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Bret Bielema Gives Emotional ‘Thank You’ To Illinois Fans After Kansas Upset

Bret Bielema gave immense praise to the Illinois fanbase.
Zain Bando|
Sep 7, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema talks with officials during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema talks with officials during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois Fighting Illini coach Bret Bielema was able to smell the roses Saturday night in Champaign, leading Illinois (2-0) to its first nonconference ranked win since 2011 with a 23-17 upset against No. 19 Kansas (1-1).

Bielema had previous Big Ten and SEC coaching experience, making previous trips to coach against the Illini. While thanking the sold-out Memorial Stadium crowd, Bielema pointed to the in-game atmosphere as something he had never fully experienced before.

"I just want to say thank you to anybody and everybody that came here and put that stadium to a level that I've never seen before," Bielema said. "I always made reference, I've seen this stadium full but I was on the other sideline." 

"To see it [Memorial Stadium] cheering on our program, I thought this was a great moment, not just for our players but our fans," Bielema said. "I can't say thank you enough for that." 

The win was capped off by a pair of Xavier Scott interceptions, including one for a go-ahead touchdown right before halftime to put Illinois ahead 13-10. David Olano added three field goals while the defense held the Jayhawks in their final series to seal it.

The Illini are 2-0 for the first time since 2019, the first under Bielema. It was the first of six rematch games from a season ago, as Kansas beat Illinois 34-23.

Illinois turns the page to a homecoming date with Central Michigan (1-1). Kickoff is set for noon ET/11 a.m. CT next Saturday on Peacock.

Zain Bando is a contributor to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com or follow him on X @zainbando99

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Zain Brando
ZAIN BANDO

Bando is a sports journalist based in the Chicago suburbs. He is a proud Fighting Illini (undergrad alumnus) and completed his Master of Science in Journalism at Northwestern's Medill School, focusing on Sports Media. He’s been covering combat sports since June 2019 and collegiate sports since May 2020, featured in The Sporting News, MMA Knockout On SI, Kansas State On SI, BJPenn.com, Field Level Media, SB Nation's Inside NU, MSN, Yardbarker, Deadspin, Reuters, Mike Farrell Sports, NewsNet Media, FanSided, Men's Journal. Hosts a podcast called Bando’s Breakdowns, which premieres weekly at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT Wednesdays on the Empty The Bench Podcast Network