2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record2–6 (2–6 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorRod Smith (3rd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Uniform
2020 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 2 Ohio State xy$^   5 – 0     7 – 1  
No. 12 Indiana   6 – 1     6 – 2  
Penn State   4 – 5     4 – 5  
Maryland   2 – 3     2 – 3  
Rutgers   3 – 6     3 – 6  
Michigan   2 – 4     2 – 4  
Michigan State   2 – 5     2 – 5  
West Division
No. 10 Northwestern xy   6 – 1     7 – 2  
No. 16 Iowa   6 – 2     6 – 2  
Wisconsin   3 – 3     4 – 3  
Minnesota   3 – 4     3 – 4  
Nebraska   3 – 5     3 – 5  
Purdue   2 – 4     2 – 4  
  2 – 6     2 – 6  
Championship: Ohio State 22, Northwestern 10
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, the Big Ten suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on October 24. In addition to the title game that was played on December 19, the conference seeded all remaining teams for "championship week" games.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their fifth and final season under head coach Lovie Smith, the Fighting Illini compiled a 2–6 record (2–6 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten's West Division, and were outscored by a total of 279 to 161.[2] Prior to the team's final game, Smith was fired as head coach.[3]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Brandon Peters (429 passing yards, 48.8% completion percentage), running back Chase Brown (540 rushing yards), wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe (22 receptions for 297 yards), kicker James McCourt (33 points, 15 of 15 extra points, 6 of 10 field goals), and linebacker Jake Hansen (68 total tackles, 36 solo tackles).[4]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Big Ten preseason poll

The Big Ten preseason media prediction poll was released on July 31, 2020. The Fighting Illini were predicted to finish seventh (last) in the Big Ten West.[5]

West
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Wisconsin 221 (19)
2 Minnesota 209.5 (14)
3 Iowa 157
4 Nebraska 117
5 Purdue 105
6 Northwestern 87.5 (1)
7 Illinois 55

Schedule

Illinois had games scheduled against Illinois State, UConn, and Bowling Green, but canceled these games on July 9 due to the Big Ten Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
October 23 7:00 p.m. at No. 14 Wisconsin
BTN L 7–45 0
October 31 11:00 a.m. Purdue
BTN L 24–31 838
November 7 2:30 p.m. Minnesota
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
 BTN L 14–41863
November 14 12:00 p.m. at Rutgers
BTN W 23–20 0
November 21 11:00 a.m. at Nebraska
FS1W 41–230
November 28 11:00 a.m. No. 4 Ohio State
FS1 No Contest[7] –
December 5 2:30 p.m. No. 19 Iowa
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
FS1 L 21–35 875
December 12 11:00 a.m. at No. 14 Northwestern
ESPN2 L 10–28 0
December 19 4:30 p.m. at Penn State
FS1 L 21–56 0

[8]

