2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Record	2–6 (2–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	Lovie Smith (5th season; first 7 games) Rod Smith (interim; remainder of season)
Offensive coordinator	Rod Smith (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Uniform
Seasons ←  2019 2021  →

2020 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 2 Ohio State xy$^		5	–	0					7	–	1
No. 12 Indiana		6	–	1					6	–	2
Penn State		4	–	5					4	–	5
Maryland		2	–	3					2	–	3
Rutgers		3	–	6					3	–	6
Michigan		2	–	4					2	–	4
Michigan State		2	–	5					2	–	5
West Division
No. 10 Northwestern xy		6	–	1					7	–	2
No. 16 Iowa		6	–	2					6	–	2
Wisconsin		3	–	3					4	–	3
Minnesota		3	–	4					3	–	4
Nebraska		3	–	5					3	–	5
Purdue		2	–	4					2	–	4
Illinois		2	–	6					2	–	6
Championship: Ohio State 22, Northwestern 10
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Note: Due to COVID-19, the Big Ten suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on October 24. In addition to the title game that was played on December 19, the conference seeded all remaining teams for "championship week" games. [1] Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their fifth and final season under head coach Lovie Smith, the Fighting Illini compiled a 2–6 record (2–6 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten's West Division, and were outscored by a total of 279 to 161. ^[2] Prior to the team's final game, Smith was fired as head coach. ^[3]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Brandon Peters (429 passing yards, 48.8% completion percentage), running back Chase Brown (540 rushing yards), wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe (22 receptions for 297 yards), kicker James McCourt (33 points, 15 of 15 extra points, 6 of 10 field goals), and linebacker Jake Hansen (68 total tackles, 36 solo tackles). ^[4]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Big Ten preseason poll

The Big Ten preseason media prediction poll was released on July 31, 2020. The Fighting Illini were predicted to finish seventh (last) in the Big Ten West. ^[5]

West

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Wisconsin	221 (19)
2	Minnesota	209.5 (14)
3	Iowa	157
4	Nebraska	117
5	Purdue	105
6	Northwestern	87.5 (1)
7	Illinois	55

Schedule

Illinois had games scheduled against Illinois State, UConn, and Bowling Green, but canceled these games on July 9 due to the Big Ten Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[6]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 23	7:00 p.m.	at No. 14 Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	BTN	L 7–45	0
October 31	11:00 a.m.	Purdue	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	BTN	L 24–31	838
November 7	2:30 p.m.	Minnesota	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 14–41	863
November 14	12:00 p.m.	at Rutgers	SHI Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	W 23–20	0
November 21	11:00 a.m.	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	FS1	W 41–23	0
November 28	11:00 a.m.	No. 4 Ohio State	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (Illibuck Trophy)	FS1	No Contest [7]	–
December 5	2:30 p.m.	No. 19 Iowa	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	FS1	L 21–35	875
December 12	11:00 a.m.	at No. 14 Northwestern	Ryan Field Evanston, IL (rivalry)	ESPN2	L 10–28	0
December 19	4:30 p.m.	at Penn State	Beaver Stadium State College, PA	FS1	L 21–56	0
Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 24) released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[8]

