Michigan was boasting a 20-game unbeaten streak as it prepared for its October 18, 1924, game at Illinois. The Illini had won 10 straight games. Dedication ceremonies for Illinois' Memorial Stadium, which had opened almost a year earlier, would be part of the day's festivities. But no speeches or marching bands could match the manner in which Illinois' Red Grange put his stamp on the Champaign, Ill., facility.

In the first 12 minutes of the game, Grange streaked to four touchdowns on plays averaging 65.5 yards. The Galloping Ghost, a junior, returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a TD, then reeled off scoring runs of 67, 56 and 44 yards as the Illini raced to a  27-0 first-quarter lead. Grange added a 13-yard touchdown sprint in the third period and then threw a 20-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter. When the dust cleared, Illinois owned a 39-14 victory over the Wolverines with Grange accounting for 402 yards (212 yards on 15 rushes, 126 on three kickoff returns and 64 on six pass completions in eight attempts). Grange also intercepted a pass that day.