Roster

2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 1 Isaiah Williams  Fr
RB 2 Chase Brown So
RB 3 Jakari Norwood So
WR 4 Khmari Thompson So
WR 5 Trevon Sidney Sr
QB 6 Deuce Spann Fr
QB 7 Coran Taylor So
WR 8 Casey Washington So
WR 9 Josh Imatorbhebhe Sr
WR 10 Desmond Dan Jr. Sr
WR 11 Carlos Sany So
QB 12 Matt Robinson So
WR 13 James Frenchie Jr. Fr
WR 14 Brian Hightower Jr
WR 15 Ty Lindenman Fr
QB 16 Josh Beetham Fr
QB 18 Brandon Peters Sr
WR 19 Dalevon Campbell So
WR 20 Kyron Cumby  Fr
RB 23 Connor Lillig Jr
RB 24 Nick Fedanzo  Fr
WR 25 Kerby Joseph Jr
RB 26 Mike Epstein Sr
RB 27 Matthew Bobak Fr
RB 28 Reggie Love III Fr
TE 43 Griffin Moore  Fr
OL 52 Verdis Brown So
OL 53 Kendrick Green Jr
OL 54 Julian Pearl So
OL 55 Blake Jeresaty Sr
OL 57 Evan Kirts  Fr
OL 58 Preston Engel So
OL 59 Josh Plohr  Fr
OL 62 Terry Zapf So
OL 63 Alex Palczewski Sr
OL 65 Doug Kramer Sr
OL 66 Jordyn Slaughter So
OL 68 Ryan Ingold Fr
OL 69 Moses Okpala  Fr
OL 70 Tommy Cronin  Fr
OL 71 Brett Novak Fr
OL 72 Phifer Griffin Fr
OL 74 Blaise Sparks Fr
OL 75 Alex Philstrom Jr
OL 76 Brevyn Jones  Fr
OL 78 Kevin Tyler Fr
OL 79 Vederian Lowe Sr
TE 82 Luke Ford Jr
WR 83 John Bickel Fr
WR 84 Owen Hickey Fr
WR 85 Dylan Thomas So
WR 86 Donny Navarro III Jr
TE 87 Daniel Barker Jr
TE 88 Daniel Imatorbhebhe Sr
TE 89 Tip Reiman Fr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 2 Derrick Smith Jr
DB 3 Marquez Beason  Fr
LB 5 Milo Eifler Sr
DB 6 Tony Adams Sr
DB 8 Nate Hobbs Sr
DB 17 Kendall Smith Sr
DB 21 Jartavius Martin Jr
DB 23 Tahveon Nicholson Fr
DB 29 Christian Bobak Sr
DB 30 Sydney Brown Jr
DB 31 Devon Witherspoon So
DB 32 Tailon Leitzsey Sr
DL 33 Ezekiel Holmes So
LB 34 Ryan Meed  Fr
LB 35 Jake Hansen Sr
DB 36 Ben Schultz  Fr
DB 37 Jaden Jones-Watkins So
LB 38 Isaac Darkangelo Jr
LB 40 Shammond Cooper  Fr
DL 41 Tre'Von Riggins Fr
DB 42 Michael Marchese Sr
DL 43 Cooper Davis Fr
LB 44 Tarique Barnes So
LB 45 Khalan Tolson Jr
LB 46 Alex McEachern Jr
DL 47 Quinton McCoy Fr
DL 48 Bryce Barnes So
DL 49 Seth Coleman  Fr
LB 51 Sean Coghlan Jr
DL 54 Marc Mondesir Sr
DL 88 Keith Randolph Jr.  Fr
DL 90 Anthony Shipton Jr
DL 91 Jamal Woods Sr
DL 92 Isaiah Gay Sr
DL 93 Calvin Avery Jr
DL 94 Jer'Zhan Newton Fr
DL 96 Roderick Perry II Sr
DL 98 Deon Pate Jr
DL 99 Owen Carney Jr. Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P, K 11 Caleb Griffin So
P 14 Blake Hayes Sr
K 17 James McCourt Sr
P 19 Hugh Robertson Fr
LS 39 Aidan Hall  Fr
LS 56 Ethan Tabel Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Rod Smith
    Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks
  • Bob Ligashesky
    Special teams coordinator
  • Mike Bellamy
    Running backs
  • Al Davis
    Defensive tackles
  • Andrew Hayes-Stoker
    Wide receivers
  • Keynodo Hudson
    Defensive backs
  • Jimmy Lindsey
    Defensive ends
  • Bob McClain
    Tight ends
  • Cory Patterson
    Tight ends
  • Miles Smith
    Linebackers
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 5, 2025

Game summaries

At No. 14 Wisconsin

See also: 2020 Wisconsin Badgers football team
Illinois Fighting Illini at No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Fighting Illini 0 7 007
No. 14 Badgers 7 21 01745

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

Game information
First quarter
  • WISC – Mason Stokke 10-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 11:37. Badgers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 2:58.

Second quarter

  • WISC – Jake Ferguson 5-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 11:54. Badgers 14–0. Drive: 14 plays, 88 yards, 8:17.
  • ILL – Tarique Barnes 39-yard fumble return (James McCourt kick), 3:22. Badgers 14–7.
  • WISC – Jake Ferguson 14-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 1:06. Badgers 21–7. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:16.
  • WISC – Danny Davis 53-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 0:28. Badgers 28–7. Drive: 1 play, 53 yards, 0:08.

