- This week's game marks the 66th meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Indiana Hoosiers. The Illini hold a 42-20-3 series advantage, and a big 27-8-1 winning margin in Champaign. The Illini won 27-14 in Bloomington, Ind., last season but the Hoosiers won the last meeting at Memorial Stadium, 34-32, in 2006.
- With 310 yards passing and 121 yards rushing vs. Michigan on Oct. 4, Illinois quarterback Juice Williams became just the third player in Big Ten history to rack up over 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in single game. He joins Northwestern's Zak Kustok (421 passing, 111 rushing vs. Bowling Green on 11/17/2001) and Michigan State's Drew Stanton (308 passing, 102 rushing vs. Minnesota on 10/16/2004) in the Big Ten record books. Williams accomplished the feat for the 24th time in NCAA history and is the only player in the nation to do it this year.
- Williams has led the Big Ten in total offense since the first week of the season. This week he is averaging 353.7 yards per game, 74.2 on the ground and 279.5 in the air, which ranks fourth nationally. Now he also ranks first in the league in passing offense with 279.5, which is 11th nationally
- Illinois is the only school to have two players ranked in the Big Ten's top-10 in rushing. Daniel Dufrene is averaging 79.7 yards a game which is seventh in the league, and Williams ranks eighth with 74.1 per contest.
- Illini receiver Arrelious Benn is averaging 6.2 catches per game, which is the most for an Illini receiver since David Williams averaged 7.7 catches per contest in 1985. That number also ranks second in the Big Ten.
- The Illini offense ranks in the top-three in the Big Ten in all four offensive categories -- second in scoring offense (33.0), second in total offense (471.5), third in rushing (190.3) and first in passing offense (281.2). Illinois ranks 10th nationaly in total offense and 15th in passing.
- Illinois middle linebacker Brit Miller is averaging 2.1 tackles for loss per game, which ranks second in the nation. He also ranks 14th nationally in tackles with 10.2 per contest.?
- As a defense, the Illini are logging 7.5 tackles for loss per game, which is the best in the Big Ten and rates 15th nationally. They also rank 18th in the NCAA in sacks per game with 2.7, third best in the conference.
- Illinois picked up a 45-20 victory at Michigan two weeks ago, getting its first win over the Wolverines since 1999. Illinois' 45 points were the most the Illini have scored against the Wolverines in school history. It also was the most points against Michigan in the Big House since 1991 when Florida State scored 51, and the most scored by a Big Ten opponent at Michigan Stadium since Ohio State won, 50-20, in 1961.
- Illinois' Ron Zook has defeated Michigan in "The Big House" and Ohio State in "The Horseshoe." He is one of two active Big Ten coaches (Joe Paterno is the other, beating Michigan in 1994 and 1996, and Ohio State 1978) and he is one of 13 coaches in Big Ten history that has accomplished the feat.
- Despite being down in turnover margin this season (11 takeaways, 13 giveaways), the Illini offense is taking full advantage of its opportunities, scoring nine times in 11 tries for 55 points after turnovers, which is 82 percent of the time. On the flipside, the Illini defense has only allowed opposing teams to score off miscues four times in 13 attempts (30.7 percent).
- With its 2-1 record at home this year, Illinois has won seven of its last nine games at Memorial Stadium after posting a 5-1 record in 2007.
- Twelve Illini true freshmen have played through the first five games: RB Mikel LeShoure, WR A.J. Jenkins, WR Cordale Scott, RB Jason Ford, DB Tavon Wilson, DB Supo Sanni, LB Russell Ellington, FB Zach Becker, OL Jeff Allen, WR Fred Sykes, TE Hubie Graham and DT Corey Liuget. In addition, junior college transfer Donsay Hardeman and redshirt-freshmen Matt Eller, Ian Thomas and Daryle Ballew also are playing their first seasons of collegiate football.
