Illinois Football: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Wisconsin

5. I didn’t mind the Illinois offensive play calling

While there were some backbreaking plays that stalled out drives, and this was a cause of Illinois losing the game against Wisconsin, I actually thought the offensive play calling was decent.

For one of the few times this season, I was pleased with what plays Illinois ran on the field. We didn’t try to fling the ball everywhere, and that was probably a product of how windy it was during the game. But I have to give credit to the Illinois coaching staff for sticking with the running attack.

The Illini drew up a lot of designed runs for Luke Altmyer, which they should have been doing the entire season. He had 16 carries for 100 yards. They also rolled him out quite a few times, and this gave him the option of running or passing.

Illinois coaches continued to stick with Kaden Feagin on the ground as well. The true freshman is a crafty runner and finished with 24 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown.

I also liked how the Illini got creative in short-yardage situations. We tried to run up the middle, which got stopped, but then there were two hard play-action passes that resulted in touchdowns. These were great play calls.

The Illinois play calling enabled Altmyer to be efficient and not make mistakes. We helped the defense stay off the field as well. This was a well-called game that didn’t end up a victory. This program isn’t bad, we just have to figure some things out.