Chambana Sun

Illinois will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for its final road game of the regular season against the University of Wisconsin Badgers. The matchup is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22 at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be held at Camp Randall Stadium. The game will air on Big Ten Network.

The Fighting Illini (7-3 overall, 4-3 in Big Ten play) are coming off their second straight win, a victory over Maryland that featured two touchdown passes from quarterback Luke Altmyer to Hudson Clement. Altmyer currently ranks among the nation’s top 25 in several passing categories: he is 11th in passing efficiency (162.47), 15th in completion percentage (.691), and 32nd in passing yards (2,427). Defensive players Gabe Jacas and Pat Farrell combined for a sack against Maryland—only the fourth allowed by Maryland this season—which moved Jacas into a tie for second-most career sacks in Illinois program history with Scott Davis at 23.

Wisconsin (3-7 overall, 1-6 Big Ten) recently lost to #2 Indiana after defeating #23 Washington at home earlier this month. Freshman quarterback Carter Smith made his first start against Indiana, completing nine of fifteen passes with one touchdown and one interception. On defense, freshmen linebackers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano have contributed significantly with 47 and 45 tackles respectively.

This weekend’s contest marks the 92nd meeting between Illinois and Wisconsin. In their last encounter in October 2023, Wisconsin won narrowly by a score of 25-21 after scoring eighteen unanswered points in the fourth quarter; Illinois had led through three quarters before losing late. Quarterback Luke Altmyer recorded both passing and rushing yardage milestones during that game.

Illinois last played at Camp Randall Stadium in 2022 when Coach Bret Bielema led them to a decisive 34-10 win—their first victory there in twenty years.

Coach Bret Bielema has set a new program record for most wins by an Illinois head coach within his first five seasons; he now has thirty-five victories, surpassing Mike White's previous record of thirty-four from the early eighties.

"Illinois is postseason eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2010-11," according to official notes from the team. "Illinois is postseason eligible three times in a four-year span for the first time since 1991-94." The team also highlighted having seven or more wins consecutively for the first time since that same period.

Additional historical context was provided regarding notable performances between these teams over past decades—including records set by individual players—and noted that overtime rules were introduced following their tied game in 1995.

Coach Bielema previously served as both defensive coordinator and head coach at Wisconsin from 2004 through 2012, where he led the Badgers to three consecutive Big Ten championships and six straight bowl appearances with an overall record of sixty-eight wins and twenty-four losses.

The television broadcast team includes Rhett Lewis (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), and Dannie Rogers (reporter). Radio coverage will be provided by Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), and Michael Martin (sideline) via Busey Bank Illini Sports Network.