CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — New Illinois coach Bret Bielema said Monday he hopes to have a staff in place by early January and is already concentrating on homegrown recruiting.
Bret Bielema, who led Wisconsin to three Rose Bowls before a disappointing run at Arkansas, is returning to the Big Ten and his home state to coach Illinois.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — James Franklin has felt the heat before, as recently as a few weeks ago when Penn State was stuck in its worst ever losing streak to start a season.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois fired coach Lovie Smith on Sunday with a game left in its ninth consecutive losing season.
Smith became Illinois' first Black head football coach when he was...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Spencer Petras threw three touchdown passes and No. 24 Iowa scored 35 straight points after trailing by two touchdowns early to beat Illinois 35-21 on Saturday.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — For most teams that come into Memorial Stadium, beating Nebraska doesn't mean as much as it used to considering the Cornhuskers' fall from the upper echelon of college...
A couple teams trying to establish some mojo meet when Nebraska hosts Illinois on Saturday.
Both programs are in building mode, and both are coming off their first wins.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — When it was clear the game would be coming down to his kicker, Lovie Smith had no doubt the third time would be the charm for James McCourt in the waning moments of a...
Minnesota has a golden opportunity to notch its first win of the season on Saturday when it travels to Illinois to face a team decimated by COVID-19 protocols.
Illinois believes its upset of Wisconsin last year showed how far the program has come. The oddsmakers are reminding the Illini how far they still have to go.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois appears poised to make a statement in the Big Ten. And coach Lovie Smith sees no reason why his team can't.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — As a defensive-minded coach trying to find his way in college football, California’s Justin Wilcox was naturally drawn to watching tapes of Lovie Smith’s teams at...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — The conditions Saturday at Memorial Stadium were a depressing combination of rain, wind and flop sweat. The home crowd was leaving wet and unhappy after witnessing rival...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois has already clinched eligibility for a bowl and a win over Northwestern on Saturday could help land a more prestigious postseason destination.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Illinois takes its stirring run in the Big Ten this season to another house of horrors on Saturday.
No 19 Iowa has dominated the Fighting Illini over the past decade...
Several more teams became bowl eligible this week — none with more flair than Illinois.
The Illini beat Michigan State 37-34 after trailing 28-3 in the second quarter and 31-10 at the start...
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Lovie Smith and Illinois are now eligible for a bowl after the biggest comeback in school history.
The Illini did it by forcing turnovers — no surprise there — and...
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — One stat jumps out at Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio when he talks about Illinois.
"Turnovers," Dantonio said. "I think turnovers give you a chance to even up...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Three defensive takeaways, including a pick-6, and timely offense carried red-hot Illinois past Rutgers 38-10 on Saturday.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois coach Lovie Smith is calm, even chill these days.
And why not? It has been nearly a decade since the Illini were a 20-point favorite against a Big Ten foe,...
Lovie Smith inherited outdated football facilities, among the worst in college football, when he was hired at Illinois in 2016 and he knew it.
Jeff Brohm sees Lovie Smith's influence all over Illinois' improving defense.
He's mixed young players in with upperclassmen, created turnovers and just generally confounded...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — The plan was for Wisconsin to roll into a showdown with Ohio State next week unbeaten, with a defense putting up historic numbers and a Heisman Trophy contender at running...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — No. 6 Wisconsin will find itself in strange surroundings Saturday — somewhere other than Camp Randall Stadium.
After five straight home games, the Badgers will hit the...
Nebraska heads to Illinois not only looking to win its Big Ten opener Saturday night but also shed something of an albatross.
The Cornhuskers (2-1) are 0-7 on the road under second-year...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Lovie Smith understands the challenge his team will face this weekend.
Illinois is coming off wins against Akron and UConn to open the season, but will host Eastern...
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Illinois passed its first road test on Saturday.
Brandon Peters set career highs, throwing for 225 yards and four touchdowns as the Illini overcame an early...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois running back Mike Epstein has sustained a season-ending injury for the third straight year.
Coach Lovie Smith said Monday the junior hurt his knee in the...
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — In his Illinois debut on Saturday, quarterback Brandon Peters showed more than 30,000 Illini fans that he can pass and run and do both pretty well.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — The buzzword this year for fourth-year coach Lovie Smith's Illinois team is "relevant."
After ending last season at 4-8, Smith and the Illini can't help but also...
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Dirk Koetter seemed resigned to his fate.
The coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was fired Sunday night a little more than three hours after the Bucs concluded a disappointing season with a 34-32 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Koetter was promoted from offensive coordinator to his first NFL head coaching position when Tampa Bay fired Lovie Smith in January 2016. He led the Bucs to a 9-7 record that year, but followed up with consecutive 5-11 finishes.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois extended the contract of coach Lovie Smith for two years through 2023 after the Illini finished his third season with four victories.
Athletic director Josh Whitman said Sunday the extension demonstrates his belief in Smith, his staff and the plan they have going forward. Whitman hired Smith, the former NFL head coach who led the Bears to the Super Bowl, soon after he was named AD in 2016.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — The hot seat Illinois coach Lovie Smith has found himself on lately cooled down a bit on Saturday as Illinois beat Minnesota 55-31 in a game that saw some impressive and long scoring runs.
Meanwhile, things are heating up for Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, who has watched his team drop five of its last six games.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson abruptly resigned Monday, citing personal "health-related circumstances beyond my control."
Coach Lovie Smith said Nickerson told him it was in the program's "best interest" to leave. The former NFL linebacker had been defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for more than two seasons after joining Smith and the Illini in 2016.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Only a few weeks ago, mentioning a possible bowl bid in the same sentence as Illinois might have earned more than a few chuckles.
What a difference a few wins can make.
Purdue visits Illinois on Saturday in a game that has implications for the postseason hopes of both teams.
The Illini (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) need only three wins for eligibility, And with games against Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Northwestern looming, a win would give Illinois a legitimate shot.