Illinois won 16–6. Trudeau passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns, the first to Thomas Rooks and the other to David Williams, who was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. On defense, the Illini held the Wolverines to 135 rushing yards, 110 passing yards, and two field goals. The Illini finished 10–2, 9–0 in conference play. They were ranked #4 before losing to unranked UCLA 45-9 in the 1984 Rose Bowl, and were dropped to be ranked #10 in the final AP poll.
