# 2022 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 2022 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represents the University of Illinois in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Bret Bielema was in his second season as the team's head coach. The Fighting Illini played home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Key players included senior quarterback Tommy DeVito and junior running back Chase Brown.
In Week 6, the Fighting Illini became ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 2011. The Illini clinched a winning season for the first time since that same season.

## Schedule

Illinois announced its 2022 football schedule on January 12, 2022. The 2022 schedule consists of seven home games and five away games in the regular season. The Fighting Illini will host Big Ten foes Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan State, and Purdue and will travel to Indiana, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan and Northwestern. The Fighting Illini will host all three of their non-conference opponents, Wyoming from the Mountain West, Virginia from ACC, and Chattanooga from Division I FCS.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 27 | 3:00 p.m. | Wyoming* | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN Brandon Gaudin, Joshua Perry, Rick Pizzo | W 38–6 | 37,832 |
| September 2 | 7:00 p.m. | at Indiana | | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN (rivalry) | FS1 Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman | L 20–23 | 44,357 |
| September 10 | 3:00 p.m. | Virginia* | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | ESPNU Kevin Brown, Hutson Mason | W 24–3 | 33,669 |
| September 22 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 10 (FCS) Chattanooga* | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN Lisa Byington, Anthony Herron, Elise Menaker | W 31–0 | 37,579 |
| October 1 | 11:00 a.m. | at Wisconsin | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | BTN Lisa Byington, Anthony Herron, Krystle Rich | W 34–10 | 73,502 |
| October 8 | 6:30 p.m. | Iowa | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN Cory Provus, Jake Butt, Elise Menaker | W 9–6 | 44,910 |
| October 15 | 11:00 a.m. | Minnesota | No. 24 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN Brandon Gaudin, Jake Butt, Rick Pizzo | W 26–14 | 45,683 |
| October 29 | 2:30 p.m. | at Nebraska | No. 17 | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | ABC Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Tom Luginbill | W 26–9 | 86,691 |
| November 5 | 3:30 p.m. | Michigan State | No. 16 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN Cory Provus, Matt Millen, Elise Menaker | L 15–23 | 56,092 |
| November 12 | 11:00 a.m. | Purdue | No. 21 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (rivalry) | ESPN2 Jay Alter, Dustin Fox, Lauren Sisler | L 24–31 | 45,574 |
| November 19 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 3 Michigan | | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Molly McGrath, Todd McShay | L 17–19 | 110,433 |
| November 26 | 2:30 p.m. | at Northwestern | | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL (rivalry) | BTN Chris Vosters, Brock Vereen, Meghan McKeown | W 41–3 | 25,744 |
| January 2, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. No. 22 Mississippi State* | | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL (ReliaQuest Bowl) | ESPN2/Bowl Season Radio Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Tiffany Blackmon/Bill Roth, Hans Olsen, Despina Barton | L 10–19 | 35,797 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Wyoming

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Fighting Illini | 7 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 38 |

### At Indiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Hoosiers | 3 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 23 |

### Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cavaliers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Fighting Illini | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 24 |

### No. 10 (FCS) Chattanooga

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 (FCS) Mocs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fighting Illini | 10 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 31 |

