
The Drive is your daily Illini sports podcast from ESPN 93.5. Kurtis Allen and Evan Stone cover Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini football, the Chicago Bears, Cardinals, Cubs and the biggest sports stories in Champaign-Urbana with interviews, analysis, and a lot of laughs. New episodes every weekday. 🎙️
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Episodes

Sep 27, 2024
Sep 27, 2024
54 min
Lon and Derek share their thoughts on Penn State and what some of the key matchups of the game will be for Illinois. Later, Daniel Gallen of Lions247 joins the show to share his insight on the Nittany Lions and what the Illini should expect.

Sep 25, 2024
Sep 25, 2024
54 min
Lon and Derek discuss their favorite road venues in the Big Ten across sports. Hear from offensive coordinator Barry Lunney recapping his offense's success against Nebraska and what lies ahead against Penn State. Later, the guys discuss the crazy auction price of Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 baseball.

Sep 25, 2024
Sep 25, 2024
54 min
Lon and Derek discuss the big story out of UNLV regarding their starting quarterback redshirting the season over an NIL dispute. The guys discuss what it means for the state of college athletics and how situations like these can be avoided.

Sep 24, 2024
Sep 24, 2024
54 min
Lon and Derek talk some Illini basketball, including Tomislav Ivisic's status and how many pro prospects they'll see in some of their biggest games. Later, the guys share some thoughts on NFL Week 3 and some of the biggest early season NFL storylines.

Sep 24, 2024
Sep 24, 2024
54 min
Lon and Derek discuss Bret Bielema's comments regarding Penn State's white out and if they think it could add some fuel to Penn State's side of things on Saturday. Later, the guys discuss some Illini on pace to crack the Illini record books early this season.

Sep 23, 2024
Sep 23, 2024
50 min
Lon and Derek discuss how impressive the Illini's 4-0 start has been and how many wins they can realistically achieve. Later, hear from head coach Bret Bielema as he shares his thoughts from the Nebraska win and previews Penn State.

Sep 23, 2024
Sep 23, 2024
58 min
J Leman joins Lon and Derek for his weekly football hour to break down a thrilling Illini win over Nebraska and bask in the Illini's 4-0 start. The guys look ahead to Penn State and discuss how good this Illinois team can ultimately be.

Sep 20, 2024
Sep 20, 2024
1hr 1 sec
Lon and Derek take some callers and get their thoughts on the Illinois-Nebraska matchup. The guys react to Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule's thoughts on the Illini. Later, the guys do some "Who Ya Got?" (without Hans Dee) and look ahead to the weekend of football.

Sep 20, 2024
Sep 20, 2024
53 min
Lon and Derek share their final thoughts before Illinois and Nebraska kick off in Lincoln. The guys share their biggest concerns and most important keys to victory for the Illini.

Sep 19, 2024
Sep 19, 2024
54 min
Lon and Derek discuss 4-star guard Keaton Wagler's commitment to Illinois. Later, the guys break down the newly released conference schedule for Illinois basketball. The guys react to Luke Goode's comments about the Illinois-Indiana rivalry.

Sep 19, 2024
Sep 19, 2024
54 min
Brian Christopherson of 247 Sports' Husker247 site joins the show to share his insight on Nebraska and what the Illini will be up against on Friday night. Later, the guys have some fun with a couple Illini football trivia questions and Lon shares a story about John Mackovic from his college days.

Sep 18, 2024
Sep 18, 2024
55 min
Derek and Kyle discuss what a win on Friday night would mean for Illinois and how much positive momentum it would create for the program. Hear from Bret Bielema as he shares his final thoughts ahead of the Nebraska game. Later, Derek discusses his latest Crystal Ball prediction with Illini hoops on the verge of a commitment.

Sep 18, 2024
Sep 18, 2024
53 min
Derek and Kyle break down the Illini's matchup with Nebraska, what they'll learn about each side in this game, and what challenges Nebraska presents for the Illini. Later, the Bear Report's Aaron Leming joins the show to talk Bears and the early struggles of Caleb Williams and the Bears offense.

Sep 17, 2024
Sep 17, 2024
54 min
Lon and Derek react to another controversial Andy Katz list about Big Ten basketball arenas. Later, hear from offensive coordinator Barry Lunney as he shares his thoughts on the Nebraska defense and his unit's sloppy performance.

Sep 17, 2024
Sep 17, 2024
53 min
Lon and Derek share their thoughts on the Illinois-Nebraska matchup and how much confidence the Illini defense has inspired through the first 3 weeks. Later, hear from defensive coordinator Aaron henry as he talks facing Dylan Raiola and the Husker offense.

Sep 16, 2024
Sep 16, 2024
51 min
Lon and Derek discuss what more will be learned about Illinois in its road matchup against Nebraska and their feelings about Luke Altmyer's mistake-free play thus far. Later, hear from head coach Bret Bielema as he recaps his team's win over Central Michigan and looks ahead to Nebraska.

Sep 16, 2024
Sep 16, 2024
57 min
J Leman joins Lon and Derek for his weekly football hour to break down the Illini's win over Central Michigan, concerns about the run game struggles, what Illinois faces against Nebraska, and realistic expectations for the Illini's upcoming gauntlet stretch of opponents.

Sep 13, 2024
Sep 13, 2024
59 min
Lon and Derek are live at Pia's Sports Bar & Grill in Champaign to break down the Illini's homecoming matchup against Central Michigan, and are joined by Illinois basketball assistant coach Zach Hamer and Hans Dee.

Sep 13, 2024
Sep 13, 2024
53 min
Lon and Derek are live at Pia's Sports Bar & Grill in Champaign breaking down Illinois' matchup with Central Michigan and are joined by Illini Inquirer's Joey Wagner to discuss the Illini's fast start to the season.

Sep 12, 2024
Sep 12, 2024
55 min
Derek and Kyle discuss whether there's any concern of a letdown for Illinois against Central Michigan and some things they're hoping to see from the Illini. Hear from Bret Bielema as he shares some thoughts on Homecoming and the CMU matchup. Later, the guys preview some of the biggest NFL games of Week 2.
