Illinois head coach Bret Bielema will face his former team when the Fighting Illini face the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday afternoon. Bielema, who went 68-24 in seven seasons with Wisconsin before leaving for Arkansas following the 2012 season, leads a 3-1 Illinois team. Wisconsin is looking to bounce back from a 52-21 blowout loss at No. 3 Ohio State.
Illinois is going on the road for the second time this season. The Fighting Illini came up just short in their first road game of the year, losing to Indiana in a 23-20 final in their second game of the season. They have taken care of business in their three home games, beating Wyoming, Virginia and Chattanooga. Illinois has had two extra days of rest to prepare for this game after beating Chattanooga in a 31-0 final last Thursday. The Illini outgained Chattanooga 502-142 in a dominant performance, racking up 338 yards through the air. Quarterback Tommy DeVito completed 24 of 32 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns.
In a rhythm.@gabeosama's 3.0 sacks this season puts him in a tie for the most by any freshman in the nation.#Illini | #HTTO | #famILLy pic.twitter.com/QLIIdvkvGQ
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) September 29, 2022
DeVito had not thrown for more than 232 yards in his previous three games this season, as running back Chase Brown has been the focal point of the offense. Brown has gone over 100 rushing yards in all four games, including 199 yards in the 23-20 loss to Indiana. He is the first player in team history to rush for 100-plus yards in five consecutive games. Brown is averaging 6.4 yards per carry, while DeVito is completing 68.8% of his passes. They are facing a Wisconsin defense that had allowed 24 combined points in its first three games of the season.