Illinois Football Spring Game in the middle of the construction, injuries

CHAMPAIGS – An annual spring rite for football fans at the University of Illinois decreases one season this year.

Illinois has had a 10: 3 season, which has completed with a 21-17 win against No. 14 in South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl. The Illini should start in the top 25 next season.

While spring practice is in progress, there will be no spring game this year, the football coach of Illinois Bret Bielema has announced.

Bielema's reasons to cancel the spring game include ongoing construction work in the Memorial Stadium, injuries and class plans.

“I love the spring game,” he said, “but of the 18 of 22 starters that we come back will probably not take half of these boys in the Spring Ball. I just didn't want this diluted version to add a game out there.”

Bielema said that he could possibly open some practices or scrimmages to the public.

Illinois had two training sessions this week. The Ilini will be eliminated next week with spring holidays and then return to three days a week that are planned after spring holidays. The team will practice on Mondays, Wednesday and Friday.

According to Bielema, the construction in the stadium was the main factor for the cancellation of the spring game.

“We just didn't have the feeling that we (the spring game) could work on the schedule they wanted,” said Bielema at a media conference at the beginning of this week.

The decision was made with the included injury factor.

“I knew that we would have a fairly large amount of post -season injuries that would require an operation,” he said.

There are 24 newcomers on the spring manager who are evenly divided between the recruits of the high school and transfers.

The Illini will open the 2025 season with three home games. On August 30th they will be organized by Western Illinois, followed by a game on September 6th against Duke and a game on September 13 against Western Michigan.

The Big Ten Conference Opener will also be the first street game when the Illini travels to Indiana on September 20.