Latest Bret Bielema News
Illinois assistant Dana Dimel, a head coach at Wyoming, Houston and UTEP, dies at the age of 62
Illinois assistant coach Dana Dimel, who was an All-American offensive tackle for Kansas State and later became the head coach at Wyoming, Houston and UTEP, died Tuesday. He was 62. Dimel's wife, Julie, and children Winston and Josey announced his death in a statement. No cause was...
Purdue fires coach Ryan Walters after going 5-19 in his two seasons
Purdue hired Ryan Walters to keep a promising program near the top of the Big Ten Conference. Two years later, the Boilermakers have sunk to unprecedented depths — and Walters is out of a job. Athletic director Mike Bobinski fired the first-time head coach on Sunday,...
With big goals in reach, No. 22 Illinois looks to take out Northwestern at Wrigley Field
No. 22 Illinois still has some big goals to achieve. The Illini can match their highest win total in 17 years and move within one of the school record if they beat struggling Northwestern at Wrigley Field to close out the regular season on Saturday. “There's still a...
No. 22 Illinois reaches 9 wins for first time in 17 years with 38-28 victory over Northwestern
CHICAGO (AP) — Aidan Laughery rushed for three touchdowns and No. 22 Illinois topped Northwestern 38-28 on Saturday to reach nine victories for the first time since its 2007 Rose Bowl season. Pat Bryant dashed in to score off Luke Altmyer’s 43-yard pass early in the third quarter...
No. 24 Illinois stuns Rutgers on Bryant's 40-yard TD reception with 4 seconds left
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Trailing by one at the 40-yard line with 14 seconds to play and no timeouts, Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent in a play known as “church” to Luke Altmyer. The quarterback was to hit a receiver who was to go to the ground immediately. The offense would...
No. 24 Illinois and Rutgers are climbing the Big Ten ladder heading into Saturday's showdown
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — After years of being at the bottom of the Big Ten Conference, No. 24 Illinois and Rutgers are going in the right direction under Bret Bielema and Greg Schiano with the season entering its final two weeks. The Illini (7-3, 4-3, No. 25 CFP) and Rutgers (6-4,...
Josh McCray runs for three TDs to lead Illinois to a 38-16 win over slumping Michigan State
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Josh McCray ran for three touchdowns and Luke Altmyer threw two TD passes, leading Illinois to a 38-16 victory Saturday over Michigan State. McCray had nine carries for 61 yards, Altmyer completed 19 of 32 passes for 231 yards and Pat Bryant caught four...
Minnesota rallies to defeat No. 24 Illinois 25-17 for the Golden Gophers' 4th straight win
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Max Brosmer threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Geers and Dragan Kesich kicked his fourth field goal of the game in the final five minutes, rallying Minnesota to a 25-17 victory over No. 24 Illinois on Saturday. It was the fourth consecutive win for...
No. 24 Illinois looks to rebound against red-hot Minnesota
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois returned home battered and bruised after a 38-9 beating by No. 1 Oregon last week. In addition to being blown out, the Illini lost star receiver Pat Bryant to a concussion. Bryant, who has caught 34 passes for 510 yards and seven TDs, is in...
No. 20 Illinois uses No. 1 Oregon's ranking as motivation heading into Saturday's meeting
Oregon doesn't care about its No. 1 ranking, but Illinois sure does. The No. 20 Fighting Illini visit the Ducks on Saturday at Autzen Stadium with a chance to knock off the top-ranked team in the country. Illinois coach Bret Bielema indicated the ranking is motivation for his squad....
