Stolen from the usual source...
Illinois (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) at Maryland (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten)
Date | Time Saturday, Oct. 31 | 11 a.m. CT
Location College Park, Maryland (SECU Stadium) [Better start driving now, Judge Judy!]
TV FS1
Radio Busey Bank Illini Sports Network SiriusXM (262)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Following two straight Big Ten wins, Illinois heads to Maryland for the second time in program history and the first time since 2023. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT on FS1.
Illinois (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) is coming off a 21-10 win over #25 Oregon in Champaign. The Illini scored the games final 21 points to come from behind and beat the Ducks. The Illinois defense, led by Juice Clarke's 10 tackles and two pass breakups, snapped Oregon's streak of 61 straight games scoring more than 10 points.
Maryland (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) is coming off a bye and will play its first game under interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim.
Noah Reed (play-by-play) [from Indiana, Ball State grad, Denver Nugget PBP guy] and Mark Helfrich (analyst) have the the national television broadcast on FS1 [Where is the sideline chick?
]. The Busey Bank Illini Sports Network has the state-wide radio call with Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), and Kevin Mitchell (sideline).
Notes
ILLINOIS OFFENSE NOTES
*WR Collin Dixon is one of the top wide receivers in the nation:
One of only four players in the nation to rank in the top 15 in receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, along with Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State), Malachi Toney (Miami), and Umari Hatcher (Syracuse)
Fourth in the nation in receiving touchdowns (10), behind Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Oregon State's Jesse Legree, and Miami's Malachi Toney
Broke Illinois' Gies Memorial Stadium record for receiving touchdowns in a season (7) in three games
Tied Illinois' single-season record with his 10th receiving touchdown during last week's Oregon game
Fifth in the nation and leads in the Big Ten in receptions (54)
14th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in receiving yards (678)
16th in the nation and third in the Big Ten in total touchdowns (10)
*QB Katin Houser will miss an extended period of time after suffering a broken hand at Michigan State on Oct. 10. Houser ranked in the top 25 in the nation in ESPN's QBR metric (21st, 80.5), passing touchdowns (24th, 12), completions (17th, 122), and passing yards (23rd, 1,440) before going down with the injury.
*QB Michael Clayton II relieved Houser at Michigan State and became the first true freshman to throw 2+ touchdowns in a Big Ten win in Illinois program history. He was 6-of-8 passing for 88 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Hudson Clement on the first play of overtime.
*Clayton was the third true freshman quarterback in Illinois history to win a game as the starter, joining Juice Williams at Michigan State in 2006 and Kurt Kittner at Northwestern in 1998. Clayton was the first to beat a ranked team.
*Clayton was the sixth Illini true freshman to start at QB: M.J. Rivers II (2018, 3G), Cam Thomas (2017, 2G), Aaron Bailey (2013, 1G), Juice Williams (2006, 9G), Kurt Kittner (1998, 5G). [Let's hope he is more like the last 2 and not the first 3 listed....]
*RB Aidan Laughery and Qwantavius Wiggins (Georgia State) are the only running backs in the nation with two touchdown rushes over 75 yards this season.
*Laughery has 100+-yard games against two ranked opponents - Ohio State (113) and Oregon (123). In the last 25 years, he is the only player to run for over 100 yards against both Ohio State and Oregon in the same season.
*Laughery ran for 113 yards at Ohio State, the first opposing player to rush for 100+ at Ohio Stadium since Michigan's Kalel Mullings (116 yards) on Nov. 30, 2024.
ILLINOIS DEFENSE NOTES
*After Oregon scored a touchdown on its first drive, the Illini defense only allowed three points on the last 12 Ducks drives, including five three-and-outs.
*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 again this season with 49, including a career-high 14 at Ohio State.
*DL Will Holmes' 24 pressures ranks fourth in the Big Ten, according to PFF
*CB Juice Clarke ranks ninth in the nation in pass breakups (
. He is tied for the Big Ten lead with Audavion Collins (Penn State) and Ivy Obidegwu (Oregon).
*Clarke had one of the best games of his career against Oregon, allowing only one reception for three yards on 42 coverage snaps. He had more pass breakups (2) than receptions allowed (1) on only three targets against.
ILLINOIS SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
*Illinois had punted only 10 times through six games, tied with Oklahoma State for the fewest in the nation, before punting eight times against Oregon.
I*llinois punter Lars Rau has landed six of his last 14 punts inside the 12-yard line over the last four games, including two at Ohio State (4- and 7-yard lines), two against Purdue (9- and 11-yard lines), and two against Oregon (both on the 9-yard line).
*Illinois kicker Ethan Moczulski is 10-for-12 on field goals and 10-for-11 inside of 60 yards, including two made field goals over 50 yards. He ranks sixth in the Big Ten in made field goals (10) and fifth in field goal percentage (83.3).
RANKED WINS
*Illinois is 7-5 against ranked opponents (AP, Coaches, and/or CFP rankings) since 2024. From the 2008 Rose Bowl game through the 2023 season, Illinois went 5-41 [YIKES!] against ranked teams and two of those wins were under Bielema in 2021 (at #7/8 Penn State; at #20 Minnesota).
