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ILLINI GAMEDAY Live Blog: FINAL - Illinois 24, No. 6 Wisconsin 23

Feel free to log in and join the in-game discussion as for the Illini Gameday Live Blog as Illinois welcomes No. 6 Wisconsin for Homecoming.

Matthew Stevens

ILLINI GAMEDAY Live Blog: FINAL - Illinois 24, No. 6 Wisconsin 23
ILLINI GAMEDAY Live Blog: FINAL - Illinois 24, No. 6 Wisconsin 23 /

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Good Homecoming morning from Memorial Stadium as Illinois (2-4, 0-3 in Big Ten) hosts No. 6 Wisconsin (6-0, 3-0) for an 11 a.m. kickoff. Illinois, which is a 30-point home underdog for only the third time since 1990, is coming off a 42-25 loss to then-No. 16 Michigan last weekend in which the Illini suffered an early 28-0 deficit but managed to score 25 unanswered points in a comeback effort that ended with disappointment. Today Illinois will face what is currently the nation's best defense in several critical categories (scoring defense, rushing defense, passing defense, and total defense) while also seeing a Heisman Trophy candidate in tailback Jonathan Taylor). 

We're a few hours away from game time with weather conditions via Weather.com in Champaign calling for an unusually warm mid-October day with high temperature in the 60s but also a 5-10 miles-per-hour wind. 

NOTE: Please join us as we live-blog and discuss the Illini vs. Badgers game here in our weekly Illini Gameday Open Thread. Dive into the conversation — it's easy — by simply going to the top right of the redesigned site and click the follow button. 

You can log in with Facebook or Google and either way, it's free. That's right...IT'S FREE. From there, sound off in the comment section and share your reactions and observations with our staff and fellow members of the Illini Maven/Sports Illustrated community as we keep you up to date of the game in real-time.

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No. 6 Wisconsin at Illinois

Date/Time/Place: Saturday, Oct. 18, 2019: 11 a.m. CST, Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.

Surface: Field Turf

Capacity: 60,670

Records: Wisconsin 6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten Conference, 8-5, 5-4 in 2018; Illinois 2-4, 0-3 in 2019, 4-8, 2-7 in 2018.

Line: Wisconsin by 31. Since 1990, Illinois has only been a 30-point home underdog against twice (2013 vs. Ohio State and 1998 vs. Ohio State).

Series notes: Wisconsin holds a 42-37-7 lead in series. The Badgers have won 13 of the last 14 meetings in this rivalry with the only Illini win being in 2007.

TV: BTN; Kevin Kugler (PBP), Matt Millen (analyst) and Rick Pizzo (sidelines)

Radio (Illinois): Brian Barnhart (PBP), Martin O’Donnell (analyst), Michael Martin (sidelines) & Steve Kelly (Pre/HT/Post)» The broadcast can be heard live on TuneIn online radio, Sirius (94) / XM (195) satellite radio & SiriusXM Internet (957), and at FightingIllini.com.

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Badgers/Illini Pre-Game Coverage

While we're still a few hours away from kickoff here at Memorial Stadium, we'll give you a final chance to overlook the several pieces of Illini Maven pre-game content throughout the week: 

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Illinois has announced its personnel out with injuries for today's game: QB Isaiah Williams, WR Trevon Sidney, DB Delano Ware

Illini coach Lovie Smith announced in his pre-game radio show that QB Brandon Peters will start today vs. Wisconsin. 

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Uniform update: Illinois will be wearing the grey ghost uniforms that have become traditional at Homecoming with the grey jerseys with blue numbers, grey pants and blue helmets. Wisconsin will be in the white Storm Troopers uniforms with the traditional white helmet, white jersey with red numbers and white pants. 

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According to Bob Asmussen of the Champaign News-Gazette, former Illinois head coach Lou Tepper is here today for the Homecoming game.  

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Illinois has won the toss and defers to the second half. Wisconsin will get the ball first and so it'll be Jonathan Taylor vs. the Illini poorest run defense to start things off. 

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FIRST QUARTER

14:43 left in 1st - No score - Taylor goes for 17 yards on the first carry. No missed tackles until he got to the second level. Illini were misbalanced upfront from the start. 

13:04 left in 1st - No score - Coan's first pass is a 10-yard gain on a simple slant route. Coan can hurt the Illini if the CBs don't play more press-man. 

9:15 left in 1st - No. 6 Wisconsin 7, Illinois - WISCONSIN TD - On a third-and-10, Illinois' nickel defense leaves Jake Ferguson basically uncovered in the slot and Coan finds him for an 18-yard touchdown. 

9:05 left in 1st - No. 6 Wisconsin 7, Illinois 0 - First play for Illini goes for a loss of five yards and involves what appears to be a serious injury to receiver Ricky Smalling that involves a long media timeout. Smalling is helped off the field by Illinois training staff members 

8:05 left in 1st - No. 6 Wisconsin 7, Illinois 0 - Reggie Corbin has 24 yards on three carries but the drives stalls after Peters is sacked on a massive Wisconsin blitz. Blake Hayes downs his punt at the 3-yard-line. 

5:05 left in 1st - No. 6 Wisconsin 7, Illinois 0 - Wisconsin goes three-and-out after Coan is sacked. The Wisconsin quarterback had the slot receiver wide open in the middle of the field but was confused by the Illini coverage. The sack was by Betiku, his first in three games, and the Illini take over at the Badgers 40-yard-line. 

4:05 left in 1st - No. 6 Wisconsin 7, Illinois 0 - Dre Brown with an 11-yard rush on a dive play on first down. Now the Illini can get the tempo offense going.

3:13 left in 1st - No. 6 Wisconsin 7, Illinois 0 - ILLINI MISSED FG - James McCourt misses from 40 yards after the drive stalls and Peters nearly throws an interception on third down. 

