American college football season
The 1973 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois in the 1973 Big Ten Conference football season . In their third year under head coach Bob Blackman , the Illini compiled a 5–6 record and finished in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Big Ten Conference .[1]
The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Jeff Hollenbach with 916 passing yards, running back George Uremovich with 519 rushing yards, and wide receiver Garvin Roberson with 416 receiving yards.[2] Halfback Eddie Jenkins and defensive end Octavus Morgan were selected as the team's most valuable players.[3]
Schedule
Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 15 at Indiana W 28–1451,433
September 22 at California * W 27–722,000
September 29 West Virginia * L 10–1748,107 [4]
October 6 Stanford * Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL L 0–2445,383
October 13 Purdue Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry ) W 15–1354,252
October 20 at Michigan State W 6–363,303
October 27 Iowa Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL W 50–048,864
November 3 No. 1 Ohio State L 0–3060,707
November 10 at No. 4 Michigan L 6–2176,461 [5]
November 17 Minnesota Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL L 16–1934,438
November 24 at Northwestern L 6–926,117
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Personnel
1973 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
QB
19
Jeff Hollenbach
Jr
RB
23
Eddie Jenkins
Sr
QB
11
Tom McCartney
Sr
RB
33
Lonnie Perrin
Jr
WR
Garvin Roberson
RB
George Uremovich
Defense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
DL
40
Octavius Morgan
Sr
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
P
Phil Vierneisel
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Roster
References
^ "1973 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015 .
^ "1973 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015 .
^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF) . University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016 .
^ "West Virginia deals Illini first loss, 17–10". Lansing State Journal . September 30, 1973. Retrieved January 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Curt Sylvester (November 11, 1973). "U-M Beats Illinois' 21–6: Overcomes 6 Fumbles". Detroit Free Press . p. 1E, 5E. Retrieved June 27, 2016 – via Newspapers.com .
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