### At Wisconsin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 7 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 34 |
| Badgers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: October 1, 2022
* Game time: 11:00 a.m.
* Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 73,502
* Referee: Jerry Servinski
* TV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), and Krystle Rich (sideline)
Game information :
First quarter
WIS – Isaac Guerendo 21-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Nate Van Zelst Kick), 11:15 Wisconsin 7–0, Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 3:39
ILL – Tommy DeVito 1-yard run (Caleb Griffin Kick), 4:30 Tie 7–7, Drive: 7 plays, 16 yards, 3:39
Second quarter
WIS – Nate Van Zelst 39-yard field goal, 14:53. Wisconsin 10–7. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 4:32.
ILL – Tommy DeVito 1-yard run (Caleb Griffin Kick), 7:31 Illinois 14–10, Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:48
Third quarter
ILL – Tommy DeVito 1-yard run (Caleb Griffin Kick), 10:24 Illinois 21–10, Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:36
ILL – Caleb Griffin 44-yard field goal, 9:03. Illinois 24–10. Drive: 4 plays, -10 yards, 1:18.
ILL – Chase Brown 49-yard run (Caleb Griffin Kick), 6:42 Illinois 31–10, Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 1:14
Fourth quarter
ILL – Caleb Griffin 31-yard field goal, 14:18. Illinois 34–10. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 5:18.
Top passers
ILL – Tommy DeVito – 18/24, 167 yards
WIS – Graham Mertz – 17/32, 206 yards TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
ILL – Chase Brown – 25 carries, 129 yards, TD
WIS – Chez Mellusi – 7 carries, 16 yards
Top receivers
ILL – Brian Hightower – 5 receptions, 59 yards
WIS – Chimere Dike – 5 receptions, 76 yards
Top defenders
ILL – Quan Martin – 7 tackles, TFL, sack, pass breakup
WIS – Keeanu Benton – 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks :

### Iowa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hawkeyes | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • Fighting Illini | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
Illinois won for the first time in nine tries in the series since the two teams became part of the Big Ten West. It was also former Iowa player and coach Bret Bielema's first game at Illinois against Iowa, as he missed the 2021 meeting due to issues relating to COVID-19.
| Statistics | IOWA | ILL |
| First downs | 13 | 18 |
| Total yards | 221 | 316 |
| Rushing yards | 52 | 200 |
| Passing yards | 169 | 116 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 28:55 | 31:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 18/36, 169 yards, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Leshon Williams | 7 carries, 32 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Sam LaPorta | 9 receptions, 100 yards |
| Illinois | Passing | Artur Sitkowski | 13/19, 74 yards, INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Chase Brown | 31 carries, 146 yards |
| Illinois | Receiving | Brian Hightower | 5 receptions, 68 yards |

### Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Gophers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 24 Fighting Illini | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 26 |

### At Nebraska

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 17 Fighting Illini | 6 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
| Cornhuskers | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE
* Date: October 29, 2022
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 86,691
* Referee: Greg Blum
* TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), and Tom Luginbill (sideline)
* Sources:
| Statistics | ILL | NEB |
| First downs | 18 | 9 |
| Total yards | 367 | 248 |
| Rushes/yards | 48–188 | 25–60 |
| Passing yards | 179 | 188 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–22–0 | 11–24–3 |
| Time of possession | 38:13 | 21:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Tommy DeVito | 20/22, 179 yards, 2 TD |
| Illinois | Rushing | Chase Brown | 32 carries, 149 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Isaiah Williams | 9 receptions, 93 yards, TD |
| Nebraska | Passing | Casey Thompson | 7/15, 172 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Nebraska | Rushing | Anthony Grant | 12 carries, 61 yards |
| Nebraska | Receiving | Travis Vokolek | 1 reception, 56 yards, TD |

### Michigan State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Michigan State | 3 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 23 |
| No. 16 Illinois | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL
* Date: November 5, 2022
* Game time: 3:40 p.m.
* Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), Cloudy, Wind: SW 30 mph (48 km/h)
* Game attendance: 56,092
* Referee: Larry Smith
* TV announcers (BTN): Cory Provus (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), and Elise Menaker (sideline)
* Sources:
Game information :
First Quarter
(08:03) ILL TD: Isaiah Williams 60-yard pass from Tommy DeVito (Caleb Griffin kick) ILL 7–0; 2 plays, 59 yards, 0:42
(01:36) MSU FG: Ben Patton 21-yard field goal ILL 7–3; 15 plays, 72 yards, 6:27
Second Quarter
(10:21) MSU TD: Tre Mosley 1-yard pass from Payton Thorned (kick failed) MSU 9–7; 7 plays 61 yards, 3:48
Third Quarter
(05:45) MSU TD: Jarek Broussard 11-yard run (Ben Patton kick) MSU 16–7; 6 plays, 29 yards, 3:48
(05:27) MSU TD: Jayden Reed 16-yard pass from Payton Thorne (Ben Patton kick) MSU 23–7; 3 plays 41 yards, 1:22
Fourth Quarter
(14:27) ILL TD: Isaiah Williams 7-yard pass from Tommy DeVito (Tip Redmon pass from Tommy DeVito) MSU 23–15; 8 plays, 56 yards, 3:25
Passing
MSU – Payton Thorne: 19/29, 182 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
ILL – Tommy DeVito: 25/37, 288 yards, 2 TD
Rushing
MSU – Jalen Berger: 15 carries, 84 yards
ILL – Chase Brown: 33 carries, 140 yards
Receiving
MSU – Jayden Reed: 5 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD
ILL – Isaiah Williams: 5 receptions, 98 yards, 2 TD :

