Fun Facts: Illinois-Iowa. Corn, soybeans, former governors who did time

Illinois and Iowa. It isn’t one of the Big Ten’s protected rivalries. But how does one really protect a rivalry? Now, on with the Fun Facts:

1. Iowa hasn’t lost to Illinois at Kinnick Stadium since 1999 when the Illini’s Neil Rackers kicked four field goals and caught a touchdown pass in a 40-24 win. He scored 1,164 points in the NFL, none via touchdown.

2. Fifty-six points were scored in the Iowa-Illinois games in both 2020 and 2021. Last year’s meeting had zero touchdowns and the Illini won, 9-6.

3. Iowa leads the nation in fewest yards allowed per play at 4.0 and in fewest plays of 20-plus yards allowed with 13.

4. Illini quarterback John Paddock set a Memorial Stadium record last Saturday with 507 passing yards against Indiana. The Kinnick Stadium record is 433, by Gino Torretta of Miami (Fla.) in 1992.

5. Hawkeye linebacker Jay Higgins is second in the nation in tackles per game with 12.1.

6. With one more win, Illinois will go to a bowl game in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2010-2011. The Illini had 10 straight losing seasons before 2022.

7. Iowa’s Deacon Hill has completed 65.2 percent of his passes over his last two games. He was at 37.8 percent before then.

8. The Hawkeyes will play Illinois State next year, but not Illinois. They won’t play the Illini again in Iowa City until 2028.

9. Illinois’ Isaiah Williams leads the Big Ten in receptions with 68. He is the only player in the nation with two game-winning touchdowns in the final minute or overtime, and has done it in the last two games.

10. Williams had three catches for a total of minus-7 yards against Iowa last year.

Keep reading. Playoff teams Coe and Wartburg get their props.

11. Iowa leads the nation in fewest rushing touchdowns allowed with one.

12. Illinois has seven Big Ten road wins in Bret Bielema’s three seasons as coach.

13. The Illini rank 77th in total defense. They were fourth last season. They are allowing 101.1 more yards per game this year than last.

14. Only Vanderbilt (1-10) has a worse record against the point spread this season than Illinois (2-8). Iowa is 5-4-1. The “under” has paid off in the Hawkeyes’ last five games and in eight of their 10.

15. Illinois gained 662 yards in its last game. Iowa has allowed 536 over its last three games.

16. Oklahoma State (7-3) is 24th in Associated Press’ rankings despite its 45-3 loss to UCF last week. Iowa (8-2) is unranked.

17. This is one of Saturday’s three Illinois-Iowa football clashes. Coe College is at Aurora and Illinois College is at Wartburg in NCAA Division III playoff games.

18. Iowa and Illinois rank 1-2 in corn-growing state and Illinois-Iowa are 1-2 in soybeans-growing states. Illinois is fourth in coal. Iowa is fourth in dairy goats. Neither are in the top five in potatoes or pineapples.

19. Urbana, Illinois, which borders Champaign, is 292 miles from Urbana, Iowa. Major League Baseball pitchers have come from both. Scott Garrelts of Urbana, Ill., was 69-53 from 1982-1991. Cal Eldred of Urbana, Iowa was 86-74 from 1991-2005.

20. Four of Illinois’ past 10 governors served time in federal prison.