*Illinois' ranked wins since 2024:
2026: #25 Oregon
2025: #21/22 USC, #23 Tennessee (Music City Bowl)
2024: #19/20 Kansas, at #22/22 Nebraska, #24/22 Michigan, vs. #14/14 South Carolina (Citrus Bowl)
*All seven of Illinois' ranked wins since 2024 have come as underdogs. [SHOCKING!}
*Illinois has beaten at least one ranked team in three straight seasons for the first time since an eight-year run from 1988-95.
Early weather forecast with Mr. Roberts:
Mr. Robert: I once made whoopee with a Sheba on Halloween in the cemetery off of Florida Avenue. I was wearing a Zoot suit; she was dressed as Amelia Erhardt. Like Amelia, she was never heard from again. Those days were the bees' knees where you could just give them a fake name and never deal with them again! Good times. Here is my early look at the weather for the gridiron game this weekend:
The weather at SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland, for this Saturday, October 31, 2026, will feature mostly cloudy skies, a high near 67°F to 72°F, and a low around 47°F to 49°F.
Forecast Details for Saturday, October 31
• Condition: Mostly cloudy or partly sunny
• High Temperature: 67°F to 72°F
• Low Temperature: 47°F to 49°F
• Precipitation Chance: Low (about 5% to 10%)
• Wind: East-northeast at roughly 5 to 6 mph
Gambling with The Greek:
Brent: Greek, you lost both Illinois bets last weekend.
Greek: You never mention when I win.
Brent: What do you have for us this week, Greek?
Greek: Depending on your book, this one opened Illinois -3 to -2. Now sitting at -2.5. Money line was Illinois -135 to -145. Still in that ballpark with Maryland at +115 to +125. Over/under you was between 50.5 to to 52.5. Now at 53 to 53.5. Maryland was 0-10 coming off the bye under Locksley.
Big win for Illinois against Oregon. Offensive line actually looked ok and got some push coming off their bye. But I see Illinois being set up for a let down. This will be another Bret Bielema Classic Head Scratcher. Take Maryland and the under are locks. I would bet all of Tempo34's sweet Uber tax free tips on the under!
Tempo's Kompendium of Krap! Brought to you this week by....
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If you watched last night's Sunday Night Football and have half a brain (Mn and Custard excluded!), you would realize there should be a quarterback controversy in Kansas City! Expect Justin Fields to start and lead the Chiefs to the Super Bowl against the Bears!
I need to get something off my chest. As an Uber driver, in all seriousness, I’M SICK AND TIRED OF WAYMO AND THESE DAMN DRIVERLESS CARS!
Let me tell you something: I’m out here busting my ass every single day driving for Uber, dealing with traffic, drunk passengers, people who take 10 minutes to come downstairs, and gas prices that eat up half my damn paycheck so I cannot bet as much on golf! And now I’m supposed to compete with a robot on wheels that doesn’t need to sleep, doesn’t need to eat, and doesn’t have to worry about paying rent?
Are you kidding me?!
I’m a real person trying to make an honest living. I’ve got bills to pay, a car to maintain, insurance that costs a fortune, and a family to support. Every mile I drive puts wear and tear on my vehicle. Every hour I work is an hour away from my own life betting on golf and DFS, but I do get to listen to The Score. But apparently, none of that matters to the tech billionaires sitting in their air-conditioned offices, dreaming up new ways to replace working people with machines.
And don’t give me that crap, Murph, about how Waymo is the future and technology always creates new opportunities. Yeah, maybe it creates opportunities for software engineers, that Nivida leather jack wearing tech bro nerd, and corporate executives cashing in on the next big thing. What about the thousands of drivers who are supposed to just smile, shrug, and find a new job when their livelihoods get automated out of existence?
WHO EXACTLY IS THIS FUTURE SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR?
The passengers get a novelty ride. The investors get richer. The tech companies get another market to dominate. And the rest of us? We get to watch our fares and earnings get squeezed while some robot car rolls past us without a care in the world.
And what happens when something goes wrong? When the car gets confused, blocks traffic, or does something nobody anticipated? Technology is great until it isn't. A computer can follow its programming, but the real world is messy, unpredictable, and full of situations that don't fit neatly into an algorithm.
I’m not saying technology should stop advancing. I’m saying working people shouldn't have to be the sacrificial lambs every time some corporation comes up with a cheaper way to do business.
If Waymo wants to compete, fine. But let’s stop pretending this is just about convenience and innovation. It’s about money. It’s about replacing human labor with machines because machines can eventually be cheaper than people. And the people who pay the price are the ones who were already working their asses off just to get by.
I didn’t sign up to be in a race against Silicon Valley billionaires (even though I am working for Silicon Valley billionaires at Uber) and their fleets of robot taxis. I signed up to drive, earn a living, and put food on the table and money into Elon Musk's and Trump's pockets!
So forgive me if I’m not cheering while these driverless cars roll into town and threaten another way for ordinary people to make a buck.
CALL ME OLD-FASHIONED, BUT I BELIEVE A WORKING PERSON’S LIVELIHOOD SHOULD MATTER MORE THAN A TECH COMPANY’S PROFIT MARGIN.
Because when the robots finally take the wheel, I’ve got a feeling the people celebrating the loudest like Custard won't be the ones left holding the bill.
Glad you have us here at HQ2 as a sounding board for you, Tempo!
Tailgating update: None. Not going to Maryland.
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