2007 Illinois Fighting Illini football team The 2007 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The team ' s head coach was Ron Zook . The Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign , Illinois . Illinois entered the season in search of improvement upon a 2 – 10 record in 2006 , and secured bowl - eligibility the first time since 2001 with a homecoming win over Ball State . From weeks 2 – 6 , the Illini won five straight games , their longest win streak since 2001 . On November 10 , the Fighting Illini upset the then # 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus , Ohio . Schedule . Game notes . Missouri . The Illini scored first off a Vontae Davis blocked - punt return . Quarterback Juice Williams looked sharp in the first quarter before leaving due to injury in the second . Mizzou jumped out to a 37 – 13 lead late in the third quarter , before backup quarterback Eddie McGee led the Illini to 21 unanswered points . A late fourth - quarter interception sealed the game for the Tigers . McGee ended the day 17 – 31 for 257 yards with a TD , but lost 2 fumbles and threw 2 interceptions . The loss increased Illinois ' losing streak to 8 games . Western Illinois . The Illini returned to Memorial Stadium to face FCS Western Illinois in the home opener . Illinois built upon a 7 – 0 halftime lead with a Juice Williams touchdown run in the third quarter and a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run in the fourth . Mendenhall finished the day with 142 yards . Syracuse . Illinois looked to secure its first road win at the Carrier Dome . After one quarter , the Illini led 14 – 0 off a Juice Williams touchdown pass and a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run . Syracuse got on the board in the third quarter with a field goal , and eventually cut the deficit to 20 – 10 . But big plays hurt the Orange in the second half . Arrelious Benn ran for 23 yards on one play , and one drive later , Rashard Mendenhall ran for 50 . He finished the day with 150 rush yards and 3 TD ' s . 378 of Illinois ' total yards came on the ground , and they outgained Syracuse 508 – 286 overall . Indiana . Illinois opened their Big Ten season at Indiana . Two Jason Reda field goals put the Illini on the board before Juice Williams found Michael Hoomanawanui in the endzone . They led 20 – 7 at the half . After a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown put Illinois up 27 – 7 in the fourth quarter , Indiana QB Kellen Lewis drove down the field to find James Bailey for a 30 - yd touchdown , Lewis ' second TD on the day . But with a minute left , Vontae Davis picked off Lewis in the endzone , securing a 27 – 14 Illinois victory , their first in a Big Ten opener since 1993 and their first in Bloomington since 2001 . Mendenhall finished the day with a career - high 214 rush yards . Tracy Porter picked off two Juice Williams passes , and Williams finished a disappointing passing effort 13 – 28 with a TD . Penn State . The Illini faced ranked opposition for the first time in 2007 when the # 19 Nittany Lions came to Memorial Stadium . Penn State scored first with a field goal , but Arrelious Benn returned the ensuing kick - off 90 yards for a touchdown , putting Illinois up 7 – 3 . They never would relinquish the lead . Their defense intercepted Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli 3 times , and allowed the Nittany Lions to score only 3 times out of 6 red zone possessions . A Kevin Mitchell interception with 9 seconds on the clock ended Penn State ' s comeback hopes . Illinois ' victory marked their first over a ranked opponent since the 2001 season and gives the Illini a 4 - game win streak , also their longest since 2001 . Wisconsin . Going into the game , the unranked Fighting Illini were actually favored by oddsmakers to beat the # 5 Badgers , who entered the game undefeated but having had numerous close games against unranked opponents , including a close game against The Citadel . The Illini won in a game not as close as the score . Iowa . The # 18 Fighting Illini suffered their first Big Ten loss of the season at Kinnick Stadium . In the fourth quarter , trailing 10 – 6 , Eddie McGee appeared to complete an 82 - yard pass for a touchdown , but an ineligible receiver downfield penalty negated the would - be go - ahead score . With two minutes left , Eddie McGee drove the Illini to the Iowa 11 - yardline , but threw an interception to seal the win for the Hawkeyes . Ohio State . With their win over the Buckeyes , the Illini defeated a number 1 ranked team for the first time since 1956 , and for the first time ever on the road . Juice Williams completed 12 out of 22 passes for only 140 yards , but four receptions were caught for touchdowns . With the win , the Illini damaged the Buckeyes ' national title hopes , though Ohio State eventually reached the national championship game . The Illibuck was returned to Champaign in 2008 . This was arguably one of the greatest victories in the history of Illinois football . Rose Bowl . The Illini ended the 2007 season by participating in the 2008 Rose Bowl , held on New Year ' s Day in the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena , California . Although it traditionally hosts the champions of the Big Ten and Pac - 10 conferences , the 2007 Big Ten Champion , Ohio State , was ranked # 1 in the final BCS poll and instead participated in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game . The rules governing BCS bowl selections allowed the Rose Bowl to select a BCS " at - large " team from the top fourteen teams ranked in the BCS Standings that have at least nine wins . Keeping with its traditional bowl ties , the Rose Bowl selected # 13 - ranked Illinois Fighting Illini ( 9 – 3 ) , under third - year head coach Ron Zook . The Illini entered the Rose Bowl after a Cinderella season where they won nine games , including an upset victory over at - the - time # 1 Ohio State , after winning a total of four games the previous two seasons . It was Illinois ' first bowl game since winning the 2001 Big Ten Championship and playing in the 2002 Sugar Bowl . The Illini offense was led by sophomore quarterback " Juice " Williams , who in the regular season passed for 13 touchdowns and ran for seven , junior running back Rashard Mendenhall , who averaged 127 yards rushing per game and scored 18 touchdowns , and freshman receiver Arrelious Benn , who caught 49 passes and had 158 yards in 32 carries . For taking Illinois to the Rose Bowl a year after going 2 – 10 , Zook won both national and Big Ten coach of the year honors . The Illini entered the game 13 . 5 - point underdogs , the biggest of any of the season ' s 32 bowl games . The Trojans defeated the Illini 49 – 17 before a sold out Rose Bowl crowd .