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How to Watch: Former Illinois Receiver Malik Turner in UFL Championship Game

Former Illini Malik Turner will play in the United Football League Championship Game on Saturday for the Michigan Panthers
Jared Shlensky|
Nov 21, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Malik Turner (11) rushes with the ball after making a catch in the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 21, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Malik Turner (11) rushes with the ball after making a catch in the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

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Illinois Fighting IlliniMichigan PanthersD.C. Defenders

This weekend's United Football League Championship Game is arguably the biggest game of Malik Turner's life.

Turner, a former Illinois wide receiver, has been tearing up the UFL for the Michigan Panthers, and on Saturday against the DC Defenders he will get a chance to put the finishing touches on an outstanding season and get his final shot in this forum to prove to NFL teams why he belongs back in the NFL.

In 2025, Turner led the Panthers with 40 receptions and finished third in the UFL with four touchdown receptions. A 29-year-old who has played for seven teams across seven seasons in the NFL, Turner on Saturday will get a chance to perform on a stage big enough to launch him back to football's biggest stage of all.

Turner has been rolling almost all season, and last week he had a sick 76-yard catch-and-run in the USFL Conference Championship Game against the three-time-reigning-champion Birmingham Stallions.

These teams also met back in Week 6 of the UFL regular season, when Michigan mauled DC, 38-14. It was a typical game for Turner: four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown.

There is no guarantee Turner will get picked up by an NFL team following Saturday's game, so it could be the last time Illini fans get a chance to watch him on the field this year. The UFL Championship Game can be viewed on ABC and ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. CT.

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Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster.

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