3 areas of attack for the Illinois football team against Michigan

2. Luke Altmyer should be able to thrive

Illinois’ pass defense wasn’t good against Purdue, but the Michigan game should be much better for the Orange and Blue. Our secondary is not the only unit that has struggled lately, though.

Michigan hasn’t played well when it comes to pass defense either. The Wolverines are known for a stout defense, but they have been bad in 2024.

For the season, Michigan is allowing opponents to average 259.8 yards per game through the air. This is bad enough to rank No. 102 in the country. It is also a massive drop from their average of 157.0 yards per game allowed last season.

A prime target for Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer should be cornerback Zeke Berry. He has been Michigan’s worst defensive back. He also has a Pro Football Focus grade of 55.1, which ranks No. 739 out of all cornerbacks in college football.

Altmyer could also expose deep and over the middle of the Michigan defense. The Wolverines’ safeties aren’t the strongest, and Illinois likes to throw over the middle to a streaking Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin. I would watch for this on Saturday. Altmyer could have a pretty big day.