Final Oct 29
NMSU 13
FIU 34
Final Oct 29
ULL 23
TXST 17
Final Oct 29
LT 3
SHSU 9
Final Oct 30
JVST 31
LIB 21
Final Oct 30
KENN 14
WKU 31
Final Oct 31
TULN 34
CHAR 3
Final Nov 1
GSU 27 7.0 o48.0
CONN 34 -7.0 u48.0
Final Nov 1
USF 44 -1.5 o48.0
FAU 21 1.5 u48.0
Final Nov 1
SDSU 24 24.0 o55.5
BSU 56 -24.0 u55.5
Final Nov 2
AFA 3 18.0 o37.5
ARMY 20 -18.0 u37.5
Final Nov 2
MISS 63 -8.0 o54.0
ARK 31 8.0 u54.0
Final Nov 2
STAN 28 9.5 o46.5
NCST 59 -9.5 u46.5
Final Nov 2
DUKE 31 21.0 o56.0
MIA 53 -21.0 u56.0
Final Nov 2
ME 14 36.5 o49.0
OKLA 59 -36.5 u49.0
Final OT Nov 2
NW 26 2.5 o44.0
PUR 20 -2.5 u44.0
Final Nov 2
MINN 25 -3.0 o47.0
ILL 17 3.0 u47.0
Final Nov 2
TOL 29 -10.0 o54.5
EMU 28 10.0 u54.5
Final Nov 2
MEM 36 -7.0 o62.0
UTSA 44 7.0 u62.0
Final Nov 2
BUFF 41 -1.0 o48.0
AKR 30 1.0 u48.0
Final Nov 2
OSU 20 -3.0 o47.0
PSU 13 3.0 u47.0
Final OT Nov 2
VT 31 -3.0 o51.5
SYR 38 3.0 u51.5
Final Nov 2
VAN 17 8.5 o48.0
AUB 7 -8.5 u48.0
Final Nov 2
TLSA 21 2.5 o57.5
UAB 59 -2.5 u57.5
Final Nov 2
ODU 20 -3.0 o58.0
APP 28 3.0 u58.0
Final Nov 2
UCLA 27 7.5 o38.5
NEB 20 -7.5 u38.5
Final Nov 2
ASU 42 -5.0 o57.5
OKST 21 5.0 u57.5
Final Nov 2
UNC 35 -2.5 o50.5
FSU 11 2.5 u50.5
Final Nov 2
FLA 20 14.5 o52.5
UGA 34 -14.5 u52.5
Final Nov 2
MTU 20 1.5 o49.0
UTEP 13 -1.5 u49.0
Final Nov 2
ORE 38 -14.5 o45.0
MICH 17 14.5 u45.0
Final Nov 2
ULM 23 10.5 o48.0
MRSH 28 -10.5 u48.0
Final Nov 2
KSU 19 -13.0 o45.5
HOU 24 13.0 u45.5
Final Nov 2
IU 47 -7.5 o53.5
MSU 10 7.5 u53.5
Final Nov 2
ARIZ 12 6.0 o55.0
UCF 56 -6.0 u55.0
Final Nov 2
TTU 23 13.5 o56.0
ISU 22 -13.5 u56.0
Final Nov 2
NAVY 10 -13.0 o49.5
RICE 24 13.0 u49.5
Final Nov 2
CCU 24 -4.0 o51.5
TROY 38 4.0 u51.5
Final Nov 2
WYO 49 9.0 o61.0
UNM 45 -9.0 u61.0
Final Nov 2
MASS 20 19.0 o59.0
MSST 45 -19.0 u59.0
Final Nov 2
HAW 21 12.0 o45.5
FRES 20 -12.0 u45.5
Final Nov 2
USC 21 -2.5 o55.5
WASH 26 2.5 u55.5
Final Nov 2
LOU 33 10.5 o62.5
CLEM 21 -10.5 u62.5
Final Nov 2
WIS 10 2.5 o40.5
IOWA 42 -2.5 u40.5
Final Nov 2
GASO 34 6.0 o60.0
USA 30 -6.0 u60.0
Final Nov 2
UK 18 17.5 o45.5
TENN 28 -17.5 u45.5
Final Nov 2
TAM 20 -3.0 o44.0
SOCAR 44 3.0 u44.0
Final Nov 2
CSU 38 -2.5 o45.5
NEV 21 2.5 u45.5
Final Nov 2
TCU 34 2.5 o64.0
BAY 37 -2.5 u64.0
Final Nov 2
PITT 25 7.0 o56.0
SMU 48 -7.0 u56.0
Kent State 11th Mid-American2-10
Illinois 13th Big Ten4-8

Kent State @ Illinois preview

Memorial Stadium (Champaign, IL)

Last Meeting ( Sep 5, 2015 ) Kent State 3, Illinois 52


Two teams looking to bounce back from ugly two-win seasons face off when Illinois hosts Kent State on Saturday afternoon in a non-conference season opener for both squads. Coach Lovie Smith is in his third year at the helm of the Illini, and he’ll look for his first winning season at the school with a team that has only eight seniors -- the least of any team in FBS.

One of those seniors will start under center as Smith named AJ Bush Jr. as his quarterback days before the opener. Another player in his final season at Illinois, wide receiver Mike Dudek, is hoping to recapture the form that he had as a freshman (76 catches, 1,038 yards) before injuries limited him to seven games over the last three seasons. Smith will need to find some defense to keep the Illini in games after they allowed 31.5 points last season, and Smith is looking at another senior, linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips (85 tackles), to lead the way. Sean Lewis, the youngest head coach in FBS at 32, brings the fast-paced offense he ran as offensive coordinator at Syracuse to his first year with the Flashes, promising a much more uptempo attack than years past.

TV: Noon ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Illinois -16.5

ABOUT KENT STATE (2017: 2-10): Lewis is trying to bring a new attitude to Kent State, looking to ignite the program with his offense that topped FBS in snaps per game with 87.8 at Syracuse a season ago. The Golden Flashes didn't know who their starting quarterback would be days before the opener -- sophomores Woody Barrett and Dustin Crum were the top candidates -- but whoever starts at each of the offensive positions on the field had better be ready to play, because Lewis doesn't like substitutions that slow down his offense. Kent State scored only 12.8 points per game a season ago -- second-fewest in FCS to UTEP (11.8), including five contests with three points or fewer, but Lewis is banking on that changing quite a bit in 2018.

ABOUT ILLINOIS (2017: 2-10): Though he's a senior, Bush Jr. doesn't have a lot of playing experience at the collegiate level, having played at three other schools before making his way as a graduate transfer to Champaign for his final campaign. Bush spent two years at Nebraska without seeing the field before spending a season at Iowa Western, which led to a season at Virginia Tech, where he played in five games and attempted 11 passes. Smith likes Bush's experience, though, saying that he trusts the dual-threat signal caller in his first collegiate start because he's learned how to handle himself throughout his time in college, even if he hasn't spent a lot of it on the field.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Illinois WR Ricky Smalling ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 16.5 yards per catch as a freshman, finishing with a team-high 510 receiving yards.

2. Kent State LB Jim Jones leads the team's defense, coming off a junior season in which he paced the Flashes with 98 tackles and six sacks.

3. Illinois has won 20 consecutive home openers, the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.

PREDICTION: Illinois 35, Kent State 21

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