Roster

2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 1 Isaiah Williams  Fr RB 2 Chase Brown So RB 3 Jakari Norwood So WR 4 Khmari Thompson So WR 5 Trevon Sidney Sr QB 6 Deuce Spann Fr QB 7 Coran Taylor So WR 8 Casey Washington So WR 9 Josh Imatorbhebhe Sr WR 10 Desmond Dan Jr. Sr WR 11 Carlos Sany So QB 12 Matt Robinson So WR 13 James Frenchie Jr. Fr WR 14 Brian Hightower Jr WR 15 Ty Lindenman Fr QB 16 Josh Beetham Fr QB 18 Brandon Peters Sr WR 19 Dalevon Campbell So WR 20 Kyron Cumby  Fr RB 23 Connor Lillig Jr RB 24 Nick Fedanzo  Fr WR 25 Kerby Joseph Jr RB 26 Mike Epstein Sr RB 27 Matthew Bobak Fr RB 28 Reggie Love III Fr TE 43 Griffin Moore  Fr OL 52 Verdis Brown So OL 53 Kendrick Green Jr OL 54 Julian Pearl So OL 55 Blake Jeresaty Sr OL 57 Evan Kirts  Fr OL 58 Preston Engel So OL 59 Josh Plohr  Fr OL 62 Terry Zapf So OL 63 Alex Palczewski Sr OL 65 Doug Kramer Sr OL 66 Jordyn Slaughter So OL 68 Ryan Ingold Fr OL 69 Moses Okpala  Fr OL 70 Tommy Cronin  Fr OL 71 Brett Novak Fr OL 72 Phifer Griffin Fr OL 74 Blaise Sparks Fr OL 75 Alex Philstrom Jr OL 76 Brevyn Jones  Fr OL 78 Kevin Tyler Fr OL 79 Vederian Lowe Sr TE 82 Luke Ford Jr WR 83 John Bickel Fr WR 84 Owen Hickey Fr WR 85 Dylan Thomas So WR 86 Donny Navarro III Jr TE 87 Daniel Barker Jr TE 88 Daniel Imatorbhebhe Sr TE 89 Tip Reiman Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 2 Derrick Smith Jr DB 3 Marquez Beason  Fr LB 5 Milo Eifler Sr DB 6 Tony Adams Sr DB 8 Nate Hobbs Sr DB 17 Kendall Smith Sr DB 21 Jartavius Martin Jr DB 23 Tahveon Nicholson Fr DB 29 Christian Bobak Sr DB 30 Sydney Brown Jr DB 31 Devon Witherspoon So DB 32 Tailon Leitzsey Sr DL 33 Ezekiel Holmes So LB 34 Ryan Meed  Fr LB 35 Jake Hansen Sr DB 36 Ben Schultz  Fr DB 37 Jaden Jones-Watkins So LB 38 Isaac Darkangelo Jr LB 40 Shammond Cooper  Fr DL 41 Tre'Von Riggins Fr DB 42 Michael Marchese Sr DL 43 Cooper Davis Fr LB 44 Tarique Barnes So LB 45 Khalan Tolson Jr LB 46 Alex McEachern Jr DL 47 Quinton McCoy Fr DL 48 Bryce Barnes So DL 49 Seth Coleman  Fr LB 51 Sean Coghlan Jr DL 54 Marc Mondesir Sr DL 88 Keith Randolph Jr.  Fr DL 90 Anthony Shipton Jr DL 91 Jamal Woods Sr DL 92 Isaiah Gay Sr DL 93 Calvin Avery Jr DL 94 Jer'Zhan Newton Fr DL 96 Roderick Perry II Sr DL 98 Deon Pate Jr DL 99 Owen Carney Jr. Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P, K 11 Caleb Griffin So P 14 Blake Hayes Sr K 17 James McCourt Sr P 19 Hugh Robertson Fr LS 39 Aidan Hall  Fr LS 56 Ethan Tabel Sr	Head coach Lovie Smith First seven games Rod Smith Interim; final game Coordinators/assistant coaches Rod Smith Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks Bob Ligashesky Special teams coordinator Mike Bellamy Running backs Al Davis Defensive tackles Andrew Hayes-Stoker Wide receivers Keynodo Hudson Defensive backs Jimmy Lindsey Defensive ends Bob McClain Tight ends Cory Patterson Tight ends Miles Smith Linebackers Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: August 5, 2025

Game summaries

At No. 14 Wisconsin

See also: 2020 Wisconsin Badgers football team

Illinois Fighting Illini at No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	0	7	0	0	7
No. 14 Badgers	7	21	0	17	45

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin

• Date: October 23
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 39 °F (4 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: Mark Kluczynski
• TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, and Rick Pizzo
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter WISC – Mason Stokke 10-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 11:37. Badgers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 2:58. Second quarter WISC – Jake Ferguson 5-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 11:54. Badgers 14–0. Drive: 14 plays, 88 yards, 8:17. ILL – Tarique Barnes 39-yard fumble return (James McCourt kick), 3:22. Badgers 14–7. WISC – Jake Ferguson 14-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 1:06. Badgers 21–7. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:16. WISC – Danny Davis 53-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick), 0:28. Badgers 28–7. Drive: 1 play, 53 yards, 0:08. Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter WISC – John Chenal 2-yard run (Collin Larsh kick), 12:23. Badgers 35–7. Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 5:44. WISC – Jake Ferguson 3-yard pass from Jake Ferguson (Collin Larsh kick), 4:53. Badgers 42–7. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 6:46. WISC – Collin Larsh 19-yard field goal, 0:56. Badgers 45–7. Drive: 7 plays, 15 yards, 3:13.

