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Pat Bryant scores twice, Ethan Moczulski kicks school-record FG in Illinois' victory

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Pat Bryant scores twice, Ethan Moczulski kicks school-record FG in Illinois' victory


CHAMPAIGN — Luke Altmyer threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns, both to Pat Bryant, to lead Illinois to a 30-9 win over Central Michigan on Saturday.

Bryant had seven catches for 102 yards and Zakhari Franklin caught five passes for 66 yards.

Josh McCray ran for 54 yards on eight carries and Ca’Lil Valentine had 53 yards on five rushes for the Illini (3-0), who have won three straight games to start the season for the first time since 2011.

Texas A&M transfer Ethan Moczulski kicked a school-record 59-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to give the Illini a 13-6 lead.

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Illinois coach Bret Bielema said the win wasn’t pretty despite the lopsided score.

“I could almost feel it coming after we beat (then-No. 19 Kansas) last week and had to flip the page and get ready for Central Michigan,” he said. “We had our work cut out for us and we made it more difficult than it needed to be.”

Altmyer and Bryant hooked up on a 20-yard TD pass to begin the second half. Bryant wriggled free from four would-be Central Michigan tacklers on his way to the end zone.

Bryant was wide open in the end zone when Altmyer hit him with an 11-yard TD pass in the first quarter.

“Luke and I did lot a work over the summer so when we get to the field for a game, things come easily for us,” Bryant said.

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David Alano, the other half of Illinois’ placekicking tandem along with Moczulski, made a 49-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 34-yarder in the third.

“Ethan (Moczulski) has made a 61-yarder in practice. He has an extremely explosive leg,” Bielema said. “He and David are a pretty good 1-2 punch for us in the kicking game.”

Tristan Mattson kicked 32- and 29-yard field goals in the first half and a 25-yarder in the fourth for Central Michigan (1-2). The first field goal came after a 9-yard TD run by Marion Lukes was called back because of a holding penalty.

Central Michigan QB Joe Labas was 12 of 25 for 125 yards.

Chippewas coach Jim McElwain said his team was facing a long bus ride home to think about the game.

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“First drive of the first half, first drive of the second half, Illinois marches right down the field and scores,” he said. “That’s unacceptable. Can’t do that.

“Offensively, we’ve got to score touchdowns when we’re in the red zone. Illinois has a good defense. The numbers show it. Give them credit. But we’ve got to put it in the end zone when we’re down there.”

The takeaway

Illinois: After Illinois’ victory over Kansas lost some of its luster Friday when the Jayhawks were upset 23-20 at home by UNLV, the Illini struggled at times against Central Michigan and had 10 penalties for 81 yards. That can’t happen when Illinois hits the road the next two weeks to play Nebraska and No. 8 Penn State.

Central Michigan: Six turnovers were the Chippewas’ undoing in a lopsided loss last week to Florida International. Of the 52 points Central Michigan allowed, 39 came off turnovers. The Chippewas had just one turnover against Illinois, the third interception of the season by reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Xavier Scott, and it didn’t lead to any points. That’s the biggest positive Central Michigan can take from the game.

Up next

Illinois: At Nebraska on Friday night.

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Central Michigan: Hosts Ball State on Saturday.





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Illinois

Where to watch Iowa basketball vs. Illinois today: TV channel, time

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Where to watch Iowa basketball vs. Illinois today: TV channel, time


Iowa basketball (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten) welcomes in No. 16 Illinois (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in a top-25 conference tilt.

The 19th-ranked Hawkeyes are looking to get the taste of a frustrating road loss at Minnesota out of their mouths. Iowa trailed by as many as 14, but rallied back to take the lead in the game’s final two minutes. The Golden Gophers hit a go-ahead 3-pointer from Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and then watched as a series of potential game-tying Iowa threes wouldn’t drop in a final, frantic sequence from Williams Arena.

Illinois enters winners of four straight and six of their past seven. The Illini rolled past Rutgers on Thursday, 81-55.

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Watch Iowa vs. Illinois

Iowa owns a 57-24 all-time record against Illinois in Iowa City, though the Illini have owned the series of late. Illinois has won four straight over Iowa and nine of the past 10. That stretch of success from the Illini comes on the heels of a five-game Iowa win streak in the series from 2018-20.

