Illinois wide receiver Mike Dudek suffered a season-ending knee injury in Saturday's opener against Kent State, the third such injury of his career.
Fighting Illini coach Lovie Smith announced the injury Monday. Dudek tore the ACL in his right knee in the spring of 2015 and again in the spring of 2016, forcing him to miss both ensuing seasons. His latest injury is to his left knee, Smith said.
"It's kind of hard to put it into words," Smith told reporters in Champaign. "Mike has meant so much to our program."
Dudek earned freshman All-America honors and second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2014, the only full season he played for Illinois.