- Illinois' attendance for the home opener against Eastern Illinois was 60,131, the most for a home opener since hosting 70,193 against No. 13 Michigan in 1995. In the second game of the home schedule, the Illini drew 58,632. With the four-game Big Ten portion of the schedule already announced as sell outs, the Illini will average over 60,000 fans for the entire season. That number will be the most since the 1995 season.
- Illinois has scored 13 of its 24 touchdown drives in less than two minutes, which ranks seventh nationally. The fastest drive has been a one-play, eight-second drive that culminated in a 13 yard touchdown run by Arrelious Benn.
- The Illinois offense ranks second nationally with five touchdowns over 50 yards. The Illini are tied with No. 4 Oklahoma with five, and are behind only Louisiana-Lafayette's 10 50-plus TD plays.
- Juice Williams has completed eight passes over 50 yards this season, the most by any team in the country this season. Five of those have gone for touchdowns, which is second behind Oklahoma's Sam Bradford's seven.
- The Illini also have 12 touchdown-scoring drives of five-plays or less, which ranks ninth nationally.
- Juice Williams has accomplished a feat unprecedented in history. In back-to-back weeks, he has posted total offense numbers which have been the best that respective stadium has ever seen. Williams compiled 431 yards of total offense at Michigan Stadium, which is the most ever recorded there.
- One week later, Williams threw for 462 yards and rushed for another 41, making his 503 total yards an Illinois Memorial Stadium record.
- Based on research collected by Division I SIDs, there are no other current players who own stadium records in two different places.
- The Illini have played the 22nd-toughest schedule in the nation thus far according to the Sagarin Ratings and is rated the third-toughest in the Big Ten.
- Illinois' three losses have come to teams with a combined record of 18-2 (Missouri 5-1, Penn State 7-0, Minnesota 6-1)
- Illinois' three FBS non-conference opponents have a combined record of 14-5. Missouri is ranked 11th at 5-1, Louisiana-Lafayette is 3-3, but leads the nation in rushing, and Penn State is 7-0, and ranked third.
- Against third-ranked and undefeated Penn State, the Illini posted 189 yards on the ground despite the Nittany Lions' defensive average of 89.9 rushing yards allowed through their other six games. The Illini offense is the only team post over 350 yards of total offense against PSU. Illinois also put up 24 points, the most scored against PSU this season.
- This week's game marks 66th meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Indiana Hoosiers. The Illini hold a 42-20-3 series advantage, and a big 27-8-1 winning margin in Champaign. The Illini won 27-14 in Bloomington, Ind., last season but the Hoosiers won the last meeting at Memorial Stadium, 34-32, in 2006.
- Illinois has just one player who hails from the state of Indiana on its roster in punter Kyle Yelton. Indiana has nine players on its roster from Illinois, including starting center Alex Perry (Morris, Ill./Morris Community), starting tight end Troy Wagner (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) and starting linebacker Matt Mayberry (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South).
- Illinois co-defensive coordinator Curt Mallory served as defensive backs coach under Gerry DiNardo at Indiana from 2002-04. He also got his start at Indiana, getting his master's degree when his father, Bill Mallory, was IU head football coach.
- Defensive end Will Davis racked up four sacks, five TFL and seven total tackles last season against the Hoosiers. The sack total tied him for second on the Illinois single-game QB sacks record list.
- Defensive end Doug Pilcher picked-up his first career sack against Indiana last year.
- Vontae Davis had a big day last season against the Hoosiers, racking up nine tackles - including seven solos - intercepting a pass in the end zone, blocking a punt, and breaking up a pass.
- Tight end Michael Hoomanawanui caught his first career touchdown pass in last year's game, a two-yarder from Juice Williams in the second quarter.
- Running back Troy Pollard rushed for 30 yards on six carries before tearing his ACL and missing the rest of the season.
- Juice Williams needs 75 yards to move into the top-14 on the all-time rushing list in the Illinois record books.
- Williams needs 224 rushing yards to break the 2,000-yard mark. He would be the 14th player in school history to top 2,000 and the first non-running back.
- Williams already holds the Illinois career record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,776 in his first three seasons.
- Running back Daniel Dufrene needs 228 rushing yards to break the 1,000-yard mark.