End of 1st - No. 6 Wisconsin 7, Illinois 0 - Illini bring a blitz on third-and-4 but it is picked up brilliantly by Garrett Groshek. Nothing Lovie Smith is trying on defense is working today. 

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SECOND QUARTER

12:30 left in 2nd - No. 6 Wisconsin 10, Illinois 0 - BADGERS FG - Collin Larsh makes the 24-yard attempt but Illini had very good red zone defense on that drive. Illinois defensive tackles Tymir Oliver and Jamal Woods getting interior push this afternoon. 

10:32 left in 2nd - No. 6 Wisconsin 10, Illinois 0 - The drive started with a false start and a 7-yard loss on a pass to Corbin where nobody was blocked. The result? A Blake Hayes punt. 

The Illini defense has been on the field A LOT and Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters hasn't been able to take the top of this aggressive Wisconsin scheme. 

7:49 left in 2nd - No. 6 Wisconsin 10, Illinois 0 - Illinois strip-sack by Jake Hansen on a fourth-down play stalls the Badgers drive. Big stop for Illini and another big play on a blitz by the Illini linebacker. 

5:53 left in 2nd - No. 6 Wisconsin 10, Illinois 7 - ILLINI TD -  Peters finds Donny Navarro on a post route and he slips two Wisconsin defenders for a 48-yard touchdown. Suddenly after a turnover and a big play on offense, we have a game here in Champaign. 

Illini defense gets a turnover and the offense nearly immediately turns it into points. This is how the third quarter vs. Michigan went last week and Illini head coach Lovie Smith was hoping to find more of that this week. The throw to Navarro was a confidence-building timing throw by Peters and that may be the way for Illini offensive coordinator Rod Smith to attack this Badgers defense until they back off the blitz scheme. 

4:23 left in 2nd - No. 6 Wisconsin 10, Illinois 7 - Coan throws the ball at the feet of his lineman but Taylor was in the area. Lovie Smith has taken a timeout to challenge the ruling on the field. I'm not sure exactly what Smith is challenging because his arm was coming forward but you could argue intentional grounding (but that's not reviewable). 

1:47 left in 2nd - No. 6 Wisconsin 13, Illinois 7 - Badgers FG - A 38-yard drive ends in a 44-yard field goal highlighted by a 19-yard pitch-and-catch to Ferguson, who has 55 yards and a touchdown today. 

1:18 left in 2nd - No. 6 Wisconsin 13, Illinois 7 - What looked like a touchdown pass to Imatorbhebhe is called back due to center Doug Kramer being downfield. WOW. 

HALFTIME - No. 6 Wisconsin 13, Illinois 7 - Illini have 38 percent of its total yards on one play but that one play was a 48-yard strike to Navarro. Jonathan Taylor with 80 yards on 17 carries.

Brandon Peters, in his return back from the concussion, is 4 of 9 for 86 yards but also had a 73-yard touchdown pass called back by a penalty. The big stat for me is Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan, who came in completing 76 percent of his passes is just 11 of 17 today and three of those is to a wide-open Jake Ferguson down the middle of the field.  

THIRD QUARTER

12:08 left in 3rd - No. 6 Wisconsin 13, Illinois 7 - Both teams have traded punts as the Illini have tackled better and got an interior push throughout the afternoon. 

Official attendance announcement: 37,363 at Memorial Stadium for Homecoming in Champaign. 

Illinois officials announce defensive end Oluwole Betiku Jr. is out for the remainder of this game. 

11:11 left in 3rd - No. 6 Wisconsin 13, Illinois 7 - An intentional grounding is called after Illini guard Richie Pettibon is blown up on the play. On the next play, Illinois fumbles and it is recovered by Wisconsin. All kinds of bad news for the Illini. 

10:31 left in 3rd - No. 6 Wisconsin 20, Illinois 7 - BADGERS TD - The turnover leads to Jonathan Taylor finding the end zone for the first time today. A 5-yard score gives him 98 yards on 20 carries today. 

6:37 left in 3rd - No. 6 Wisconsin 20, Illinois 7 - Illinois leaves Ferguson wide open again and Coan finds him for another big gain. The Badgers tight end has been Coan's go-to receiver today. 

2:39 left in 3rd - No. 6 Wisconsin 20, Illinois 7 - BADGERS MISSED FG - Collin Larsh misses from 37 yards out and the Illini, despite having just 65 yards of offense on every play but the Navarro touchdown, are still in this game. 

1:19 left in 3rd - No. 6 Wisconsin 20, Illinois 14 - ILLINI TD - Reggie Corbin finds a massive hole and scampers for a 43-yard touchdown. Corbin has 60 yards on nine carries. Last year he had 100 yards on nine carries. 

End of 3rd - No. 6 Wisconsin 20, Illinois 14 - Illinois has a 48-yard touchdown pass and a 43-yard touchdown run. Two big plays and a solid 45-minute effort from the defense and we have a one-score game in Champaign.  

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FOURTH QUARTER

Injury concerns starting to pile up for the Illini. Defensive end Ayo Shogbonoy gingerly walked off the field and now linebacker Dele Harding, who has 13 tackles today, is down. 

11:41 left: No. 6 Wisconsin 20, Illinois 14 - A 35-yard pitch-and-catch on third-and-4 puts the Illini in a bad spot. They need a turnover desperately here and Taylor has only fumbled once this season. 

9:46 left: No. 6 Wisconsin 23, Illinois 14 - Marsh connects from 20 yards out and we have a two-score game again. I'm headed down to the field now but I'll have instant updates on Twitter from the post-game media conferences. 

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Matthew Stevens
MATTHEW STEVENS

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