2019 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 2019 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by fourth-year head coach Lovie Smith.

2019 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Redbox Bowl, L 20–35 vs. California
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Record	6–7 (4–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Lovie Smith (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Rod Smith (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Uniform
Seasons ← 2018 2020 →

2019 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$^		9	–	0					13	–	1
No. 9 Penn State		7	–	2					11	–	2
No. 18 Michigan		6	–	3					9	–	4
Indiana		5	–	4					8	–	5
Michigan State		4	–	5					7	–	6
Maryland		1	–	8					3	–	9
Rutgers		0	–	9					2	–	10
West Division
No. 11 Wisconsin xy		7	–	2					10	–	4
No. 10 Minnesota x		7	–	2					11	–	2
No. 15 Iowa		6	–	3					10	–	3
Illinois		4	–	5					6	–	7
Purdue		3	–	6					4	–	8
Nebraska		3	–	6					5	–	7
Northwestern		1	–	8					3	–	9
Championship: Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 21
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

Preseason Big Ten poll

Although the Big Ten Conference has not held an official preseason poll since 2010, Cleveland.com has polled sports journalists representing all member schools as a de facto preseason media poll since 2011. For the 2019 poll, Illinois was projected to finish in last in the West Division.^[1]

Media poll (West Division)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Nebraska	198 (14)
2	Iowa	194.5 (14)
3	Wisconsin	172.5 (4)
4	Northwestern	142.5 (1)
5	Purdue	110.5
6	Minnesota	100 (1)
7	Illinois	34

Schedule

Illinois' 2019 schedule began with three non-conference games, starting with Akron of the Mid-American Conference at home, a road game to UConn of the American Athletic Conference, and then at home again for Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. In Big Ten Conference play, Illinois played all members of the West Division and draws Michigan, Rutgers, and Michigan State from the East Division.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	11:00 a.m.	Akron*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 42–3	30,654
September 7	2:30 p.m.	at UConn*	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	W 31–23	23,108
September 14	11:00 a.m.	Eastern Michigan*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 31–34	34,759
September 21	7:00 p.m.	Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 38–42	44,512
October 5	2:30 p.m.	at Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	L 17–40	39,341
October 12	12:00 p.m.	No. 16 Michigan	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (series)	ABC	L 25–42	37,275
October 19	11:00 a.m.	No. 6 Wisconsin	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 24–23	37,363
October 26	11:00 a.m.	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	BTN	W 24–6	38,735
November 2	2:30 p.m.	Rutgers	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 38–10	35,652
November 9	2:30 p.m.	at Michigan State	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FS1	W 37–34	63,370
November 23	11:00 a.m.	at No. 17 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	BTN	L 10–19	58,331
November 30	11:00 a.m.	Northwestern	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	FS1	L 10–29	35,895
December 30	3:00 p.m.	vs. California*	Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA (Redbox Bowl)	FOX	L 20–35	34,177
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 5) released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[2]

Game summaries

Akron

	1	2	3	4	Total
Zips	3	0	0	0	3
Fighting Illini	14	14	14	0	42

See also: 2019 Akron Zips football team

At UConn

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	0	24	7	0	31
Huskies	10	3	7	3	23

See also: 2019 UConn Huskies football team

Eastern Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	14	9	0	11	34
Fighting Illini	17	0	0	14	31

See also: 2019 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

Nebraska

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	7	7	13	15	42
Fighting Illini	14	7	14	3	38

See also: 2019 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

At Minnesota

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	7	3	7	0	17
Golden Gophers	3	13	14	10	40

See also: 2019 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Wolverines	14	14	0	14	42
Fighting Illini	0	7	10	8	25

See also: 2019 Michigan Wolverines football team

Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 Badgers	7	6	7	3	23
Fighting Illini	0	7	7	10	24

See also: 2019 Wisconsin Badgers football team

“KAM'S Miracle”

On October 19, during the Homecoming Weekend, the Fighting Illini upset the undefeated No. 6 ranked Wisconsin Badgers on a 39-yard game-winning field goal by James McCourt. It was Illinois' first win against a top ranked team since 2007, when they had upset No. 1 ranked Ohio State in Columbus with a score of 28–21.

The weekend also marked the last nights of beloved campus bar KAM'S. KAM'S had been a popular bar on campus since 1975. In September 2019 it was announced that KAM'S would be closing on Sunday night of Homecoming 2019. The victory coincided with this closing.

