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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
Bret Bielema will try to get Illinois off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2011 when the Illini play at Nebraska on Friday night.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Win a Big Ten opener, and chances go up for Illinois football to reach a bowl game. Possibly even dream bigger. Of the 20 seasons the Illini have played in a bowl game, those teams won their first Big Ten game 12 times.
➜ 2. Don’t despair, though, if Illinois loses on Friday night at Nebraska. Of the last 10 IIlinois teams to reach bowl games, eight lost their Big Ten openers. Including the 2001 team that won the Big Ten title.
➜ 3. If Bret Bielema notches his 22nd win as the Illini coach on Friday, he’ll move into ninth place in Illinois history. His 21 wins is currently tied with George Huff, who led the Illini to a 21-16-3 record from 1895 through 1899. Next up: John Mackovic with his 30 wins from 1988-91.
Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant, left, is congratulated by quarterback Luke Altmyer after the two connected for a 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter of last Saturday’s 30-9 nonconference victory against Central Michigan at Memorial Stadium. Bryant caught seven passes for 102 yards and had two touchdowns, as the Illini celebrated a win on homecoming.
Numbers game: 153
yards is how many Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer needs to hit 3,000 for his college career. He enters Friday night’s game at Nebraska with 2,847 passing yards, with 2,530 of those yards coming during his first 12 games with the Illini after Altmyer started his career in a backup role at Mississippi.
Brad Underwood and Shauna Green have less than three months before their Illini basketball teams open Big Ten play.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Illinois at Nebraska football. The last three trips to Lincoln, Neb., have seen the Illini have three players top 100 rushing yards. Chase Brown had 149 in 2022, Mike Epstein had 113 in 2020, Brown added 110 in 2020 and AJ Bush had 187 in 2018. Will the trend continue Friday night?
➜ 2. Illinois at Northwestern men’s basketball. The Big Ten opener for the Illini isn’t until Dec. 6, but at least we know the full 31-game schedule for Brad Underwood’s Illini now after the Big Ten released its league games Thursday.
➜ 3. Illinois at Ohio State women’s basketball. The Illini tip off Big Ten play on Dec. 8 against the reigning league champs, part of their 29-game slate that was made official on Thursday after the Big Ten released its league games.
Oakwood softball coach Jason Dunavan
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Oakwood softball coach Jason Dunavan:
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Alabama softball team.
➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Patrick Murphy, Mike Candrea and Mike White.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … according to my daughters, kneevage, where softball players’ socks don’t come up to their knees.