2009 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

2009 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
2009 record	3–9 (2–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	Ron Zook
Offensive coordinator	Mike Schultz
Offensive scheme	Option/Spread
Co-defensive coordinator	Dan Disch
Co-defensive coordinator	Curt Mallory
Captain	Jon Asamoah
Captain	Arrelious Benn
Captain	Doug Pilcher
Captain	Ian Thomas
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 62,870)

2009 Big Ten football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
#5 Ohio State $		7	–	1					11	–	2
#7 Iowa %		6	–	2					11	–	2
#9 Penn State		6	–	2					11	–	2
#16 Wisconsin		5	–	3					10	–	3
Northwestern		5	–	3					8	–	5
Michigan State		4	–	4					6	–	7
Purdue		4	–	4					5	–	7
Minnesota		3	–	5					6	–	7
Illinois		2	–	6					3	–	9
Michigan		1	–	7					5	–	7
Indiana		1	–	7					4	–	8
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head football coach was Ron Zook. The Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. This was Ron Zook's fifth season as the Illini head coach. The Illini finished the season 3–9 (2–6 Big Ten). The Illini failed to live up to the lofty preseason expectations, receiving almost enough votes in the AP Poll to be ranked (and were said to be the unofficial #26 ranked team in the AP Poll because of this), and even were considered a dark horse candidate for the Big Ten championship. But after their blowout loss to Missouri, they failed to receive any votes, and failed to show any improvement until the Michigan State game, which followed blowout losses to Penn State and Ohio State, but by late in the season, they were able to upset Michigan and Minnesota while also giving Cincinnati a game.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	2:30 PM	vs. Missouri*	Edward Jones Dome • St. Louis, MO (Arch Rivalry)	ESPN	L 9–37	64,215[1]
September 12	6:00 PM	Illinois State*	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	W 45–17	62,347[2]
September 26	2:30 PM	at #13 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH (Illibuck Trophy)	ABC/ESPN	L 0–30	105,219[3]
October 3	2:30 PM	#13 Penn State	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	ABC/ESPN2	L 17–35	62,870[4]
October 10	11:00 AM	Michigan State	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	L 14–24	62,870[5]
October 17	6:00 PM	at Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	BTN	L 14–27	42,358[6]
October 24	11:00 AM	at Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Purdue Cannon)	ESPN2	L 14–24	47,349[7]
October 31	2:30 PM	Michigan	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	ABC/ESPN2	W 38–13	60,119[8]
November 7	11:00 AM	at Minnesota	TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 35–32	50,805[9]
November 14	11:00 AM	Northwestern	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL (Land of Lincoln Trophy)	ESPNC	L 16–21	60,523[10]
November 27	11:00 AM	at #5 Cincinnati*	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH	ABC	L 36–49	35,106[11]
December 5	11:30 AM	Fresno State*	Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	BTN	L 52–53	48,538[12]
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time.

References

1. "Missouri Tigers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Box Score". ESPN. September 5, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
2. "Illinois State Redbirds vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Box Score". ESPN. September 12, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
3. "Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Box Score". ESPN. September 26, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
4. "Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Illinois Fighting Illni Box Score". ESPN. October 3, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
5. "Michigan State Spartans vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Box Score". ESPN. October 10, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
6. "Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Indiana Hoosiers Box Score". ESPN. October 17, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
7. "Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Purdue Boilermakers Box Score". ESPN. October 24, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
8. "Michigan Wolverines vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Box Score". ESPN. October 31, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
9. "Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers Box Score". ESPN. November 7, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
10. "Northwestern Wildcats vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Box Score". ESPN. November 14, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
11. "Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Box Score". ESPN. November 27, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
12. "Fresno State Bulldogs vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Box Score". ESPN. December 5, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2010.