Third quarter

  • No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

  • WISC – John Chenal 2-yard run (Collin Larsh kick), 12:23. Badgers 35–7. Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 5:44.
  • WISC – Jake Ferguson 3-yard pass from Jake Ferguson (Collin Larsh kick), 4:53. Badgers 42–7. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 6:46.
  • WISC – Collin Larsh 19-yard field goal, 0:56. Badgers 45–7. Drive: 7 plays, 15 yards, 3:13.
Statistics ILL WISC
First downs 8 23
Total yards 218 430
Rushing yards 131 182
Passing yards 87 248
Turnovers 2 1
Time of possession 16:32 43:28
Team Category Player Statistics
Illinois Passing Brandon Peters 8/19, 87 yards
Rushing Brandon Peters 7 rushes, 75 yards
Receiving Josh Imatorbhebhe 3 receptions, 26 yards
Wisconsin Passing Graham Mertz 20/21, 248 yards, 5 TD
Rushing Garrett Groshek 13 rushes, 70 yards
Receiving Jake Ferguson 7 receptions, 72 yards, 3 TD

Purdue

See also: 2020 Purdue Boilermakers football team
Purdue Boilermakers at Illinois Fighting Illini – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Boilermakers 7 10 14031
Fighting Illini 0 10 01424

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: October 31
  • Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 838
  • Referee: Jeff Servinski
  • TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, and Rick Pizzo
  • Box score, Recap
Game information
First quarter
  • PUR – Zander Horvath 1-yard run (J. D. Dellinger kick), 9:26. Boilermakers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 1:21.

Second quarter

  • PUR – Milton Wright 45-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (J. D. Dellinger kick), 11:01. Boilermakers 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 91 yards, 3:28.
  • ILL – Mike Epstein 7-yard run (Caleb Griffin kick), 4:46. Boilermakers 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:32.
  • PUR – J. D. Dellinger 36-yard field goal, 1:13. Boilermakers 17–7. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 3:33.
  • ILL – Caleb Griffin 28-yard field goal, 0:23. Boilermakers 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 0:50.

Third quarter

  • PUR – David Bell 3-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (J. D. Dellinger kick), 8:47. Boilermakers 24–10. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:47.
  • PUR – Jalen Graham 0-yard fumble return (J. D. Dellinger kick), 0:54. Boilermakers 31–10.

Fourth quarter

  • ILL – Daniel Imatorbhebhe 28-yard pass from Coran Taylor (Caleb Griffin kick), 11:44. Boilermakers 31–17. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:10.
  • ILL – Brian Hightower 9-yard pass from Coran Taylor (Caleb Griffin kick), 6:36. Boilermakers 31–24. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 2:44.
Statistics PUR ILL
First downs 25 27
Total yards 456 472
Rushing yards 85 177
Passing yards 371 295
Turnovers 2 4
Time of possession 30:38 29:22
Team Category Player Statistics
Purdue Passing Aidan O'Connell 29/35, 371 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Zander Horvath 22 rushes, 102 yards, TD
Receiving David Bell 9 receptions, 122 yards, TD
Illinois Passing Coran Taylor 17/29, 273 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Chase Brown 11 rushes, 73 yards
Receiving Brian Hightower 4 receptions, 97 yards, TD

Minnesota

See also: 2020 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Illinois Fighting Illini – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Golden Gophers 7 21 7641
Fighting Illini 0 7 0714

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

Game information
First quarter
  • MINN – Treyson Potts 9-yard run (Michael Lantz kick), 3:29. Golden Gophers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 93 yards, 4:24.

Second quarter

  • MINN – Rashod Bateman 5-yard pass from Tanner Morgan (Michael Lantz kick), 13:23. Golden Gophers 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 1:58.
  • MINN – Mohamed Ibrahim 1-yard run (Michael Lantz kick), 8:09. Golden Gophers 21–0. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 4:08.
  • ILL – Mike Epstein 1-yard run (Caleb Griffin kick), 5:32. Golden Gophers 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 2:37.
  • MINN – Mohamed Ibrahim 2-yard run (Michael Lantz kick), 0:24. Golden Gophers 28–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:08.

Third quarter

  • MINN – Mohamed Ibrahim 1-yard run (Michael Lantz kick), 0:21. Golden Gophers 35–7. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:53.