Statistics	ILL	WISC
First downs	8	23
Total yards	218	430
Rushing yards	131	182
Passing yards	87	248
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	16:32	43:28

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Brandon Peters	8/19, 87 yards
	Rushing	Brandon Peters	7 rushes, 75 yards
	Receiving	Josh Imatorbhebhe	3 receptions, 26 yards
Wisconsin	Passing	Graham Mertz	20/21, 248 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Garrett Groshek	13 rushes, 70 yards
	Receiving	Jake Ferguson	7 receptions, 72 yards, 3 TD

Purdue

See also: 2020 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Purdue Boilermakers at Illinois Fighting Illini – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Boilermakers	7	10	14	0	31
Fighting Illini	0	10	0	14	24

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

• Date: October 31
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 48 °F (9 °C)
• Game attendance: 838
• Referee: Jeff Servinski
• TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, and Rick Pizzo
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter PUR – Zander Horvath 1-yard run (J. D. Dellinger kick), 9:26. Boilermakers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 1:21. Second quarter PUR – Milton Wright 45-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (J. D. Dellinger kick), 11:01. Boilermakers 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 91 yards, 3:28. ILL – Mike Epstein 7-yard run (Caleb Griffin kick), 4:46. Boilermakers 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:32. PUR – J. D. Dellinger 36-yard field goal, 1:13. Boilermakers 17–7. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 3:33. ILL – Caleb Griffin 28-yard field goal, 0:23. Boilermakers 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 0:50. Third quarter PUR – David Bell 3-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell (J. D. Dellinger kick), 8:47. Boilermakers 24–10. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:47. PUR – Jalen Graham 0-yard fumble return (J. D. Dellinger kick), 0:54. Boilermakers 31–10. Fourth quarter ILL – Daniel Imatorbhebhe 28-yard pass from Coran Taylor (Caleb Griffin kick), 11:44. Boilermakers 31–17. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:10. ILL – Brian Hightower 9-yard pass from Coran Taylor (Caleb Griffin kick), 6:36. Boilermakers 31–24. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 2:44.

Statistics	PUR	ILL
First downs	25	27
Total yards	456	472
Rushing yards	85	177
Passing yards	371	295
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	30:38	29:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Aidan O'Connell	29/35, 371 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Zander Horvath	22 rushes, 102 yards, TD
	Receiving	David Bell	9 receptions, 122 yards, TD
Illinois	Passing	Coran Taylor	17/29, 273 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Chase Brown	11 rushes, 73 yards
	Receiving	Brian Hightower	4 receptions, 97 yards, TD

Minnesota

See also: 2020 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

Minnesota Golden Gophers at Illinois Fighting Illini – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	7	21	7	6	41
Fighting Illini	0	7	0	7	14

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

• Date: November 7
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 72 °F (22 °C)
• Game attendance: 863
• Referee: Greg Blum
• TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill, Anthony Herron, and Elise Menaker
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter MINN – Treyson Potts 9-yard run (Michael Lantz kick), 3:29. Golden Gophers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 93 yards, 4:24. Second quarter MINN – Rashod Bateman 5-yard pass from Tanner Morgan (Michael Lantz kick), 13:23. Golden Gophers 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 1:58. MINN – Mohamed Ibrahim 1-yard run (Michael Lantz kick), 8:09. Golden Gophers 21–0. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 4:08. ILL – Mike Epstein 1-yard run (Caleb Griffin kick), 5:32. Golden Gophers 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 2:37. MINN – Mohamed Ibrahim 2-yard run (Michael Lantz kick), 0:24. Golden Gophers 28–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:08. Third quarter MINN – Mohamed Ibrahim 1-yard run (Michael Lantz kick), 0:21. Golden Gophers 35–7. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:53. Fourth quarter ILL – Josh Imatorbhebhe 52-yard pass from Coran Taylor (Caleb Griffin kick), 11:30. Golden Gophers 35–14. Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 0:54. MINN – Mohamed Ibrahim 4-yard run (kick failed), 8:27. Golden Gophers 41–14. Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 3:03.

