# 2024 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 2024 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Illini were led by Bret Bielema in his fourth season as the team's head coach. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium located in Champaign, Illinois.
After a win over rival Northwestern in Week 14, the Fighting Illini reached 9 wins for the first time since 2007, and just the second time reaching that mark since their ten-win 2001 campaign.
The Fighting Illini ended the 2024 college football season ranked #21 in the AP Top 25 College Football Poll, #21 in the Coaches Poll, and #20 in the College Football Playoff Poll. The Fighting Illini accepted an invitation to play in the 2024 Citrus Bowl against the South Carolina Gamecocks on December 31st in Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. After a 21–17 victory, the Illini clinched their first bowl win since 2011 and their first 10 win season since 2001.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 29 | 8:00 p.m. | Eastern Illinois* | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN | W 45–0 | 43,849 |
| September 7 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 19 Kansas* | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | FS1 | W 23–17 | 60,670 |
| September 14 | 11:00 a.m. | Central Michigan* | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | Peacock | W 30–9 | 51,498 |
| September 20 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 22 Nebraska | No. 24 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | FOX | W 31–24 $^{OT}$ | 86,936 |
| September 28 | 6:30 p.m. | at No. 9 Penn State | No. 19 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | NBC | L 7–21 | 109,911 |
| October 12 | 2:30 p.m. | Purdue | No. 23 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (Purdue Cannon) | FS1 | W 50–49 $^{OT}$ | 55,815 |
| October 19 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 24 Michigan | No. 22 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (rivalry) | CBS | W 21–7 | 60,670 |
| October 26 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 1 Oregon | No. 20 | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | CBS | L 9–38 | 59,830 |
| November 2 | 11:00 a.m. | Minnesota | No. 24 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | FS1 | L 17–25 | 58,088 |
| November 16 | 1:30 p.m. | Michigan State | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | FS1 | W 38–16 | 52,660 |
| November 23 | 11:00 a.m. | at Rutgers | No. 25 | SHI StadiumPiscataway, NJ | Peacock | W 38–31 | 47,524 |
| November 30 | 11:00 a.m. | at Northwestern | No. 23 | Wrigley FieldChicago, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy) | BTN | W 38–28 | 26,378 |
| December 31 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 15 South Carolina | No. 20 | Camping World StadiumOrlando, FL (Citrus Bowl) | ABC | W 21–17 | 47,129 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 5) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central timeSource: ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | — | — | RV | 24 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 24 | — | — | 24 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 16 |
| Coaches | — | — | RV | RV | 21 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 21 | 21 | 16 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | 25 | 23 | 21 | 20 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### vs Eastern Illinois (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers (FCS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fighting Illini | 14 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 45 |
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL
* Date: August 29
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 43,849
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Jeremy Leman (analyst), and Kylen Mills (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | EIU | ILL |
| First downs | 9 | 27 |
| Total yards | 196 | 488 |
| Rushing yards | 49 | 246 |
| Passing yards | 147 | 242 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 16–32–2 | 21–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:59 | 36:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Illinois | Passing | Pierce Holley | 16/32, 147 yards, 2 INT |
| Eastern Illinois | Rushing | MJ Flowers | 9 carries, 28 yards |
| Eastern Illinois | Receiving | DeAirious Smith | 5 receptions, 63 yards |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 19/24, 213 yards, 4 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Kaden Feagin | 16 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Pat Bryant | 5 receptions, 63 yards, 2 TD |

### vs No. 19 Kansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Jayhawks | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Fighting Illini | 3 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 23 |
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 67 °F (19 °C) • Wind: N 8 mph
* Game attendance: 60,670
* Referee: David Alvarez
* TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)
| Statistics | KU | ILL |
| First downs | 18 | 14 |
| Total yards | 65–327 | 59–271 |
| Rushing yards | 33–186 | 34–79 |
| Passing yards | 141 | 192 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–32–3 | 16–25–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:22 | 30:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kansas | Passing | Jalon Daniels | 18/32, 141 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT |
| Kansas | Rushing | Devin Neal | 14 carries, 101 yards |
| Kansas | Receiving | Lawrence Arnold | 4 receptions, 44 yards, 1 TD |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 16/25, 192 yards |
| Illinois | Rushing | Kaden Feagin | 16 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Zakhari Franklin | 9 receptions, 99 yards |

### vs Central Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chippewas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Fighting Illini | 7 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 30 |
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 51,498
* Referee: Kole Knueppel
* TV announcers (Peacock): Jac Collinsworth (play-by-play), Michael Robinson (analyst), and Caroline Pineda (sideline reporter)
* FightingIllini.com box score
| Statistics | CMU | ILL |
| First downs | 19 | 20 |
| Total yards | 62–309 | 58–379 |
| Rushing yards | 33–142 | 29–137 |
| Passing yards | 167 | 242 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–29–1 | 19–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 20:03 | 30:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Central Michigan | Passing | Joe Labas | 12/25, 125 yards, 1 INT |
| Central Michigan | Rushing | Myles Bailey | 6 carries, 49 yards |
| Central Michigan | Receiving | Evan Boyd | 3 receptions, 38 yards |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 19/29, 242 yards, 2 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Josh McCray | 8 carries, 54 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Pat Bryant | 7 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TD |

