5. Illinois passed the sniff test with flying colors
Coming into the game against Duke, I wanted to see if Illinois could pass the sniff test. I wrote an article about what this game meant to the program because we hadn’t played anyone yet.
Illinois needed to come out and give a great effort and put Duke away. While it didn’t look great early on, things came together throughout the contest.
Luke Altmyer had a great game against a team in the ACC that I believe will end up being toward the top of the conference. I think Duke’s front seven is the nastiest I have seen in the last couple of years. They have edge rushers who will disrupt what is going on in the ACC.
Illinois needed to find their wide receivers, and that is exactly what happened against the Blue Devils. Hank Beatty is one of the best I have seen in years. He can catch anything that comes his way, and he is great after the catch. I also love Justin Bowick and Collin Dixon. We had three players receive touchdowns against Duke.
And then there is the defense. The Illini defense struggled at times on Saturday, but they don’t give up. They hustle after every play, and that enables them to be in position for turnovers.
This was the first hurdle of the season for the Illinois football program. We passed the sniff test with flying colors.