One week removed from his team’s jaw-dropping, trajectory-altering defeat to then-No. 19 Indiana, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema could hardly have imagined a better coda than what unfolded at Memorial Stadium in Champagne, Illinois, on Saturday afternoon.
Four quarters of topsy-turvy, sloppy-but-sensational football in which the Illini led for hours of real time before a frantic comeback by No. 21 USC threatened to rewrite the script in the waning moments all boiled down to this: a 41-yard field goal attempt by kicker David Olano as time was about to expire.
Bielema’s cool-handed quarterback, Luke Altmyer, and his punishing tailback, Kaden Feagin, had guided the Illini into kicking range for a potential game-winning try. The snap was clean, the hold was good and Olano, a junior, connected to seal a dramatic 34-32 win that restored Illinois’ hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff.
David Olano #24 of the Illinois Fighting Illini kicks the game-winning field goal against the USC Trojans. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Here’s what stood out from a thrilling afternoon in Champagne:
1. Bret Bielema has not lost his team
Following last week’s embarrassing loss to Indiana, which barnstormed Illinois for nearly 600 yards of total offense, it was fair to wonder how the Illini would respond after plummeting in the national rankings. The postgame comments from Bielema, now in his fifth season, dripped with incredulity and disbelief after landing on the wrong end of such a one-sided beatdown that called into question the program’s legitimacy on a national level.
Rallying the troops for another ranked matchup against another high-flying offense was going to be a legitimate challenge just seven days later, especially considering how thoroughly Illinois was outclassed in all three phases.
But with the opening quarter of Saturday’s game came an evaporation of any immediate concern regarding whether the Illini would come to play. Defensive coordinator Aaron Henry’s group, ransacked and ravaged by the Hoosiers last week, including several injuries to defensive backs, pried loose an immediate fumble on USC’s opening possession to seize momentum.
An Illinois offensive line that was pierced for seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback pressures by Indiana, responded with an impressive opening possession that included steady push along the interior. The Illini rushing attack accounted for more than 50% of the team’s yardage on a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that gave them an early lead, with quarterback Altmyer punching it in himself to the delight of an expectant crowd.
2. College football fans should learn the name Hank Beatty
For good reason, much of the offseason discussion surrounding Illinois’ offense — a group that returned all five offensive linemen and one of the country’s most experienced quarterbacks from a team that won 10 games in 2024 — centered on who would step forward at wide receiver following some critical departures. Gone was leading wideout Pat Bryant, who caught 54 passes for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors. Gone, too, was Zakhari Franklin, the team’s second-leading receiver with 55 catches for 652 yards and four touchdowns. No other player on last year’s roster eclipsed 300 receiving yards or three receiving scores, a reflection of just how heavily Illinois leaned on Bryant and Franklin.
Through five games, however, it has become increasingly clear that Hank Beatty is a name college football fans across the country should familiarize themselves with as Big Ten play continues. Beatty caught 20 passes for 294 yards and one touchdown as a member of the supporting cast in 2024, but his role has expanded exponentially so far this season. He entered Saturday’s game against USC with 21 catches for 302 yards — both team highs — and had already found the end zone as a runner, receiver and punt returner.
Beatty wasted little time adding another column to his stat sheet by throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Altmyer early in the second quarter. The Illini ran their own version of the famed “Philly Special” by using a jet sweep reverse to free Beatty, who would finish with six catches totaling 81 yards, for a lofted throw toward Altmyer in the right corner of the end zone. That score pushed Illinois back in front, 14-7, and capped a second consecutive scoring drive of at least 70 yards.
3. The Trojans are too undisciplined to be CFP contenders
One of the frustrating habits that has plagued USC across three-plus seasons under head coach Lincoln Riley is the proclivity to accrue penalties in head-scratching quantities. In 2022, which was Riley’s first season, the Trojans finished tied for 77th nationally in penalties per game (6.3) and tied for 90th in penalty yards per game (58). In 2023, when USC stumbled to 8-5 overall, the Trojans finished tied for 122nd in penalties per game (7.3) and 123rd in penalty yards per game (64.9). In 2024, when USC slapped together a sub-.500 record in Big Ten play, the Trojans finished tied for 66th in penalties per game (5.8) and 69th in penalty yards per game (51.4).
