In front of a crowd of nearly 60,000 fans, the Illini took to Memorial Stadium on this windy evening to battle the No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks. After a long back-and-forth fight, the Illini emerged as the champions, bringing pride across Champaign.
Illinois won the coin toss, deferring first possession to the opponents, and the game began with sophomore kicker Ethan Moczulski sending the ball into the endzone for a touchback. The game started off well for Illinois, with senior outside linebacker Seth Coleman batting away the ball to prevent any forward progression on the first play.
Junior defensive back Xavier Scott made his presence known early with two tackles in the first few minutes of the game, and then made the crowd go wild after he grabbed an interception to put the ball in Illinois’ hands. Similar to the first game, Illinois struggled to rush through the middle but had much more success gaining yards on the outside.
At around the five-minute mark of the first quarter, junior tight end Tanner Arkin caught a 16-yard pass to put the Illini in a solid position to score. However, heartbreaking reactions came from the crowd after sophomore running back Aidan Laughery dropped a wide-open catch that would have led him into the endzone on the issuing play. As a result, Illinois settled for a field goal to take the lead 3-0.
While the Illini had difficulties running up the middle, that was not the case for the Jayhawks, who found plenty of holes to run through. The first quarter concluded with Kansas on Illinois’ 30-yard line, showing threats of scoring. A roughing-the-passer foul by Illinois then brought Kansas even closer to the endzone.
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What originally looked like a Kansas touchdown to complete their drive soon got taken back with an offensive pass interference call. Like Illinois, Kansas ended up kicking a field goal and tied the game up.
The Illini struggled with their first possession after the Jayhawks’ field goal. On a third-and-three attempt, junior quarterback Luke Altmyer threw to senior Zakhari Franklin, who ended up fumbling and the ball, giving possession back to the Jayhawks.
Kansas wasted very little time between downs, which got Illinois’ defense flustered. Illinois’ interior defense got hammered, and the opponents took advantage of any gaps they saw on the field. Kansas quickly approached the endzone, and this time, they were able to successfully score a touchdown, which put them ahead 10-3 after the extra point.
Just before the two-minute timeout, Atlmyer threw a 42-yard bomb to Franklin who reached out and grabbed it with one hand, sending the fans into a cheering frenzy. Unable to convert a third-and-14 attempt, the Illini stuck with a 50-yard field goal to put the score at 10-6 just before the half.
While things seemed to die down at the end of the second quarter, with a mere 40 seconds left, Scott continued his excellent defensive efforts and grabbed a pick-six to give the Illini the lead right before going into the locker room. The Illini left the field confidently with a 13-10 lead at the half and the student section cheering them on, ready for more action.
“This game’s definitely not over, there’s two halves of football,” Scott noted after the game when asked about his thought process going into the final half. “Let’s finish the game out. There’s no way we start off average…at the end of the day we want to finish the game out.”
After the third quarter began with a quick three-and-out by the Illini, Kansas’ offense came out with more speed and strength than Illinois could handle. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels found his receiver wide open in the endzone with five minutes left in the third quarter, adding another seven to their score.
On the next possession, Altmyer attempted to scurry away from the defensive pressure with eight yards to go on a third down but ultimately got sacked, resulting in another punt. Later, Kansas completed another fourth down attempt, but right after, junior defensive back Miles Scott jumped into perfect position to pick off Daniels, as Illinois fans erupted in cheers.
“It definitely helps with momentum,” Scott described when asked about how tonight’s game will help prepare the team for the rest of the season. “Celebrate this win tonight, then tomorrow it’s Central Michigan. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low, just even-kill, keep it one day at a time.”
The fourth quarter soon approached, and the Illini once again were unable to profit from the previous interception. Fortunately for them, the Jayhawks also failed to get ahead, and possession went back to the Illini’s offense.
Altmyer found senior wide receiver Pat Bryant for a 37-yard catch to advance them to midfield. He was sacked on the next play, but recovered by rushing 18 yards for the first down. Just as things were looking tricky for Illinois’ offense with a third-and-long, Bryant caught another long bomb from Altmyer which got them to the one-yard line. Sophomore running back Kaden Feagin ran the ball into the endzone and Illinois retook the lead, 20-17.
The Illini knew they needed to attack extra hard on defense, and they did just that. They forced the Jayhawks to punt, and with eight minutes to go the ball was back in Altmyer’s hands. With a few minutes remaining and a few first downs on their shoulders, the Illini reached the Jayhawks’ 35-yard line with three and a half minutes left in the game.
At the two-minute warning, fans in Memorial Stadium were on their feet, ready to celebrate an Illinois victory over a top-20 ranked opponent. Illinois settled on a 43-yard field goal to further their lead to 23-17, and the defense finished the job well by not allowing Kansas to get any chance to score in the final seconds of the matchup. The final possession by Illinois took over six minutes, but it was all worth it for the sweet, historical victory.
@tess_eken
