Illinois

‘Routine for him’: Illinois’ receivers showed up when it mattered most

Published

2 years ago

September 8, 2024

‘Routine for him’: Illinois’ receivers showed up when it mattered most

Goooood afternoon, Illini fans. If you’re reading this on Sunday, it’s the one-year anniversary of the Illini’s loss to Kansas in Lawrence. It’s also the one-day anniversary (not sure if that’s a thing) of the win over No. 19 Kansas in Champaign. There were plenty of positives to take away from the game, including but not limited, to our receiving game.

“Holy cow, did you see that catch?”

That’s a question you could’ve asked a handful of times during Illinois’ 23-17 upset win over the Kansas Jayhawks, but for the most part, you said it while pointing at the players wearing 13 or 4.

While even the more pessimistic Illini fans might point to the team’s slow start and argue that a better first quarter may have made things easier, we’d like to argue it wouldn’t have made the game as fun as it was.

The Illini exited the gates playing great defense, with a Xavier Scott interception and a turnover on downs keeping the game close despite a Zakhari Franklin fumble in Illinois territory.

Just when Illini fans started hoping for Luke Altmyer to start slinging it, he did. With around two and a half minutes left in the second quarter, it looked like Barry Lunney Jr. made the call to start slinging it to a target the OC is very familiar with.

Franklin, who knew Lunney from his days at UTSA, made this catch look easy.

“It was third down. I saw Luke scrambling, and I just wanted to stay in bounds. Keep my feet in and make the catch,” Franklin said, reminiscing on the catch. He’s a man of few words, and when asked what the key to making a grab like that, he said: “Concentration. Focus.”

On the play following the catch, Franklin was called for an offsides, turning 1st and 10 on the 28 to a 1st and 15 on the 33. The drive would end with David Olano sinking a 50-yard field goal into some wind.

“Flush it. Mistakes are gonna happen, so [I] just play the next play,” Franklin said on the mindset following the earlier fumble and the penalty. He says that’s been his mindset when handling in-game mistakes, something that’s developed as he’s matured. He’s a journeyed veteran and is currently college football’s active career leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. When asked when that ability to simply ‘flush it’ came to him, he said: “Man, I don’t even know man. It just happened over time.”

While Illini fans may be quick to label Franklin to be as good as advertised, Bielema says there’s much more left to come from him.

“I think he’s only going to begin to get better,” he said. Franklin was a late addition to this recruiting class, committing in June. “He’s understanding how we do things here, and [he’s] put himself in a position to not only help us this year but also for the future.”

Following a quiet third quarter that saw Kansas reclaim its lead, Altmyer’s arm got back to slinging, leading the charge on an eight-play, eighty-yard drive looking to reclaim the lead.

A big 37 yards. The hesitation, acceleration and separation before the catch were perfectly orchestrated by the veteran.

Directly following that pass, Illini fans wouldn’t be blamed for having a feeling of déjà vu: a chunk of that big gain was taken away by a seven-yard sack.

The passing game was on line and in the heads of the Kansas defense. That success through the air opened the door for Luke Altmyer on the ground. He’d scramble for 18 yards to convert the 2nd-and-17 and threw another dot to Bryant two plays later.

TCR staff photographer Brad Repplinger got a great shot of Bryant’s stretch for the pylon, too:

TCR // Brad Repplinger

“He does it every day in practice man, it’s just like routine for him,” fellow wideout Franklin said on Bryant’s pass-catching ability after the game.

The following play would be a one-yard punch-in for running back Kadin Feagin, giving Illinois its first lead since going up 13-10.

A 15-play, 42-yard and nearly seven-minute drive burned plenty of clock and gave Illinois a 23-17 lead, which featured true freshman running back Ca’Lil Valentine. The back, who Bielema says is as “quick as a hiccup”, finished with eight rushes and 25 yards, including two crucial first downs to set up Olano from 43 yards out.

After that, the game boiled down to letting the defense do what the defense had been doing for the past three quarters.

Illinois might not have had a ton of yards through the air (just 192) or any receiving touchdowns, but Altmyer, Franklin and Bryant made the passing game look good when it mattered most.

Illinois is off to its first 2-0 start since 2019. Next week, they’ll be chasing their first 3-0 start since 2011. If they can do that and grab one or two road victories, Kansas might not be the last sellout of the season.

“I look forward to playing in [front of] some more sellout crowds here,” Franklin said.

Saturday will be a September Homecoming at home against the Central Michigan Chippewas. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium be at 11 a.m., and the game can be seen on Peacock.

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Illinois

Obituary for Tessie Lee Woods at Carl E. Ponds Funeral Home Inc.

Published

9 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Obituary for Tessie Lee Woods at Carl E. Ponds Funeral Home Inc.

Tessie Lee Woods, age 91, departed this earths life surrounded by her loved ones. She was Born on October 25, 1934, in Arkansas to the late Connie and Deanner Holliman. Tessie attended school in Arkansas and, later in life, moved to Rockford, Illinois, where she met and married Robert B.

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Illinois

CASNews faculty spotlight: Dr. Eric Godoy

Published

21 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

CASNews faculty spotlight: Dr. Eric Godoy

Name: Eric Godoy
Title: Associate Professor
Unit: Department of Philosophy
Years at Illinois State: 8 1/2 years

Tell us about your teaching and research in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Renewable energy alone won’t make our energy systems more just. The production, distribution, and consumption of energy are connected to many ethical issues. For example, even renewable energy projects can pollute environments or displace people. My recent research examines these ethical challenges and asks what a just transition might look like. I’ve also published work on climate ethics, trophy hunting lions, urban park design, interdisciplinary research, and dinosaur films. My most popular course is PHI 236: Values and the Environment, but I also teach many topics in moral, social-political, and environmental philosophy. I’m also a proud affiliate of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program (WGSS).”

