Illinois
New-look Illinois opens the season against upset-minded Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois at Illinois, Thursday, 9 p.m. ET (BTN)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Illinois by 27 1/2.
Series record: Illinois leads 2-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Illinois needs a decisive victory to show it has tossed aside the disappointing conclusion to last season — two-point losses in the final two games cost them a bowl bid — and has the ability to make some noise in the Big Ten. Bret Bielema is 18-19 in three seasons in Champaign, with a promising 8-5 finish bookended by two 5-7 seasons.
Eastern Illinois, 8-3 a year ago and ranked No. 24 in the final FCS poll, has an opportunity to pull off a major upset against a foe just 56 miles from its campus in Charleston.
KEY MATCHUP
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, left, talks to referees during the NCAA college football game against Northwestern, Nov. 25, 2023, in Champaign, Ill. Credit: AP/Erin Hooley
Eastern Illinois QB Pierce Holley vs. the Illinois defense. Holley, a two-year starter, passed for 2,741 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, his first at Eastern Illinois after transferring from Georgetown. The Illini led the nation in scoring defense in 2022 (12 points per game) but slipped last season to No. 95 (29 points per game). The Illini hope CB Terrance Brooks, a transfer from Texas, will shore up their secondary.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Eastern Illinois: LB Elijawah Tolbert is a two-time first team All-Big South/OVC selection. He led the Panthers last season with 87 tackles, including seven for loss. Tolbert entered the transfer portal after last season and went through spring practice at Missouri State, but returned to Eastern Illinois during the summer.
Illinois: WR Zakhari Franklin, a transfer from Ole Miss, is college football’s active career leader in receptions (266), receiving yards (3,386) and receiving touchdowns (38). He’s been reunited with Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., who was Franklin’s OC at UTSA, where he began his college career.
FACTS & FIGURES
Illinois is 3-0 in season openers under Bielema, beating Nebraska, Wyoming and Toledo at home. … Former Eastern Illinois football player Chris Wilkerson returned to his alma mater in 2022 to coach the Panthers after a successful eight-year run as the coach at the University of Chicago. After a 2-9 season in Wilkerson’s first year as Eastern Illinois’ coach in 2022, the Panthers turned things around last season. They were one of the final four teams considered for the FCS playoffs. … Of the 120 players on the Illinois roster, 45 are new to the program. … Illinois offensive linemen have a combined 96 starts and 168 games in their collegiate careers … The Illini have 17 players, including nine transfers, who have started 10 or more games in college. … Illinois and Eastern Illinois last met in 2008. The Illini won 47-21.
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Illinois
How to Watch Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds
![How to Watch Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds How to Watch Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YEvNJrnth_3P2QCRquvXt2h-VSw=/0x0:4553x2384/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25590398/1733721932.jpg)
How to Watch Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois
Game Time: 8 p.m. Thursday
TV Channel: BTN
Online Streaming: FOX Sports GO
Odds: ILL -28, O/U 45
Quick Hits:
Illinois Fighting Illini (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Bret Bielema (4th season, 18-19 record)
Last Game: 45-43 loss to Northwestern
Gameday Reading:
Eastern Illinois Panthers (0-0)
Head coach: Chris Wilkerson (3rd season, 10-12)
Last game: 28-14 win over Robert Morris
What Happened the Last Time These Two Teams Played?
Sept. 6, 2008: Illinois 47, EIU 21
How about this gem from News-Gazette veteran Scott Richey, when he covered EIU!
CHAMPAIGN – Eastern had a chance to take the lead against No. 24 Illinois about six minutes before halftime. The Panthers had the ball at the Illinois seven-yard line, but could not pick up that crucial yard with consecutive rushing plays.
Illinois then scored twice before the second quarter came to a close to increase their lead to 19-7 en route to a 47-21 victory.
The Fighting Illini dominated with their ground game with 399 rushing yards on 53 carries. Illinois junior quarterback Juice Williams had an Illinois record 174 yards and scored twice on the ground. Williams also completed 16-of-25 passes for 124 yards and another touchdown.
Illinois
Illinois reports first West Nile Virus death this year
![Illinois reports first West Nile Virus death this year Illinois reports first West Nile Virus death this year](https://cdn.abcotvs.com/dip/images/15237317_082724-wls-west-nile-death-10pvo-vid.jpg?w=1600)
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) — Illinois has reported its first West Nile Virus death of 2024.
The person was in their 80s and lived in Lake County, Illinois.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
They developed symptoms in the middle of this month and died soon after.
The Illinois Health Department says nine people across the state have come down with the virus so far this year.
West Nile Virus is typically spread through mosquito bites.
People older than 50 and immunocompromised individuals are at higher risk for severe illness from West Nile Virus.
SEE ALSO | Dr. Anthony Fauci was hospitalized with West Nile virus and is now recovering at home
Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Illinois
Southern Illinois Food Insecurity Summit held at John A. Logan College
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. (KFVS) – Imagine not having enough food to feed your family–it’s a reality for folks in every community across the United States, including here in the Heartland.
A summit held Tuesday at John A. Logan College is working to end food insecurity in the area.
Numbers from Feeding America show food insecurity affects approximately 13,000 children across southern Illinois.
Jennifer Paulson is working to change that by supplying food and teaching sustainable farming methods through the non-profit Food Works.
”That can look like a lot of things: workshops for farmers, farmers markets, food hubs, and then the snap and link program at farmers markets across southern Illinois,” Paulson said.
She told us the fourth annual Southern Illinois Food Security Summit helps bring organizations and non-profits together to network and ensure crucial needs are met as the hunger fight continues.
”It really takes all these groups working together and coming at it from different angles,” she said.
Food Works recently launched a new mobile farmers market to help families in southern Illinois communities that don’t have easy access to a grocery store.
”It essentially is a farmers market on wheels. So all the food groups you expect to see at a farmers market–fresh produce, local meat, dairy, baked goods, all those things,” Paulson said. “And this vehicle lets us take that market on the road to the communities that need it.”
Elizabeth Deruntz, the deputy director of Food Works, said this is a great way to come up with new ideas to fight hunger in the heartland.
”It’s wonderful to meet with people who are like-minded about sourcing food and getting food to more food to people in our region. It is a regional struggle and we need to find new and interesting ways to work together,” she said.
For more information on how you can help fight hunger in southern Illinois, visit https://www.feedsi.org/.
Copyright 2024 KFVS. All rights reserved.
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