Fourth quarter

  • ILL – Josh Imatorbhebhe 52-yard pass from Coran Taylor (Caleb Griffin kick), 11:30. Golden Gophers 35–14. Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 0:54.
  • MINN – Mohamed Ibrahim 4-yard run (kick failed), 8:27. Golden Gophers 41–14. Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 3:03.
Statistics MINN ILL
First downs 30 14
Total yards 541 287
Rushing yards 325 181
Passing yards 216 106
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 37:35 22:25
Team Category Player Statistics
Minnesota Passing Tanner Morgan 17/27, 216 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Mohamed Ibrahim 30 rushes, 224 yards, 4 TD
Receiving Rashod Bateman 10 receptions, 139 yards, TD
Illinois Passing Coran Taylor 6/17, 106 yards, TD
Rushing Mike Epstein 11 rushes, 108 yards, TD
Receiving Josh Imatorbhebhe 2 receptions, 60 yards, TD

At Rutgers

See also: 2020 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team
Illinois Fighting Illini at Rutgers Scarlet Knights – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Fighting Illini 0 7 10623
Scarlet Knights 10 3 7020

at SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey

  • Date: November 14
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 54 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Mark Kluczynski
  • TV announcers (FS1): Lisa Byington, Jeremy Leman, and Coley Harvey
  • Box score, Recap
Game information
First quarter
  • RUTG – Bo Melton 29-yard pass from Noah Vedral (Valentino Ambrosio kick), 13:03. Scarlet Knights 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:57.
  • RUTG – Valentino Ambrosio 29-yard field goal, 4:33. Scarlet Knights 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 3:19.

Second quarter

  • ILL – Isaiah Williams 3-yard run (James McCourt kick), 13:45. Scarlet Knights 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards, 5:48.
  • RUTG – Valentino Ambrosio 26-yard field goal, 4:19. Scarlet Knights 13–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:02.

Third quarter

  • ILL – James McCourt 24-yard field goal, 8:59. Scarlet Knights 13–10. Drive: 12 plays, 69 yards, 6:01.
  • RUTG – Bo Melton 66-yard pass from Noah Vedral (Valentino Ambrosio kick), 7:43. Scarlet Knights 20–10. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 1:16.
  • ILL – Mike Epstein 1-yard run (James McCourt kick), 4:54. Scarlet Knights 20–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:49.

Fourth quarter

  • ILL – James McCourt 23-yard field goal, 13:02. Tied 20–20. Drive: 12 plays, 57 yards, 4:31.
  • ILL – James McCourt 47-yard field goal, 0:03. Fighting Illini 23–20. Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 1:14.
Statistics ILL RUTG
First downs 23 19
Total yards 442 422
Rushing yards 338 166
Passing yards 104 256
Turnovers 1 3
Time of possession 34:38 25:22
Team Category Player Statistics
Illinois Passing Isaiah Williams 7/18, 104 yards
Rushing Isaiah Williams 31 rushes, 192 yards, TD
Receiving Casey Washington 3 receptions, 52 yards
Scarlet Passing Noah Vedral 21/34, 256 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing Isiah Pacheco 20 rushes, 133 yards
Receiving Bo Melton 5 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TD

At Nebraska

See also: 2020 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
Illinois Fighting Illini at Nebraska Cornhuskers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Fighting Illini 14 14 10341
Cornhuskers 7 3 7623

at Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

Game information
First quarter
  • ILL – Chase Brown 3-yard run (James McCourt kick), 13:31. Fighting Illini 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 21 yards, 1:17.
  • NEB – Luke McCaffrey 5-yard run (Connor Culp kick), 9:20. Tied 7–7. Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, 4:05.
  • ILL – Chase Brown 2-yard run (James McCourt kick), 5:39. Fighting Illini 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:41.

Second quarter

  • ILL – Josh Imatorbhebhe 28-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick), 13:48. Fighting Illini 21–7. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:44.
  • NEB – Connor Culp 30-yard field goal, 7:32. Fighting Illini 21–10. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 4:00.
  • ILL – Mike Epstein 1-yard run (James McCourt kick), 5:50. Fighting Illini 28–10. Drive: 4 plays, 89 yards, 1:35.

