Chambana Sun

The Memorial Stadium Rededication Game between No. 22 Illinois and No. 24 Michigan is set to take place on Saturday, October 19, at 2:30 p.m. CT in Champaign, Illinois. This event marks the centennial celebration of Red Grange's historic six-touchdown performance against Michigan in 1924.

Illinois enters the game following a narrow 50-49 overtime victory over Purdue, with standout performances from Luke Altmyer and Josh McCray. Meanwhile, Michigan, led by first-year head coach Sherrone Moore, comes into the matchup with a record of 4-2 overall and has yet to win a road game this season.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Henry emphasized the significance of the occasion: "There's history here. Any time you're talking about history, you have to talk about where this place has come from as opposed to where it is now."

Illinois will don throwback uniforms inspired by the era of Red Grange for this special game. The day will also feature a pregame presentation involving legendary Illinois players and a halftime performance by the Marching Illini.

Head coach Bret Bielema noted the importance of this game: "Before the season even started, I talked about this game and knew that this was going to bring a lot of attention."

On offense, Illinois aims to continue its strong performance under offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., who praised his team's ability to excel in crucial moments: "Guys just made plays. That's the biggest thing."

Michigan's offense features three quarterbacks who have seen playing time this season and two dynamic running backs in Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards. Defensively, they are led by All-America defensive back Will Johnson and linebacker Ernest Hausmann.

Barry Lunney Jr. commented on Michigan's defense: "Watching the film, you see a very disruptive, fast, physical front."

The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.