Central Michigan @ Illinois Game Overview
CMU vs ILLRecords
CMU RecordLast 10
| Date | vs | Result | ATS | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 07, '24 |
@
FIU
|
L 16 - 52 | L -3.5 | o51.5 |
| Aug 29, '24 |
CCSU
|
W 66 - 10 | W -32.5 | o54.5 |
| Nov 24, '23 |
TOL
|
L 17 - 32 | L 10 | u54.5 |
| Nov 15, '23 |
@
OHIO
|
L 20 - 34 | L 10.5 | o50.0 |
| Nov 07, '23 |
@
WMU
|
L 28 - 38 | L 3 | o58.0 |
| Oct 31, '23 |
NIU
|
W 37 - 31 | W 6.5 | o47.5 |
| Oct 21, '23 |
@
BALL
|
L 17 - 24 | L -5 | u42.0 |
| Oct 14, '23 |
AKR
|
W 17 - 10 | L -10.5 | u44.0 |
| Oct 07, '23 |
@
BUFF
|
L 13 - 37 | L -2.5 | u52.0 |
| Sep 30, '23 |
EMU
|
W 26 - 23 | L -10 | o44.5 |
CMU Next 3 Games
Central Michigan does not have any upcoming games scheduled.
CMU vs ILL Preview
Illinois coach Bret Bielema said he isn't worried about his players and a possible letdown heading into Saturday's home game against Central Michigan.
The Illini are coming off a 23-17 home win last Saturday over Kansas, which entered the game ranked No. 19 and left with the program's first defeat of a ranked non-conference opponent since 2011. Bielema said his team is mature enough to understand the importance of quickly turning the page after a huge win and focusing on the next game.
"Even as early as (Sunday) afternoon, (there was) detail, the preparation, guys coming in on Sunday and guys coming in Monday on our day off to watch Central Michigan and get a good hold on them," Bielema said about his players. "I think it was pretty impressive. That was one thing that jumped out to me. I don't think it's rhetoric. I think they really believe it."
Off to a 2-0 start, Illinois has had good quarterback play from Luke Altmyer, who has completed 71.4 percent his passes and thrown for 405 yards and four touchdowns in the first two games.
The defense has forced eight turnovers already, including four against Kansas.
This will be the last of three non-conference home games for Illinois before it opens Big Ten play at Nebraska on Sept. 20.
Central Michigan comes in at 1-1 following a 52-16 loss at Florida International last week.
It was a strange game statistically because the Chippewas outgained FIU, 369-309 yards, despite losing by 36 points.
The biggest issue for Central Michigan was that it turned the ball over six times, including five interceptions thrown by starting quarterback Joe Labas, to give FIU a series of short fields to work with.
"More than anything, we've got to go out and prove we can play on the road," Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain said. "It's OK to be uncomfortable. It really becomes about us."
The Chippewas were picked to finish eight in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll.
Even though the teams are in the same geographic region, this will be the first-ever meeting between them. Illinois is 20-6 all-time against current Mid-American Conference teams.
