nick Fedanzo Fr
RB 26 Mike Epstein Jr
RB 27 Matt Bobak Fr
TE 42 Michael Marchese Sr
TE 43 Cooper Davis Fr
TE 43 Griffin Moore Fr
TE 48 Mike Cernigila Jr Fr
OL 52 Verdis Brown So
OL 54 Julian Pearl So
OL 55 Blake Jeresaty Sr
OL 57 Evan Kirts Fr
OL 59 Josh Plohr Fr
OL 62 Terry Zapf So
OL 63 Alex Palczewski Sr
OL 65 Doug Kramer Sr
OL 66 Jordyn Slaughter Injured So
OL 67 Brody Wisecarver Fr
OL 69 Moses Okpala Fr
OL 70 Tommy Cronin Fr
OL 73 Josh Gesky Fr
OL 75 Alex Pihlstrom Jr
OL 79 Vederian Lowe Sr
TE 80 Preston Engel So
WR 81 Marquez Beason Fr
TE 82 Luke Ford Jr
WR 84 Owen Hickey Fr
WR 86 Donny Navarro Jr
TE 87 Daniel Barker Jr
TE 88 Branden Hohenstein Sr
TE 89 Tip Reiman Fr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DB 2 Derrick Smith Jr
LB 5 Calvin Hart Jr Injured So
DB 6 Tony Adams Sr
DB 7 Kendall Smith Sr
DB 7 Coran Taylor So
DB 10 Joriell Washington Fr
DB 15 Delano Ware So
DB 17 Kendall Smith Jr
DB 21 Jartavius Martin Jr
DB 22 Dylan Thomas So
DB 23 Tahveon Nicholson Fr
DB 24 Prather Hudson Sr
DB 25 Kerby Joseph Jr
DB 27 Matthew Judd Fr
LB 28 Dylan Rosiek Fr
DB 29 Christian Bobak Sr
DB 30 Sydney Brown Jr
DB 31 Devon Witherspoon So
DB 32 Tailon Leitzsey Sr
DL 33 Ezekiel Holmes So
DB 34 Ryan Meed Fr
LB 35 Jake Hansen Sr
DB 36 Ben Schultz Fr
DB 37 Jaden Jones-Watkins So
LB 38 Isaac Darkangelo Jr
LB 40 Shammond Cooper Fr
LB 44 Tarique Barnes So
LB 45 Khalan Tolson Jr
LB 46 Alex McEachern Jr
DL 47 Quinton McCoy Fr
LB 48 Bryce Barnes So
LB 49 Seth Coleman Fr
LB 51 Sean Coghlan Jr
LB 54 Marc Mondesir Sr
DL 55 Sed McConnell Sr
DL 69 Moses Okpala Fr
DL 88 Keith Randolph Jr. Fr
DL 91 Jamal Woods Sr
LB 92 Isaiah Gay Sr
DL 93 Calvin Avery Jr
DL 94 Jer'Zhan Newton Fr
DL 96 Roderick Perry II Sr
DL 98 Deon Pate Jr
LB 99 Owen Carney Jr. Sr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 5 Caleb Griffin So
P 14 Blake Hayes Sr
K, P 17 James McCourt Sr
P 19 Hugh Robertson Fr
LS 39 Aidan Hall Fr
LS 56 Ethan Tabel Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Tony Petersen – Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks
  • Ryan Walters – Defensive coordinator
  • Ben Miller – Special teams coordinator/tight ends
  • Cory Patterson – Running backs
  • Terrance Jamison – Defensive line
  • George McDonald – Wide receivers / assistant HC
  • Aaron Henry – Defensive backs
  • Bart Miller – Offensive line
  • Andy Buh – Linebackers
  • Kevin Kane – outside linebackers / associate HC
  • Reggie Bain – Graduate assistant – offense
  • Taylor Reed – Graduate assistant – offense
  • Aaron Gonzales – Graduate assistant – defense
  • Kevin Laeone Richardson II – Graduate assistant – defense
  • John Marinelli – Senior analyst
  • Grant O'Brien – Defensive analyst
  • Adam Kleffner – Offensive analyst
  • Greg Froelich – Special teams analyst
  • Tank Wright – Head strength and conditioning coach
  • Pete Roley – Director of football operations
  • Mark Taurisani – Football chief of staff
  • Patrick Embleton – Director of recruiting
  • Terry Hawthorne – Director of high school personnel
  • Pat Ryan – Director of high school relations
  • Nate McNeal – Assistant recruiting coordinator
  • Travis Perry – Director of creative content
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: September 21, 2021

