US EditionMusic City Bowl: Last-Second Field Goal Gives Illinois the 30-28 Victory over Tennessee
David Olano's 29-yard field goal as time expired secured Illinois' 30-28 win, marking the Big Ten's 6-0 undefeated bowl record this season.
- Tuesday, Dec. 30 — David Olano kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired to give the Illinois Fighting Illini football team a 30-28 win over the Tennessee Volunteers football team at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee.
- Both teams came in 8-4 and were paired for the Music City Bowl, with opt-outs and injuries shaping expectations for a high-scoring game on Dec. 30, 2025.
- Illinois leaned on Luke Altmyer's 196 passing yards and a touchdown, David Olano's third field goal, and Leon Lowery Jr.'s end zone fumble recovery after Joe Barna's strip-sack.
- Illinois' win sealed a 9-4 season and the program's first back-to-back nine-win seasons, helping the Big Ten stay undefeated at 6-0 while the SEC fell to 2-5.
- Pre-Game expert consensus leaned toward the Vols though pockets favored Illinois; an EA Sports simulation of College Football 26 predicted Tennessee would win 69 of 100 games, many by seven points or fewer.
85 Articles
85 Articles
‘Tough as nails’ Luke Altmyer puts a fitting finish on one of Illinois’ most successful QB tenures
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As Bret Bielema reflected on Luke Altmyer’s Illinois career late Tuesday at Nissan Stadium, he recalled how Altmyer’s parents described the quarterback’s arrival in Champaign in 2023. It was in the dead of winter in central Illinois, freezing, and they had to leave their son who “was kind of in a tough spot” from the way his first two seasons had gone at Mississippi. Three years later, Altmyer capped his Illinois tenure as the…
Illinois star runs over official in key play, leads team to Music City Bowl win
Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer had an incredible night against the Tennessee Volunteers in a Music City Bowl win, but a play in the third quarter caught the eyes of college football fans.The Fighting Illini were up three points in the third quarter and had the ball on first down from the Volunteers’ 41-yard line. Altmyer took the snap and dropped back to pass. He faked a pass to his right and took the ball up the middle of the…
SEC's Disastrous Bowl Season Gets Even Worse
Get those angry emails ready, because the SEC is at it again. The S-E-C, S-E-C has spent years telling us that its conference is an insurmountable gauntlet. That it's so impossible to play in the SEC, even losing three or four games is impressive. Teams from other conferences would lose 7-10 games playing teams like Kentucky, Arkansas and Mississippi State. SEC teams would be undefeated in weaker conferences like the Big Ten, ACC or Big 12, the …
Illinois Makes Bowl History Against Tennessee
The Illinois Fighting Illini once ranked in the top-10 this season, but the team’s relatively disappointing season ended on a high note in Nashville on Tuesday. Illinois (9-4) edged Tennessee 30-27 in the Music City Bowl with a last-second field goal by kicker David Olano from 29 yards out. It marked the Illini’s second straight bowl win over an SEC program for the first time in program history, the first back-to-back 9-win seasons for Illinois,…
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