One of the biggest games of the 2024 season is coming up for the Illinois football program.
The Illini have already gone through teams like Kansas, Penn State, and Nebraska, but a ranked Michigan team is coming to Champaign. This is a chance for Illinois to show our power and the ability to win big games when they matter.
Illinois has a few big opportunities to take advantage of some Michigan weaknesses as well. They don’t have a lot of soft spots on their team, but the Wolverines could struggle in a few areas.
Here are three areas of attack for the Illinois football team against Michigan
1. Illinois’ pass defense should eat
I think most people are used to Michigan having a good quarterback behind center. This isn’t the usual Wolverines’ squad, though.
Michigan doesn’t have the quarterback to carry a team. This is one of their biggest weaknesses, and I think Illinois’ pass defense should be able to eat on Saturday.
Through six games this season, Michigan has had a rotation of quarterbacks leading the way. Davis Warren led the team in passing the first three games, Alex Orji took over the following two contests, and Jack Tuttle was their leading passer against Washington.
For the season, all three quarterbacks have combined or 690 yards, six touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Those are numbers that will make a team struggle. Illinois’ pass defense needed to go up against some bad quarterbacks to get back on track too.
This past week against Purdue, freshman Ryan Browne threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Illinois’ pass defense couldn’t do anything against him. Browne was hitting nearly every receiver he threw to in the game.
My hope is that the Michigan contest is a get-right game for the Illinois secondary. We have too many solid defensive backs to give up a big number again. The Wolverines don’t have a good passing attack, and this is an opportunity for Illinois to not only shut them down through the air, but we can get a few big turnovers to help gain momentum in the game.
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.
3. Third down struggles for Michigan
Sustaining drives can wear down a defense. That is what Illinois needs to avoid on Saturday. Thankfully, Michigan isn’t good at putting long drives together.
This season, the Wolverines have struggled to convert on third downs. A team that averaged converting 42.77% of third downs last season, Michigan has only converted 38.96% of third downs in 2024. That dropped them down to No. 70 in the nation.
I love to hear that Michigan isn’t good at converting third down opportunities. While the Wolverines aren’t great at getting first downs on third down attempts, Illinois also has a hard time stopping third down attempts.
The Illini is allowing opponents to convert 48.39% of third downs this season. That is an awful number that ranks No. 116 out of 134 programs in the FBS.
What is one way to improve that number for the Illini? Go up against a bad third-down converting program like Michigan.
Illinois should be able to load the box more often on defense thanks to Michigan’s struggles through the air. That should help a lot when it comes to stopping the Wolverines on third down. The Illinois defensive line is going to need to play better as well. We haven’t gotten much out of them, but Saturday could be a nice breakout day for this group. I think Illinois has a chance to get Michigan off the field early and often.