Illinois Fighting Illini
| Illinois Fighting Illini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 2014 |
| Head coach | FlutieFlakes 7th season, 53–37 (.589) |
| Stadium | Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 61,670) |
| Year built | 1923 |
| Field surface | Field Turf |
| Location | Champaign, IL |
| League | NCAA |
| Division | West |
| All-time record | 67–60–0 (.528) |
| Bowl record | 5–1–0 (.833) |
| Division titles | 2 |
| Colors | Blue and Orange |
| Fight song | Illinois Loyalty Oskee Wow Wow |
| Mascot | Chief Illiniwek |
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. The program began play in the 2014 college football season and is a continuous member of the Big Ten Conference since the 2014 college football season. The Fighting Illini play their home games at Memorial Stadium.
Contents
History
stiva era (2014)
The Illinois Fighting Illini started competing in the 2014 season. The lack of talent on the roster made it difficult to compete in the strong Big Ten Conference. Even though the season started well for the Illini (wins vs Army and Cincinnati), head coach stiva left the team after he could record only 2 victories in the first 7 games of the season.
smokingcricket era (2014-2016)
The opening at the HC position was quickly filled, as smokingcricket was named the 2nd Head Coach of the program. However, this didn't stop the team from losing games, as Illinois limped to a 3-9 record in 2014. Expectations weren't high for 2015, but Illinois produced one of the greatest Cinderella stories of CFBHC history when they went 9-4 in the next season. The team - mostly carried by the stellar play of RB Ezekiel Adams - won the Bourbon Bowl vs West Virginia, and earned a spot in the final Coaches' poll (#24). The strength of the Illini roster was still way behind the other B1G programs in 2016, and this time games played out more realistically. Illinois only won 2 games, and at the and of the season coach smokingcricket decided to step away from coaching in the college ranks in order to be able to concentrate more on his NFL career.
FlutieFlakes era (2017-present)
After the exit of smokingcricket the Athletic Department promoted former coordinator FlutieFlakes to be the next head coach of the program. However, the continued to struggle both in conference and OOC games. The Illini only won 2 games in 2017, and the only conference win came against rival Northwestern. Illinois continued to struggle in the star-studded B1G West, but they managed to upset a ranked Iowa team at home. They also managed to grind out wins against Notre Dame and Colorado State. However, the had no shots at other victories throughout the season, as the Illini went 3-9 in 2018.
Thanks to a few good recruiting classes, the 2019 team was finally on par with the rest of the conference in terms of talent, and the results vastly improved. Illinois had their best season in program history: they won 11 games, a share of the B1G West title. The program has finished the season with a victory in the Tampa Bowl vs Arkansas and a #9 ranking in the final Coaches' poll. The Fighting Illini started the 2020 season with high expectations, and they kicked off the season well (climbed as high as #4 in the polls), but eventually failed to win the games that mattered the most. Illinois still produced a respectable 9-3 regular season and improved to 3-0 all-time in the postseason with a Holiday Bowl victory over Stanford. Before the 2021 season the program lost many of its starters (especially on defense), but it didn't stop them from having another 10-win season which included a win over B1G champions Purdue and an Orange Bowl victory against Georgia.
2022 was a year of rebuild for the Illini, as all the key players who were part of the previous 3 successful seasons have graduated. The inexperience showed; a 3-6 conference record, a loss to rival Northwestern at home, and a loss to UTSA in the Heart of Dallas Bowl left everyone around the program vastly disappointed. Next season a lot of incoming/redshirted freshmen have found themselves at starting positions, and expectations for the team weren't very high after what happened in 2022. However, all that young talent has stepped up which has led to a 10-2 regular season and a B1G West title. Even though the team then lost to Michigan in the CCG and missed the playoffs, a victory in the Rose Bowl vs Oregon made the 2023 season very memorable for the Fighting Illini.