- Senior defensive end Will Davis needs a half-sack to move to ninth on the career quarterback sacks list.
- The Big Ten Network original series Illinois Football: The Journey airs each Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT/9:30 p.m. ET. The seventh show of the season, which airs Oct. 14, shows Illinois behind the scenes in its road win at Michigan. The show will take viewers to class with Illini running back Daniel Dufrene and gives an inside look at the Illinois "show" teams as they help the starters prepare for each week's opponent.
- New episodes will air at 8:30 p.m. CT/9:30 p.m. ET every Tuesday during the football season, with the previous week's show preceding the new episode. Viewers can follow The Journey online with a producer's diary, bonus video clips, photos, archived segments and a five-minute video preview of the season premiere by visiting www.BigTenNetwork.com/Journey.
The Big Ten boasts nine career 1,000 yard rushers. Illinois quarterback Juice Williams ranks sixth among active players and is tops among the two quarterbacks in the rankings. Indiana's Kellen Lewis is the only other signal-caller on the list.
- Javon Ringer, RB, Sr., Michigan State 3,873 yards
- Tyrell Sutton, RB, Sr., Northwestern 3,599 yards
- P.J. Hill, RB, Jr., Wisconsin 3,375 yards
- Kory Sheets, RB, Sr., Purdue 2,775 yards
- Beanie Wells, RB, Jr., Ohio State 2,664 yards
- Juice Williams, QB, Jr., Illinois 1,776 yards
- Kellen Lewis, QB, Jr., Indiana 1,582 yards
- Shonn Greene, RB, Jr., Iowa 1,305 yards
- Marcus Thigpen, RB, Sr., Indiana 1,266 yards
- Jaycen Taylor, RB, Sr., Purdue 1,237 yards
- Evan Royster, So., Penn State 1,232 yards
- Daniel Dufrene, Jr., Illinois 772 yards
- Adam Weber, So., Minnesota 664 yards
- Juice Williams is a candidate for the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback. He ranks first in the Big Ten in passing and total offense, eighth in the conference in rushing and is the only quarterback in the country to break two stadium records (total offense in Michigan Stadium and Illinois' Memorial Stadium).
- Williams has twice been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week this season. He earned the honor for his performance at Michigan after posting 431 yards of total offense against the Wolverines, breaking a Michigan Stadium record and against Missouri throwing for a career-high five TDs, 451 yards on a career-high 26 completions. His 451 passing yards rank fourth all-time at Illinois. He out-passed Chase Daniel 451 yards to 323 and threw two more TDs than the Missouri Heisman candidate.
- Williams passed for over 300 yards and rushed for over 100 against Michigan, marking the first time for the accomplishment in school history. His total offense of 431 total yards sets Michigan Stadium record (former record was 403 by Illinois' Tony Eason in 1981) and ties with Northwestern's Sandy Schwab (1982) for most yards ever against the Wolverines.
- Williams now owns two of the top spots in the Illinois record books for passing yardage per game with his 462 yards vs. Minnesota and 451 vs. Missouri. He is third and fourth behind Dave Wilson's 621 yards (11/8/80), Tony Eason's 479 (10/23/82). He also holds three of the top-10 in total offense -- 2nd, 503 vs. Minnesota; 4th, 461 vs. Minnesota; 7th, 431 at Michigan.
- Williams has four career TD passes of 69 or more yards, the most by any quarterback in school history. Jack Trudeau and Tony Eason are the only other two Illini QBs to throw two TD passes of 69 or more yards and there have only been 15 such plays in school history.
- Williams' 462 passing yards against Minnesota marks his sixth game over 200 yards and his third over 300.
- Williams is averaging 15.3 yards per reception, with a high of 23.8 yards per completion vs. UM.
- Williams has rushed for over 100 yards six times in his career and twice this season.
- Williams continues to have a hot hand when it comes to converting third down tries, especially on third-and-6 or less. Williams is 10-for-17 in converting third downs through the air and 11-for-14 on the ground in those situations. In addition, four of his six touchdown passes this season have come on third-and-long plays.