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| No. 21 Fighting Illini | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |

### At No. 3 Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| • No. 3 Wolverines | 7 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 19 |
| Statistics | UI | No. 3 UM |
| First downs | 20 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 64–326 | 74–376 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–148 | 40–168 |
| Passing yards | 178 | 208 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–30–0 | 18–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:57 | 35:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Tommy DeVito | 21/30, 178 yards |
| Illinois | Rushing | Chase Brown | 29 carries, 140 yards, 2 TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Casey Washington | 6 receptions, 53 yards |
| No. 3 Michigan | Passing | J. J. McCarthy | 18/34, 208 yards |
| No. 3 Michigan | Rushing | Blake Corum | 18 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD |
| No. 3 Michigan | Receiving | Colston Loveland | 3 receptions, 50 yards |

### At Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 7 | 10 | 17 | 7 | 41 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |

### Vs. No. 22 Mississippi State (ReliaQuest Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 Mississippi State | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 19 |
| Illinois | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
at Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida
* Date: Monday, January 2, 2023
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: 6 mph (9.7 km/h) west
* Game attendance: 35,797
* TV announcers (ESPN2/Bowl Season Radio): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline)/Bill Roth (play-by-play), Hans Olsen (analyst), and Despina Barton (sideline)
* Box score
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Mississippi State | Illinois |
| 2 | 2:49 | 10 | 77 | 4:45 | Illinois | Tommy DeVito 2-yard touchdown run, Caleb Griffin kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | 0:09 | 8 | 55 | 2:40 | Miss. State | 38-yard field goal by Massimo Biscardi | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | 6:57 | 11 | 45 | 5:13 | Illinois | 52-yard field goal by Caleb Griffin | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | 14:54 | 13 | 75 | 7:03 | Miss. State | Justin Robinson 8-yard touchdown reception from Will Rogers, Massimo Biscardi kick good | 10 | 10 |
| 4 | 0:04 | 9 | 68 | 1:46 | Miss. State | 27-yard field goal by Massimo Biscardi | 13 | 10 |
| 4 | 0:00 | | | | Miss. State | Fumble recovery returned 60 yards for touchdown by Marcus Banks, kick not attempted | 19 | 10 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 19 | 10 |

## 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 |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | RV | 24 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 21 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 20 | 18 | 13 | 20 | RV | RV | RV | RV | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 16 | 21 | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Consecutive season at Illinois in current position |
| Bret Bielema | Head coach | 2nd |
| Ryan Walters | Defensive coordinator | 2nd |
| Barry Lunney Jr. | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach | 1st |
| George McDonald | Wide receivers Coach / assistant head coach | 2nd |
| Kevin Kane | Outside linebackers Coach / associate head coach | 2nd |
| Bart Miller | Offensive line coach | 2nd |
| Andy Buh | Linebackers coach | 2nd |
| Terrance Jamison | Defensive line coach | 2nd |
| Aaron Henry | Defensive backs coach | 2nd |
| Ben Miller | Tight ends coach/special teams coordinator | 2nd |
| Cory Patterson | Running backs coach | 5th |