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Lovie Smith discusses confidence, momentum at Illinois, gives major compliment to Michigan State

Kevin Cunningham

By Kevin Cunningham

Published:

Lovie Smith and the Illinois Fighting Illini are hot right now. The team has won its last three games and are now 5-4 overall with a 3-3 record in the Big Ten.

Illinois has been one of the feel-good stories within the conference this season — especially as of late — and on Monday, Illini coach Lovie Smith talked about the confidence and momentum that Illinois has built:

The Fighting Illini are actually playing meaningful football in November. That is something for a team that won a total of four games a season ago. Now, it is just one win away from bowl eligibility.

Aside from the confidence and momentum talk, Smith discussed what Michigan State brings to the table. The two teams play each other at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Spartan Stadium:

He also called the game the biggest his team has had since his arrival in Champaign:

The B1G clash, which proves to be a massive game for both programs, will be televised on FS1.

Kevin Cunningham

Kevin covers Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.