Somehow, someway, the penalty situation for Riley’s team has been noticeably worse to begin the 2025 season, even as USC raced to a 4-0 record behind one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The Trojans were penalized five times in the opener against Missouri State, eight times against Georgia Southern in Week 2, nine times at Purdue in Week 3 and 11 times against Michigan State last weekend. They entered Saturday’s tilt at Illinois tied for 118th in penalties per game (8.3) and 129th in penalty yards per game (80.8), second-to-last in the Big Ten for both categories, ahead of only UCLA.
The mistakes followed USC into Memorial Stadium, where Riley’s team was flagged six times for 57 yards in the first half alone. One of those penalties — caused by an ineligible receiver wandering too far downfield — wiped away what would have been a 75-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jayden Maiava to wideout Makai Lemon on a beautifully executed trick play. Instead, the five-yard penalty took a game-tying score off the board during a drive that ultimately ended with a turnover on downs.
The Trojans finished with eight penalties for 69 yards compared to just five penalties for 42 yards against Illinois. It’s difficult to beat quality opponents with so many self-inflicted wounds.
Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans looks on during the second quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
4. Illinois is in charge of the Big Ten’s second tier
Ever since the Big Ten added its quartet of West Coast schools two seasons ago and eliminated the division format that bifurcated the league for more than a decade, an unofficial tier system has slowly taken shape. Atop the totem pole sit traditional powers Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, with those three programs joined by high-flying newcomer Oregon, the defending Big Ten Champion and No. 1 overall seed in last year’s College Football Playoff. The second tier includes teams like Indiana and Illinois, legitimate postseason contenders without the pedigree of those above them. The third tier consists of potential challengers like Iowa, Washington, USC and Nebraska, at least one of which could still emerge as a viable threat this season. Everyone else is behind them.
In reaching last year’s playoff and then thumping Illinois by 50 points earlier this month, Indiana showed it is far closer to gaining acceptance into the first tier than lingering with anyone else. And the Hoosiers’ forthcoming games against No. 6 Oregon (away) and No. 3 Penn State (away) will go a long way toward determining how genuine that candidacy truly is. But it’s clear that in two short years, head coach Curt Cignetti has lifted Indiana above the likes of Illinois, Iowa, Washington, USC and Nebraska.
What was far less clear, at least entering Saturday’s game against USC, was how far Illinois deserved to tumble following such a shocking defeat last week. Was Bielema’s team actually a third-tier squad that punched above its weight in 2024? Or are the Illini firmly entrenched right behind the blue bloods thanks to Bielema’s impressive five-year rebuild?
By slicing through USC’s defense the way that Illinois did — leaning on a rushing attack that churned out 171 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries; trusting Altmyer to complete a crisp 77% of his passes while throwing for 328 yards and two scores without an interception — Bielema’s team proved that it’s firmly entrenched in the second tier. And that means there’s still a chance for the Illini to reach the College Football Playoff.
4 ½: Building a modern roster still means turning over every stone
Because of just how radically NIL and revenue sharing have changed college football, an overwhelmingly amount of attention is paid to player acquisition efforts via high school recruiting and the transfer portal. Those are the avenues through which an overwhelming majority of rosters will continue to be built.
But USC’s shrewd addition of shifty tailback Waymond Jordan from the junior college ranks has shown just how valuable it can be to examine every path toward college enrollment. Jordan was viewed as the No. 1 JUCO running back in the country after carrying 218 times for 1,614 yards and 20 touchdowns in 12 games at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas — a résumé good enough to net him the 2024 NJCAA D1 Football Offensive Player of the Year and recruiting interest from numerous Power 4 programs.
Coming into Saturday’s game, Jordan led all Trojans’ tailbacks in rushing attempts (57), rushing yards (443) and rushing touchdowns (three) before putting forth another strong showing against Illinois. He carried 20 times for 94 yards and two scores to balance an offense that leaned more and more heavily on its passing attack down the stretch.
Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.
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