Illini football gets its revenge against Purdue
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Sports editor
November 8, 2015
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA — Bill Cubit didn’t sleep much after his team was punched in the mouth 39-0 by Penn State last week. And despite Illinois’ 48-14 stomping of Purdue on Saturday, he said his restless nights will continue, because his team’s season isn’t done yet. The Illini’s ...
Illinois football enters critical stretch of the season against Purdue
By Michal Dwojak, Staff writer
November 4, 2015
Illinois’ football game at Purdue on Saturday is important for many different reasons. The Illini need to win two of their four remaining games to become bowl eligible and Saturday’s game against the Boilermakers will be a good opportunity for Illinois to gain one of those wins. Bowl-eligibility...
Cataloguing the hurts: The many injuries of the Illinois offense
By Michal Dwojak, Staff writer
November 3, 2015
Illinois football head coach Bill Cubit managed to remain humorous during his weekly press conference Monday after the Illini lost 39-0 to Penn State on Saturday. His offense has been depleted of players for much of the season, and Saturday’s shutout was yet another reminder of the void those...
Numbers of the game: Illinois vs. Penn State
November 1, 2015
5 numbers to know:0 — Illinois was shut out for the first time since 2012. 8 — The Illini committed eight penalties for a total of 80 yards. 44 — Number of combined pass attempts by Wes Lunt and Chayce Crouch. 24 — Number of rush attempts, 15 of which came from Ke'Shawn Vaughn. ...
The cost of the Illinois football and women’s basketball investigations
By Michal Dwojak, Staff writer
October 30, 2015
The University had dealt with its fair share of controversy by May of 2015. Steven Salaita was threatening to file a lawsuit against the University and James Kilgore’s job status was being hotly debated, but something else was on the horizon. On May 10, former Illinois football player Simon ...
For Cubit and Illini, grace period is over
By Peter Bailey-Wells
October 28, 2015
Bill Cubit’s time has come: He bought himself some time by beating Nebraska 14-13 in Illinois’ Big Ten opener. He has survived a pair of tough losses to strong Iowa and Wisconsin teams — his team lost, but in a mostly respectable fashion.Now, his feet are headed for the fire. His grace period is up...
Illinois football’s defense can’t hold up against Wisconsin’s Bart Houston
By Michal Dwojak, Staff writer
October 26, 2015
The Illinois football team had finally gained momentum against Wisconsin on Saturday. Freshman running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn had scored on a 35-yard run in the third quarter and the Illini were leading 13-10. Illini fans all over Memorial Stadium were excited — Illinois was leading Wisconsin, ...
Numbers of the game: Illinois vs. Wisconsin
October 25, 2015
Five numbers to know:40:09 — Wisconsin’s time of possession, compared to Illinois’ 19:51.10 — Wisconsin has won 10 of its last 11 meetings with Illinois8 — The Illini’s total tackles for loss, including two apiece from Rob Bain and Carroll Phillips19 — Clayton Fejedelem’s number of tackles,...
Illini got beaten by the Badgers, and that's OK
By Peter Bailey-Wells
October 25, 2015
Ke’Shawn Vaughn said the Illini beat themselves. Bill Cubit talked about injuries and lack of execution. Mike Phair said there are some good things to take away from Illinois football’s 24-13 Homecoming loss to Wisconsin, but that winning the game is ultimately the only thing he wanted to do.However y...
Depleted Illini offense fails to find rhythm against Wisconsin
By Michal Dwojak, Staff writer
October 25, 2015
Quarterback Wes Lunt knew that Illinois football’s offense would miss key offensive players when the Illini played Wisconsin Saturday. Running back Josh Ferguson and wide receivers Marchie Murdock, Justin Hardee and Mike Dudek were doubtful to play against the Badgers. The team’s injury report re...
Matchups to watch in Illinois-Wisconsin game
October 20, 2015
Wes Lunt vs. Wisconsin defense.Wes Lunt has a tall order to fill on Homecoming against the Badgers. Wisconsin's defense gives up around 11 points per game, led by linebacker Joe Schobert, who ranks second in the conference with 9.5 sacks. Freshman linebacker T.J. Edwards had 16 tackles agai...
Illinois football’s Dawuane Smoot is a big man with big speed
By Michal Dwojak, Staff writer
October 20, 2015
If a University student who didn’t know who Dawuane Smoot was saw the Illinois football defensive lineman today, they probably wouldn’t believe that he used to weigh 220 pounds and run track. Many Illinois football fans probably don’t know that Smoot competed in high school track nationals in the sho...
