5 massive observations from the Illinois football win over Michigan

2. Illinois was effective on the ground

While the Illinois defense was able to stop Michigan throughout the game on Saturday, the Illinois running attack was extremely effective and efficient.

One would assume that without talented sophomore running back Kaden Feagin, Illinois would struggle on the ground. That wasn’t the case in the least bit, though.

Aidan Laughery got the start for the Orange and Blue, and he was great. He broke off a couple of big runs and finished the game with nine carries for 54 yards. He was the lightning in the Illinois backfield.

Josh McCray continued to impress me as well. He had a big game for the Illini against Purdue, and he came out against the Wolverines and did his thing again. He had 50 yards on the day.

The biggest contributor and the most important due to the ability to keep the drive going was quarterback Luke Altmyer. He had 10 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown. Without Altmyer’s ability to scramble and get out of tight situations, Illinois is in a battle at the end. But he did wonders with his legs and got out of a lot of trouble.

For the game, Illinois had 38 carries for 187 yards and a touchdown. That is the same amount of carries and 73 more yards than Michigan. The Illini were able to outgain Michigan without one of our best running backs. That is how you beat a talented top-25 program.