Illinois tops No. 19 Kansas 23-17 on a night at Memorial Stadium that just might signal change

CHAMPAIGN — A sold-out Memorial Stadium for the first time since way back in 2016. A packed student section and an “Orange Out” in the seats. A ranked opponent in town. One last giant play by defensive back Xavier Scott, because it just plain had to be him. A field-rushing by the fans amid a celebration by Illinois — yes, Illinois — in the end.

Is this what college football that matters is supposed to look like?

Illinois upset No. 19 Kansas 23-17 on a Saturday night that just might change some things around here. For the Illini (2-0), it was the first win against a ranked, non-conference opponent since 2011. More important, it was the start — one can only believe — of repelling the struggles that have followed the Illini and coach Bret Bielema ever since their surprising 7-1 start in 2022.

When it comes to getting better and staying better, Illini football has displayed the turning radius of a slow-going ocean freighter through the years. It has been only a bit more encouraging on Bielema’s watch. But when Scott followed up his pair of game-changing interceptions by sacking Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels on the final play of the game, it had a powerful effect.

Fifteen years ago, now-Kansas coach Lance Leipold was the king of Division III at UW-Whitewater, in the middle of an incredible flurry of six national championships. Bielema was a much bigger deal, though, the hotshot coach at big-boy Wisconsin.

But Bielema was very good to Leipold, making memorable gestures such as letting Leipold’s teams practice indoors at Wisconsin’s classy facilities when postseason conditions became untenable. When Leipold eventually moved up to Buffalo, a MAC program, Bielema, by now at Arkansas, continued to be an advisor and friend.

“I owe a lot to Bret Bielema,” Leipold said.

Then 2023 rolled around and the Illini opened their season at Kansas and got smacked around like nobodies. The Jayhawks scored 21 unanswered to start the game and cruised from there. If Leipold hadn’t leap-frogged Bielema in the national pecking order of coaches by then, he sure did that night.

But after this one? Get a load of the big fella — Bielema is back on the move. He’s 20-19 at the school. He’s signed through 2028. He has a pretty nice feather in his cap after knocking off a Jayhawks team that’s considered a contender in the Big 12.

Leipold took over a winless Kansas team after the 2020 season. The four coaches before him — Turner Gill, Charlie Weis, David Beaty and Les Miles — went an unthinkable 6-91 in Big 12 play. Leipold, who was a candidate at Illinois before Bielema was hired, still looks mighty good.

But this time around, the Illini actually showed up for the early throes of an important night. Scott picked off Daniels on the opening drive of the game. The Illini’s first drive was a thing of beauty until it ended in an agonizing fashion that was all too familiar not because of the specifics but because, well, it always seems to be something that goes wrong here. After 14 plays, 62 yards and nearly eight minutes of encouraging quality, running back Aidan Laughery ran wide open into the flat on third-and-goal and dropped the easiest chance he’ll ever have at a touchdown. Still, the Illini took a 3-0 lead.

They cut it to 10-6 on a 50-yard field goal by David Olana, the key play on the drive being a 42-yard one-handed catch by Zakhari Franklin, a newcomer via the portal who is college football’s active leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. Franklin had nine catches for 99 yards.

Scott shocked Kansas with a 28-yard pick-six for a 13-10 lead with less than a minute to go in the half. And in the fourth quarter, when the Illini needed anyone to step forward, quarterback Luke Altmyer made clutch throws to Pat Bryant and freshman running back Ca’Lil Valentine — a fourth-stringer coming in — gained first downs to drain the clock.

It wasn’t beautiful, but it looked like it mattered. What a nice thing to see.