Game summaries

Nebraska
See also: 2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
Nebraska Cornhuskers (0–0) at Illinois Fighting Illini (0–0) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cornhuskers 7 9 7629
Fighting Illini 2 14 14030

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL

  • Date: August 28, 2021
  • Game time: 12:20 p.m.
  • Game weather: Sunny, 94 °F (34 °C)
  • Game attendance: 41,064
  • Referee: John O'Neill
  • TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst)
  • Sources: huskers.com[6]
Game information
First quarter
  • (4:07) ILL – Team safety (Drive: 6 plays, 3 yards, 3:24; Illinois 2–0)
Second quarter
  • (14:25) NEB – Markese Stepp 2-yard run (Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 2:27; Nebraska 6–2)
  • (9:15) NEB – Connor Culp 27-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:01; Nebraska 9–2)
  • (2:51) ILL – Mike Epstein 1-yard run, James McCourt kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:24; Illinois 9–9)
  • (0:37) ILL – Calvin Hart Jr. 41-yard fumble return, James McCourt kick (Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 0:21; Illinois 16–9)
Third quarter
  • (6:56) ILL – Luke Ford 2-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski, James McCourt kick (Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 8:04; Illinois 23–9)
  • (4:01) ILL – Isaiah Williams 1-yard pass from Artur Sitkowski, James McCourt kick (Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, 1:10; Illinois 30–9)
  • (3:48) NEB – Adrian Martinez 75-yard run, Connor Culp kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:13; Illinois 30–16)
Fourth quarter
  • (2:41) NEB – Oliver Martin 4-yard pass from Adrian Martinez (Drive: 19 plays, 91 yards, 6:42; Illinois 30–22)
StatisticsNEBILL
First downs1918
Total yards392326
Rushes/yards39–16048–167
Passing yards232159
Passing: Comp–Att–Int16–32–015–19–0
Time of possession25:0534:55
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
NebraskaPassingAdrian Martinez16/32, 232 yards, 1 TD
RushingAdrian Martinez17 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingOliver Martin6 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD
IllinoisPassingArtur Sitkowski12/15, 124 yards, 2 TD
RushingMike Epstein16 carries, 75 yards, TD
ReceivingDeuce Spann1 reception, 45 yards

UTSA
1 2 3 4 Total
Roadrunners 7 13 3 14 37
Fighting Illini 0 14 3 13 30
See also: 2021 UTSA Roadrunners football team

Virginia
1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Illini 0 7 7 0 14
Cavaliers 14 7 14 7 42
See also: 2021 Virginia Cavaliers football team

Maryland
See also: 2021 Maryland Terrapins football team
Illinois Fighting Illini (1–2) vs. Maryland Terrapins (2–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Maryland 0 3 71020
Illinois 0 3 7717

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL

  • Date: Saturday, September 17, 2021
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: sunny • Temperature: 75°F
  • Game attendance: 37,168
  • Referee: Ron Snodgrass
  • TV: FS1
  • Pregame line:
Game information
Second Quarter
  • (10:43) UMD – Joseph Petrino 32 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 5:07; UMD 3-0)
  • (1:27) ILL – James McCourt 25-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 2:16; Tied 3-3)
Third Quarter
  • (13:11) UMD – Tayon Fleet-Davis 2-yard run, Joseph Petrino kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:49; UMD 10-3)
  • (6:15) ILL – Josh McCray 38-yard run, James McCourt kick (Drive: 8 plays, 93 yards, 3:37; Tied 10-10)
Fourth Quarter
  • (14:13) ILL – Casey Washington 30-yard run, James McCourt kick (Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 1:05; ILL 17-10)
  • (13:11) UMD – Tayon Fleet-Davis 10-yard pass from Taulia Tagovailoa, Joseph Petrino kick (Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 2:37 Tie 17-17)
  • (00:00) UMD – Joseph Petrino 32-yard field goal (Drive: 3 plays, 32 yards, 00:47; UMD 20-17)
StatisticsUMDILL
First downs2519
Total yards481368
Rushes/yards27/13145/183
Passing yards350185
Passing: Comp–Att–Int32-43-010-26-1
Time of possession29:0930:51
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
MarylandPassingTaulia Tagovailoa32–43, 350 yards, 1 TD
RushingTayon Fleet-Davis11 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingDontay Demus Jr.8 receptions, 77 yards
IllinoisPassingBrandon Peters10–26, 185 yards, 1 INT
RushingReggie Love III10 carries, 63 yards
ReceivingChase Brown2 receptions, 54 yards