Third quarter

  • ILL – James McCourt 24-yard field goal, 8:23. Fighting Illini 31–10. Drive: 16 plays, 65 yards, 6:31.
  • NEB – Luke McCaffrey 1-yard run (Connor Culp kick), 6:48. Fighting Illini 31–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:35.
  • ILL – Brandon Peters 1-yard run (James McCourt kick), 2:31. Fighting Illini 38–17. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:17.

Fourth quarter

  • ILL – James McCourt 21-yard field goal, 10:14. Fighting Illini 41–17. Drive: 12 plays, 41 yards, 5:42.
  • NEB – Levi Falck 4-yard pass from Adrian Martinez (run failed), 2:12. Fighting Illini 41–23. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 1:58.
Statistics ILL NEB
First downs 25 25
Total yards 490 392
Rushing yards 285 215
Passing yards 205 177
Turnovers 0 5
Time of possession 36:21 23:39
Team Category Player Statistics
Illinois Passing Brandon Peters 18/25, 205 yards, TD
Rushing Mike Epstein 13 rushes, 113 yards, TD
Receiving Josh Imatorbhebhe 4 receptions, 71 yards, TD
Nebraska Passing Luke McCaffrey 15/26, 134 yards, 3 INT
Rushing Luke McCaffrey 26 rushes, 122 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Wan'Dale Robinson 6 receptions, 60 yards

No. 19 Iowa

See also: 2020 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes at Illinois Fighting Illini – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 19 Hawkeyes 0 13 81435
Fighting Illini 7 7 0721

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

  • Date: December 5
  • Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 44 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 875
  • Referee: Jerry McGinn
  • TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins and Ben Leber
  • Box score, Recap
Game information
First quarter
  • ILL – Daniel Barker 24-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick), 8:10. Fighting Illini 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:32.

Second quarter

  • ILL – Josh Imatorbhebhe 12-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick), 13:30. Fighting Illini 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:24.
  • IOWA – Sam LaPorta 22-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick), 6:18. Fighting Illini 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:35.
  • IOWA – Keith Duncan 40-yard field goal, 2:54. Fighting Illini 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 32 yards, 2:16.
  • IOWA – Keith Duncan 27-yard field goal, 0:14. Fighting Illini 14–13. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 1:15.

Third quarter

  • IOWA – Ihmir Smith-Marsette 4-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Spencer Petras pass to Tyler Goodson), 8:24. Hawkeyes 21–14. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:35.

Fourth quarter

  • IOWA – Shaun Beyer 16-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick), 12:40. Hawkeyes 28–14. Drive: 2 plays, 32 yards, 0:52.
  • IOWA – Ihmir Smith-Marsette 13-yard run (Keith Duncan kick), 1:56. Hawkeyes 35–14. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 5:35.
  • ILL – Carlos Sandy 29-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick), 0:24. Hawkeyes 35–21. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 1:32.
Statistics IOWA ILL
First downs 22 20
Total yards 424 348
Rushing yards 204 149
Passing yards 220 199
Turnovers 0 0
Time of possession 30:26 29:34
Team Category Player Statistics
Iowa Passing Spencer Petras 18/28, 220 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Tyler Goodson 19 rushes, 92 yards
Receiving Brandon Smith 5 receptions, 58 yards
Illinois Passing Brandon Peters 10/18, 116 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Chase Brown 18 rushes, 83 yards
Receiving Josh Imatorbhebhe 4 receptions, 48 yards, TD

At No. 14 Northwestern

See also: 2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team
Illinois Fighting Illini at No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Fighting Illini 3 0 0710
No. 14 Wildcats 0 14 14028

at Ryan Field, Evanston, Illinois

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
  • Game weather: Rain and snow, 34 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Mark Kluczynski
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Kevin Brown, Mike Golic, and Taylor McGregor
  • Box score, Recap
Game information
First quarter
  • ILL – James McCourt 39-yard field goal, 1:49. Fighting Illini 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 59 yards, 7:29.

Second quarter

  • NW – Charlie Mangieri 2-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 14:56. Wildcats 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:53.
  • NW – Cam Porter 2-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 0:24. Wildcats 14–3. Drive: 17 plays, 64 yards, 7:02.

Third quarter

  • NW – Cam Porter 18-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 10:53. Wildcats 21–3. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:07.
  • NW – Evan Hull 32-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 4:02. Wildcats 28–3. Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 6:04.

