Illinois football will be back in August, as will the fans!
After playing a bizarre 2020 season in front of no fans, the Illini will be playing in front of a full crowd for the first time since the 2019 campaign, according to FightingIllini.com.
Memorial Stadium will be at 100% capacity for the 2021 season, including the first kickoff of the college football season Aug. 28 against Nebraska. #Illini #famILLy pic.twitter.com/kx3zkclOg2
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) June 11, 2021
Fans will get to see Illinois and its revamped coaching staff live and in-person when the Illini kick off their season in Memorial Stadium versus Nebraska on August 28, 2021. The game will kickoff at 12:00 CT.
Memorial Stadium is set to host seven home games this season, including the season opener versus the Cornhuskers.
The remainder of the home games include:
- Sat, Sep. 4 – vs. UTSA (7:30 PM EST)
- Fri, Sep. 17 – vs. Maryland (9:00 PM EST)
- Sat. Oct 2 – vs. Charlotte (TBA)
- Sat, Oct. 9 – vs. Wisconsin (homecoming) (3:30/4:00 EST)
- Sat, Oct. 30 – vs. Rutgers (TBA)
- Sat, Nov. 27 – vs. Northwestern (TBA)
Full capacity for a new era of Illinois football
Fans will get the opportunity to witness the start of a new era, as the Orange and Blue hired its new head coach Bret Bielema back in December. With the hiring of Bielema came an almost entirely new coaching staff.
A lot of roster changes have come into play with the new coaching staff as well. You will see new faces on the roster like linebacker Calvin Hart Jr., but you will also see some familiar faces in new positions. I am excited to see Isaiah Williams and Marquez Beason out wide burning defenders and catching touchdowns.
With so much to look forward to this fall, scoop up your tickets. Season and single-game tickets are already on sale, so if you can, let’s go support the team live. This should be the beginning of something special.