- Williams' 77-yard touchdown pass to Cumberland against Michigan, was the longest play from scrimmage this season for the Illini and the longest Illinois reception since 1985, when Cap Boso caught an 83-yarder from Jack Trudeau.
- Williams was 4-of-4 through the air for 68 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter at Penn State, marking his second flawless quarter this season. Williams also completed 5-of-5 passes for 67 yards in the third quarter against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 6.
- Williams became just the fourth quarterback in Illinois history to throw for five or more touchdowns in a game, joining Dave Wilson (6), Tom O'Connell (5) and Jeff George (5), with his five-touchdown performance against Missouri.
- Williams has accounted for 74.0 of Illinois' first downs for the season, 94-of-127, rushing for 25 and passing for 69. He engineered 92.0 percent of Illinois' first downs vs. Minnesota and 91.7 percent vs. Missouri.
- From The Sporting News on Oct. 5 -- "Standing O goes to ... Juice Williams. The Illinois QB had dropped off the national radar a bit after losses to Missouri and Penn State. Another performance or two like Saturday's win over Michigan (310 passing yards, 121 rushing yards, four total TDs) and the Juice might be squeezing in a December trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony."
| Top Quarterbacks | YPG | Rank | Pct. | TD's | Yds./completion | Tot. Off. | Rank | Rush Yds. |
| Juice Williams, Illinois | 279.5 | 11th | 58.5 | 13 | 15.7 | 353.7 | 4th | 445 |
| Sam Bradford, Oklahoma | 342.0 | 4th | 72.4 | 23 | 15.3 | 337.3 | 8th | -28 |
| Chase Daniel, Missouri | 342.5 | 3rd | 75.9 | 16 | 13.0 | 362.5 | 3rd | 120 |
| Graham Harrell, Texas Tech | 385.2 | 1st | 67.9 | 20 | 12.9 | 384.5 | 2nd | -4 |
| Colt McCoy, Texas | 259.5 | 18th | 79.4 | 17 | 11.9 | 317.5 | 9th | 348 |
| Tim Tebow, Florida | 205.8 | 50th | 62.4 | 10 | 13.3 | 235.7 | 42nd | 179 |
- 15th - career rushing yards (1,776) - needs 75 for 14th
- 5th - career total offense (6,685) - needs 317 for 4th
- 8th - career passing yardage (4,909) - needs 280 for 7th // 281 for 6th
- 8th - career pass completions (363) - needs 69 for 7th
- 8th - career pass attempts (711) - needs 62 for 7th
- 6th - career passing touchdowns (35) - needs 3 for 5th
- 1st - career rushing yards by a quarterback (1,776)
- 1st - season rushing yards by a quarterback, 2007 (755) - already holds record
- 2nd - season rushing yards by a quarterback, 2006 (576) - record was broken in 2007
- 3rd - season rushing yards by a quarterback, 2008 (445) - needs 131 yards for 2nd
- Illini receiver Arrelious Benn is a candidate for the Biletnikoff, Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards. The Biletnikoff is awarded to the nation's best receiver, while the other two awards go to the offensive MVPs.
- Benn is averaging 6.2 catches per game, which is the most for an Illini receiver since David Williams averaged 7.7 catches per contest in 1985. Benn's numbers rank second in the Big Ten in both categories.
- Benn has recorded three-straight 100-yard receiving games, (4-110 at Penn State, 6-122 at Michigan, 12-181 vs. Minnesota). It is the first time an Illinois player has put together three-consecutive 100-yard receiving games since Brandon Lloyd in 2002. No player has had four-straight games of 100 yards in the air at Illinois.
- Benn had a career day against Minnesota, compiling a career-high 12 catches for 181 yards, which marked the fifth-most receiving yards in a game in Illinois history and the second time this season an Illini has topped 175 yards receiving (Will Judson's 177 vs. Missouri, 8/30/2008). His 181 yards are the most by an Illini since David Williams racked up a school-record 208 yards on Sept. 1, 1984.