### at No. 22 Nebraska

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| No. 24 Fighting Illini | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| No. 22 Cornhuskers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska
* Date: September 20
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 86,936
* Referee: Greg Blum
* TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando (play-by-play), Devin Gardner (analyst), and Josh Sims (sideline)
| Statistics | ILL | NEB |
| First downs | 25 | 20 |
| Total yards | 66–381 | 68–345 |
| Rushing yards | 39–166 | 31–77 |
| Passing yards | 215 | 297 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–27–0 | 23–35–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:38 | 30:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 21/27, 215 yards, 4 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Kaden Feagin | 12 carries, 69 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Pat Bryant | 5 reception, 74 yards, 2 TD |
| Nebraska | Passing | Dylan Raiola | 23/35, 284 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Nebraska | Rushing | Dante Dowdell | 20 carries, 72 yards |
| Nebraska | Receiving | Isaiah Neyor | 4 receptions, 90 yards, 2 TD |

### at No. 9 Penn State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Fighting Illini | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 9 Nittany Lions | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Beaver Stadium • University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 109,911
* Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
* TV announcers (NBC): Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), and Kathryn Tappen (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | ILL | PSU |
| First downs | 17 | 24 |
| Total yards | 57–219 | 65–374 |
| Rushing yards | 32–34 | 44–239 |
| Passing yards | 185 | 135 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 16–25–1 | 15–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:11 | 33:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 16/25, 185 yards, TD, INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Kaden Feagin | 13 carries, 64 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Zakhari Franklin | 4 receptions, 49 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Drew Allar | 15/21, 135 yards |
| Penn State | Rushing | Kaytron Allen | 18 carries, 102 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Receiving | Harrison Wallace III | 4 receptions, 50 yards |

### vs Purdue (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Boilermakers | 0 | 3 | 17 | 23 | 6 | 49 |
| No. 23 Fighting Illini | 10 | 14 | 3 | 16 | 7 | 50 |
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C); Wind: SW 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 55,815
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | PUR | ILL |
| First downs | 21 | 28 |
| Total yards | 58–536 | 73–556 |
| Rushing yards | 32–239 | 39–177 |
| Passing yards | 297 | 379 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–26–0 | 20–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:49 | 33:11 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Purdue | Passing | Ryan Browne | 18/26, 297 yards, 3 TD |
| Purdue | Rushing | Ryan Browne | 17 carries, 118 yards |
| Purdue | Receiving | Max Klare | 6 receptions, 133 yards |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 20/34, 379 yards, 3 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Josh McCray | 16 carries, 78 yards, 2 TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Pat Bryant | 4 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD |

### vs No. 24 Michigan (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Wolverines | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 22 Fighting Illini | 3 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 21 |
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), sunny, SW 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
* Game attendance: 60,670
* Referee: Tim O'Dey
* TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst), and Jenny Dell (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | MICH | ILL |
| First downs | 20 | 18 |
| Total yards | 70–322 | 57–267 |
| Rushing yards | 38–114 | 38–187 |
| Passing yards | 208 | 80 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 20–32–1 | 9–19–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:34 | 26:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Michigan | Passing | Jack Tuttle | 20/32, 208 yards, 1 INT |
| Michigan | Rushing | Kalel Mullings | 19 carries, 87 yards, 1 TD |
| Michigan | Receiving | Colston Loveland | 7 receptions, 83 yards |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 9/18, 80 yards, 1 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Aidan Laughery | 9 carries, 54 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Pat Bryant | 4 receptions, 32 yards |

### at No. 1 Oregon

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 20 Fighting Illini | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| No. 1 Ducks | 14 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 38 |
at Autzen Stadium • Eugene, Oregon
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: SW 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 59,830
* Referee: Mark Kluczynski
* TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst), and Jenny Dell (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | ILL | ORE |
| First downs | 18 | 27 |
| Total yards | 67–293 | 67–527 |
| Rushing yards | 32–132 | 39–229 |
| Passing yards | 161 | 298 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 17–35–2 | 20–28–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:45 | 31:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 17/35, 162 yards, 2 INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Aidan Laughery | 12 carries, 69 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Zakhari Franklin | 6 receptions, 72 yards |
| Oregon | Passing | Dillon Gabriel | 18/26, 291 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Oregon | Rushing | Jordan James | 15 carries, 83 yards |
| Oregon | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 6 receptions, 102 yards, TD |

