Illinois football pushed forward in the 2024 season on Saturday with a big win over Michigan State.
On a two-game losing streak and having been nearly a month since we last won a game, the Illini couldn’t afford to fall to the Spartans. Michigan State doesn’t have a great team this season, so Illinois needed to flex some offensive firepower.
Illinois looked good coming out of the gates. We opened a double-digit lead in the first half. Michigan State showed some life early in the second half, but Illinois was able to push the ball down the field and put up an insurmountable lead.
With the offense playing well and the defense looking stout for most of the contest, Illinois was able to come out with a 38-16 victory over Michigan State.
Here are five huge observations from the Illinois football win over Michigan State
1. Illinois offensive line played flawlessly
Coming into the game on Saturday, I published three keys about how Illinois can beat Michigan State. One of the keys was to give Luke Altmyer time in the pocket.
Altmyer is a much better passer when he doesn’t have a defensive player breathing down his neck. That means the Illini offensive line was going to have to come through for Altmyer against Michigan State.
Thankfully, the Spartans' pass rush this season has been below average. Heading into the game on Saturday, I had high hopes that the Illinois offensive line was going to have a good game, and therefore, Altmyer would have a good game. Those hopes turned into reality.
I would argue this was the best game the Illinois offensive line has played all season. They kicked things off with the touchdown pass on the second drive of the game.
On that drive, Altmyer stepped back, and there was a perfect pocket for him to scan the field. He had time to see Pat Bryant’s route develop, and Altmyer let the ball fly. It resulted in a 57-yard touchdown.
Illinois’ offensive line hasn’t been good this season. They have given up at least two sacks in all but two games in 2024. The last time they didn’t give up a sack in a game was back in week one against Eastern Illinois, an FCS team. That was in August. On Saturday, the Illini offensive line rose up and played a great game, and the results showed.