--Field Level Media
CMU vs ILLInjury report
Central Michigan's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No injuries to report. | ||||
Illinois's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Rusk | TE | Probable - Knee( Aug 06, '25) | Aug 06, '25 | |
| Rusk is battling a knee injury but is expected to take the field for the Fighting Illini. | ||||
| J. Davis | OG | Questionable - Foot( Aug 06, '25) | Aug 06, '25 | |
| Davis is dealing with plantar fasciitis and is uncertain to take the field for the Fighting Illini. | ||||
QB Passing StatsRecent Games
| Date | Score | YDS | Att | Comp | Comp % | Y/A | TD/Int | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J.Labas | Sep 7, 2024 | FIU 52 - CMU 16 | 151 | 39 | 20 | 51.3 | 3.9 | 2/5 | 75.1 |
| T.Jefferson | Sep 7, 2024 | FIU 52 - CMU 16 | 39 | 5 | 3 | 60.0 | 7.8 | 0/0 | 125.5 |
| J.Labas | Aug 29, 2024 | CMU 66 - CCSU 10 | 342 | 24 | 18 | 75.0 | 14.3 | 3/0 | 236.0 |
| T.Jefferson | Aug 29, 2024 | CMU 66 - CCSU 10 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 75.0 | 9.0 | 0/0 | 150.6 |
| J.Bauer | Nov 24, 2023 | CMU 17 - TOL 32 | 182 | 26 | 15 | 57.7 | 7.0 | 1/0 | 129.2 |
| J.Bauer | Nov 15, 2023 | OHIO 34 - CMU 20 | 157 | 21 | 10 | 47.6 | 7.5 | 2/1 | 132.3 |
| J.Bauer | Nov 7, 2023 | WMU 38 - CMU 28 | 205 | 27 | 14 | 51.9 | 7.6 | 3/1 | 144.9 |
| Date | Score | YDS | Att | Comp | Comp % | Y/A | TD/Int | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.Altmyer | Sep 7, 2024 | ILL 23 - KU 17 | 192 | 25 | 16 | 64.0 | 7.7 | 0/0 | 128.5 |
| L.Altmyer | Aug 29, 2024 | ILL 45 - EIU 0 | 213 | 24 | 19 | 79.2 | 8.9 | 4/0 | 208.7 |
| D.Leary | Aug 29, 2024 | ILL 45 - EIU 0 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 40.0 | 5.8 | 0/0 | 88.7 |
| J.Paddock | Nov 25, 2023 | ILL 43 - NW 45 | 334 | 34 | 24 | 70.6 | 9.8 | 3/2 | 170.5 |
| J.Paddock | Nov 18, 2023 | IOWA 15 - ILL 13 | 215 | 47 | 22 | 46.8 | 4.6 | 0/0 | 85.2 |
| J.Paddock | Nov 11, 2023 | ILL 48 - IU 45 | 507 | 36 | 24 | 66.7 | 14.1 | 4/1 | 216.1 |
CMU vs ILL Offense vs Defense
Key Stats League ranks in parenthesis
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 430.0 | (98) | Yards | (73) | 261.5 |
| 6.3 | (87) | Yards/Play | (68) | 4.4 |
| 146.0 | (49) | Rush Yds | (70) | 117.5 |
| 32.0 | (49) | Rush Att | (51) | 27.5 |
| 4.6 | (52) | Yards/Rush | (82) | 4.3 |
| 284.0 | (109) | Pass Yds | (84) | 144.0 |
| 36.0 | (103) | Pass Att | (124) | 32.0 |
| 22.0 | (105) | Comp | (108) | 17.0 |
| 61.1 | (104) | Comp% | (55) | 53.1 |
| 12.9 | (66) | Yards/Comp | (42) | 8.5 |
| 7.9 | (106) | Yards/Att | (47) | 4.5 |
| 136.4 | (110) | QB rating | (52) | 85.6 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 366.0 |
| 5.6 |
| 152.1 |
| 35.2 |
| 4.3 |
| 214.1 |
| 29.7 |
| 18.3 |
| 61.4 |
| 11.7 |
| 7.2 |
| - |
More Stats
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | (87) | Sacks | (40) | 1.0 |
| 7.0 | (84) | Sack Yds | (--) | 4.5 |
| 2.5 | (99) | Intercepts | (47) | 2.5 |
| 0.5 | (127) | Fumbles | (94) | 1.5 |
| 9.0 | (107) | Penalties | (56) | 4.0 |
| 67.0 | (111) | Penalty Yds | (70) | 37.5 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 1.8 |
| 11.9 |
| 0.7 |
| 0.5 |
| 6.3 |
| 54.7 |
Points
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41.0 | (108) | Score | (31) | 8.5 |
| 7.0 | (117) | 1st Q | (--) | 0.0 |
| 18.0 | (44) | 2nd Q | (44) | 5.0 |
| 16.0 | (89) | 3rd Q | (30) | 3.5 |
| 0.0 | (--) | 4th Q | (--) | 0.0 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 26.4 |
| 6.3 |
| 7.8 |
| 6.0 |
| 6.1 |
Special Teams
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.6 | (23) | Yards/Punt Ret | (102) | 7.3 |
| 23.3 | (92) | Yards/KO Ret | (94) | 18.4 |
| 2.0 | (74) | FG Att | (112) | 1.0 |
| 1.0 | (47) | FG Made | (100) | 1.0 |
| 50.0 | (13) | FG% | (72) | 100.0 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 10.1 |
| 19.7 |
| 17.4 |
| 12.8 |
| 73.9 |