^[3]

At Purdue

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	3	14	7	0	24
Boilermakers	0	0	0	6	6

See also: 2019 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Rutgers

	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	0	10	0	0	10
Fighting Illini	10	0	21	7	38

See also: 2019 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

At Michigan State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	3	7	0	27	37
Spartans	14	14	3	3	34

See also: 2019 Michigan State Spartans football team

“The Comeback In East Lansing”

Illinois started the road game off rough, giving up 14 points and only scoring a field goal in the first quarter. By halftime, they were losing 28–10 and at one point in a 28–3 deficit in the second quarter. After Halftime, both teams struggled in the 3rd quarter, scoring only 3 combined points. But the comeback started in the 4th quarter on which the first play was an Illinois touchdown on a 46-yard Brandon Peters pass to wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe. Then on the next Illinois possession, Reggie Corbin ran it in the end zone from 6-yards out to make the score 31–24. On the next Spartans possession, Michigan State's quarterback Brian Lewerke couldn't handle a bad snap and Illinois recovered the fumble at Michigan State's 8-yard line. Peters then tried throwing the game tying touchdown pass but it was intercepted in the end zone by MSU. On the ensuing possession, Lewerke threw an interception to Illinois defender Sydney Brown for a 76-yard touchdown. But the score remained untied when Illinois kicker junior James McCourt missed the PAT to make it 31–30. Michigan State then drove down the field but only managed to kick a field goal to make the score 34–30, MSU leading with 3:17 remaining in the 4th. Illinois drove down the field, completing a 37-yard throw and catch by Peters to Imatorbhebhe and drove to the MSU 4-yard line. The Spartans defense then held and stopped the Illini on 4th and Goal but a defensive pass interference kept the game alive. Brandon Peters then completed a 6-yard, game-winning touchdown to tight end Daniel Barker with 5 seconds remaining. Illinois stopped Michigan State on the kickoff, sealing a Fighting Illini win. The victory clinched a bowl game for the Illini, their first since 2014.

At Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	7	0	0	3	10
No. 17 Hawkeyes	7	6	0	6	19

See also: 2019 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Northwestern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	3	7	7	12	29
Fighting Illini	0	7	3	0	10

See also: 2019 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Vs. California

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	7	14	7	7	35
Fighting Illini	10	3	0	7	20

See also: 2019 California Golden Bears football team and 2019 Redbox Bowl

Personnel

Coaching staff

Staff as of April 17, 2019.^[4]

Name	Position	Consecutive season at Illinois in current position	Salary [5][6]
Lovie Smith	Head coach/Defensive coordinator	4th	$4,000,000
Rod Smith	Offensive coordinator	2nd	$700,000
Michael Bellamy	Running backs coach	1st	$250,000
Andrew Hayes-Stoker	Wide receivers Coach	4th	$335,000
Bob McClain	Offensive line coach	1st	$310,000
Cory Patterson	Tight Ends coach	2nd	$275,000
Austin Clark	Defensive line coach	2nd	$275,000
Miles Smith	Linebackers coach	1st	$220,000
Keynodo Hudson	Cornerbacks coach	1st	$250,000
Gill Byrd	Safeties coach/Passing Game Coordinator	2nd	$300,000
Bob Ligashesky	Special Teams Coordinator	4th	$331,000

