Don’t look now, but the Illinois football team is seven games into the 2024 season and we are already bowl-eligible.
Who would have thought the Purdue game would have been more of a nail-biter than the game against Michigan? The Illini had control for much of the game against the Wolverines to almost everyone’s surprise.
Illinois was able to move the ball well offensively considering Michigan does have a good defense. Putting up 21 points against the Wolverines is impressive. Defensively, Illinois had our best game of the season.
This was a huge performance by the Illinois defense. It was one that will stick in my memory for years to come. Illinois played a complete game and came away with a huge win over Michigan, 21-7.
Here are five massive observations from the Illinois football win over Michigan
1. Michigan’s run game was held in check
A big glaring issue last week against Purdue was the fact Illinois let the Boilermakers run all over us. Purdue had 32 carries for 239 yards and two touchdowns in the narrow Illini win.
I remember seeing multiple people say Illinois was going to get trucked by Michigan because of the run defense. Well, the Illini came out on Saturday and showed that the Purdue game was just a fluke. We shut down the Michigan run better than anyone expected.
The Wolverines came into the game averaging 191.3 yards per game on the ground, which ranked No. 35 in the country. Illinois was able to flip the script and hold Michigan to just 38 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Illinois’ gang tackling was a huge reason why Michigan couldn’t get the ground game going. Even when one of the Wolverines’ running backs would get through the defensive line, multiple Illinois defenders were waiting to pounce.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Henry clearly focused on stopping the run over the past week. I love how the defensive line played when it came to the run too. We didn’t let Michigan’s running backs get around the edge, so everything was contained to the inside where the Illinois linebackers could gobble them up.
This was a masterful game plan by the Illinois defense. Michigan is a good running program, and Illinois was able to stop them from getting going.
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.
3. The mistake battle played a huge factor
In any game, but especially in a game between two top-25 programs, mistakes can be a backbreaker. When you make just one mistake, it can change the course of the game completely.
On Saturday, Illinois didn’t just win the mistake game, but we dominated Michigan when it came to boneheaded plays. Illinois is usually on the bad end of the mistake battle, but not this time around.
There are two factors I look at in the mistake battle. The first one is penalties. Illinois and Michigan tied when it came to the number of penalties, but the Wolverines had 11 more penalty yards. So, Illinois won the penalty battle.
The other part of the mistake battle is the turnover battle. This is where Illinois made up the most ground. The Illini defense dominated Michigan and forced three turnovers while we failed to cough the ball up once.
Turnovers turned the entire game. Michigan would start to get going, but then someone like Gabe Jacas would come in behind and pop the ball out. Matthew Bailey also had a huge interception late in the game that prevented a Michigan touchdown and gave Illinois the ball back.
Not only were the Michigan turnovers backbreaking, but they were potential points taken off the board. Illinois did a great job holding onto the football, and at the end of the day, it changed everything.
4. The Illini defensive line got whatever they wanted
I was extremely disappointed with the Illinois defensive line in the last game against Purdue. We couldn’t get pressure on the Boilermakers’ quarterback, and this made us struggle greatly.
Illinois needed to change something or at least get a fire lit under us on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive line answered the call against Michigan.
Honestly, this was the best the Illinois defensive line has looked all season. While we would bring a blitz on occasion, a lot of time it was just a four-man rush. Illinois was able to consistently get pressure on Michigan quarterback Jack Tuttle with just four players coming at him.
This four-man rush being effective enabled the Illini defensive backs to drop back in coverage. This gave Tuttle problems throughout the game. The only reason Tuttle finished with 208 yards was due to Illinois playing soft coverage on the final drive of the game.
Multiple Illinois players in the rush impressed me too. Gabe Jacas was a nightmare for Michigan all game long. He couldn’t be stopped and came up with some huge plays throughout the contest.
I also loved how Dennis Briggs Jr. played in the game. He went out for a minute with an injury, but Briggs was a wrecking ball the entire game. It was his best performance as a member of the Illini.
This was a special outing for the Illinois defensive line. If we can have that type of performance the rest of the season, Illinois can get to double-digit wins.
5.Luke Altmyer was efficient
Someone who looks at the box score would probably roll their eyes at what Luke Altmyer put up passing. On paper, he didn’t have a good game through the air.
You have to watch the game to know the true impact of Altmyer. Sure, he was 9-of-18 for 80 yards and a touchdown. That doesn’t blow people away. But the game Altmyer had helped propel Illinois to the huge win on Saturday.
Illinois didn’t need to pass the ball for most of the second half. We wanted to run the clock out and force Michigan into tight situations. That was a success.
Altmyer’s numbers would have been a lot better if Michigan didn’t have multiple pass interference penalties as well. He was going to hit Zakhari Franklin for a touchdown up the left side but he was essentially tackled. Later in the game, Franklin was open in the middle but was interfered with and got a penalty.
I honestly believe Altmyer had a solid game through the air, but what was more impressive was his running ability.
Altmyer was a magician when it came to getting out of trouble. There was a miscommunication in the backfield, and Altmyer managed to scramble for a first down. He ran the ball effectively and finished with 10 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown. He would have been Michigan’s second-leading rusher.
This was a nice efficient game by Altmyer. Illinois didn’t need him to be Jeff George. We needed him to be smart and consistent with the football. The result? A victory.