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Bret Bielema offers unfortunate update on Illinois QB Art Sitkowski
By Nick Schultz
Published:
This certainly isn’t the news Illinois fans wanted to hear.
Quarterback Art Sitkowski suffered a nasty arm injury during Illinois’ upset over Penn State last week. Monday afternoon, Illini coach Bret Bielema confirmed the worst-case scenario: Sitkowski broke his arm and will need surgery, meaning he’s out for the season. Bielema also said Sitkowski will have surgery on a pre-existing shoulder injury, which will be a 6-8 month recover period.
#illini Bret Bielema: Artur Sitkowski broke his arm. Will have surgery Wednesday. Out for season.
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) October 25, 2021
#illini Bret Bielema: Sitkowski had a preexisting shoulder injury when he got here. Rehabbed it. But arm strength wasn't quite the same.
Will have surgery on that this offseason as well. 6-8 month recovery.
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) October 25, 2021
It’s a tough hit for the Illini quarterback room. Brandon Peters was healthy for the game against Penn State and threw the winning 2-point conversion in the 9th overtime. But he’s dealt with his share of injuries this year, too, and hasn’t looked great under center. Now, Illinois is without its top backup.
Illinois is gearing up for a matchup with Rutgers this week in Champaign. Kickoff for that game is set for Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. CT.
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.