Roster

2019 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 1 Isaiah Williams Fr RB 2 Reggie Corbin  Sr RB 3 Jakari Norwood  Fr WR 4 Ricky Smalling Jr WR 5 Trevon Sidney  Jr WR 6 Dominic Stampley  Jr QB 7 Coran Taylor  Fr WR 8 Casey Washington Fr WR 9 Josh Imatorbhebhe  Jr TE 10 Justice Williams  Sr WR 11 Carlos Sandy So QB 12 Matt Robinson  Fr WR 13 Caleb Reams  Sr WR 15 Trenard Davis  Sr QB 16 Cam Miller  Jr QB 18 Brandon Peters  Jr WR 19 Dalevon Campbell Fr WR 20 Kyron Cumby Fr RB 21 Ra'Von Bonner Jr RB 22 Kenyon Sims  Fr RB 23 Conner Lillig So RB 24 Nick Fedanzo Fr RB 25 Dre Brown  Sr RB 26 Mike Epstein Jr RB 28 Chase Brown  So TE 43 Griffin Moore Fr TE 48 Bryce Barnes Fr OL 52 Verdis Brown  Fr OL 53 Kendrick Green  So OL 54 Julian Pearl  Fr OL 57 Evan Kirts Fr OL 58 Preston Engel  Fr OL 59 Josh Plohr Fr OL 63 Alex Palczewski Jr OL 65 Doug Kramer  Jr OL 66 Jordyn Slaughter  Fr OL 68 Jake Stover  So OL 70 Thomas Cronin Fr OL 72 Kievan Myers  Fr OL 73 Jake Cerny  Jr OL 74 Richie Petitbon  Sr OL 75 Kurt Gavin  Jr OL 79 Vederian Lowe Jr WR 80 Edwin Carter  Fr TE 81 Griffin Palmer  Jr TE 82 Luke Ford  So TE 83 Bobby Walker  Sr WR 84 Jordan Holmes So WR 85 Dylan Thomas  Fr WR 86 Donny Navarro Jr TE 87 Daniel Barker So TE 89 Alex Pihlstrom  So	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 2 Derrick Smith (I) Jr DB 3 Marquez Beason Fr LB 5 Milo Eifler  Jr DB 6 Tony Adams Jr DB 7 Stanley Green Sr DB 8 Nate Hobbs Jr LB 9 Dele Harding Sr LB 10 James Knight Jr DB 15 Delano Ware So DB 17 Kendall Smith Jr DB 20 Nick Walker Jr DB 21 Quan Martin So DB 22 Dylan Wyatt So DB 23 Joseph Thompson Fr LB 24 Dawson DeGroot Jr DB 25 Kerby Joseph So DB 27 Matthew Judd Fr DB 28 Nolan Bernat Sr DB 29 Christian Bobak  Jr DB 30 Sydney Brown So DB 31 Devon Witherspoon Fr DB 32 Tailon Leitzsey Jr DL 33 Ezekiel Holmes  Fr LB 34 Ryan Meed Fr LB 35 Jake Hansen  Jr DB 36 Ben Schultz Fr LB 37 Mark Di Iorio Fr LB 40 Shammond Cooper Fr DB 42 Michael Marchese Jr LB 44 Tarique Barnes Fr LB 45 Khalan Tolson So LB 46 Alex McEachern  So DL 47 Oluwole Betiku Jr. Jr DL 49 Seth Coleman Fr LB 51 Sean Coghlan  So LB 52 Ayo Shogbonyo  Jr DL 54 Marc Mondesir Jr DL 55 Jamal Milan  Sr DL 69 Moses Okpala Fr DL 88 Keith Randolph Jr. Fr DL 90 Lere Oladipo  So DL 91 Jamal Woods  So DL 92 Isaiah Gay Jr DL 93 Calvin Avery So DL 95 Kenyon Jackson Sr DL 96 Tymir Oliver Sr DL 97 Bobby Roundtree Jr DL 98 Deon Pate  So DL 99 Owen Carney Jr. Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 11 Caleb Griffin  Fr P 14 Blake Hayes Jr K, P 17 James McCourt  Jr LS 39 Aidan Hall Fr LS 41 Nolan Rossback Fr LS 56 Ethan Tabel  Jr	Head coach Lovie Smith – Defensive coordinator Coordinators/assistant coaches Rod Smith – Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Gill Byrd – Passing Game Coordinator / Safeties Bob Ligashesky – Special Teams Coordinator Mike Bellamy – Running Backs Austin Clark – Defensive Line Andrew Hayes-Stoker – Wide Receivers Keynodo Hudson – Cornerbacks Bob McClain – Offensive Line Cory Patterson – Tight Ends Miles Smith – Linebackers Rob Delaney – Graduate Assistant – Offense Zach Grant – Graduate Assistant – Offense Carson Hall – Graduate Assistant – Defense Brent Jackson – Graduate Assistant – Defense Peter Collins – Defensive Analyst Ilir Emini – Defensive Analyst Cody Gibson – Offensive Analyst Devin Holiday – Defensive Analyst Garrett Schwettman – Special Team Analyst Jake Ellsworth – Defensive Analyst Lou Hernandez – Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Tim Knox – Director of Football Operations Jake Zweig – Director of Man Development Patrick Embleton – Director of recruiting James Kirkland – Director of Player Personnel Joe Price – Director of High School Relations Cameron Skelding – Assistant Recruiting Coordinator Travis Perry – Director of Creative Content Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: September 20, 2019

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Marquez Beason CB	Duncanville, TX	Duncanville	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	Mar 10, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 84
Isaiah Williams ATH	St. Louis, MO	Trinity Catholic	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Mar 23, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 84
Shammond Cooper OLB	St. Louis, MO	Trinity Catholic	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jan 3, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Moses Okpala DE	St. Louis, MO	Ladue Horton Watkins	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Nov 2, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
Kyron Cumby RB	Plano, TX	Plano Senior	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jun 21, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 79
Keith Randolph Jr. DE	Belleville, IL	Belleville West	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Dec 18, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 76

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Previous School	Year
Chase Brown	#28	RB	Western Michigan	(RS)(I) Sophomore
Josh Imatorbhebhe	#9	WR	USC	(RS) Junior
Brandon Peters	#18	QB	Michigan	(RS) Junior
Luke Ford	#82	TE	Georgia	(RS)(I) Sophomore
Trevon Sidney	#5	WR	USC	(RS) Junior
Oluwole Betiku Jr.	#47	OLB	USC	Junior
Richie Petitbon	#74	OG	Alabama	(RS) Senior

Key:

(RS) = Redshirt

(I) = Ineligible/Sitting out

References

1. Lesmerises, Doug (July 18, 2019). "Michigan named Big Ten football favorite in cleveland.com 2019 preseason poll". Cleveland.com.
2. "2019 Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
3. "KAM's gets ready to shut its doors, new location open in 2020". September 25, 2019.
4. "Illinois Athletics – Football Coaches". Retrieved April 17, 2019.
5. "Smith's revised contract drops buyout cost to $1 million in 2021". The News-Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
6. "Show them the money: Lovie's newest staff receives pay bump". The News-Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2019.