Brilliant play calling highlights big first half for Illinois football against Purdue

Illinois football just put up a nice first half against the Purdue Boilermakers.

At times, Purdue did look good. They were able to move the ball offensively on the ground, but the Illini defense bent but didn’t break.

Illinois’ offense picked up the slack and scored on all but one drive in the first half. This led to a solid 24-3 halftime lead.

Illinois football first half success

• The game has slowed down for Luke Altmyer

This season has been impressive for Luke Altmyer. He continued his great play against Purdue on Saturday.

The game has clearly slowed down for the young gunslinger. He did a great job avoiding the rush on multiple occasions, and this extended plays. I was impressed with Altmyer’s ability to go through his progressions too.

Altmyer had over 100 yards passing in the first quarter alone against Purdue. That number continued to grow in the second quarter as well. He is seeing the field well, and I fully expect him to tear the Boilermakers apart in the second half.

• Smart play calling

When Barry Lunney became the offensive coordinator for the Illini, I was hard on him. I didn’t think he was calling the right plays at times.

But Lunney has won me over this season. He has called some impressive plays, and he isn’t getting out of what they do well.

Throughout the first half against Purdue, Illinois ran some smart plays. We weren’t in a hurry to score or too conservative. The Illini had a nice balance. This included great misdirection plays that opened up a pass catcher in the flat. I love what I saw out of Lunney and the Illinois offense in the first half.

Illinois football first half failures

• Run defense

Coming into the game against Purdue, Illinois’ defensive weakness was the run defense. We were giving up 153.8 yards per game on the ground, which ranked No. 69 in the country.

The Boilermakers took advantage of this weakness in the first half. Running back Devin Mockobee tore us apart, Reggie Love III was successful on the ground, and Illinois had a hard time containing quarterback Ryan Browne.

At this point, I don't think it matters much, but it would be nice to see Illinois' defense lock down Purdue more in the second half when it comes to the run game. I think we all know what is going to be worked on this week in practice.