- Benn's 12 catches on the day marked the first double-digit reception performance by an Illini receiver since 2005 when Kyle Hudson had 10 receptions vs. Wisconsin. Benn's 12 catches are tied for the third-most in school history and were the most by an Illini since Lloyd caught 13 passes against Northwestern on Nov. 22, 2001.
- He is averaging 93.4 receiving yards per game and 14.6 yards per game on the ground. He has scored four touchdowns -- two rushing and two receptions.
- Benn has converted first downs on 30 of his 37 catches (81.8 percent).
- Benn was the 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned honorable mention Freshman All-America honors, after he broke Illinois' freshman receiving and receptions record.
| Top Receivers | YPG | Rank | Yds./Rec. | 100-Yd. Gms. | Rec./Gm. | Rank | TD's |
| Arrelious Benn, Illinois | 93.8 | 15th | 15.2 | 3 | 6.17 | 28th | 2 |
| Austin Collie, Brigham Young | 112.2 | 2nd | 14.3 | 4 | 7.83 | 5th | 8 |
| Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech | 108.8 | 4th | 15.2 | 3 | 7.17 | 11th | 10 |
| Eric Decker, Minnesota | 111.7 | 3rd | 13.2 | 3 | 8.43 | 4th | 5 |
| Jeremy Maclin, Missouri | 100.0 | 11th | 15.4 | 3 | 6.50 | 20th | 5 |
- Senior Brit Miller, who is a four-year starter at linebacker, moved to the middle this season with All-American J Leman gone to graduation. Through six games, he also replaces Leman atop the tackles list with 10.2 per game, which ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten and 14th nationally.
- Miller also is averaging 2.3 tackles for loss per game, which ranks second in the NCAA.
- Miller earned his first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor after his performance at Michigan. He recorded nine tackles, four for loss and two sacks. The four tackles for loss ranked 10th in the Illinois record book.
- Miller is nominated for the Ronnie Lott Award, which combines athletic excellence with off the field character. He also was named to the American Football Coaches Association's Good Works team. Miller is a staple in the Champaign and Decatur communities, volunteering every week with elementary and middle schools, military veterans and children's hospitals.
Sophomore receiver Arrelious Benn has caught a pass in every game of his career, 18, since he was a true-freshman in 2007. He leads a group of receivers that are averaging of 16.2 catches per game. Here is a list of the receivers and their current reception streaks (2 or more games):
- Vontae Davis - Thorpe, Nagurski, Bednarik: Davis ranks fourth in the Big Ten in passes defended with 1.17 per game. For the season he has 46 tackes, which ranks 11th in the conference, 4.5 TFL, one QB hurry, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in six games. Last year, Davis was the only sophomore on the the semifinal list for the Jim Thorpe Award. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2007 and earlier this year was named to the Playboy All-America team.
- Will Davis - Hendricks, Lombardi: Davis has 19 tackles, 4.5 TFL, two sacks, two QB hurries, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble in six games this year. He is now 10th on the Illinois career sacks list with 13.5. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2007 after leading the team in tackles for loss with 12.5 and sacks with 9.5.
- Ryan McDonald - Rimington, Draddy: McDonald is in his fourth year as a starter on the offensive line. He has helped pave the way for Illinois' 471.5 total yards and 190.3 rushing yards per game this year. The Illini offense has piled up over 500 yards in four games this season, including a season-high 550 last week against Minnesota. Last season, he started every game for an offensive line that posted the best rushing and total offensive numbers in school history and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. The line also set a school mark for fewest sacks allowed in a year with 1.23 per game. In his first two years as starting center for the Illini, the offense led the Big Ten in rushing.
- Xavier Fulton - Lombardi: Fulton is in his second year as a starter on the offensive line. He has helped pave the way for Illinois' 471.5 total yards and 190.3 rushing yards per game this year. The Illini offense has piled up over 500 yards in four games this season, including a season-high 550 last week against Minnesota. In 2007, he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in his first year on the offensive line. He played a team-high 997 offensive snaps last year and led the team with 109 knockdowns. He also was instrumental in protecting QB Juice Williams and allowing only 1.23 sacks per game.
