Illinois
Illinois and Michigan State meet in Champaign, both looking to end 2-game skids
Michigan State (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) at Illinois (6-3, 3-3), Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Illinois by 3.
Series record: Michigan State leads 27-19-2.
What’s at stake?
Illinois lost to No. 1 Oregon and Minnesota in its last two games, knocking the Illini out of the AP Top 25 poll after seven straight weeks. The Illini face three teams with a combined 13-14 record (Michigan State, Rutgers and Northwestern) to end the regular season and wins could improve their bowl destination. Michigan State lost to rival Michigan and Indiana the past two games to fall under .500. The Spartans have Purdue and Rutgers to close out the season and have a chance to land a bowl bid to cap Jonathan Smith’s first year as coach.
Key matchup
Illinois’ offense struggled in the back-to-back losses, scoring just 26 points. The Illini are averaging 25.9 points per game. Illinois will face a Michigan State defense that allows 323.6 yards per game, No. 30 in the nation, and has held five opponents under 300 yards.
Players to watch
Illinois: Luke Altmyer has thrown just three interceptions, the lowest total of any starting QB in the Big Ten. But turnovers were an issue for him against Minnesota. He lost two fumbles while being sacked, including one deep in Gophers’ territory with 29 seconds left that ended the Illini’s final scoring opportunity in the 25-17 loss. Coach Bret Bielema said after the game that Altmyer’s ball security would be a point of emphasis in practice.
Michigan State: Freshman receiver Nick Marsh ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 16.8 yards per catch and is seventh in the conference with 69.1 receiving yards per game. He leads the Spartans in receiving yards (553) and is second in receptions (33). His receiving yards are the most by a freshman in Michigan State history (Cody White, 490, 2017).
Facts & figures
LB Dylan Rosiek, Illinois’ leading tackler, suffered a broken leg against Minnesota and is out for the season. … Michigan State’s schedule is the 11th toughest in the nation, according to the NCAA. Opponents have a .649 winning percentage. … The Spartans have won 16 of the last 20 games against Illinois. … Michigan State has two running backs — Kay’ron Lynch-Adams and Nathan Carter — with more than 2,000 career rushing yards. They are one of just 10 RB duos in the country with more than 2,000 career yards on the ground. … The Spartans have a strong kicking game. Jonathan Kim is 17 of 19 on field goals. He’s seventh in the nation in field goals made. Ryan Eckley is the top punter in the Big Ten, averaging 49.2 yards per punt. … Illinois has an outstanding placekicker in David Alano, who is perfect on 24 PATs and 14 of 17 on field goals.
Illinois
Illinois state trooper mourned after being struck, killed by car on I-55
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Illinois
Illinois will be fourth school for Tomiwa Durojaiye
Tomiwa Durojaiye was a three-star recruiting win for Kentucky in the 2022 high school cycle. The Delaware native picked the Wildcats over South Carolina after recording 58 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and two forced fumbles as a senior. The senior defensive lineman would spend just one season in Lexington.
Duojiaye entered the transfer portal in the spring window ahead of the 2023 season. Durojaiye landed at West Virginia and had a strong year as a redshirt freshman. The defensive lineman recorded 23 tackles, six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 14 pressures, and played 270 snaps. Despite the strong close to see playing for a 9-4 team, Durojaiye decided to enter the portal again.
Tomiwa Durojaiye landed at Florida State and only played 32 snaps this season. Durojaiye then became a three-time transfer when he entered the transfer portal on Dec. 9. The defensive lineman found another power conference home on Tuesday.
The defensive lineman has committed to Illinois and will play in a fourth power conference in 2025 after spending time in the SEC, Big 12, and ACC.
Alex Afari Jr. and Josh Kattus are the only signees from Kentucky’s 2022 high school class remaining on the roster.
The transfer portal is open for business and so far we know of 20 players who will be seeking out greener pastures this offseason.
