Illinois

Nebraska vs. Illinois football FREE STREAM: How to watch today

Published

1 year ago

September 20, 2024

Nebraska vs. Illinois football FREE STREAM: How to watch today

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Rising programs in the Big Ten collide as the No. 22 Nebraska Cornhuskers host the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini today – Friday, Sept. 20 – at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. This NCAA football game is available on multiple streaming services for free.

The matchup will broadcast live on FOX at 8 p.m. Eastern. (7 p.m. Central). Fans without cable can catch the game at no cost via FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both offer free trials. FuboTV is offering a special $30 discount off your first month too.

Another option is SlingTV, which has promotional offers for new customers.

Guided by head coach Matt Rhule, the Cornhuskers (3-0) continue to roll through the season with a beaming confidence that this year is different.

The revival is spearheaded by five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who continues to grow into his own. Raiola has notched 670 yards and five touchdowns while giving up one interception. He has a 73.8% completion percentage.

Sophomore running back and Oregon transfer Dante Dowdell has tallied 31 carries for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Emmett Johnson, senior Rahmir Johnson and junior Gabe Ervin have combined for 244 yards and three touchdowns.

Allowing just 20 points all season, the defense has been a consistent strength. After terrorizing Colorado two weeks ago, the Cornhuskers smothered Northern Iowa 34-3. That’s even when the Panthers had a 38:07-21:53 time of possession advantage.

The Cornhuskers secondary will be tested in this one. They have relinquished two touchdowns thus far this season. The defense is allowing just 6.7 points per game while garnering nine sacks and five turnovers.

Nebraska finished their nonconference schedule without a loss for the first time since 2016.

It’s the first game between two ranked opponents at Memorial Stadium in over a decade. Nebraska has lost their last 12 matchups against ranked opponents. The historic venue will be celebrating its 400th consecutive sellout.

Watch Nebraska vs. Illinois on FuboTV for free

The Fighting Illini (3-0) are off to a strong campaign in Bret Bielema’s fourth year at the helm. It’s their first 3-0 start since 2011 and the first time in 16 years they get to be part of a ranked vs. ranked matchup. They have a key road win against No. 19 Kansas under their belt and are coming off a victory over Central Michigan last week.

Like Nebraska, Illinois is dreaming big, especially with the playoff doors widening. But a meaty Big Ten schedule will provide a dose of reality.

It all comes as somewhat of a surprise after the Fighting Illinois lost a boatload of talent, including three of its four leading receivers and Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Jer’Zhan Newton.

The Fighting Illinois are led by junior quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has amassed 648 yards and six touchdowns with a 68% completion rate. He averages 8.1 yards per pass and can fly out of the pocket when needed.

His favorite target, senior Pat Bryant, has hauled in 235 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 15.7 yards per reception. Ole Miss senior transfer Zakhari Franklin has 16 receptions for 193 yards.

The ground game is guided by sophomore Kaden Feagin, who has taken over the reins with 42 carries for 173 yards and three touchdowns. The offensive line is bolstered by three returning starters, including senior Zy Crisler and junior Josh Gesky.

In total, the offense is averaging 32.7 points per game.

Defensively, the Fighting Illini have only allowed two touchdowns in three games. They have also forced nine turnovers in that span, which is the second-most in the Big Ten. They allow a stingy 8.7 points per game.

Junior linebacker Dylan Rosiek, last year’s leading tackler, has 14 tackles and a forced fumble. Senior defensive lineman and Florida State transfer Dennis Briggs Jr. has tallied 13 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Junior defensive backs Miles Scott and Xavier Scott have snatched a combined five interceptions in three games.

It’s the second consecutive year these two teams will play each other on Friday night. The Cornhuskers snapped a three-game losing streak to the Fighting Illini last year. Nebraska has been no stranger to the solo spotlight, tallying five Friday night conference games since 2017.

Nebraska leads the all-time series 14-6-1.

Watch Nebraska vs. Illinois for free on DirecTV Stream

Who is announcing Nebraska vs. Illinois?

Tim Brando (play-by-play) and Devin Gardner (analyst) will be the announcers while Josh Sims reports from the sidelines.

What are the latest odds for Nebraska vs. Illinois?

Spread: NEB: (-8), Ill: (+8)

Moneyline: NEB: (-325), Ill: (+260)

Point total: 43

Odds from DraftKings

Here’s more information on how to watch this game on TV and streaming services.

What: College football: Nebraska vs. Illinois

When: Friday, Sept. 20, 2024

Time: 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central)

Where: Memorial Stadium | Lincoln, Nebraska

Channel: FOX

Best streaming options: FuboTV (free trial and $30 off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling TV ($10 off first month)

Cable Channel Finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios

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Illinois

Illinois’ ceiling was on display in St. Louis

Published

4 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Press Room

Illinois’ ceiling was on display in St. Louis

For the past several seasons, Illinois has had “as high of a ceiling” as virtually any program in the nation.

The full height of that ceiling was on display in St. Louis last night. Not just offensively, but defensively as well.

The historic whooping of rival Missouri showed the Illinois fanbase the true potential of this year’s roster, which felt much needed after a disappointing loss to Nebraska at home a week prior.

