2. Once again, Barry Lunney called a masterful game
Illinois is coming off back-to-back losses that essentially put us out of any hope for the College Football Playoff. That is depressing, and it could have easily enabled Illinois to pack it in and not try as hard.
That wasn’t the case against Rutgers. In fact, the Illini offense looked great. I think this is one of the best games I have seen offensive coordinator Barry Lunney coach.
Lunney has done a great job this season after being one of my least favorite coaches just a couple of years ago. He has developed his coaching ability, and he has a better grasp of how to use Luke Altmyer effectively.
There were multiple points in the game that impressed me with Lunney’s play-calling. An early touchdown in the red zone when Illinois faked a double reverse and Altmyer ran the ball into the end zone. This was a brilliantly designed play that worked perfectly.
I believe Lunney’s decision to make Altmyer more of a focal point in the running game was smart. We haven’t used him nearly as much carrying the ball, and Rutgers wasn’t ready for it.
Lunney has done a great job making this Illinois offense strong. We can hang with a lot of teams due to his coaching. The game on Saturday against Rutgers was just another display of his coaching prowess.