4. Luke Altmyer eventually woke up
Understandably, the five observations article surrounds the slow start for the Illini. It was a bad look, only being up 10-0 at the half, and it easily could have been 10-7.
The defense wasn’t the only one sleeping on Western Michigan in the first half, though. Luke Altmyer also came out of the gates not looking like himself.
In the first half, Illinois couldn’t get the ball moving. Altmyer was not good, going 8-of-16 for 75 yards and a touchdown through the air. This kept the Broncos in the game, and it gave them hope. I honestly believe that stop by the Illini defense at the end of the first half was a game-changer.
Altmyer finally woke up in the second half. We saw a completely different quarterback on the field, and that enabled the Illini to score 28 points in the final 30 minutes of action.
In that second half, Altmyer was an incredible 9-of-10 for 121 yards and a touchdown. He led so many great drives, and his efficiency went through the roof. This is the type of Altmyer we were expecting to see.