Statistics	MINN	ILL
First downs	30	14
Total yards	541	287
Rushing yards	325	181
Passing yards	216	106
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	37:35	22:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Minnesota	Passing	Tanner Morgan	17/27, 216 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Mohamed Ibrahim	30 rushes, 224 yards, 4 TD
	Receiving	Rashod Bateman	10 receptions, 139 yards, TD
Illinois	Passing	Coran Taylor	6/17, 106 yards, TD
	Rushing	Mike Epstein	11 rushes, 108 yards, TD
	Receiving	Josh Imatorbhebhe	2 receptions, 60 yards, TD

At Rutgers

See also: 2020 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Illinois Fighting Illini at Rutgers Scarlet Knights – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	0	7	10	6	23
Scarlet Knights	10	3	7	0	20

at SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey

• Date: November 14
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Partly cloudy, 54 °F (12 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: Mark Kluczynski
• TV announcers (FS1): Lisa Byington, Jeremy Leman, and Coley Harvey
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter RUTG – Bo Melton 29-yard pass from Noah Vedral (Valentino Ambrosio kick), 13:03. Scarlet Knights 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:57. RUTG – Valentino Ambrosio 29-yard field goal, 4:33. Scarlet Knights 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 3:19. Second quarter ILL – Isaiah Williams 3-yard run (James McCourt kick), 13:45. Scarlet Knights 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards, 5:48. RUTG – Valentino Ambrosio 26-yard field goal, 4:19. Scarlet Knights 13–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:02. Third quarter ILL – James McCourt 24-yard field goal, 8:59. Scarlet Knights 13–10. Drive: 12 plays, 69 yards, 6:01. RUTG – Bo Melton 66-yard pass from Noah Vedral (Valentino Ambrosio kick), 7:43. Scarlet Knights 20–10. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 1:16. ILL – Mike Epstein 1-yard run (James McCourt kick), 4:54. Scarlet Knights 20–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:49. Fourth quarter ILL – James McCourt 23-yard field goal, 13:02. Tied 20–20. Drive: 12 plays, 57 yards, 4:31. ILL – James McCourt 47-yard field goal, 0:03. Fighting Illini 23–20. Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 1:14.

Statistics	ILL	RUTG
First downs	23	19
Total yards	442	422
Rushing yards	338	166
Passing yards	104	256
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	34:38	25:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Isaiah Williams	7/18, 104 yards
	Rushing	Isaiah Williams	31 rushes, 192 yards, TD
	Receiving	Casey Washington	3 receptions, 52 yards
Scarlet	Passing	Noah Vedral	21/34, 256 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Isiah Pacheco	20 rushes, 133 yards
	Receiving	Bo Melton	5 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TD

At Nebraska

See also: 2020 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Illinois Fighting Illini at Nebraska Cornhuskers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	14	14	10	3	41
Cornhuskers	7	3	7	6	23

at Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

• Date: November 21
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• Game weather: Overcast, 45 °F (7 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (FS1): Brian Custer and Robert Smith
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter ILL – Chase Brown 3-yard run (James McCourt kick), 13:31. Fighting Illini 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 21 yards, 1:17. NEB – Luke McCaffrey 5-yard run (Connor Culp kick), 9:20. Tied 7–7. Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, 4:05. ILL – Chase Brown 2-yard run (James McCourt kick), 5:39. Fighting Illini 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:41. Second quarter ILL – Josh Imatorbhebhe 28-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick), 13:48. Fighting Illini 21–7. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:44. NEB – Connor Culp 30-yard field goal, 7:32. Fighting Illini 21–10. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 4:00. ILL – Mike Epstein 1-yard run (James McCourt kick), 5:50. Fighting Illini 28–10. Drive: 4 plays, 89 yards, 1:35. Third quarter ILL – James McCourt 24-yard field goal, 8:23. Fighting Illini 31–10. Drive: 16 plays, 65 yards, 6:31. NEB – Luke McCaffrey 1-yard run (Connor Culp kick), 6:48. Fighting Illini 31–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:35. ILL – Brandon Peters 1-yard run (James McCourt kick), 2:31. Fighting Illini 38–17. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:17. Fourth quarter ILL – James McCourt 21-yard field goal, 10:14. Fighting Illini 41–17. Drive: 12 plays, 41 yards, 5:42. NEB – Levi Falck 4-yard pass from Adrian Martinez (run failed), 2:12. Fighting Illini 41–23. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 1:58.

