4. Illinois might have a great wide receiver duo
I touched on this slide in one of my in-game articles, but Illinois needed to find wide receiver help after two huge pieces from the 2024 squad departed.
Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin will be missed dearly. They were two great pass catchers who put up some impressive numbers. But on Friday night, I think Illinois might have found their two replacements.
Hank Beatty just went berserk against Western Illinois. He finished with five receptions for 108 yards, and this included a 59-yard catch that was one of the most impressive plays of the night. He burned down the middle of the Western Illinois defense, did a double move, and left the defensive back in the dust.
There was clearly another big target for Luke Altmyer. I believe Justin Bowick is going to be a huge asset to the Illinois offense. He is going to be a dangerous one-two punch with Beatty, and eventually, it wouldn’t shock me if Bowick is the top target for Altmyer.
Bowick was in the game for the Illini on eight plays where we passed the ball. Out of those eight plays, he was targeted four times, so 50% of the time Bowick runs out for a pass, he is getting targeted. He brought three of those passes for 23 yards and two touchdowns, and the lone pass he didn’t snag was a bad pass by Altmyer, or it would have been a big touchdown.
Altmyer has a great comfort with both of these wide receivers. That will only continue to develop as well. Beatty and Bowick are going to be a big-time receiving nightmare for opposing teams moving forward.