American college football season
The 2022 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represents the University of Illinois in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season . Bret Bielema was in his second season as the team's head coach. The Fighting Illini played home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois .
Key players included senior quarterback Tommy DeVito and junior running back Chase Brown .
In Week 6, the Fighting Illini became ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 2011 .[ 1] The Illini clinched a winning season for the first time since that same season.
Illinois announced its 2022 football schedule on January 12, 2022.[ 2] The 2022 schedule consists of seven home games and five away games in the regular season. The Fighting Illini will host Big Ten foes Iowa , Minnesota , Michigan State , and Purdue and will travel to Indiana , Wisconsin , Nebraska , Michigan and Northwestern .[ 3] The Fighting Illini will host all three of their non-conference opponents, Wyoming from the Mountain West , Virginia from ACC , and Chattanooga from Division I FCS .
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance August 27 3:00 p.m. Wyoming * BTN W 38–637,832 7:00 p.m. at Indiana FS1 L 20–2344,357 September 10 3:00 p.m. Virginia * Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL ESPNU W 24–333,669 7:30 p.m. No. 10 (FCS ) Chattanooga * Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL BTN W 31–037,579 October 1 11:00 a.m. at Wisconsin BTN W 34–1073,502 October 8 6:30 p.m. Iowa Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL BTN W 9–644,910 October 15 11:00 a.m. Minnesota No. 24 Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL BTN W 26–1445,683 October 29 2:30 p.m. at Nebraska No. 17 ABC W 26–986,691 November 5 3:30 p.m. Michigan State No. 16 Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL BTN L 15–2356,092 November 12 11:00 a.m. Purdue No. 21 Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry ) ESPN2 L 24–3145,574 November 19 11:00 a.m. at No. 3 Michigan ABC L 17–19110,433 November 26 2:30 p.m. at Northwestern BTN W 41–325,744 11:00 a.m. vs. No. 22 Mississippi State * ESPN2 L 10–1935,797 *Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time
[ 3]
1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 3 0 3 0 6 Fighting Illini 7 10 7 14 38
1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Illini 7 3 7 3 20 Hoosiers 3 13 0 7 23
1 2 3 4 Total Cavaliers 3 0 0 0 3 Fighting Illini 14 7 3 0 24
No. 10 (FCS) Chattanooga[ edit ] 1 2 3 4 Total No. 10 (FCS) Mocs 0 0 0 0 0 Fighting Illini 10 14 7 0 31
Illinois vs. Wisconsin – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Illini 7 7 17 3 34 Badgers 7 3 0 0 10
at Camp Randall Stadium , Madison, Wisconsin
Date : October 1, 2022Game time : 11:00 a.m.Game weather : 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) • Weather: SunnyGame attendance : 73,502Referee : Jerry ServinskiTV announcers (BTN ) : Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), Krystle Rich (sideline)[1]
Game information First quarter WIS – Isaac Guerendo 21-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Nate Van Zelst Kick), 11:15 Wisconsin 7–0 , Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 3:39 ILL – Tommy DeVito 1-yard run (Caleb Griffin Kick), 4:30 Tie 7–7 , Drive: 7 plays, 16 yards, 3:39 Second quarter WIS – Nate Van Zelst 39-yard field goal, 14:53. Wisconsin 10–7. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 4:32. ILL – Tommy DeVito 1-yard run (Caleb Griffin Kick), 7:31 Illinois 14–10 , Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:48 Third quarter ILL – Tommy DeVito 1-yard run (Caleb Griffin Kick), 10:24 Illinois 21–10 , Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:36 ILL – Caleb Griffin 44-yard field goal, 9:03. Illinois 24–10. Drive: 4 plays, -10 yards, 1:18. ILL – Chase Brown 49-yard run (Caleb Griffin Kick), 6:42 Illinois 31–10 , Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 1:14 Fourth quarter ILL – Caleb Griffin 31-yard field goal, 14:18. Illinois 34–10. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 5:18. Top passers
Top rushers
ILL – Chase Brown – 25 carries, 129 yards, TD WIS – Chez Mellusi – 7 carries, 16 yards Top receivers
ILL – Brian Hightower – 5 receptions, 59 yards WIS – Chimere Dike – 5 receptions, 76 yards Top defenders
Iowa at Illinois 1 2 3 4 Total Hawkeyes 3 3 0 0 6 • Fighting Illini 3 3 0 3 9
Date: October 8Location: Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL Game start: 6:40 pm CDT Game attendance: 44,910Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), Sunny, Wind SW 8 mph (13 km/h)Referee: Greg BlumTV announcers (BTN ): Cory Provus (play-by-play), Jake Butt (analyst), and Elise Menaker (sideline) Scoring summary 1 9:03 Illinois F. Pinton 27-yard field goal Illinois 3–0 3:51 Iowa Drew Stevens 32-yard field goal Tied 3–3 2 8:00 Illinois F. Pinton 37-yard field goal Illinois 6–3 2:48 Iowa Drew Stevens 27-yard field goal Tied 6–6 4 2:49 Illinois F. Pinton 36-yard field goal Illinois 9–6
Illinois won for the first time in nine tries in the series since the two teams became part of the Big Ten West. It was also former Iowa player and coach Bret Bielema 's first game at Illinois against Iowa, as he missed the 2021 meeting due to issues relating to COVID-19.