- DL Keeshawn Silver (Committed to USC on Dec. 19)
- DB Avery Stuart
- LB Jayvant Brown
- TE Tanner Lemaster (Committed to Eastern Michigan on Dec. 22)
- TE Khamari Anderson (Committed to Arizona State on Dec. 22)
- TE Jordan Dingle (Committed to South Carolina on Dec. 18)
- OL Courtland Ford (Committed to UCLA on Dec. 17)
- OL Ben Christman
- OL Dylan Ray (Committed to Minnesota on Dec. 21)
- OL Koby Keenum (Committed to Mississippi State on Dec. 22)
- DL Tommy Ziesmer (Committed to EKU on Dec. 15)
- WR Dane Key
- WR Barion Brown (Committed to LSU on Dec. 14)
- WR Anthony Brown-Stephens
- WR Brandon White
- EDGE Tyreese Fearbry (Committed to Wisconsin on Dec. 22)
- EDGE Noah Matthews
- EDGE Caleb Redd (Committed to Kansas on Dec. 20)
- RB Chip Trayanum
- QB Gavin Wimsatt
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. Keep closer tabs on the Cats with our staff-only sticky thread on KSBoard, which will have updates on departures and targets throughout the offseason. Not a KSR+ member? Try it out today.
Illinois
Illinois Basketball Report Card: Grades vs. Missouri (Game 11)
Sunday was a huge step forward for Illinois (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten) on multiple fronts. An 80-77 win over Missouri in the team’s annual Braggin’ Rights game was the headline, but the subtext was infinitely more important.
Against the Tigers (10-2, 0-0 SEC), the Illini came through in crunch time (after letting potential wins against Northwestern and No. 1 Tennessee slip through their grasp) and earned only their second win away from the State Farm Center this season. They also got the best of a physical battle for the first time and remained poised despite some highly questionable calls from the officials and some squirrelly behavior on the part of Mizzou.
It was arguably Illinois’ best team win yet of 2024-25. So how did the Illini grade out individually? We’re here to hand out the report cards:
In the postgame presser, Underwood gave Johnson a shout-out, saying that he thought the freshman forward had his best game of the year against Missouri. You’ll get no argument here. Johnson had six points (3-for-4 on field goals) and eight rebounds – including five on the offensive end – in just 19 minutes. His interior defense and rim protection have never been better or more valuable.
Boswell’s field-goal shooting is the embodiment of hit-or-miss (2-fo-12 against the Tigers), but his on-ball defense was again elite – along with his rebounding (nine) and playmaking (a game-high five assists). Although he missed a free throw at the end that could have salted the game away, Boswell’s determination in going hard to the rim and 11-for-12 showing at the line were key difference-makers.
Jakucionis finished with 21 points against Mizzou – his sixth straight game of at least 20, only the fourth time since 1996-97 that a Big Ten freshman has achieved the feat. His clutch shooting and steady hand at the free-throw line (8-for-8) were vital, but his turnovers (five on Sunday) continue to be a problem – especially because many of them appear to be so preventable. Scary as it sounds, he’s still learning.
Foul trouble limited Ivisic for stretches against Missouri, but he was amazingly effective when essentially forced into action while handcuffed. He had several key stops and rebounds when the Tigers went at him – especially when they went at him with 7-foot, 300-pound Peyton Marshall. Ivisic managed 10 points and 11 important rebounds in a clipped 25 minutes.
Although plagued by the same foul issues experienced by Ivisic, White turned in similar production against Missouri: 13 points (on ultra-efficient 5-for-7 shooting) and eight rebounds. Additionally, he was an effective and versatile defender while taking nothing off the table (only two turnovers), which is what the Illini need from him moving forward.
Lawhorn had seven points on 3-for-4 shooting in just 14 minutes, and his energy – especially on a fastbreak layup that sent the Illini up 51-44 during a key second-half stretch – was just the lift Illinois needed on a day when foul trouble demanded that others to step into the breach.
Underwood swears that Humrichous’ shooting stroke will come around, saying that – like any other player – he just happens to be “going through a moment.” We tend to agree. In the meantime, though, Humrichous’ struggles on offense are compounded by a lack of output on the boards (only one on Sunday) and his defensive matchup issues against long, athletic forwards such as Missouri’s Mark Mitchell, Trent Pierce and Aidan Shaw.
Riley is figuring out where he can fit in on this deep, well-balanced Illini squad while also going through some freshman fits and starts. The competition has improved, sure, but he also appears to be pressing rather than letting the game come to him as he did during his explosive start. He’ll get there.
3 Key Numbers from Illinois Basketball’s Win Over Missouri
3 Big Takeaways From Illinois Basketball’s Rivalry Win Against Missouri
Illinois Basketball Outlasts Missouri to Win a Braggin’ Rights Banger
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