Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer. Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Illinois staves off Tennessee on walk-off field goal to win Music City Bowl

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Dec 30, 2025 9:39 PM ET

The Illinois Fighting Illini nearly coughed up a 10-point lead against the Tennessee Volunteers in Tuesday's Music City Bowl before a costly mistake by the Volunteers ended up being the deciding factor of the contest.

After a kick return TD gave Tennessee a 28-27 lead, the Illini drove into field-goal range. Illinois was faced with a 3rd-and-6 from the Tennessee 13-yard-line.

That was when Tennessee DL Dominic Bailey jumped offside, turning a 3rd-and-medium into a 3rd-and-short that Illinois easily converted.

All the Illini had to do from there on out was run down the clock and watch David Olano drill a 29-yard game-winning field goal.

WALK OFF OLANO pic.twitter.com/mlVV10LJ4z
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) December 31, 2025

Illinois QB Luke Altmyer threw for 196 yards and a touchdown in the win, while Tennessee's Joey Aguilar was held to only 121 yards through the air.

The win is the second straight bowl win for Bret Bielema and Illinois. The Fighting Illini (9-4) also have consecutive seasons with at least nine wins for the first time in the 21st century.

Tennessee fell well short of expectations this season

On the losing sideline, Josh Heupel and Tennessee fell well short of what was expected of them this season.

After making the College Football Playoff a season ago, the Volunteers (8-5) lost three of their final five Southeastern Conference contests and fell out of the AP Top 25 after their 21-point loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 29.

As Illinois celebrates, it might be time for Tennessee to start looking for fixes for next season as the Vols try to climb back up the CFB mountain.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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