2022 Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 52 Days (Favorite Wins Over Illinois)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The 2022 Hoosier Huddle Countdown is nearly halfway complete! Since there is no player currently assigned number 52, we have decided to take a break our normal profile article and instead highlight a few of the more memorable games between IU and Illinois. After all, our countdown is leading right to the clash between the two on September 2.

With no further ado, a quick recap of the IU-Illinois series on the gridiron. The two schools are more known for their hardwood battles but they have played 71 times with Illinois victorious 45 times to IU’s 24 (there have been two ties). IU has won three in a row and has not lost to the Illini since 2011.

1987 – 34-22 IU victory in Bloomington

The most interesting part of this game is this was Bill Mallory’s only win over Illinois. Mallory’s first game against the squad from Champaign was in 1984 against Illini head coach Mike White. He lost in 84, 85 and 86. Each game was closer than the one before but the Hoosiers were still coming up short. In 1987, IU was having a good campaign and sat at number 18 in the country with a record of 6-2 after a loss at Iowa. The Illini were struggling, sitting but had not lost in three weeks (two wins and a tie) and looked like they might save Mike White’s job. The Hoosiers would have none of that as nearly 51,000 packed into Memorial Stadium to see the upstart IU Hoosiers control Illinois and beat them comfortably to advance to 7-2. They would lose the next week at Michigan State before beating Purdue in the season finale to go 8-3. Indiana lost in the Peach Bowl to Tennessee and shockingly, Bill Mallory would fail to beat Illinois again, losing in 1988, 1989 and 1990 to new head coach John Mackovic.

2006 – 34-32 IU victory in Champaign

IU as a Homecoming opponent for Big Ten squads is not a novelty or memorable. IU spoiling said Homecoming with a big comeback victory on the road? Quite memorable indeed. The Hoosiers were 2-3 and needed a victory to keep Terry Hoeppner’s bowl dream alive. Illinois scored on each of its first five possessions to build a 25-7 lead. The Hoosiers battled back with a pair of Josiah Sears touchdowns to make it 25-21 at the half. Marcus Thigpen, an exceptional kick returner for those that don’t know or don’t remember, took the opening kick of the second half to the end zone to make it 28-25 Hoosiers. Austin Starr added a field goal but Illinois took the lead back with a reverse for a score. Indiana got into position with five Kellen Lewis completions for 60 yards and then a spike at the Illinois 15-yard line with four seconds remaining. Austin Starr connected on the kick as time expired to give IU a thrilling 34-32 road win. The high-water mark for the season would be the next week as IU upset Iowa to move to 4-3 but they limped to a 5-7 season and missed a bowl game.

2013 – 52-35 IU victory in Bloomington

Last but not least, this offensive explosion was notable because I so vividly remember being blown away that IU could overwhelm a Big Ten opponent like they did on this day. Illinois was bad, really bad. This was their 19th straight conference loss. Still, IU was loaded on offense and Kevin Wilson had them humming. A few stats of note: Cody Latimer had 11 catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns Tevin Coleman ran the ball 15 times for 215 yards, what a player he was. Nate Sudfeld was 20 of 27 for 267 yards with three touchdowns and IU racked up 650 yards. Of course, it would not have been a Kevin Wilson IU game without huge numbers on the other side as well. Nathan Scheelhaase attempted 57 passes and had 450 yards with two touchdowns plus 45 yards rushing as Illinois gained 612 yards. That’s nearly 1300 yards of offense, a true encapsulation of the Kevin Wilson era.

As one would expect from an IU centric site, this trip down memory lane focuses on the positive for the Hoosiers, Illinois has had the better of the series for most of history but IU will hope they can keep the current winning streak going.

The countdown continues with a new profile each and every day so come back to hoosierhuddle.com daily!