Because I am a lazy, mediocre White guy, all stolen from fightingillini.com unless otherwise indicated....
Illinois (1-1) vs. Southern Illinois (2-1)
Date | Time Saturday, Sept. 19 | 1 p.m. CT
Location Champaign, Ill. (Gies Memorial Stadium) {DRIVE BACK FROM CARBONDALE, JUDGE JUDY!}
TV Peacock
Radio SiriusXM (113/232)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois takes on in-state foe Southern Illinois on Saturday at Gies Memorial {Scoreboard} Stadium to end its three-game nonconference homestand to start the 2026 season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Peacock. {GAME SHOULD ALSO BE ON NBCSPORTSNETWORK IF YOUR PROVIDER CARRIES IT}
Illinois (1-1) looks to restart its nonconference winning streak after snapping a 10-game nonconference winning streak dating back to 2023 with last week's loss to Duke. Southern Illinois (2-1) is coming off a rivalry win over SEMO.
The Illini have been highlighted through two games by wide receiver Collin Dixon, who is tied for the national lead in receiving touchdowns (5) and tied for the Big Ten lead in receptions (17). Getting Dixon the ball {BECAUSE HE IS NOT LOOKING TO THROW TO ANYONE ELSE!} is quarterback Katin Houser, who ranks seventh in the nation in ESPN's QBR metric (90.2) and ranks among the nation's top quarterbacks in passing touchdowns (14th, 6), passing efficiency (23rd, 178.6), and completion percentage (28th, 71.2).
Paul Bermeister (play-by-play), Ian Book (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (reporter) have the television broadcast streaming on Peacock. The Busey Bank Illini Sports Network has the radio call with Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), and Kevin Mitchell (sideline).
{Ashley ShahAhmadi is an American sports reporter. She formerly worked for ESPN's college football coverage since 2023, and has worked as an ESPN Radio NBA postseason reporter, covering the Minnesota/Dallas playoff series during the 2023–24 NBA season. She covered the Charlotte Hornets for six years with FanDuel Sports Network Southeast before leaving in 2024.....She covered the Atlanta Braves as well. She is now a sideline reporter for NBC Sports coverage of the NBA and WNBA.
ShahAhmadi is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She began her broadcast journalism career in Meridian, Mississippi as the weekend sports anchor at WTOK-TV. She then made a 100-market jump to Jackson, Mississippi as the weekend sports anchor at WAPT-TV. She then returned to Atlanta, Georgia to work as social media content producer and host for Fox Sports South/Southeast, then in 2018 became the reporter for the Hornets. She also was a CMT correspondent.
ShahAhmadi resides in Atlanta with her husband, retired professional baseball player Tyler Krieger, whom she married in 2023.}
New Traffic Patterns
The University of Illinois Division of Public Safety and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) will implement a lot-specific traffic-routing system for the 2026 Illinois football season. The new routes are designed to ease traffic as much as possible, but fans are encouraged to arrive earlier than usual and review their designated gameday parking route on the Illinois Football 2026 Parking Updates website in advance.
Notes
Illinois vs. SIU
• Illinois is 4-0 all-time against Southern Illinois.
• Illinois legend Howard Griffith produced one of the all-time great games in college football history against Southern Illinois when he ran for a record eight touchdowns against the Salukis on Sept. 22, 1990. Griffith was inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame last weekend. {MAYBE HE CAN SUIT UP FOR THIS GAME TOO}
The Illinois Offense
• Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. is the longest tenured offensive coordinator in the Big Ten. {YES, BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WANTS TO GIVE HIM A PROMOTION....MAYBE RUNNING THE BALL INTO THE LINE ON 2D AND 3D DOWN IN A CLUTCH POSSESSION WAS NOT A SMART DECISION}
• WR Collin Dixon is off to one of the best starts for a wideout in program history through two games. He is tied for the Big Ten lead in receiving touchdowns (5) with Rutgers' KJ Duff and Indiana's Charlie Becker and tied for the Big Ten lead in receptions (17) with Duff. Dixon ranks third in the Big Ten in receiving yards (236), behind only Duff and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith. Nationally, Dixon ranks tied for first in receiving touchdowns, sixth in receptions, and 13th in receiving yards. Dixon, Becker, Duff, and Buffalo's Chance Morrow are the only players in the nation with five receiving touchdowns.