- Martez Wilson - Butkus: Wilson had a career-high 13 tackles, including a career-high eight solos, last week against Minnesota. For the seaosn he is averaging 8.7 tackles per game, which ranks second on the team and fifth in the Big Ten. He is tied for second on the team in TFLs with 4.5 and also has 2.0 sacks, two pass break-ups, one QB hurry and one fumble recovery this year. Prior to the season, Wilson was added to the Butkus Watch List before even starting a game at Illinois. His athleticism has earned him the nickname of "Freak 2" and he runs a 4.4 40.
- Illinois defenders Vontae and Will Davis (no relation) are two of the leaders on the Illinois defense.
- Vontae, a two-year starting cornerback earned unanimous first-team Freshman All-America honors in 2006 and emerged as one of the best corners in the Big Ten last season, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. He is a 2008 Playboy All-American, ranks 11th in the Big Ten in tackes, has totaled five interceptions and 21 passes broken up in his career, while also blocking two punts.
- Will, a senior defensive end, exploded last season with 9.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. He was named second-team All-Big Ten and was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after his four-sack, five-TFL performance vs. Indiana. This season, he broke into the Illinois all-time quarterback sack list and ranks 10th with 13.5 career sacks. He has totaled 19 tackles, 4.5 for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble this year.
- Junior running back Daniel Dufrene is picking up right where the running game left off last season. Through six games, he is averaging 79.7 yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. In his career, he is averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
- QB Juice Williams and Dufrene combine for 153.9 rushing yards per game with 923 total yards this year. Dufrene ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 79.7 yards and Williams is rushing for 74.2 ypg, which is eighth in the conference. Illinois is the only team with two players ranked in the league's top-10.
- With 121 yards against Michigan, Williams rushed for over 100 yards for the sixth time in his career and second time this season. He ranks 15th on the Illinois all-time rushing list with 1,776 yards.
Five of Illinois' 2008 starters came to Illinois on a different path than the one they currently find themselves.
- Wide receiver Chris Duvalt spent his first two seasons as an Illini at cornerback. He played a key role on special teams, but was spending too much time behind other players. This spring, he gave offense a try and the rest is history. He has immediately made an impact with three touchdown catches in the first five games. He is averaging 14.9 yards a catch.
- Junior Rahkeem Smith played a season as a linebacker before seeing a straight shot to a starting role at fullback.
- Senior Will Davis came to Illinois as a 235-pound tight end, but quickly saw a chance at success on the defensive side of the ball with his addition of 40 pounds and a move to defensive end. In three seasons, he has totaled 21 tackles for loss, 13.5 quarterback sacks and 19 hurries.
- One of the most immediately effective moves came before the 2007 season when former defensive end Xavier Fulton switched to offensive tackle and earned All-Big Ten honors that same season. In his only year as a starter, the offensive line set new school records for total offense and rushing yards. This season, the Illini are curently ranked No. 1 in the conference in passing, second in scoring and total offense, and third in rushing.
- Jeff Cumberland moved from tight end to receiver in the middle of last season. As a receiver in his final four games of 2007, he caught 11 passes for 221 yards, including 131 yards against Northwestern. He has played in three games this season after sitting out the beginning of the year with a foot injury. He caught his first pass of the season against Michigan, a 77-yard touchdown reception, the longest play from scrimmage in 2008 and the longest pass play since 1983. After four games played, Cumberland has three catches for 101 yards.
