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On Oct. 29, two days before the Purdue game, Illinois center Doug Kramer got hit with the double-whammy: 1) You can't play. And 2) Your teammate/roommate Brandon Peters has COVID-19. Talk about your all-time bummer. "I was fully prepared to play against Purdue and I was super excited after a tough Week 1 (loss at Wisconsin)," Kramer said Monday afternoon. "It kind of hit me like a brick wall. There was not much I could really do about it. Obviously, I was super disappointed when it happened because I wasn't going to be able to be out there with the team. I looked at (Kendrick Green) and (Vederian Lowe) and (Alex Palczewski) and just said, 'You guys can step up and do whatever you can to try to win these next two games."

Kramer, who had to miss the Oct. 31 game against Purdue and the Nov. 7 game against Minnesota because of contact-tracing protocols, admits he got angry about having to sit. "Definitely at the start just because you don't really have a lot of control over what happens," Kramer said. "It's kind of the way it has to be. You can do all the right things and all it takes is one positive test and four guys who have been doing the right thing the entire time since we came back have to sit out for two games in their senior season." - News Gazette Tribune

(DS#9 C) rSr/2022

C Doug Kramer, Illinois
News Source: News Gazette Tribune
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11/21/20 - Brandon Peters, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 228 (DS#15 QB) + More +

Brandon Peters threw for one touchdown and ran for another in his first game in nearly a month, Illinois had two rushers go over 100 yards, and the Illini beat turnover-plagued Nebraska 41-23 on Saturday for their second straight win. The Cornhuskers won at Illinois last year despite committing four turnovers. They couldn't survive five, though, as the Illini won in Lincoln for the first time since 1924. Luke McCaffrey, making his second start at quarterback, committed the first of his four turnovers on the first play from scrimmage. Wan'Dale Robinson coughed up the ball as the Huskers (1-3, 1-3 Big Ten) tried to come back in the second half. Illinois (2-3, 2-3) led 28-10 after two quarters, their most first-half points against a conference opponent in 10 years, and was up 41-17 early in the fourth quarter. The Illini won their second road game in as many weeks.

Nebraska linebacker Collin Miller was taken off the field on a stretcher with about 12 minutes to play. He appeared to have been hurt while tackling Mike Epstein. Medical personnel tended to Miller for several minutes near the south end zone as players from both teams took a knee. He was strapped to a backboard and taken out of the stadium. There was no immediate announcement on the nature of his injury. Peters, who had been out since Oct. 24 because of a COVID-19 outbreak on the team, showed no rust in leading a balanced Illini offense that had 285 yards rushing and 205 passing. Nebraska entered the game as a 16-point favorite and ran into trouble immediately. - Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2022

QB Brandon Peters, Illinois
News Source: Illinois/AP College Football
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11/16/20 - Isaiah Williams, rJr/2024, Illinois, 5-09, 182 (DS#34 WR) + More +

NOV 16 BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Isaiah Williams, Illinois, QB, St. Louis, Mo./Trinity Catholic,...Broke the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 192 yards on 31 attempts...Led Illinois to a comeback win at Rutgers in his first career start...Added 104 passing yards to finish the contest with 296 yards of total offense...Collects his first career Freshman of the Week award...Last Illinois Freshman of the Week: Patrick Nelson (Oct. 17, 2016). - Big Ten Football

(DS#34 WR) rJr/2024

WR Isaiah Williams, Illinois
News Source: Big Ten Football
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11/16/20 - James McCourt, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-0, 216 (DS#15 K) + More +

NOV 16 BIG TEN SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: James McCourt, Illinois, Sr., K, Parkland, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas,...Converted a 47-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lead Illinois to a 23-20 victory at Rutgers...Finished the contest with three successful field goals, all in the second half...Added a pair of extra points to tally with a career-high 11 points...Earns his first career Special Teams Player of the Week honor...Last Illinois Special Teams Player of the Week: Blake Hayes (Sept. 23, 2019). - Big Ten Football

(DS#15 K) rSr/2022

K James McCourt, Illinois
News Source: Big Ten Football
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11/14/20 - James McCourt, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-0, 216 (DS#15 K) + More +

James McCourt overcame two long misses in the fourth quarter to hit a 47-yard field goal with three seconds left to lift Illinois past Rutgers 23-20 for the Illini's first win of the season. Rutgers' offense came out quick, with quarterback Noah Vedral finding Bo Melton on a 29-yard pitch and catch to cap off a six-play, 75-yard drive to make it 7-0 just 1:57 into the game. While starting quarterback Brandon Peters was missing his third straight game following a COVID-19 test, backup Isiah Williams got the start after his quarantine ended. He was the fourth starting quarterback of the season for Illinois (1-3, 1-3 Big Ten). After having 12 players out due to COVID-19 protocols against Minnesota last week, it was just Peters, who was on the sidelines in street clothes, and redshirt freshman tight end Griffin Moore - who did not make the trip.