On offense, Illinois looked like the juggernaut that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing over the past half-decade or so. 91 points, 15 made threes, 20 assists, and full control over the rebounding battle helped keep the Illini in control over the Tigers all night.

Keaton Wagler continued his sensational freshman campaign, posting 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Tomislav Ivisic and Andrej Stojakovic combined for 30 points and 5 made threes. Star senior Kylan Boswell was relatively quiet, but the rest of the Illini supporting cast stepped up. That’s the beauty of a deep and absurdly talented roster.

We could talk at length about how special Illinois is on the offensive side of the ball. They look dominant as a full unit and have a number of stars that can give you an Earth-shattering individual performance on any given night. There’s a reason they’re ranked second in offensive efficiency on KenPom, Bart Torvik, and Haslametrics. The offense is simply that good.

The Illini defense on the other hand…hasn’t always fit the bill. Despite a solid defensive efficiency rating on metric sites like KenPom, I think it’s fair to say that the Illinois defense hadn’t passed the eye test until Monday night in St. Louis.

Camryn Crocker’s group did hold Tennessee to 62 points in Nashville, but it surrendered 23 offensive rebounds and gave the Volunteers more than enough opportunities to put up points. The team’s defensive performance against Tennessee wasn’t even in the same stratosphere as their effort against Missouri.

Missouri scored just 48 points. The Tigers shot 29% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc. They recorded 10 turnovers compared to just 6 assists. Illinois won the rebounding battle by 19. Missouri had 8 shots sent back at them.

You’d be a fool to expect Illinois to look like that every single outing. Illinois does have some great individual defenders in Kylan Boswell and Zvonimir Ivisic and the majority of the rotation can at least hold their own individually. The overall team defense hasn’t been up to par this year though.

JT Toppin went for 35 against the Illini. Labaron Philon had 24. Bruce Thornton put up 34. Pryce Sandfort posted a career-high 32. For a few minutes it looked like Missouri’s Anthony Robinson II was well on his way to a great scoring night, but Illinois eventually put him in check.

Letting a player go for a career-high isn’t necessarily the worst strategy in the world. It’s unlikely that one guy can beat your entire team, especially with the offensive firepower that Illinois possesses this season. When Illinois fans complain about an opposing player going nuclear, I think it has more to do with the frustration that comes from the self-inflicted mistakes that Illinois players have been making defensively rather than the agony that results from someone making a tough shot.

Everyone knows that the Illini defense can be better. Simple miscommunications, blown switches, and basic scouting report errors seem to have plagued the defensive unit in critical moments early on this season. That can be fixed. It definitely looked a whole lot better against Missouri.

Illinois has made an interesting adjustment on the defensive end this year. In Brad Underwood’s first eight years at the helm, Illinois ranked top-100 in the nation in defensive 3PA/FGA rate. They ranked top-40 each of the last six years and top-10 each of the last two years. They rank 177th so far this season.

Instead of defending the three-point line like their lives depend on it, Illinois has let opponents launch away. 35.9% of opponents’ points have come from threes this season, compared to just 27.0% last season.

Missouri launched 22 threes on Monday night, making just six. When they tried to drive the ball, Zvonimir Ivisic wreaked havoc in the paint. Illinois got some great defensive performances individually as well. Keaton Wagler stuck out to me personally.

With a handful of new players and a huge schematic adjustment like Illinois made this offseason, there were bound to be some growing pains as a defensive unit. A dominant performance against Missouri was a step in the right direction.

In order to win games late in March, a team needs both a great offense and a great defense. We know that Illinois has at least one of the two. In St. Louis, we saw a glimpse of the other begin to emerge.

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Illinois

Pedestrian dead after fatal train collision in Camp Point, Illinois

Published

16 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Press Room

Pedestrian dead after fatal train collision in Camp Point, Illinois

CAMP POINT, Ill. (WGEM) – A pedestrian was killed after being struck by a train in Camp Point Thursday afternoon.

An Amtrak train struck a pedestrian at the railroad crossing at North Ohio Street near East State Street, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO).

The Adams County Coroner pronounced the pedestrian dead on the scene.

Illinois, South Ohio and West and East Jefferson streets in Camp Point were blocked off for the duration of the investigation.

The ACSO stated the coroner will release more information at a later time.

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Illinois

Central Illinois couple spends golden years serving others

Published

1 day ago

December 25, 2025

Press Room

Central Illinois couple spends golden years serving others

PEORIA (25News Now) – One Central Illinois couple is spending their golden years trying to make the world a better place.

Sandy and Phillip Anton have been volunteering at Midwest Food Bank since 2022. Sandy interacts with clients, helping them get checked in and pick out good food. Phillip is the one who operates the overhead door so that volunteers can load up the vehicles. Both of them are trained in other roles as well.

“We’ve been aware, through family and community connections, of the need, of food insecurity. We know the need is out there. We made a purposeful decision to focus our retirement on food insecurity,” Sandy said.

The food bank praised the couple for their skill at interacting with the community. The organization do much of their work with the help of volunteers like the Antons.

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