[ 4] [ 5]
Statistics IOWA ILL First downs 13 18 Total yards 221 316 Rushing yards 52 200 Passing yards 169 116 Turnovers 1 3 Time of possession 28:55 31:05
Team Category Player Statistics Iowa Passing Spencer Petras 18/36, 169 yards, INT Rushing Leshon Williams 7 carries, 32 yards Receiving Sam LaPorta 9 receptions, 100 yards Illinois Passing Artur Sitkowski 13/19, 74 yards, INT Rushing Chase Brown 31 carries, 146 yards Receiving Brian Hightower 5 receptions, 68 yards
1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 0 7 7 0 14 No. 24 Fighting Illini 7 6 7 6 26
No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini (6–1) vs Nebraska Cornhuskers (3–4) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total No. 17 Fighting Illini 6 14 3 3 26 Cornhuskers 3 6 0 0 9
at Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE
Date : October 29, 2022Game time : 2:30 p.m.Game weather : Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 86,691Referee : Greg BlumTV announcers (ABC ) : Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline)Sources :
Game information First quarter (12:33) ILL – Isaiah Williams 46-yard pass from Tommy DeVito (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:27; Illinois 6–0 ) (1:49) NEB – Timmy Bleekrode 26-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 3:15; Illinois 6–3 ) Second quarter (9:38) NEB – Travis Vokolek 56-yard pass from Casey Thompson (Drive: 5 plays, 93 yards, 2:24; Nebraska 9–6 ) (6:03) ILL – Chase Brown 1-yard run, Caleb Griffin kick (Drive: 2 plays, 11 yards, 0:28; Illinois 13–9 ) (0:23) ILL – Chase Brown 12-yard pass from Tommy DeVito, Caleb Griffin kick (Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 4:08; Illinois 20–9 ) Third quarter (3:29) ILL – Caleb Griffin 36-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 70 yards, 7:27; Illinois 23–9 ) Fourth quarter (11:12) ILL – Caleb Griffin 41-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 2:00; Illinois 26–9 )
Statistics ILL NEB First downs 18 9 Total yards 367 248 Rushes/yards 48–188 25–60 Passing yards 179 188 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 20–22–0 11–24–3 Time of possession 38:13 21:47
Team Category Player Statistics Illinois Passing Tommy DeVito 20/22, 179 yards, 2 TD Rushing Chase Brown 32 carries, 149 yards, TD Receiving Isaiah Williams 9 receptions, 93 yards, TD Nebraska Passing Casey Thompson 7/15, 172 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing Anthony Grant 12 carries, 61 yards Receiving Travis Vokolek 1 reception, 56 yards, TD
Week Nine: Michigan State at No. 16 Illinois– Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Michigan State 3 6 14 0 23 No. 16 Illinois 7 0 0 8 15
at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL
Date : November 5, 2022Game time : 3:40 p.m.Game weather : 58 °F (14 °C), Cloudy, Wind: SW 30 mph (48 km/h)Game attendance : 56,092Referee : Larry SmithTV announcers (BTN) : Cory Provus (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst)Sources :