• Illinois QB Katin Houser ranks seventh in the nation in ESPN's QBR metric (90.2) and ranks among the nation's top quarterbacks in passing touchdowns (14th, 6), passing efficiency (23rd, 178.6), and completion percentage (28th, 71.2).
• In the season-opening win over UAB, Houser had the eighth-best passing efficiency in a game in program history and the best ever in an Illini debut (224.6).
• WR Hudson Clement has caught a pass in 29 straight games, the sixth-longest active streak in the nation.
• The Illinois offensive line has yet to allow a sack this season.
• The Illinois offense has improved every year since Lunney's arrival. The Illini averaged 24.2 points per game in Lunney's first year in 2022, followed by 24.5 in 2023, 28.3 in 2024, and 29.4 in 2025.
• From Lunney's first season in 2022 through the 2025 season, Illinois ranked second in the Big Ten in completion percentage (65.1), fourth in passer rating (143.9), fifth in points (1,359), fifth in passing touchdowns (83), and fifth in passing yards (11,739) among the 14 teams that were in the league all four seasons (2022-25).
The Illinois Defense
• Illinois' defense is run by first-year defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck, the former Montana and UNLV head coach.
• DL Will Holmes ranks 20th in the nation with nine total pressures with a 27.3% pressure rate on pass snaps (data by PFF). {BETTER NOT DEPEND ON THE GIANT SCOREBOARD AS THE REASON THIS DUDE WILL STAY!}
• LB Ismael Kante has the eighth-longest interception return for a touchdown in the nation this season (59 yards vs. UAB).
• DB Matthew Bailey is the only player in the nation returning after leading his team in tackles in 2024 and 2025. Bailey is Illinois' leading tackler this season with 12.
Mr. Roberts? Weather?
I am in a stew over how that Duke game went. I had big clams on that game with Babe! I have been a bent cigar since last week. What a bunch of baloney that was! I ended up getting the bum's rush out of our favorite juice joint. Next time, I will shiv that soda jerk.
It's going to be sweltering Saturday, see! As hot as a bootlegger’s boiler out on the pavement:
1PM Gametime
Mostly Cloudy
87 °F
Will Feel Like 92 °F
Precip - 15 % 0 in
Cloud cover 66 %
Dew Point 69 °F
Humidity 55 %
Wind 7 mph WSW
Barometric Pressure 29.91 in
I am off to get spifflicated with Babe and check out the gams on the dames.
Thank you Mr. Roberts. Now onto the lines with Jimmy....
Greek: VSiN does not even have this game listed! So Brent can kiss off today.
Open Illini -41.5
Current Illini -39.5. 40 at BetRivers
Over/under open 53.5
Current over/under 54.5
69% of the action on SIU.
Illini 0-2 ATS. SIU 1-1.
Illini 2-0 on the over.
Last week I said take Duke and the under. Boy, did I underestimate the Illini defense incompetence! No more of that. Take SIU and the over.
Thanks, Greek!
Onto Tempo's Kompendium of Krap. This week, sponsored by Wyffels Hybrids.
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Locally located in Geneseo and Atkinson, Illinois.
Mahomes looked like crap Monday night. This week in your fantasy leagues you should start Justin Fields!
I have to put on my bucket hat here. I have a beef with Ben Johnson. I started Loveland and Thomas in by Billion Dollar DFS last week. ZERO targets! Raymond and Walker got targets and not MY GUYS? WTH? Keep your shirt on this week, Ben. I do not care how many points the Bears score but you better target MY DFS PLAYERS this week! Everyone loves Raymond....except ME!
Ben Johnson has been warned: You do not want to get on Tempo's bad side. Next week he may accuse you of committing genocide against his DFS teams.
Lot 46 Tailgate update: Last week Judge Judy and I stayed out there until 830PM. Everyone else left in a huff (not Huff Hall)! Apparently The Scoreboard was not enough to keep people around post-game.
No clue what I am doing yet this week. Going to be too hot to cook again, so screw that.
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