### vs Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Gophers | 3 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 25 |
| No. 24 Fighting Illini | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois
* Date: November 2
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: • Sunny Temperature: 52 °F (11 °C) • Wind: 9 mph
* Game attendance: 58,088
* Referee: Larry Smith
* TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando (play-by-play), Devin Gardner (analyst), and Josh Sims (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | MINN | ILL |
| First downs | 21 | 20 |
| Total yards | 361 | 352 |
| Rushing yards | 148 | 126 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 226 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22-37-0 | 20-33-0 |
| Time of possession | 34:59 | 25:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Minnesota | Passing | Max Brosmer | 22/37, 213 yards, TD |
| Minnesota | Rushing | Darius Taylor | 22 carries, 131 yards, TD |
| Minnesota | Receiving | Daniel Jackson | 5 receptions, 74 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 20/33, 226 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Josh McCray | 7 carries, 72 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Pat Bryant | 5 receptions, 72 yards |

### vs Michigan State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
| Fighting Illini | 14 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Illinois
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: • Cloudy Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Wind: 13 mph
* Game attendance: 52,660
* Referee: Chris Coyte
* TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)
* FightingIllini.com box score
| Statistics | MSU | ILL |
| First downs | 18 | 18 |
| Total yards | 343 | 369 |
| Rushing yards | 87 | 138 |
| Passing yards | 256 | 231 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 23-40-0 | 19-32-0 |
| Time of possession | 28:32 | 31:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Michigan State | Passing | Aidan Chiles | 23/40, 256 yards, 2 TD |
| Michigan State | Rushing | Aidan Chiles | 12 carries, 40 yards |
| Michigan State | Receiving | Montorie Foster Jr. | 7 receptions, 76 yards |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 19/32, 231 yards, 2 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Josh McCray | 9 carries, 61 yards, 3 TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Pat Bryant | 4 receptions, 135 yards, 1 TD |

### at Rutgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Fighting Illini | 0 | 9 | 6 | 23 | 38 |
| Scarlet Knights | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
at SHI Stadium • Piscataway, New Jersey
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: • Sunny Temperature: 49 °F (9 °C) • Wind: 17 mph
* Game attendance: 47,524
* Referee: Larry Smith
* TV announcers (Peacock): Andrew Siciliano (play-by-play), Michael Robinson (analyst), and Caroline Pineda (sideline)
* FightingIllini.com box score
| Statistics | ILL | RUTG |
| First downs | 24 | 30 |
| Total yards | 431 | 388 |
| Rushing yards | 182 | 213 |
| Passing yards | 249 | 197 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 12-26-0 | 19-37-0 |
| Time of possession | 25:38 | 34:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 12/26, 249 yards, 2 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Luke Altmyer | 11 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Pat Bryant | 7 receptions, 197 yards, 1 TD |
| Rutgers | Passing | Athan Kaliakmanis | 19/37, 175 yards, 2 TD |
| Rutgers | Rushing | Kyle Monangai | 28 carries, 122 yards |
| Rutgers | Receiving | Ian Strong | 6 receptions, 66 yards, TD |

### at Northwestern (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Fighting Illini | 7 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 38 |
| Wildcats | 10 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 28 |
at Wrigley Field • Chicago, Illinois
* Date: November 30
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: 18 °F (−8 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 26,378
* Referee: Kole Knueppel
* TV announcers (BTN): Chris Vosters (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), and Kylen Mills (sideline reporter)
* FightingIllini.com box score
| Statistics | ILL | NW |
| First downs | 14 | 28 |
| Total yards | 382 | 442 |
| Rushing yards | 212 | 113 |
| Passing yards | 170 | 329 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 10-17-2 | 29-61-3 |
| Time of possession | 25:32 | 34:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 10/17, 170 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Aidan Laughery | 12 carries, 172 yards, 3 TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Pat Bryant | 4 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD |
| Northwestern | Passing | Jack Lausch | 25/48, 287 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 12 carries, 53 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | AJ Henning | 10 receptions, 119 yards, 1 TD |

### vs No. 15 South Carolina (Citrus Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Gamecocks | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| No. 20 Fighting Illini | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Camping World Stadium • Orlando, Florida
* Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
* TV announcers (ABC/ESPN Radio): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), and Quint Kessenich (sideline)/Shawn Kelley (play-by-play), Rene Ingoglia (analyst), and Marilyn Payne (sideline)
| Statistics | SCAR | ILL |
| First downs | 20 | 22 |
| Total yards | 390 | 357 |
| Rushing yards | 130 | 183 |
| Passing yards | 260 | 174 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 24-35-0 | 13-22-1 |
| Time of possession | 31:16 | 28:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Carolina | Passing | LaNorris Sellers | 24/34, 260 yards, 1 TD |
| South Carolina | Rushing | Oscar Adaway III | 14 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| South Carolina | Receiving | Joshua Simon | 6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| Illinois | Passing | Luke Altmyer | 13/22, 174 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Josh McCray | 13 carries, 114 yards, 2 TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Hank Beatty | 4 receptions, 90 yards |