2010 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 2010 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their sixth season under head coach Ron Zook, the Fighting Illini compiled a 7–6 record (4–4 in conference games), finished in three-way tie for third place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 423 to 305. They concluded the season in the Texas Bowl where they defeated Baylor, 38–14.^[4]

2010 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Texas Bowl champion
Texas Bowl, W 38–14 vs. Baylor
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	7–6 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	Ron Zook (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Paul Petrino (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Vic Koenning (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
MVP	Mikel Leshoure
Captains	Jeff Allen Corey Liuget Eddie McGee Martez Wilson
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 2009 2011 →

2010 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 14 Michigan State +		7	–	1					11	–	2
No. 7 Wisconsin $+		7	–	1					11	–	2
Iowa		4	–	4					8	–	5
Illinois		4	–	4					7	–	6
Penn State		4	–	4					7	–	6
Michigan		3	–	5					7	–	6
Northwestern		3	–	5					7	–	6
Purdue		2	–	6					4	–	8
Minnesota		2	–	6					3	–	9
Indiana		1	–	7					5	–	7
No. 5 Ohio State† %		0	–	1					0	–	1
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative + – Conference co-champions † – Ohio State (12–1, 7–1) self-vacated all of their wins[1] Rankings from AP Poll[2][3]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase (1,825 passing yards), running back Mikel Leshoure (1,697 rushing yards, 20 touchdowns, 122 points scored), and wide receiver A. J. Jenkins (56 receptions for 746 yards).^[5]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	11:30 am	vs. Missouri*	Edward Jones Dome St. Louis, MO (Arch Rivalry)	FSN	L 13–23	58,060	[6]
September 11	6:30 pm	No. 5 (FCS) Southern Illinois*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 35–3	52,217	[7]
September 18	11:00 am	Northern Illinois*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	W 28–22	50,569	[8]
October 2	11:00 am	No. 2 Ohio State	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (Illibuck)	BTN	L 13–24	62,870	[9]
October 9	11:00 am	at Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN2	W 33–13	107,638	[10]
October 16	11:00 am	at No. 13 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	BTN	L 6–26	74,441	[11]
October 23	11:00 am	Indiana	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	BTN	W 43–13	53,550	[12]
October 30	11:00 am	Purdue	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 44–10	50,371	[13]
November 6	11:00 am	at Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	L 65–67 3OT	111,441	[14]
November 13	11:00 am	Minnesota	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 34–38	55,549	[15]
November 20	2:30 pm	vs. No. 25 Northwestern	Wrigley Field Chicago, IL (rivalry, College GameDay)	ESPNU	W 48–27	41,058	[16]
December 3	9:15 pm	at Fresno State*	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	ESPN2	L 23–25	30,625	[17]
December 29	5:00 pm	vs. Baylor*	Reliant Stadium Houston, TX (Texas Bowl)	ESPN	W 38–14	68,211	[18]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time