Illinois Football: 3 key numbers for the Illini against Florida Atlantic

3. 2.7 vs. 3.0

It has been a frustrating season at times. Illinois is a better team than what we have seen. I think we have the potential to finish the 2023 campaign off on a high note.

In the latest game against Penn State, I believe the Illini could have come away with the upset win if we stopped turning the ball over on what seemed like every drive. Despite five turnovers, Illinois was still in that game for nearly the entirety.

Turnovers like the ones against the Nittany Lions can’t happen on Saturday. Florida Atlantic is a bad team, and we can’t let them in the game. This season, Illinois averages 2.7 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 125 out of 133 DI programs. Thankfully, the Owls are even worse at 3.0 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 126 in the country.

While Illinois can’t give the ball away too much on Saturday, I think Florida Atlantic is going to need to win the turnover battle by two or three to have any chance at knocking us off.

For the Illini, it’s not like we are fumbling the ball at a high rate. Josh McCray had that one bad fumble against Penn State, but it has mainly been the passing game that has given the other team the ball.

Quarterback Luke Altmyer has thrown for 571 yards, three touchdowns, and a completion rate of 63.4%. Those are all good numbers. What isn’t a good number is his seven interceptions. Those are killer.

If Altmyer can start connecting on those bad passes, then the game is going to be broken wide-open. He is the culprit for most of the turnovers. Let’s fix that and start winning some games.