What are your proudest accomplishments during your time at Illinois State?

“I was awarded an American Council of Learned Societies’ fellowship for my work on energy democracy this year. I was nominated by our university for a Carnegie Fellowship in 2024. I was also very honored to receive a College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Excellence Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2021. But I’m always the proudest when I hear about the success of my former students. I love getting emails about their new careers or their graduate studies in all kinds of fields: law, environmental work, and, of course, philosophy.”

What’s your favorite thing about Illinois State or the College of Arts and Sciences?

“I do my best research in conversation with students and colleagues in different fields. Our students and faculty are so talented. They’re often working on amazing projects. I learn so much from them. They encourage me to explore new research questions I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Environmental problems are inherently interdisciplinary. I’m very grateful that CAS supports interdisciplinary work and programs, such as WGSS, Environmental Systems Science and Sustainability, and Civic Engagement. Philosophy lends itself so well to interdisciplinary relationships since there are philosophical questions at the heart of every field.”

Department of Philosophy Chair Christopher Horvath on Godoy:

“Dr. Eric Godoy is an innovative, student‑centered educator whose inclusive and interdisciplinary pedagogy consistently elevates the department’s instructional standards. He is deeply committed to creating learning environments that empower students from diverse backgrounds to engage meaningfully with complex philosophical issues. His leadership in curriculum development has made him one of the department’s most forward‑thinking educators. Complementing his teaching excellence, his research provides practical, ethically grounded solutions to energy‑policy conflicts and will shape national conversations about democratic participation in a just transition away from fossil fuels.”

Read more stories from the College of Arts and Sciences at News.IllinoisState.edu/Unit/College-Arts-Sciences and follow the college on Facebook and Instagram.

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Illinois

More César Chavez murals, memorials taken down as Illinois Senate honors Dolores Huerta

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

More César Chavez murals, memorials taken down as Illinois Senate honors Dolores Huerta

Murals and memorials of César Chavez are continuing to come down across Chicago after allegations emerged last week that the Latino civil rights activist groomed and sexually assaulted girls and women.

The allegations were revealed in a New York Times investigation published March 18.

Some artworks are being repainted with murals of Dolores Huerta, the longtime ally of Chavez in the labor rights movement. Huerta, 95, told the New York Times that Chavez had sexually assaulted her.

The Illinois Senate adopted a resolution Wednesday honoring Huerta and declaring April 10 as “Dolores Huerta Day” in Illinois.

“In recent months, Dolores Huerta has shown profound resilience and courage in sharing her own experience of harm, doing so in order to uplift the stories of countless women whose voices were overlooked or silenced,” the resolution states.

One of the resolution’s sponsors, State Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, said she is also working on a plan to rescind César Chavez Day, which is next week on March 31st.

At Cafe Tola in Lake View, a Chavez mural outside the restaurant’s building was replaced this week with a painting of Huerta, who coined the phrase, “Sí, se puede,” which loosely translates to, “Yes, we can.”

“We are deeply saddened by this news, yet we stand in unwavering support and admiration for Dolores Huerta and every woman who has found the courage to come forward,” Cafe Tola said in a social media post. “This moment is powerful — proof that truth cannot be silenced and that it is never too late to reclaim your voice. We honor that strength.”

A plaque dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the death of César Chavez, honoring him and Sister Dolores Huerta, before it was taped over at the Haymarket Memorial in the West Loop.

In the West Loop, a plaque honoring Chavez’s labor rights movement has been covered with black tape at the Haymarket Memorial. According to the Chicago Federation of Labor, the organization is planning to fully remove it.

“We will be discussing with all our partners on how to best honor both the survivors of Cesar Chavez’s horrific abuse and the workers that were betrayed by Chavez,” a spokesperson for the Chicago Federation of Labor said in a statement.

Black tape covers up a plaque (left) that commemorates the 30th anniversary of César Chavez’s death on the base of the Haymarket Memorial in the West Loop, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

Last week, Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said the allegations that Chavez sexually assaulted children, women, workers and labor organizers “is a betrayal to our movement.”

Chavez, who died in 1993, has long been revered in Chicago’s Latino community. In addition to numerous murals of him across the city, a public elementary school in Back of the Yards and a post office in Pilsen are both named after him.

The school, César E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center, has initiated the process that could lead to a new name. It is receiving community feedback about a possible new name, according to Chicago Public Schools officials. Any recommendation would need approval from the Local School Council and the school board.

Another school in Pilsen, Peter Cooper Dual Language Academy, has a mosaic of Chavez and Huerta side by side. It’s unclear if the school plans to remove the mosaic of Chavez.

The Sun-Times was the first to report that Chavez’s face had been painted over last week on the “Libertad” mural across a long wall at Barrett Park in Pilsen.

A splotch of green paint initially covered the portion where Chavez was depicted, but Park District officials have since painted over that with a continuation of the mural’s background design, a Park District spokesperson said.

Other historical figures on the mural, including Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. remain visible on the wall.

Paint covers Cesar Chavez’s face on a mural depicting civil rights figures that can be seen an exterior wall of Barrett Park in the Pilsen neighborhood, Friday, March 20, 2026.
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“The Chicago Park District takes recent allegations of misconduct by Cesar Chavez seriously … and are conducting a district-wide review of any other park features that may honor him,” a Park District spokesperson said previously. “Where appropriate, we will take further action consistent with our values and standards.”

The Park District has not identified any other murals or memorials of Chavez on any of its properties, the spokesperson said Wednesday.

Contributing: Isabela Nieto

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