Illinois (9-4) took down Tennessee (8-5) on a last-second field goal from junior kicker David Olano. The junior didn’t blink, just as he didn’t earlier in the season against USC. His 29-yard field goal gave the Illini a 30-28 victory to win the Music City Bowl.

“As a kicker, it’s like hitting a drive. When you pure a golf shot, you kind of know,” Olano said. “I knew coming off my foot it was going right down Broadway.” 

It’s the first time in program history with back-to-back nine-win seasons. It’s also the first time since 2010-11 that Illinois has won back-to-back bowl games.

The matchup between the Big Ten and SEC teams certainly lived up to the hype. It was a back-and-forth game, especially in the second half. There were ups and downs, but Illinois ended its season with a bang.

Fourth down woes 

Twice in the first half, Illinois elected to go for it on 4th down despite being in field goal range. Both times, Tennessee’s defense stood strong and stopped Illinois. 

The first time, the Illini came up short on a 4th-and-7. The Volunteers marched down the field and capped an 11-play, 67-yard drive with a 7-yard rushing touchdown by senior quarterback Joey Aguilar.

The second drive wasn’t as fruitful for the Volunteers. After stopping Illinois on 4th-and-2, Tennessee took over on its own 29-yard line. After getting all the way to the Illini’s 21-yard line, the Volunteers’ field goal missed wide right.

While the defense picked it up after the touchdown drive, Illinois was fortunate to hold Tennessee to just seven points in the first half. However, things were just as slow for the Illini’s offense.

All four of their drives ended inside the Volunteers’ 35-yard line. Despite that, only two ended in points for the Illini. A touchdown pass from senior quarterback Luke Altmyer to junior receiver Justin Bowick tied things up at seven.

Near the end of the first half, Illinois got to the 12-yard line but couldn’t find the endzone and was forced to settle for a field goal to go up three.

The Illini left six potential points on the board with the failed 4th down conversions. The wind was a factor, but they certainly could have attempted the field goal to give their defense more breathing room. 

Touchdown craze

Early in the third quarter, after forcing a punt, Tennessee was set up on its own 20-yard line, ready to drive down the field. Illinois’ defense had other plans.

Sophomore linebacker Joe Barna got to Augilar and wrapped him up. Before Barna could get him to the ground, the quarterback coughed up the ball. Senior defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. and senior linebacker Leon Lowery Jr. were right there.

Lowery ended up with the ball in the endzone, giving Illinois a 17-7 lead.

“I really wanted to land on that one … but I’m glad we got a touchdown,” Thompson said.

Unlike the first half, Illinois and Tennessee’s offenses came alive after the defensive score. The Volunteers drove 75 yards in just nine plays after the fumble. Sophomore running back DeSean Bishop’s 1-yard touchdown put Tennessee within three. 

Illinois answered with a drive of its own, capping a 68-yard drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Altmyer to go back up 10.

Once again, the Volunteers had an answer. They trudged down the field and ended a 14-play drive with another Bishop rushing touchdown. It put Tennessee back within three. 

The touchdown streak was ended after the Illini couldn’t find a way into the endzone from the Volunteers’ 11-yard line. They settled for a 28-yard field goal, which put them up six points. As it turned out, that wouldn’t be enough.

Freshman receiver Joakim Dodson took the kickoff after the field goal. He bobbled the ball near the 5-yard line before picking it up and taking off. He ran right through the Illini’s special teams unit and 94 yards to the endzone to give the Volunteers a 28-27 lead.

Tennessee took the lead and the momentum right out from under Illinois.

Enter Altmyer and offense

“I knew (with) the ball in 9’s hands, we were going to be in good shape,” Bielema said.

The game-winning drive started at their own 25-yard line with under five minutes left. Behind strong runs from Altmyer and junior running back Aidan Laughery, Illinois made its way to Tennessee’s 33-yard line.

A huge 13-yard gain on fourth down from junior tight end Jordan Anderson kept the Illini alive. Just a few plays later, junior running back Kaden Feagin fell forward for a first down inside the 10-yard line, ensuring that Tennessee would need to burn its final timeout. 

The Illini drained the clock down to three seconds to put Olano in position for a game-winning field goal. The junior knocked it through the uprights as the clock hit triple zeros, and the chaos ensued.

The Illini rushed the field, mobbing Olano. The kicker ran down the field, celebrating with his teammates as they rushed towards him.

Season ends with victory

While it wasn’t pretty, the Illini got their hard-earned ninth win of the season. For many players, it was their last game and win as an Illini. Altmyer had over 200 total yards and two total touchdowns, and won the Music City Bowl MVP.

There will certainly be work to do this offseason with plenty of seniors moving on. However, for right now, Illinois will celebrate its seniors and the end of a historic season.

“People usually read about history or write history,” said head coach Bret Bielema. “This group writes history.”

@ben_some16

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