[7]

Purdue
1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Illini 0 3 3 3 9
Boilermakers 6 0 0 7 13
See also: 2021 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Charlotte
See also: 2021 Charlotte 49ers football team
Charlotte vs Illinois
1 234Total
49ers 7 700 14
• Fighting Illini 3 7140 24
Scoring summary
17:28ILLIJames MCCOURT 29 Yd Field GoalILLI 3-0
11:31CHARVictor TUCKER 22 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick)CHAR 7-3
22:52ILLIDaniel BARKER 10 Yd pass from Brandon PETERS (James MCCOURT Kick)ILLI 10-7
20:46CHARElijah SPENCER 27 Yd pass from Chris REYNOLDS (Jonathan CRUZ Kick)CHAR 14-10
36:52ILLIChase BROWN 31 Yd Run (James MCCOURT Kick)ILLI 17-14
30:00ILLIChase BROWN 80 Yd Run (James MCCOURT Kick)ILLI 24-14

Wisconsin
1 2 3 4 Total
Wisconsin 3 7 14 0 24
Fighting Illini 0 0 0 0 0
See also: 2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team

Penn State
1 2 3 4OT Total
Fighting Illini 0 7 0 310 20
No. 7 Nitanny Lions 7 3 0 08 18
See also: 2021 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Rutgers
1 2 3 4 Total
Scarlet Knights 7 3 0 10 20
Fighting Illini 0 14 0 0 14
See also: 2021 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

No. 20 Minnesota
1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Illini 7 7 0 0 14
No. 20 Golden Gophers 0 0 0 6 6
See also: 2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

No. 17 Iowa
See also: 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
Illinois at Iowa
1 234Total
Fighting Illini 10 337 23
• No. 17 Hawkeyes 7 10313 33
        
Scoring summary
18:37IllinoisL. Ford 13-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick)Illinois 7–0
3:20IllinoisJames McCourt 46-yard field goalIllinois 10–0
3:05IowaCharlie Jones 100-yard kickoff return (Caleb Shudak kick)Illinois 10–7
214:08IowaArland Bruce IV 2-yard run (Caleb Shudak kick)Iowa 14–10
6:41IowaCaleb Shudak 51-yard field goalIowa 17–10
3:13IllinoisJames McCourt 45-yard field goalIowa 17–13
39:12IowaCaleb Shudak 48-yard field goalIowa 20–13
2:46IllinoisJames McCourt 53-yard field goalIowa 20–16
49:12IowaCaleb Shudak 48-yard field goalIowa 23–16
9:12IowaCaleb Shudak 48-yard field goalIowa 26–16
1:36IowaJack Campbell 32-yard interception return (Caleb Shudak kick)Iowa 33–16
0:31IowaIsaiah Williams 16-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick)Iowa 33–23

Northwestern
1 2 3 4 Total
Wildcats 0 7 0 7 14
Fighting Illini 14 23 3 7 47
See also: 2021 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Illinois-Northwestern football rivalry

References
  1. 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". Twitter. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  2. "2021 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  3. "Illinois outlasts Penn State in record-breaking nine overtimes". RSN. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  4. "2021 College Football Game moved from Aviva Stadium". CollegeFootballIreland.com. February 17, 2021. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  5. "2021 Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  6. "Scoring Summary (Final), 2021 Nebraska Football, Nebraska vs. Illinois (August 28, 2021 at Champaign, Illinois)". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Athletics. August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  7. "Maryland vs. Illinois - Game Summary - September 17, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  8. "GAME NOTES: Charlotte at Illinois". September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  9. "Second Half Surge Carries Illini Past Charlotte, 24-14". October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  10. "Scoring Summary Report 2021 Charlotte Football, Charlotte Vs Illinois (Oct 02, 2021 at Champaign, Illinois)" (PDF). Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  11. "Charlotte vs Illinois – Game Summary". ESPN. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  12. Bailey, Hunter (October 4, 2021). "Charlotte runs aground against Illinois: How the Illini held off the 49ers". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  13. "TPA:Charlotte at Illinois". Charlotte49ers.com. October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
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