# 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented 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.
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.

## Preseason
### Big Ten media poll

The Illini were predicted to finish seventh in the Big Ten's West Division.
Big Ten West Division media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 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 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 28 | 12:00 p.m. | Nebraska | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Aer Lingus College Football Classic) | FOX | W 30–22 | 41,064 |
| September 4 | 6:30 p.m. | UTSA* | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN | L 30–37 | 33,906 |
| September 11 | 10:00 a.m. | at Virginia* | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | ACCN | L 14–42 | 36,036 |
| September 17 | 8:00 p.m. | Maryland | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | FS1 | L 17–20 | 37,168 |
| September 25 | 2:30 p.m. | at Purdue | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN (Purdue Cannon) | BTN | L 9–13 | 52,840 |
| October 2 | 11:00 a.m. | Charlotte* | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN | W 24–14 | 30,559 |
| October 9 | 2:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN | L 0–24 | 40,168 |
| October 23 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 7 Penn State | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ABC | W 20–18 $^{9OT}$ | 105,001 |
| October 30 | 11:00 a.m. | Rutgers | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN | L 14–20 | 36,942 |
| November 6 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 20 Minnesota | Huntington Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN | ESPN2 | W 14–6 | 46,382 |
| November 20 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 17 Iowa | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | FS1 | L 23–33 | 64,132 |
| November 27 | 2:30 p.m. | Northwestern | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy) | BTN | W 47–14 | 27,624 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central timeSource: |||||||
* ↑ 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.

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Consecutive season at Illinois in current position |
| Bret Bielema | Head coach | 1st |
| Tony Petersen | Offensive coordinator | 1st |
| Ryan Walters | Defensive coordinator | 1st |
| Ben Miller | Tight ends coach/special teams coordinator | 1st |
| George McDonald | Wide receivers coach / assistant head coach | 1st |
| Bart Miller | Offensive line coach | 1st |
| Cory Patterson | Running backs coach | 4th |
| Terrance Jamison | Defensive line coach | 1st |
| Andy Buh | Linebackers coach | 1st |
| Kevin Kane | Outside linebackers coach / associate head coach | 1st |
| Aaron Henry | Defensive backs coach | 1st |

### Roster
## Game summaries
### Nebraska

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cornhuskers | 0 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 22 |
| Fighting Illini | 2 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 30 |
at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
* Date: August 28
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 94 °F (34 °C)
* Game attendance: 41,064
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis and Brock Huard
* Box score, Recap
| 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 | Adrian Martinez | 16/32, 232 yards, TD |
| Nebraska | Rushing | Adrian Martinez | 17 rushes, 111 yards, TD |
| Nebraska | Receiving | Oliver Martin | 6 receptions, 103 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Passing | Artur Sitkowski | 12/15, 124 yards, 2 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Mike Epstein | 16 rushes, 75 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Deuce Spann | 1 reception, 45 yards |

### UTSA

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Roadrunners | 7 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 37 |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 14 | 3 | 13 | 30 |
at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
* Date: September 4
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 73 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 33,906
* Referee: Greg Blum
* TV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington, Anthony Herron, and Coley Harvey
* Box score, Recap
| 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 | Frank Harris | 20/32, 280 yards, TD |
| UTSA | Rushing | Sincere McCormick | 31 rushes, 117 yards |
| UTSA | Receiving | Zakhari Franklin | 10 receptions, 155 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Passing | Artur Sitkowski | 22/42, 266 yards, 3 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Reggie Love III | 11 rushes, 39 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Isaiah Williams | 8 receptions, 101 yards |

### Virginia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Cavaliers | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
at Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Virginia
* Date: September 11
* Game time: 10:00 a.m. CDT/11:00 a.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 36,036
* Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
* TV: ACCN
* Box score, Recap
| 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 |
| Illinois | Rushing | Chase Brown | 7 rushes, 41 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Dalevon Campbell | 2 receptions, 43 yards |
| Virginia | Passing | Brennan Armstrong | 27/36, 405 yards, 5 TD, INT |
| Virginia | Rushing | Wayne Taulapapa | 10 rushes, 35 yards |
| Virginia | Receiving | Jelani Woods | 5 receptions, 122 yards, TD |

