Illinois celebrates walk-off win over #21 USC, revitalizing their confidence

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - A 41-yard walk-off field goal by Illinois football kicker, David Olano, was enough to put away a determined Southern California team who erased a 14-point deficit in the final quarter.

A pair of costly Illini fumbles only a few yards from the goal line left the window open for the Trojans to creep back into the game, but the kick as time expired helped Illinois earn its fourth win of the season.

"I am grateful enough to be a part of a team where Keelan [Crimmins], Pat [Mahoney], and I can be the exclamation mark," Olano said. "We can be the punctuation and the team's the paragraph. It's just an appreciation of those guys. Those guys are the reason why we won the game."

Head Coach Bret Bielema said the response from the Illini team is exactly what the coaching staff was hopeful for following their blowout loss to Indiana a week ago. The sense of pride and understanding that the previous game was not indicative of their identity was a key to their success in this week's preparation.

"All of us have a reputation," Bielema said. "if we come on to campus, we're together, but all of us have a reputation we're gonna carry beyond right here. You want to have a great reputation about how you fight and that was a good answer today."

Illinois tallied 502 total yards of offense against the Trojans. Game planning by Offensive Coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. addressed some concerns of protecting quarterback Luke Altmyer after surrendering 7 sacks against the Hoosiers.

"They just tried to address the things that need to be addressed," Altmyer said. Here we are. Credit the offensive line. Myself and those guys felt [the pressure] the most."

The Illini Head Coach also tipped his cap to students and fans who made the sellout atmosphere play a critical role in their favor.

"The fans showed up in a big way," Bielema pointed out. "I thought that stadium was just electric. Our students were phenomenal. This this is what college football is about, and thankfully, it's here at Illinois and hopefully we're not going anywhere soon."

Illinois goes back to Indiana next Saturday to visit Purdue in West Lafayette. Kickoff is scheduled for 11am CST.