Consistent Dixon hasn't wavered all season for Illinois

Nov. 7—CHAMPAIGN — Collin Dixon walked down the steps at the Smith Center toward the postgame media space late Friday night with a special game ball in his hands after Illinois’ 24-13 victory against Nebraska.

This particular ball had the game’s date and opponent noted for posterity along with a scratched out record. The ball in Dixon’s hands was the same one he caught late in the second quarter that tied Friday’s game and made him Illinois’ new single-season record holder with 11 touchdowns.

That “11” noted on the paper that wrapped around the ball had to be scratched off and replaced with a “12” when Dixon added a second touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

A record Dixon shared with David Williams, Brandon Lloyd and former teammate Pat Bryant after catching a 10th touchdown two weeks ago against Oregon was now Dixon’s alone.

“David Williams and Brandon Lloyd are on the wall upstairs,” Dixon said. Photos of former Illinois stars grace the walls of every position room.

“Even to be thought of or my name spoken in the same vein as those guys is crazy,” Dixon continued. “It’s something I didn’t think would ever happen when I first got here, but it’s humbling and just really cool to see something like that happen.”

Dixon has only been held out of the end zone twice this season — at Ohio State in late September and last weekend at Maryland despite catching six passes for 103 yards. Friday night’s pair of touchdowns against Nebraska marked the fourth time this season he’s caught at least two.

Consistency has been Dixon’s trademark this fall. The latest Big Ten win by the Illini (6-3, 4-2) simply added to it with eight more catches, 129 more receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Cornhuskers (5-4, 2-4) to set a new program record.

“Collin is the same guy every day,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said. “I say all the time the greatest thing you can bring to an organization is consistency and communication. He’s great at both of those. I just think that kid’s got an unwavering confidence in himself. Obviously, his quarterback does, too, and our play caller.”

Nothing about what Dixon does on the field surprises Illinois quarterback Katin Houser at this point of the season. Not the way he fought through a tackle to just get in the end zone for his record-setting 11th touchdown or the way he plucked 50-50 balls away from the Nebraska defense for several contested catches.

“He’s going up and attacking that football,” Houser said. “That gives me full confidence to go put it up there, and he’ll go make a play. … We’ve seen it this whole season the type of player that he is. They had a really good corner — they mirrored him the entire game — and he still went for 100-plus yards and two touchdowns. It’s just a testament to who he is as a player. Big props to him. He’s easy to throw to and makes my job easier.”

The attention Dixon has drawn from opposing defense skyrocketed in the wake of catching seven touchdowns in Illinois’ first three games of the season. Nebraska isn’t the only team to shadow the 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior.

That means offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. has had to get creative to put Dixon in advantageous positions. Like the play that turned into the record-setting touchdown.

Dixon lined up in what was essentially an H-back position where he said he was trying to hide behind 6-3, 260-pound tight end Kaden Feagin. He broke immediately to the right side of the field on the snap into clear space, absorbed a hit by Nebraska defensive back Andrew Marshall and just got the nose of the football past the goal line as he stumbled to the turf.

“I could kind of hear the crowd start to get excited,” Dixon said about the play developing. “I honestly thought there was no one around me. Then when I got hit and tackled and saw the ref mark the ball at the half yard line, I was crushed. You never know when that opportunity is going to come back.”

Dixon’s play was ruled a touchdown after a review, and then he got that opportunity again in the fourth quarter where he was wide open for his second touchdown of the game to start adding to his new record.

A record Dixon worked his way to after redshirting in 2023 and progressively carving out a bigger role in the offense the past two years while watching teammates like Isaiah Williams, Casey Washington, Bryant and Hank Beatty emerge as go-to options in the passing game. A role he now fills.

“I think just showing up every day,” Dixon said about the cause of his success this season. He’s set career highs with 68 catches for 910 yards and his dozen (and counting) touchdowns.

:I really do believe in what we preach here — tough, smart and dependable — and being a guy that’s just consistent every day,” Dixon continued. “Not being too high. Never being too low. I’m just showing up and doing my job however it happens, and good things come from that.”