### Maryland

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Maryland | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
| Illinois | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
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:
| 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 | Taulia Tagovailoa | 32–43, 350 yards, 1 TD |
| Maryland | Rushing | Tayon Fleet-Davis | 11 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD |
| Maryland | Receiving | Dontay Demus Jr. | 8 receptions, 77 yards |
| Illinois | Passing | Brandon Peters | 10–26, 185 yards, 1 INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Reggie Love III | 10 carries, 63 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Chase Brown | 2 receptions, 54 yards |

### Purdue

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Boilermakers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana
* Date: September 25
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 52,840
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV: BTN
* Box score, Recap
| 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 | Brandon Peters | 14/26, 100 yards |
| Illinois | Rushing | Josh McCray | 24 rushes, 156 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Casey Washington | 3 receptions, 31 yards |
| Purdue | Passing | Aidan O'Connell | 12/19, 182 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Purdue | Rushing | Dylan Downing | 10 rushes, 39 yards |
| Purdue | Receiving | Milton Wright | 7 receptions, 88 yards |

### Charlotte

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| • Fighting Illini | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |

### Wisconsin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Badgers | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
* Date: October 9, 2021
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C); Sunny; Wind at n/a MPH
* Game attendance: 40,168
* Referee: Mark Kluczynski
* TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play) and Matt Millen (analyst)
Game information :
First quarter
WISC – Collin Larsh 25-yard field goal, 4:14. Wisconsin 3–0. Drive: 18 plays, 67 yards, 9:44.
Second quarter
WISC – John Chenal 1-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 5:27. Wisconsin 10–0. Drive: 14 plays, 79 yards, 6:50.
Third quarter
WISC – Chez Mellusi 15-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 8:38. Wisconsin 17–0. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:22.
WISC – Braelon Allen 23-yard TD run, (Collin Larsh kick), 1:00. Wisconsin 24–0. Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 2:45.
Fourth quarter
No scoring
Top passers
ILL – Artur Sitkowski – 8/27, 55 yards
WISC – Graham Mertz – 10/19, 100 yards, INT
Top rushers
ILL – Chase Brown – 8 rushes, 35 yards
WISC – Chez Mellusi – 21 rushes, 145 yards, TD
Top receivers
ILL – Isaiah Williams – 4 receptions, 23 yards
WISC – Kendric Pryor – 2 receptions, 47 yards
Top defenders
ILL – Tarique Barnes – 12 tackles, forced fumble, QB hurry, pass breakup
WISC – Noah Burks – 6 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 3 QB hurries :

### At. No. 7 Penn State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | 4OT | 5OT | 6OT | 7OT | 8OT | 9OT | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| No. 7 Nittany Lions | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 23
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT/12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Rain, 48 °F (9 °C)
* Game attendance: 105,001
* Referee: Reggie Smith
* TV announcers (ABC): Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, and Kris Budden
* Box score, Recap
| 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 |
| Illinois | Rushing | Chase Brown | 33 rushes, 223 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Donny Navarro III | 2 receptions, 12 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 19/34, 164 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Noah Cain | 11 rushes, 43 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 6 receptions, 69 yards |

### Rutgers

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Scarlet Knights | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |

### No. 20 Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 20 Golden Gophers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |

### No. 17 Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 10 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 23 |
| • No. 17 Hawkeyes | 7 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 33 |
| 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 |
| Illinois | Rushing | Chase Brown | 13 carries, 42 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Casey Washington | 3 receptions, 61 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Alex Padilla | 6/17, 83 yards, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 27 carries, 132 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Arland Bruce IV | 2 receptions, 45 yards |

### Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Fighting Illini | 14 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 47 |