Game information First Quarter (08:03) ILL TD: Isaiah Williams 60-yard pass from Tommy DeVito (Caleb Griffin kick)ILL 7–0 ; 2 plays, 59 yards, 0:42 (01:36) MSU FG: Ben Patton 21-yard field goalILL 7–3 ; 15 plays, 72 yards, 6:27 Second Quarter (10:21) MSU TD: Tre Mosley 1-yard pass from Payton Thorned (kick failed)MSU 9–7 ; 7 plays 61 yards, 3:48 Third Quarter (05:45) MSU TD: Jarek Broussard 11-yard run (Ben Patton kick)MSU 16–7 ; 6 plays, 29 yards, 3:48 (05:27) MSU TD: Jayden Reed 16-yard pass from Payton Thorne (Ben Patton kick)MSU 23–7 ; 3 plays 41 yards, 1:22 Fourth Quarter (14:27) ILL TD: Isaiah Williams 7-yard pass from Tommy DeVito (Tip Redmon pass from Tommy DeVito)MSU 23–15 ; 8 plays, 56 yards, 3:25 Passing MSU – Payton Thorne : 19/29, 182 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT ILL – Tommy DeVito: 25/37, 288 yards, 2 TD Rushing MSU – Jalen Berger : 15 carries, 84 yards ILL – Chase Brown: 33 carries, 140 yards Receiving MSU – Jayden Reed : 5 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD ILL – Isaiah Williams: 5 receptions, 98 yards, 2 TD
1 2 3 4 Total Boilermakers 0 14 7 10 31 No. 21 Fighting Illini 7 7 7 3 24
Illinois at No. 3 Michigan (rivalry ) 1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Illini 0 3 14 0 17 • No. 3 Wolverines 7 0 3 9 19
Scoring summary 1 11:28 MICH Blake Corum 2-yard run (Jake Moody kick) MICH 7–0 2 4:03 ILL Caleb Griffin 29-yard field goal MICH 7–3 3 11:10 MICH Jake Moody 46-yard field goalMICH 10–3 3 7:43 ILL Chase Brown 8-yard run (Caleb Griffin kick) Tied 10–10 3 1:36 ILL Chase Brown 37-yard run (Caleb Griffin kick) ILL 17–10 4 12:31 MICH Jake Moody 41-yard field goal ILL 17–13 4 3:14 MICH Jake Moody 33-yard field goal ILL 17–16 4 0:09 MICH Jake Moody 35-yard field goal MICH 19–17
Statistics UI No. 3 UM First downs 20 18 Plays–yards 64–326 74–376 Rushes–yards 34–148 40–168 Passing yards 178 208 Passing: comp –att –int 21–30–0 18–34–0 Time of possession 24:57 35:03
Team Category Player Statistics Illinois Passing Tommy DeVito 21/30, 178 yards Rushing Chase Brown 29 carries, 140 yards, 2 TD Receiving Casey Washington 6 receptions, 53 yards No. 3 Michigan Passing J. J. McCarthy 18/34, 208 yards Rushing Blake Corum 18 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD Receiving Colston Loveland 3 receptions, 50 yards
1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Illini 7 10 17 7 41 Wildcats 0 0 0 3 3
Vs. No. 22 Mississippi State (ReliaQuest Bowl)[ edit ] No. 22 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (ReliaQuest Bowl)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total No. 22 Mississippi State 0 3 0 16 19 Illinois 0 7 3 0 10
at Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Mississippi State Illinois 2 2:49 10 77 4:45 Illinois Tommy DeVito 2-yard touchdown run, Caleb Griffin kick good 0 7 2 0:09 8 55 2:40 Miss. State 38-yard field goal by Massimo Biscardi 3 7 3 6:57 11 45 5:13 Illinois 52-yard field goal by Caleb Griffin 3 10 4 14:54 13 75 7:03 Miss. State Justin Robinson 8-yard touchdown reception from Will Rogers , Massimo Biscardi kick good 10 10 4 0:04 9 68 1:46 Miss. State 27-yard field goal by Massimo Biscardi 13 10 4 0:00 Miss. State Fumble recovery returned 60 yards for touchdown by Marcus Banks, kick not attempted 19 10 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 19 10
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final AP — — — — — RV 24 18 17 14 21 RV RV RV RV RV Coaches — — — — — RV RV 20 18 13 20 RV RV RV RV — CFP Not released 16 21 — — — — Not released
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold