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Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Purdue

By Rees Woodcock

Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Markevious Brown (1) tackles Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9), forcing a fumble during the NCAA football game, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue Boilermakers won 44-19.
Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Markevious Brown (1) tackles Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9), forcing a fumble during the NCAA football game, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue Boilermakers won 44-19. /
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Sep 16, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback John Paddock (4) passes the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback John Paddock (4) passes the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Why not give John Paddock a shot?

Illinois is five games into the season, and it is clear that things aren’t going well right now. The team seems to be out of sorts, and there are a lot of mistakes coming from the quarterback position.

Quarterback Luke Altmyer has moments where he is okay at the quarterback position. He is able to do things with his legs that can help the Illinois offense at times. That first play of the game against Purdue was phenomenal.

But there are a lot of bad things that come with Altmyer behind center. I witnessed Altmyer miss a wide-open player for an easy touchdown early on against the Boilermakers. That could have changed the momentum. He slightly overthrew, albeit it should have been a catch still, a wide-open wide receiver a couple of drives later that would have been an easy touchdown.

There are issues I have with Altmyer’s processing. I believe a part of his problem is the ability to process what is happening on the field quickly enough. He tries to go through his progressions but, when he does have time in the pocket, he takes too much time because of how slowly he processes the game. It seems too quick for him.

Altmyer is also sloppy with the ball. I believe he now has nine or 10 turnovers this season, but they aren’t just regular turnovers. It seems like every single turnover from Altmyer is a gut punch. The turnover against Purdue was a fumble essentially in the Boilermakers’ end zone that ended up being a touchdown. It gave Purdue the lead.

With all of that being said, why not give backup quarterback John Paddock a shot? We know what we are getting with Altmyer, so why not let Paddock have a rip?

Paddock is obviously less mobile, but he has shown he can get the ball out quicker. Paddock isn’t afraid to throw short and let the wide receivers eat. He also has a ton of experience, so the game is slower for him. I don’t think it will happen, but I would love it if Barry Lunney Jr. would give Paddock a shot at quarterback in this next game.

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