Field goal by McCourt shocks No. 6 Badgers
Junior’s 39-yard kick as time expires gives 301⁄2-point underdog Illini a stunning win.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — James McCourt kicked a 39yard field as time expired and Illinois pulled off a 24-23 upset of No. 6 Wisconsin on Saturday.
“Our program, we needed to get a signature win. I was just hoping today was the day, and the day came,” said coach Lovie Smith, the former Chicago Bears coach who is 12-31 overall and 5-26 in the Big Ten Conference since taking over the program in 2016.
The Illini were 301⁄2-point underdogs. They beat a ranked team for the first time since 2011 and knocked off a ranked Big Ten team for the first time since 2007, when the Illini defeated No. 1 Ohio State in November on their way to a Rose Bowl appearance.
On Saturday, Tony Adams picked off a pass by Jack Coan at midfield with 2 minutes 33 seconds to play that set up the winning drive.
Dre Brown’s tacklebreaking 13-yard run got Illinois to the Badgers 25 with 34 seconds left and then the Illini set up McCourt to try a winner. The junior kicker was down the middle with the field goal.
“No matter if it’s an extra point or a game winner you kind of have to take the approach that every kick is the same because if you take a different approach you might get thrown off or something might be a little different,” said McCourt, who missed a 40-yard attempt in the first quarter.
The Badgers had not trailed this season, giving up only 29 points with four shutouts in six games. They blew a nine-point lead in the final 9:46 against Illinois.
Jonathan Taylor rushed 28 times for 132 yards and one touchdown for Wisconsin, but also lost a fumble in Illinois territory in the fourth quarter to help fuel the comeback.
“We had two drives late in the game that ended in turnovers,” coach Paul Chryst said. “It’s always hard to win on the road, and that made it even harder. We just have to move on and learn from this.”
Coan threw for 264 yards and a touchdown, but he sailed a pass that Adams grabbed to give the Illinois a short field against the nation’s top defense.