The 1986 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their seventh year under head coach Mike White, the Illini compiled a 4–7 record and finished in a tie for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference.[1]
The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Shane Lamb with 1,414 passing yards, running back Keith Jones with 534 rushing yards, and Stephen Pierce with 602 receiving yards.[2]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 6 | Louisville* | | W 23–0 | 72,822 | [3] |
September 13 | at USC* | | L 16–31 | 51,496 | [4] |
September 20 | No. 6 Nebraska* | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL
| L 14–59 | 75,869 | [5] |
October 4 | at Ohio State | | L 0–14 | 90,030 | [6] |
October 11 | Purdue | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL (rivalry)
| W 34–27 | 73,720 | [7] |
October 18 | Michigan State | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL
| L 21–29 | 75,083 | [8] |
October 25 | at Wisconsin | | L 9–15 | 76,983 | [9] |
November 1 | at No. 3 Michigan | | L 13–69 | 104,122 | [10] |
November 8 | No. 16 Iowa | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL
| W 20–16 | 75,190 | [11] |
November 15 | at Indiana | | W 21–16 | 34,572 | [12] |
November 22 | Northwestern | - Memorial Stadium
- Champaign, IL (rivalry)
| L 18–23 | 70,568 | [13] |
- *Non-conference game
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
|
Games summaries
No. 6 Nebraska
Nebraska at Illinois [box score]
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
• No. 6 Cornhuskers |
28 |
10 | 14 | 7 |
59 |
Fighting Illini |
0 |
7 | 0 | 7 |
14 |
At Ohio State
Illinois at Ohio State
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Fighting Illini |
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
0 |
• Buckeyes |
0 |
14 | 0 | 0 |
14 |
At No. 3 Michigan
Illinois at Michigan
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Fighting Illini |
10 |
3 | 0 | 0 |
13 |
• No. 3 Wolverines |
7 |
20 | 21 | 21 |
69 |
Scoring summary |
1 | 12:03 | ILL | Chris Siambekos 47-yard field goal | ILL 3–0 |
5:24 | MICH | Jim Harbaugh 13-yard run (Mike Gillette kick) | MICH 7–3 |
0:11 | ILL | Brian Menkhausen 3-yard run (Siambekos kick) | ILL 10–7 |
|
2 | 9:38 | MICH | Gillette 20-yard field goal | TIE 10–10 |
4:13 | MICH | Bob Perryman 1-yard run (Gillette kick) | MICH 17–10 |
2:15 | MICH | Paul Jokisch 41-yard pass from Harbaugh (Gillette kick) | MICH 24–10 |
0:26 | MICH | Gillette 52-yard field goal | MICH 27–10 |
0:00 | ILL | Siambekos 44-yard field goal | MICH 27–13 |
|
3 | 10:55 | MICH | Harbaugh 1-yard run (Gillette kick) | MICH 34–13 |
8:12 | MICH | Perryman 25-yard run (Gillette kick) | MICH 41–13 |
4:27 | MICH | Thomas Wilcher 8-yard run (Gillette kick) | MICH 48–13 |
|
4 | 13:03 | MICH | Chris Zurbrugg 1-yard run (Gillette kick) | MICH 55–13 |
10:10 | MICH | Zurbrugg 1-yard run (Gillette kick) | MICH 62–13 |
2:26 | MICH | Taylor 6-yard run (Gillette kick) | MICH 69–13 |
[14]
No. 16 Iowa
Iowa at Illinois
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
No. 16 Hawkeyes |
3 |
7 | 0 | 6 |
16 |
• Fighting Illini |
0 |
0 | 7 | 13 |
20 |
Scoring summary |
1 | | IOWA | Houghtlin 36-yard field goal | IOWA 3–0 |
|
2 | | IOWA | Hudson 2-yard run (Houghtlin kick) | IOWA 10–0 |
|
3 | | Illinois | Pierce 54-yard pass from Menkhausen (Siambekos kick) | IOWA 10–7 |
|
4 | | Illinois | Menkhausen 1-yard run (Siambekos kick) | Illinois 14–10 |
| Illinois | Siambekos 29-yard field goal | Illinois 17–10 |
| Illinois | Siambekos 42-yard field goal | Illinois 20–10 |
| IOWA | Harmon 3-yard run (pass failed) | Illinois 20–16 |
[15]
References
- ^ "1986 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ "1986 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ "Illini trump Cards". Quad-City Times. September 7, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Southern California trips Illinois, 31–16". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 14, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Huskers take fight out of Illini". Lincoln Journal Star. September 21, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ohio St. shuts out the Illini". Chicago Tribune. October 5, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Illinois' late TD subdues Boilers". Evansville Courier and Press. October 12, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Illini drop decision to Michigan State". The Pantagraph. October 19, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Defense keys Badgers over Illini". The Reporter. October 26, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Total collapse: Illini blown out 69–13". Herald and Review. November 2, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hayden Fry's worry is justified after Iowa upset by Illinois 20–16". Omaha World-Herald. November 9, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Spoilsport Illinois bowls over Indiana". Chicago Tribune. November 16, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Northwestern defeats Illinois 23–18". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 23, 1986. Retrieved April 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tommy George (November 2, 1986). "MSU rocks and U-M rolls: Michigan nails Illini – 69-13". The Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 12D. Retrieved July 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Illinois Remembers To Pay Back Iowa". Chicago Tribune. November 10, 1986. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
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