Rutgers' defensive lineman Mike Teverdov stripped Williams, cornerback Max Melton recovered and the Scarlet Knights took it over on Illinois' 29-yard line with 7:52 left in the first quarter. That set up former Rutgers soccer player Ambrosio Valentino for his first career field goal attempt, a 29-yarder, for a 10-0 lead. Illinois answered courtesy of Williams, who had five-straight carries, and finished it off with his first score on a 3-yard touchdown run. The redshirt freshman finished with a game-high 192 yards rushing on 31 carries to overcome a 7-for-19 passing effort. Rutgers (1-3, 1-3) closed the first-half scoring with a 26-yard field by Valentino to make it 13-7. - AP College Football

(DS#15 K) rSr/2022

K James McCourt, Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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10/31/20 - Brandon Peters, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 228 (DS#15 QB) + More +

Illinois is playing Purdue without starting quarterback Brandon Peters and tight end Griffin Moore. Both tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and will be sidelined 21 days per Big Ten protocol. Both would be eligible to return for the Nov. 21 game at Nebraska. Illinois also announced that contact tracing sidelined several other players for the Purdue game and next week's game against Minnesota. Sophomore Matt Robinson started at quarterback for the Ilini. He played in eight games last year and started two. The Illini opened the season last week at Wisconsin, whose team has had 22 players and staff test positive for COVID-19 this week. - AP College Football

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2022

QB Brandon Peters, Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
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10/27/20 - Brandon Peters, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 228 (DS#15 QB) + More +

The Illinois offense was shut out Friday, with the team's only score coming on sophomore linebacker Tarique Barnes' scoop and score after a Wisconsin fumble. Even though redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams got on the field against the Badgers, the Illini aren't looking to make a change. Brandon Peters still holds the QB1 designation. "We're not making any major changes based on one game where we all didn't perform the way we will - starting with the head football coach," Lovie Smith said. Williams' usage did end up being greater than originally expected. Rod Smith had specific packages designed for the St. Louis native - whether it be at slot receiver or quarterback - and then also used him as a change of pace as the Illinois offense sputtered. "I said, 'I'm going to give Isaiah a shot and see if he can give us a spark," Rod Smith said. "That was kind of out of trying to get a spark. I told Brandon, 'It's not a negative on you.' We were just trying to jump start (the offense) and get going." - News Gazette

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2022

QB Brandon Peters, Illinois
News Source: News Gazette
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10/27/20 - Roderick Perry II, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-1, 304 (DS#54 DT) + More +

Off the field, Perry is laid back. He cracks jokes in his interviews over Zoom and is honest in his responses. But, as Wilkes said, when the whistle blows he's a different animal. Wilkes had the unfortunate job of being offensive coordinator and seeing Perry on the defensive line ready to work. Always. Never a play off. It helped the Cary offensive linemen come game time after a week worth of seeing Perry lined up against them. "What sticks out the most about Rod is that consistency," Wilkes said. "It wasn't like he had this glimpse of greatness and moments of normalcy. It was always a high level with him. Even at practice, he competed hard. When the play was over or after practice, he was laid back and joking with his teammates. In between the whistle, you know what you were going to get."

Illinois head coach Lovie Smith called Perry a godsend in the offseason. The 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle came along at the exact perfect time after the Illini lost Jamal Milan, Tymir Oliver and Kenyon Jackson to graduation. In reality, Perry may not have even been available had it not been for COVID-19 postponing the MEAC's season and South Carolina State's coaching staff encouraging Perry to go somewhere he could play immediately. Perry's phone blew up and so too did Wilkes'. In the end it came down to Illinois and Florida and a call from Smith sealed the deal to bring Perry to Champaign. - Herald-Review Times

(DS#54 DT) rSr/2022

DT Roderick Perry II, Illinois
News Source: Herald-Review Times
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10/25/20 - Josh Imatorbhebhe, rSr/2021, Illinois, 6-1, 218 (DS#49 WR) + More +

Last year's leading receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe was targeted 10 times Friday night and caught three passes for 26 yards. Only tight end Daniel Barker, with three, had more than a single target. Peters looked to Imatorbhebhe early - and clearly often. "I was just throwing to where my reads took me," Peters said. "I don't drop back and just look for one guy. The guys that I found in the second half were the guys that got open." Offensive execution - or lack thereof - was both Peters' and Smith's takeaway Friday night. That was never more clear than in Illinois' struggles on third and fourth down. The Illini converted just two of their 10 third down opportunities and put up an 0-fer in three cracks by the offense at fourth down. "We had a lot of errors," Peters said. "We shot ourselves in the foot with not converting on fourth down and penalties as well. We've got to stay ahead of the chains. We've got to move the chains. If you look at the time of possession, they killed us. It was bad. We've got to focus on moving the chains, getting the first downs and executing. All those little things." - News Gazette Tribune

(DS#49 WR) rSr/2021

WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois
News Source: News Gazette Tribune
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10/25/20 - Tarique Barnes, rSr/2024, Illinois, 6-1, 231 (DS#46 ILB) + More +

Miles Smith was searching out linebackers for the Class of 2019 and stumbled on Tarique Barnes out of Memphis. Smith liked Barnes' film, particularly his speed. The Illinois football team had a heavy early signing period in that class but Barnes was a February signing. It largely flew under the radar in a class that included Marquez Beason and Isaiah Williams, a pair of highly-coveted four-star prospects. But Barnes came to training camp last season and looked good, showing his speed and physicality. He played in all 13 games, mostly on special teams. Entering this year, he was in the two-deep, but had defensive stalwart Jake Hansen ahead of him at middle linebacker.