As tipoff approaches, here’s how and when Hawkeye fans can watch Iowa basketball vs. Illinois:

How to watch Iowa basketball vs. Illinois

TV: Fox

Tipoff Time: 11 a.m.

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Iowa battles Illinois on Fox in its “Gold Out” game from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Jason Benetti (play-by-play) will be joined by Steve Smith (color).

How to stream Iowa basketball vs. Illinois

Hawkeye fans can stream Iowa basketball vs. Illinois with Fubo, which offers a free trial to first-time subscribers.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnHawks



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Ex-husband charged in Tepe murders, held in Illinois jail

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Ex-husband charged in Tepe murders, held in Illinois jail


The ex-husband of a woman found shot to death with her current husband Dec. 30 in Columbus’ Weinland Park neighborhood has been charged with murder in the deaths.

Michael David McKee, 39, of Chicago, faces two counts of murder, according to Franklin County Municipal Court documents.

According to online court records, a warrant was issued Jan. 10 for McKee’s arrest. Winnebago County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Office records indicate he was booked into jail there shortly before noon local time. He will remain there until authorities extradite him back to Franklin County.

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Winnebago County court records show McKee is scheduled for a hearing there on Jan. 12, likely an extradition hearing to begin the process of his return to Ohio.

Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, died Dec. 30, just after their five-year wedding anniversary, after being found shot inside their home on the 1400 block of North 4th Street in Weinland Park. The couple’s two young children, both under the age of 5, were found physically unhurt inside the home.

Columbus homicide detectives identified McKee through neighborhood video surveillance, police alleged in court documents. They tracked the suspect “to a vehicle which arrived just prior to the homicides and left shortly after.” They found the vehicle in Rockford, Illinois, and found evidence that McKee had the vehicle before and after the killings.

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Columbus police have not publicly identified a potential motive in the couple’s deaths.

In a statement released after McKee’s arrest, the Tepe family thanked Columbus police for their “tireless” work to find the suspect.

“Nothing can undo the devastating loss of two lives taken far too soon,” the Tepe family said. “We thank the community for the continued support, prayers and compassion shown throughout this tragedy. As the case proceeds, we trust the justice system to hold the person responsible fully accountable.

“Monique and Spencer remain at the center of our hearts, and we carry forward their love as we surround and protect the two children they leave behind,” the statement said. “We will continue to honor their lives and the light they brought into this world.”

McKee and Monique married in 2015, according to Franklin County Domestic Court records. She filed for divorce in May 2017 with the formal divorce decree being issued about a month later. Court filings indicate the divorce was amicable. Monique did not share any children with McKee, whom the divorce filings identify as living in Virginia at the time.

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Around 9 a.m. on Dec. 30, coworkers of Spencer’s from the dentistry office where he worked in Athens called Columbus police after Spencer did not show up for work and no one could reach Spencer or Monique by phone.

An officer went to do a well-being check but went to a home on Summit Street instead of the Tepe home, according to Columbus police body camera video. About 40 minutes after that check, friends of the Tepes found them dead in their home.

Police have focused the investigation on the window of time between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Dec. 30, which is when they believe the couple was killed. On Jan. 5, detectives released video from a security camera showing a person walking in an alley near the Tepes’ home during that time frame, calling the person a “person of interest.”

That person is now believed to be McKee.

Medical licensure databases show McKee has active licenses in both Illinois and California. He is identified as working as a vascular surgeon in a practice in the Rockford area, the same area where his vehicle was found.

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McKee went to medical school at Ohio State University and has family in the Zanesville area, according to publicly available information.

A public visitation for the Tepes will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Jan. 11 at the Schoedinger Northwest funeral home on Zollinger Road in Upper Arlington. An additional gathering for a celebration of life will occur from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at Due Amici in Columbus.

Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.



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Iconic Illinois House Featured in ‘Home Alone’ Set to Be Restored to ’90s Design, Project Manager Says

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Iconic Illinois House Featured in ‘Home Alone’ Set to Be Restored to ’90s Design, Project Manager Says


Home Alone fans were devastated when the house featured in the movie was recently put up for sale and the interiors didn’t match the ones seen in the 1990 classic. Now the property, which can be found in suburban Winnetka outside Chicago, is set to undergo another major renovation, this time transforming it back to […]



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