All-time record vs. B1G opponents
This is Illinois' football record against current Big Ten Conference opponents through the 2023 season.
| School | Total Games | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA | First Year | Last Year | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 54 | 27 | 2020 | 2023 | L1 |
| Iowa | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 173 | 250 | 2014 | 2023 | W3 |
| Maryland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 50 | 41 | 2015 | 2021 | W1 |
| Michigan | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 41 | 99 | 2014 | 2023 | L4 |
| Michigan State | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 10 | 16 | 2022 | 2022 | L1 |
| Minnesota | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | 139 | 243 | 2014 | 2023 | L3 |
| Nebraska | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 170 | 220 | 2014 | 2023 | W1 |
| Northwestern | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 206 | 199 | 2014 | 2023 | W1 |
| Ohio State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 48 | 41 | 2020 | 2023 | W1 |
| Penn State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 29 | 30 | 2018 | 2021 | W1 |
| Purdue | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 194 | 235 | 2014 | 2023 | W1 |
| Rutgers | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 142 | 36 | 2019 | 2023 | W5 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 174 | 202 | 2014 | 2023 | W2 |
| 14 Opponents | 79 | 35 | 44 | 0 | .443 | 1,318 | 1,639 | 10 Seasons |
Season-by-Season Records
| Coach(es) | Year | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record | Bowl | Final CP Ranking | ||||
| Wins | Losses | Wins | Losses | |||||||
| Illinois Fighting Illini | ||||||||||
| stiva | 2014 | B1G | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | - | - | ||
| smokingcricket | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | - | - | ||||
| 2015 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Won Bourbon Bowl vs. West Virginia (30-7) | #24 | ||||
| 2016 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 6 | - | - | ||||
| FlutieFlakes | 2017 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 6 | - | - | |||
| 2018 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 6 | - | - | ||||
| 2019 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 2 | Won Tampa Bowl vs Arkansas (12-9) | #9 | ||||
| 2020 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 3 | Won Holiday Bowl vs Stanford (20-0) | #14 | ||||
| 2021 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 3 | Won Orange Bowl vs Georgia (34-10) | #12 | ||||
| 2022 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 | Lost Heart of Dallas Bowl vs UTSA (17-23) | - | ||||
| 2023 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 3 | Won Rose Bowl vs Oregon (20-6) | #8 | ||||
| Total Games: 127 | 67 | 60 | 35 | 43 | (all games) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Champions | Conference Champions | Bowl game berth |
Bowl games
The Illini have appeared in 6 bowl games, posting a record of 5-1.
| Season | Bowl | Opponent | Result | ||
| 2015 | Bourbon Bowl | West Virginia | W, 30–7 | ||
| 2019 | Tampa Bowl | Arkansas | W, 12-9 | ||
| 2020 | Holiday Bowl | Stanford | W, 20-0 | ||
| 2021 | Orange Bowl | Georgia | W, 34-10 | ||
| 2022 | Heart of Dallas Bowl | UTSA | L, 17-23 | ||
| 2023 | Rose Bowl | Oregon | W, 20-6 | ||
| Total | 6 Bowl Games | 5–1 | |||
History and Awards
Head Coaches
| Coach | Years | Seasons | Record | Pct | Cnf. Record | Pct | Cnf. Titles | Bowls | Nat. Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| stiva | 2014 | 1 | 2-5 | .286 | 0-3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| smokingcricket | 2014-2016 | 3 | 12-18 | .400 | 6-15 | .286 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FlutieFlakes | 2017–present | 7 | 53-37 | .589 | 29-29 | .500 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Individual Award Winners
Players
All-Americans
- 2020
All-B1G Players
- 2016
- RB Ezekiel Adams
- ILB Zion Adakwa
- DT Eric Harris
- 2017
- DT Malik Dawson
- 2018
- FB Ali Hester
- DT David Hendrickson
- ATH Logan Holmes
- P Reggie Nelson
- 2019
- 2020
- FB Ali Hester
- ILB Jamal Harley
- 2022
- 2023
- QB Jordan Harrison
- WR Rory Cooley
- OG Raphael Read