Statistics	ILL	NEB
First downs	25	25
Total yards	490	392
Rushing yards	285	215
Passing yards	205	177
Turnovers	0	5
Time of possession	36:21	23:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Brandon Peters	18/25, 205 yards, TD
	Rushing	Mike Epstein	13 rushes, 113 yards, TD
	Receiving	Josh Imatorbhebhe	4 receptions, 71 yards, TD
Nebraska	Passing	Luke McCaffrey	15/26, 134 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Luke McCaffrey	26 rushes, 122 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Wan'Dale Robinson	6 receptions, 60 yards

No. 19 Iowa

See also: 2020 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes at Illinois Fighting Illini – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Hawkeyes	0	13	8	14	35
Fighting Illini	7	7	0	7	21

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

• Date: December 5
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Sunny, 44 °F (7 °C)
• Game attendance: 875
• Referee: Jerry McGinn
• TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins and Ben Leber
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter ILL – Daniel Barker 24-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick), 8:10. Fighting Illini 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:32. Second quarter ILL – Josh Imatorbhebhe 12-yard pass from Brandon Peters (James McCourt kick), 13:30. Fighting Illini 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:24. IOWA – Sam LaPorta 22-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick), 6:18. Fighting Illini 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:35. IOWA – Keith Duncan 40-yard field goal, 2:54. Fighting Illini 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 32 yards, 2:16. IOWA – Keith Duncan 27-yard field goal, 0:14. Fighting Illini 14–13. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 1:15. Third quarter IOWA – Ihmir Smith-Marsette 4-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Spencer Petras pass to Tyler Goodson), 8:24. Hawkeyes 21–14. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:35. Fourth quarter IOWA – Shaun Beyer 16-yard pass from Spencer Petras (Keith Duncan kick), 12:40. Hawkeyes 28–14. Drive: 2 plays, 32 yards, 0:52. IOWA – Ihmir Smith-Marsette 13-yard run (Keith Duncan kick), 1:56. Hawkeyes 35–14. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 5:35. ILL – Carlos Sandy 29-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick), 0:24. Hawkeyes 35–21. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 1:32.

Statistics	IOWA	ILL
First downs	22	20
Total yards	424	348
Rushing yards	204	149
Passing yards	220	199
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	30:26	29:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	18/28, 220 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Tyler Goodson	19 rushes, 92 yards
	Receiving	Brandon Smith	5 receptions, 58 yards
Illinois	Passing	Brandon Peters	10/18, 116 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Chase Brown	18 rushes, 83 yards
	Receiving	Josh Imatorbhebhe	4 receptions, 48 yards, TD

At No. 14 Northwestern

See also: 2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Illinois Fighting Illini at No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	3	0	0	7	10
No. 14 Wildcats	0	14	14	0	28

at Ryan Field, Evanston, Illinois

• Date: December 12
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• Game weather: Rain and snow, 34 °F (1 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: Mark Kluczynski
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Kevin Brown, Mike Golic, and Taylor McGregor
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter ILL – James McCourt 39-yard field goal, 1:49. Fighting Illini 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 59 yards, 7:29. Second quarter NW – Charlie Mangieri 2-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 14:56. Wildcats 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:53. NW – Cam Porter 2-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 0:24. Wildcats 14–3. Drive: 17 plays, 64 yards, 7:02. Third quarter NW – Cam Porter 18-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 10:53. Wildcats 21–3. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:07. NW – Evan Hull 32-yard run (Charlie Kuhbander kick), 4:02. Wildcats 28–3. Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 6:04. Fourth quarter ILL – Brian Hightower 46-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick), 8:47. Wildcats 28–10. Drive: 7 plays, 86 yards, 1:38.

