1974 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
| 1974 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 6–4–1 (4–3–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVPs |
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| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Michigan + | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Ohio State + | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Michigan State | 6 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1974 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1974 Big Ten season. In their fourth year under head coach Bob Blackman, the Fighting Illini compiled a 6–4–1 record (4–3–1 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 210 to 206.[1]
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jeff Hollenbach (1,037 passing yards, 48.9% completion percentage), running back Chubby Phillips (772 rushing yards, 4.4 yards per carry, nine touchdowns), and wide receiver Joe Smalzer (29 receptions for 525 yards).[2] Hollenbach and linebacker Tom Hicks were selected as the team's most valuable players.[3] Hicks also received first-team honors on the 1974 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[4]
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 14 | Indiana | W 16–0 | 40,911 | ||
| September 21 | at No. 19 Stanford* | W 41–7 | 47,500 | ||
| September 28 | Washington State* | No. 16 |
| W 21–19 | 40,594 |
| October 5 | California* | No. 14 |
| L 14–31 | 54,378 |
| October 12 | at Purdue | W 27–23 | 63,174 | ||
| October 19 | Michigan State |
| T 21–21 | 55,677 | |
| October 26 | at Iowa | L 12–14 | 49,400 | ||
| November 2 | at No. 1 Ohio State | L 7–49 | 87,813 | ||
| November 9 | No. 4 Michigan |
| L 6–14 | 60,670 | |
| November 16 | at Minnesota | W 17–14 | 31,423 | ||
| November 23 | Northwestern |
| W 28–14 | 33,753 | |
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References
- ^ "1974 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ "1974 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
- ^ "All-Big Ten selections". The Daily Northwestern. November 26, 1974. p. 13.