Hansen was injured late in the first half on Friday, in a 45-7 loss to No. 14 Wisconsin at an empty Camp Randall Stadium. It was Barnes' time and he was ready. He nearly gave Illinois the spark it needed with a 39-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown late in the second quarter to pull within seven, 14-7, before the Badgers clobbered their way to a win. "It was supposed to be my player anyway," Barnes said. "Him catching the ball was kind of get right after that. Starting going down, the ball was kind of loose and punched it out. It slipped under everybody else. I saw it rolling out. Picked up and scored. That's the first thing we go for." Barnes was a bright spot for the Illini. He had a team-high 11 tackles, added a sack and a tackle for a loss. - Herald-Review Times

(DS#46 ILB) rSr/2024

ILB Tarique Barnes, Illinois
News Source: Herald-Review Times
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10/25/20 - Brandon Peters, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 228 (DS#15 QB) + More +

At the college home of Elroy Hirsch (ask your grandparents), Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters looked like "Crazy Legs" on a long scramble in the first half. Peters said he is in the best shape of his life. The 30-yard run was convincing. He was more effective with his legs than his arm, finishing with 75 yards on seven carries. He threw for just 87 yards. Going forward for the Illinois offense, Peters needs to throw more and run less. - News Gazette Tribune

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2022

QB Brandon Peters, Illinois
News Source: News Gazette Tribune
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10/23/20 - Blake Jeresaty, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-1, 305 (DS#999 OG) + More +

Illinois has made strides up front in recent years and returns four starters (center Doug Kramer, left guard Kendrick Green and tackles Vederian Lowe and Alex Palczewski) with a combined 124 career starts. The Illini brought in Wofford transfer Blake Jeresaty, an FCS All-American at center, to play right guard, but he had season-ending shoulder surgery, leaving the job to former four-star recruit Verdis Brown. The main goal will be opening up a running game that averaged 3.8 yards per carry last season. - Herald-Review

(DS#999 OG) rSr/2022

OG Blake Jeresaty, Illinois
News Source: Herald-Review
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10/23/20 - Josh Imatorbhebhe, rSr/2021, Illinois, 6-1, 218 (DS#49 WR) + More +

Peters returns his top four receivers, a group led by Josh Imatorbhebhe. The senior accounted for nine of Illinois' 19 touchdown receptions last season and averaged a whopping 19.2 yards per reception. "We definitely have our work cut out for (us) because he's definitely not a body type that you see every day and the aggressiveness that he plays with is just a little bit different for some of the corners to see," UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said of Imatorbhebhe, who had a 29-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against the Badgers. "I like our group, I like the matchups we have, but he's going to have opportunities one-on-one in this game and we've got to win them downfield." - Wisconsin State Journal

(DS#49 WR) rSr/2021

WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, Illinois
News Source: Wisconsin State Journal
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10/23/20 - Brandon Peters, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 228 (DS#15 QB) + More +

Peters is more comfortable in his second season with the offense and was playing his best football at the end of last season, Smith said. It took time to put all the pieces together. Peters was a late entrant in the transfer portal after graduating from Michigan and didn't get to Champaign until last summer. Smith compared the information overload to Peters drinking water from a fire hose. Though that was a new phrase to Peters, it wasn't entirely off base. "I guess just to get your feet under you as far as getting the feeling of playing a live-action game," Peters said. "It took a while to get comfortable with the scheme and everything."

Peters has things he wants to improve on after completing 55.3 percent of his passes last season for 1,884 yards. Smith said the buzzword around the offense is consistency, and for Peters that starts with increasing the completion percentage. "Just a little bit more consistency and completion percentage goes a long way with that, too," Peters said. "Just be a little more consistent with my reads and be a little quicker with that thing. I think just being in the offense a second year will help with that as well. Completion percentage will mean a lot as far as moving the chains and keeping the offense on the field." - Herald-Review Times

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2022

QB Brandon Peters, Illinois
News Source: Herald-Review Times
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10/23/20 - Luke Ford, rSr/2023, Illinois, 6-6, 268 (DS#43 TE) + More +

Mirage or momentum? Lovie Smith's Illini went 6-6 in the regular season in 2019 and made their first bowl game in five years. There was a big upset of Wisconsin, a stirring comeback at Michigan State and a general good vibe around the program that hasn't existed in a long time. QB Brandon Peters (18 TD passes in 2019) is a returning starter, but Illinois lost some production on the ground. Keep an eye out for Georgia TE transfer Luke Ford, who at 6-foot-6 should be easy for Peters and everyone to find. - Ann Arbor News

(DS#43 TE) rSr/2023

TE Luke Ford, Illinois
News Source: Ann Arbor News
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