It has been a minute since the Illinois football team has had one of those ugly blowout games that you want to forget.
Bret Bielema has done a good job keeping the Illini competitive throughout his time of being a head coach. We haven’t had too many big blowout games that knock you out early in the contest.
That is why against Oregon, it was a bit of a shocker when the Ducks came out and steamrolled the Illini from the start.
Illinois’ defense couldn’t get the bat off the shoulder. Before you knew it, the Ducks had a 14-3 lead. That lead continued to grow, as the Illini offense didn’t get going. Oregon’s athletes looked great, and they extended the lead to 35-3 at halftime.
Despite being down by 32 points at halftime, Illinois continued to fight. We played a much better second half of football and actually beat Oregon 6-3 in the final 30 minutes of action. Sadly, that was nearly enough, as Oregon beat Illinois, 38-9.
Here are five painful observations from the Illinois football loss to Oregon
1. Luke Altmyer’s second-worst game as an Illini
I have been impressed with Luke Altmyer this season, and quarterbacks are allowed to have bad games every once in a while. On Saturday, Altmyer had his bad game.
Altmyer couldn’t get the ball moving except for one drive in the second half. He ended the Oregon contest 17-of-35, 48.6%, for 161 yards and two interceptions.
There is a lot to unpack when it comes to Altmyer’s performance. Not everything was his fault.
On the side of Altmyer’s issues, he was clearly used to one speed of the game. He has been playing quarterback against teams that don’t have the horses like Oregon. Altmyer has that speed down. The Ducks took the speed up a notch on Saturday, and we weren't ready for it.
Altmyer’s timing was off with his wide receivers. He threw an interception in the middle of the field that wasn’t within 10 yards of Zakhari Franklin. This was due to Altmyer being in a hurry to get the ball off. He looked uncomfortable all game long.
I would also like to blame the offensive line. They can’t protect Altmyer, and this has been a trend this season. When it comes to run blocking, the offensive line is solid, but any pass protection and we fold like a cheap lawn chair.
Altmyer is a good quarterback, but this was a bad game. It was his second-worst game as a member of the Illini, only next to the four-interception game he had against Penn State last season.
2. Illinois didn’t quit fighting
Pretty much from the opening kickoff, Illinois was out of this game. We dug ourselves in a 14-3 hole at the end of the first quarter and then a 35-3 hole at halftime.
Everything started to snowball, and that is how you give up 35 points in 30 minutes of action. Heading into the second half, it would have been easy for Illinois to pack it in and give up even more points. That didn’t happen, though.
In fact, Illinois came out of the locker room and looked like the team I have watched all season long. We drove down the field on the first possession and got the ball to the Oregon two-yard line.
The Illinois defense started to lock down Oregon a bit. Their first two possessions were a punt and interception, which showed some life out of Illinois.
Illinois’ offense finally put up a touchdown on the second possession of the second half. It was a solid, crisp, drive that made the game slightly more respectable.
After the Illini intercepted Dillon Gabriel but failed to keep the offensive drive going, I gave up hope of an epic comeback. But I was impressed with one thing. The lack of quit.
Illinois never quit in this game, and that shows me that whatever the coaching staff is doing is working. They are playing hard even when they are down 32 points at halftime.
I know this sounds weird, but while this was a loss, this was a culture builder. I don’t judge people when times are good. Everyone is happy and jovial when things are going well. I judge people when the chips are down, and times are tough. How do you react? On Saturday, Illinois acted resiliently and with heart. We didn’t give up. That shows high character and a positive culture in Champaign.
3. Having athletes matters
You can go back in time and think about the massive upsets in college football. Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Appalachian State beating Michigan. These were some fun upsets in the history of college football.
But, at the end of the day, sometimes athletes will be athletes. Sometimes you have to realize that athletes matter. On Saturday, athletes mattered.
I love the Illinois players and will always support them. They didn’t quit on Saturday, and they gave it their all on the field. But the talent and athletic difference was pretty evident.
Nearly every time an Oregon player would catch or run the ball, they were just a little bit quicker. They could get to a corner before our defender got to them. Illinois’ defensive backs would take a normal angle at a ball carry to tackle them, but that angle wasn’t good enough on Saturday, as Oregon was quicker than the normal teams we play.
What I saw on Saturday was the disparity in recruiting classes over the years. One team, Oregon, has clearly had top 10 recruiting classes in both freshmen and transfers over the years. Illinois, on the other hand, clearly has struggled to crack the top 40 in both freshmen and transfer recruiting classes.
Do I think Illinois got out-coached against Oregon? Maybe a little bit, but I think the coaching was fine. Bret Bielema did a good job at halftime, and Illinois looked better in the second half. But sometimes it is just a matter of one team having better talent than the other. On Saturday, I think that showed.
4. I loved Illinois’ shifty running backs
There isn’t a lot of positives to take out of the Illinois football offense. We didn’t look good for much of the game, and it showed with just nine points.
I will give praise to one unit, though. The Illinois running backs have and will continue to impress me on the football field. I love what we have in the stable, as they are talented and quick.
Aidan Laughery gave me a little hope in the first half with his ability. He was able to get between defenders and find holes that weren’t even there. I am glad he is healthy because I think he is our best running back. Laughery had 12 carries for 69 yards. His big run in the first half set up an Illinois field goal to get the game to 14-3.
I was also impressed with Ca’Lil Valentine. The true freshman has a special talent, and he is the future of the running back position in Champaign.
The fact Valentine got good playing time against a team like Oregon is exciting. It shows you his chops and true ability when he is running against elite talent. Valentine finished with five carries for 27 yards. He also had his first career touchdown, which was Illinois’ only touchdown of the game.
Laughery and Valentine form a nice duo, and it legitimately sounds like a law firm. These two have similar running styles, as they can get through holes and have great hips. They can make subtle movements to shed defenders and get more yards after contact. Both players also averaged over 5.0 yards per carry, as Laughery was at 5.8 yards per carry and Valentine finished at 5.4 yards per carry.
Illinois football is in good hands with Laughery and Valentine at running back moving forward. The crazy part is, that the Illini running back room runs deeper than just these two as well. What we have built at the position is impressive.
5. The Illini defensive game plan seemed off
The first half is what we call a train wreck. It was one of the worst first halves of football I have seen Illinois play in quite some time.
On one hand, you have to expect Oregon to come out firing and looking good. Illinois is the one that had to travel out to the West Coast. On the other hand, I am not so sure Illinois’ defense came out of the gates with the right game plan.
For much of the first half, Illinois didn’t bring much pressure and played a lot of zone. That is not a great idea against a quarterback as experienced and talented as Dillon Gabriel. He sat back and picked apart the Illinois defense because of this game plan.
Illinois wasn’t able to get pressure on Gabriel with a four-man rush. That isn’t a surprise, as the Ducks have a solid offensive line. We needed to bring some type of pressure, and that never happened in the first 30 minutes.
Finally, in the second half, Illinois did bring a little heat. Oregon struggled with that pressure, and we forced punts and a turnover. This was the Illinois defense we needed to see in the first half.
At the end of the day, I think Oregon is just a more talented team than Illinois. That is also why we needed to be a little riskier than normal. Bring extra guys because the Ducks are going to be able to run around us regardless. That didn’t happen until it was too late, though.