Illinois senior center Ryan McDonald has started 41 consecutive games during his four-year career. That number is among the best in the nation, ranking as the fourth-longest active streak. He is tied for the 14th-longest starting streak in the nation. Below is the list of consecutive starts among Division I collegiate football players:
- 45 - Andrew Hartline, OL, Central Michigan; Kraig Urbik, OL, Wisconsin; Andrew Gardner, OL, Georgia Tech
- 44 - Cody Lubojasky, LB, Houston; Dallas Reynolds, OL, BYU; Pat Brown, OL, UCF; Kevin Grant, LB, Akron Jason Phillips, LB, TCU;
- 43 - Kenneth Fontenette, S, Houston; Maurice Crum, LB, Notre Dame; Matt Kroul, DL, Iowa; Clint Sintim, LB, Virginia; Dan Gerberry, OL, Ball State
- 42 - Ryan McDonald, OL, Illinois; Robbie Felix, OL, UTEP; Alex Derenthal, OL, Temple; Adam Korby, OL, Idaho
- 41 - Jervonte Jackson, DL, Florida Atlantic
- Illinois has scored 40 points ore more three times in 2008 -- 45 at Michigan, 47 vs. Eastern Illinois and 42 against Missouri. The Illini have also the fifth time in the Illini's last 10 games that they have topped 40 points, dating back to last season. The 47-point game vs. Eastern Illinois is the highest in the Ron Zook era.
- The Fighting Illini have thrived in the second and third quarters this season, outscoring their opponents 92-55 over those two stanzas.
- Illinois scored 45 points against Michigan, the most the Illini have put up against the Wolverines in school history, and the most points against Michigan in the Big House since 1991 when Florida State scored 51. It also was the most points scored by a Big Ten opponent at Michigan Stadium since Ohio State won, 50-20, in 1961.
- The Illinois offense has put up over 500 yards in four of its six games of 2008. The Illini posted 532 against Missouri, 533 against EIU, 501 at Michigan and 550 vs. Minnesota.
- Illinois took care of the ball in its 45-20 win at Michigan, not committing a turnover. Proving that holding onto the ball can be a catalyst for big wins is the fact that the last time Illinois did not commit a turnover in a game was when it defeated No. 1 Ohio State, 28-21, in Columbus on Nov. 10, 2007.
- The Illini passed for 451 yards against Missouri and 462 yards vs. Minnesota, marking the third and fourth-best passing performances in Illinois history.
- In six games, the offense has put together 38 big plays over 20 yards, including 10 over 40 yards. Among those 38 are 24 big passing plays and 12 rushes (and two defense). Illinois has five touchdowns this season on plays of more than 50 yards, which ranks second nationally behind Louisiana-Lafayette's nine 50-plus touchdowns.
- Tight end Michael Hoomanawanui is emerging as a first-down machine, catching 13 passes, which have gone for first downs. Out of his 14 catches so far this season, 13 have gone for first downs and the other was a touchdown. Hoomanawanui has become a much larger part of the Illinois offense in his third season, with 14 catches and 202 yards so far in 2008 after catching five passes for 64 yards in his first two seasons combined.
- Six of Illinois' top receivers average more than 14 yards per reception -- Jeff Cumberland (33.7), Will Judson (21.1), Arrelious Benn (15.2), Chris Duvalt (14.9), A.J. Jenkins (30.8) and Michael Hoomanawanui (14.4).
- Senior receiver Will Judson made the most out of his first collegiate start vs. Missouri, hauling in five catches for 177 yards. His performance was the best for an Illini receiver since Walter Young's 178 yards against LSU?in the 2002 Nokia Sugar Bowl. Of his 14 catches for the year, 10 have converted first downs.
- Judson and Chris Duvalt each hauled in two touchdown receptions in the season opener against Missouri, marking the first time since the 2002 Sugar Bowl that Illinois had two receivers with two TDs catches in a game (Walter Young and Brandon Lloyd vs. LSU).
- Duvalt caught a touchdown pass (2 vs. Missouri and 1 vs. EIU) in each of the first two games of the season, which also were his first two games as a receiver after switching from cornerback in spring practice. He has three TDs in eight career receptions.
- The 94 total points scored by Missouri and Illinois (52-42) marks the highest combined scoring game in school history.
- Juice Williams' 451-yard passing performance against Missouri marked the second-straight year that Illinois has thrown for more than 250 yards against the Tigers.
