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Sports editor Matt Daniels breaks down what’s happening in the region.
A big thumbs up for Janet Rayfield and her University of Illinois soccer program for the start they’ve made so far heading into the 2024 season.
Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
3 reasons why we love sports now
➜ 1. The Illinois football team continues to thrive offensively, with the latest example being a 4-0 home win over Illinois State on Sunday night. Illinois (3-0-1) has outscored opponents 13-2 heading into Saturday’s home game against Kentucky at Demirdjian Park.
➜ 2. The Big Ten announced on Monday its football tiebreaker procedures for the new 18-team league that begins its season on Thursday night. Good for them. Also, you probably won’t understand them on your first read. Important note: Check back in late November to see how the games unfold.
➜ 3. A special high school football section previewing the upcoming seasons for the region’s 36 teams will be published Thursday.
Four retro helmets that the Illinois football team will wear at home games this season.
Illinois Athletics
Numbers Game: 6
The various helmets the University of Illinois football team will wear in its home games this season. Thursday night’s opener will feature the traditional orange helmets that Illinois has been wearing since 2021. The first throwback helmet to be used will be the underlined Illinois helmet (above, far left) from the Sept. 7 game against Kansas.
Illinois State quarterback Luke Altmyer paused while speaking to reporters at the Smith Center in Champaign in late July.
Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
Crowd Control
Three events to watch
➜ 1. Eastern Illinois vs. University of Illinois football. Kicking off at 8 p.m. Thursday in Champaign, this game is the second-latest college football game of the night out of 21 games. Utah plays Southern Utah at 8 p.m. (kickoff 7 p.m. in Salt Lake City). San Jose State plays Sacramento State at 9 p.m. (kickoff 7 p.m. in San Jose).
➜ 2. Lindenwood vs. University of Kansas football. Sept. 7 is your first chance to see what the Jayhawks bring to Champaign when standout quarterback Jaylon Daniels and company take on the Lions on Thursday at 7 p.m.
➜ 3. North Dakota State vs. Colorado football. If North Dakota State wins big against the Buffaloes on Thursday, I’ll be curious to see how coach Deion Sanders handles his post-game press conference.
Paxton Buckley-Roda Football Coach Josh Pritchard
Knox Mynatt/NG
Coach’s Corner
Three questions for Paxton Buckley Roda football coach Josh Pritchard, who will begin his sixth season with the team on Friday when the Panthers host Chillicothe IVC in their 2024 opener.
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is… the Green Bay Packers.
➜ 2. The three coaches I would like to have dinner with are Mike Holmgren, Mike Tomlin, and Bruce Arians.
➜ 3. The thing I hate most is when I give someone information and then they ask me questions right away.