#9 Illinois Opens Big Ten Play at #19 Indiana

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After a 3-0 start and a shutout win over Western Michigan last week, #9 Illinois starts Big Ten play on the road at #19 Indiana. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on NBC.

Illinois (3-0) and Indiana (3-0) will meet in a ranked vs. ranked matchup for the second time in history and the first time since October 28, 1950, when #12 Illinois beat #19 Indiana, 20-0, in Champaign. 

NBC has the national television broadcast. The Busey Bank Illini Sports Network has the radio call with Scott Beatty (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), and Michael Martin (reporter).

Press Conference

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema will host his weekly press conference Monday at 1 p.m. CT. Fans can watch live at FightingIllini.com/live.

Notes

Illinois in the Rankings
• Illinois is looking for its first road win as a top-10 team since Oct. 27, 1990 (21-3 vs. Wisconsin).
• Illinois entered the AP's top 10 on Sept. 7, the program's first top-10 ranking since December 2001.
• Illinois' #9 ranking is the program's highest September ranking since 1964, Dick Butkus' senior season.
• Illinois had its highest preseason ranking (#12) since 1990, when the Illini started #11 in the Preseason AP Top 25.
• Illinois' #12 preseason ranking is the ninth-highest in program history since the AP Preseason Poll began in 1950.
• Illinois was ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25 and the Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time since 2008.

Tough, Smart, Dependable
• Illinois is second in the nation in turnover margin (+6), behind only East Carolina (+7).
• Illinois has started the season with zero turnovers in its first three games for the first time since at least 1995.
• Illinois has thrown only six interceptions over the last two seasons (2024-25), tied with Army, James Madison, Missouri, and Vanderbilt for the second-fewest in the nation over that span. Only Marshall (5) has thrown fewer interceptions than Illinois over the last two seasons.
• Illinois is 10-0 when it has committed zero or one turnover over the last two seasons (2024-25). 
• Illinois is 10-1 when it has forced one or more turnovers over the last two seasons (2024-25).

The Illinois Offense
• Illinois ranks 15th in the nation and seventh in the Big Ten in scoring at 45.0 points per game.
• QB Luke Altmyer is 14th in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten in passing efficiency (182.0). 
• Altmyer is one of three Big Ten quarterbacks with 8+ passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, along with Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (9/0) and Nebraska's Dylan Raiola (8/0).
• Altmyer is 14th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in passing touchdowns (8).
• WR Hank Beatty is 16th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in receiving yards (289).
• Beatty is third in the nation and leads the Power-4 and Big Ten in all-purpose yards (466).
• Illinois has scored 38 or more points in six of its last seven games dating back to last season.
• Illinois has scored 38 or more points in each of its first three games of a season for the first time since 1999.

The Illinois Defense
• Illinois is fifth in the nation and third in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing only 7.3 points per game.
• Illinois is tied for the national lead in fumble recoveries (5) and tied for third in the nation in forced fumbles (4).
• Illinois forced five turnovers at Duke, four fumble recoveries (3 forced) and one interception.
• Preseason All-American OLB Gabe Jacas leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the nation in sacks (6.5), while tying for the national lead in forced fumbles (2).

The Illinois Special Teams
• Hank Beatty ranks sixth in the nation in yards per punt return (25.3) and fourth in punt return yards (152).
• Beatty and Iowa's Kaden Wetjen are the only players in the nation with a receiving touchdown, rushing touchdown, and punt return touchdown this season.
• Keelan Crimmins averaged 48.0 yards per punt at Duke, including a 60-yard punt and a punt inside the 20-yard line that was muffed and set up Illinois' first touchdown.

The Illinois-Indiana Series
• Illinois holds a 46-25-3 lead in the all-time series vs. Indiana.
• The Illini are 13-16-0 against the Hoosiers in Bloomington.  
• The first meeting between the two squads dates back to 1899, when Indiana won 5-0 in Champaign.
• Illinois earned its first win of the series in 1901 with an 18-0 shutout in Indianapolis. 
• The Illini's longest win streak of six came during the years of 1981-86.
• The most recent matchups was an overtime thriller where Illinois won 48-45 in Champaign, snapping Indiana's longest win streak in the series of four. John Paddock found Isaiah Williams for a game-winning 21-yard touchdown in overtime as Illinois took down Indiana. Paddock set Illinois' Gies Memorial Stadium passing record with 507 yards, with 200 passing yards going to Williams.
• Illinois fell 23-20 to Indiana in the Fighting Illini's last visit to Bloomington 9/2/2022. Following the loss, Illinois went on a six-game winning streak.
• Illinois and Indiana are tied 5-5 over the last 10 meetings.
• The two teams all-time series records are different due to a discrepancy in the 1931 result: During the Great Depression, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois and Chicago agreed to meet for a "charity football bazaar" to be played at the University of Chicago's Stagg Field. It was a four-team tournament format with the winners of the first games moving on to play each other in a "title" game. Since a winner needed to be declared to play against the winner of the Iowa-Chicago game, it was decided that despite tying 0-0, Indiana would advance on the fact the Hoosiers had eight first downs and the Illini just four. Illinois counts the game as a tie, while Indiana counts the game as a win.
• Illinois' most receiving yards vs. IND: 224, Steve Hull, 11/9/2013
• Illinois' most rushing yards vs. IND: 214, Rashard Mendenhall, 9/22/2007
• Illinois' most passing yards vs. IND: 507, John Paddock, 11/11/2023
• Illinois' longest rush vs. IND: 83, John Karras, 10/27/1951
• Illinois' longest pass vs. IND: 77, Scheelhaase to Jenkins, 10/8/2011
• Last 100-yard receiving game vs. IND: Isaiah Williams (200) and Pat Bryant (131), 11/11/2023
• Last 100-yard rushing game vs. IND: Reggie Love, 140, 11/11/2023
• Last 300-yard passing game vs. IND: John Paddock, 507, 11/11/2023