Fourth quarter

  • ILL – Brian Hightower 46-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick), 8:47. Wildcats 28–10. Drive: 7 plays, 86 yards, 1:38.
Statistics ILL NW
First downs 14 23
Total yards 262 493
Rushing yards 155 411
Passing yards 107 82
Turnovers 0 1
Time of possession 25:25 34:35
Team Category Player Statistics
Illinois Passing Isaiah Williams 4/8, 86 yards, TD
Rushing Chase Brown 14 rushes, 70 yards
Receiving Brian Hightower 2 receptions, 60 yards, TD
Northwestern Passing Peyton Ramsey 7/12, 82 yards, TD
Rushing Evan Hull 13 rushes, 143 yards, TD
Receiving Kyric McGowan 4 receptions, 72 yards

At Penn State

See also: 2020 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
Illinois Fighting Illini at Penn State Nittany Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Fighting Illini 21 0 0021
Nittany Lions 21 21 7756

at Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. CST / 5:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 30 °F (−1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: John O'Neill
  • TV announcers (FS1): Cory Provus and Robert Smith
  • Box score, Recap
Game information
First quarter
  • PSU – Jahan Dotson 75-yard pass from Sean Clifford (Jake Pinegar kick), 14:48. Nittany Lions 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12.
  • ILL – Brian Hightower 5-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick), 11:06. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 16 yards, 1:36.
  • PSU – Lamont Wade 100-yard kickoff return (Jake Pinegar kick), 10:51. Nittany Lions 14–7.
  • ILL – Chase Brown 12-yard run (James McCourt kick), 9:50. Tied 14–14. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:01.
  • ILL – Daniel Barker 38-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick), 6:10. Fighting Illini 21–14. Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:37.
  • PSU – Will Levis 4-yard run (Jake Pinegar kick), 1:13. Tied 21–21. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:57.

Second quarter

  • PSU – Caziah Holmes 3-yard run (Jake Pinegar kick), 14:04. Nittany Lions 28–21. Drive: 2 plays, 10 yards, 0:40.
  • PSU – Keyvone Lee 1-yard run (Jake Pinegar kick), 5:32. Nittany Lions 35–21. Drive: 15 plays, 91 yards, 6:48.
  • PSU – Jahan Dotson 70-yard pass from Sean Clifford (Jake Pinegar kick), 3:49. Nittany Lions 42–21. Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:12.

Third quarter

  • PSU – Brenton Strange 7-yard pass from Will Levis (Jake Pinegar kick), 0:20. Nittany Lions 49–21. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 4:23.

Fourth quarter

  • PSU – Caziah Holmes 1-yard run (Jake Pinegar kick), 3:32. Nittany Lions 56–21. Drive: 10 plays, 79 yards, 5:09.
Statistics ILL PSU
First downs 12 28
Total yards 273 580
Rushing yards 153 253
Passing yards 120 327
Turnovers 2 1
Time of possession 25:10 34:50
Team Category Player Statistics
Illinois Passing Isaiah Williams 8/18, 120 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Isaiah Williams 15 rushes, 102 yards
Receiving Daniel Barker 3 receptions, 54 yards, TD
Penn State Passing Sean Clifford 16/22, 285 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Keyvone Lee 19 rushes, 85 yards, TD
Receiving Jahan Dotson 6 receptions, 189 yards, 2 TD

2021 NFL draft

See also: 2021 NFL draft
Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
3 87 Kendrick Green OG Pittsburgh Steelers
5 167 Nate Hobbs CB Las Vegas Raiders

References

  1. ^ Stevens, Matthew (September 16, 2020). "Big Ten To Play A "Championship Weekend" 9th Game Of 2020 Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "2020 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Illini Head Coach Lovie Smith Out After Five Seasons". www.msn.com. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "2020 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  5. ^ Baird, Nathan (July 31, 2020). "Ohio State voted 2020 Big Ten favorite in cleveland.com Preseason Poll". Cleveland.com. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  6. ^ Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  7. ^ "No. 3 Ohio State cancels Saturday's game at Illinois because of COVID-19 cases, putting the Buckeyes 1 cancellation away from being ineligible for the Big Ten title". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "2020 Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved September 23, 2020.


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