Statistics	ILL	NW
First downs	14	23
Total yards	262	493
Rushing yards	155	411
Passing yards	107	82
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	25:25	34:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Isaiah Williams	4/8, 86 yards, TD
	Rushing	Chase Brown	14 rushes, 70 yards
	Receiving	Brian Hightower	2 receptions, 60 yards, TD
Northwestern	Passing	Peyton Ramsey	7/12, 82 yards, TD
	Rushing	Evan Hull	13 rushes, 143 yards, TD
	Receiving	Kyric McGowan	4 receptions, 72 yards

At Penn State

See also: 2020 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Illinois Fighting Illini at Penn State Nittany Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	21	0	0	0	21
Nittany Lions	21	21	7	7	56

at Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania

• Date: December 19
• Game time: 4:30 p.m. CST / 5:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Cloudy, 30 °F (−1 °C)
• Game attendance: 0
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (FS1): Cory Provus and Robert Smith
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter PSU – Jahan Dotson 75-yard pass from Sean Clifford (Jake Pinegar kick), 14:48. Nittany Lions 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12. ILL – Brian Hightower 5-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick), 11:06. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 16 yards, 1:36. PSU – Lamont Wade 100-yard kickoff return (Jake Pinegar kick), 10:51. Nittany Lions 14–7. ILL – Chase Brown 12-yard run (James McCourt kick), 9:50. Tied 14–14. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:01. ILL – Daniel Barker 38-yard pass from Isaiah Williams (James McCourt kick), 6:10. Fighting Illini 21–14. Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:37. PSU – Will Levis 4-yard run (Jake Pinegar kick), 1:13. Tied 21–21. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:57. Second quarter PSU – Caziah Holmes 3-yard run (Jake Pinegar kick), 14:04. Nittany Lions 28–21. Drive: 2 plays, 10 yards, 0:40. PSU – Keyvone Lee 1-yard run (Jake Pinegar kick), 5:32. Nittany Lions 35–21. Drive: 15 plays, 91 yards, 6:48. PSU – Jahan Dotson 70-yard pass from Sean Clifford (Jake Pinegar kick), 3:49. Nittany Lions 42–21. Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:12. Third quarter PSU – Brenton Strange 7-yard pass from Will Levis (Jake Pinegar kick), 0:20. Nittany Lions 49–21. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 4:23. Fourth quarter PSU – Caziah Holmes 1-yard run (Jake Pinegar kick), 3:32. Nittany Lions 56–21. Drive: 10 plays, 79 yards, 5:09.

Statistics	ILL	PSU
First downs	12	28
Total yards	273	580
Rushing yards	153	253
Passing yards	120	327
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	25:10	34:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Isaiah Williams	8/18, 120 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Isaiah Williams	15 rushes, 102 yards
	Receiving	Daniel Barker	3 receptions, 54 yards, TD
Penn State	Passing	Sean Clifford	16/22, 285 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Keyvone Lee	19 rushes, 85 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jahan Dotson	6 receptions, 189 yards, 2 TD

2021 NFL draft

See also: 2021 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	87	Kendrick Green	OG	Pittsburgh Steelers
5	167	Nate Hobbs	CB	Las Vegas Raiders

References

1. Stevens, Matthew (September 16, 2020). "Big Ten To Play A "Championship Weekend" 9th Game Of 2020 Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
2. "2020 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
3. "Illini Head Coach Lovie Smith Out After Five Seasons". www.msn.com. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
4. "2020 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
5. Baird, Nathan (July 31, 2020). "Ohio State voted 2020 Big Ten favorite in cleveland.com Preseason Poll". Cleveland.com. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
6. Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
7. "No. 3 Ohio State cancels Saturday's game at Illinois because of COVID-19 cases, putting the Buckeyes 1 cancellation away from being ineligible for the Big Ten title". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
8. "2020 Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved September 23, 2020.