What could have been a special first half was ruined by one of the worst Illinois football defenses in recent memory.
One would argue that the Illini couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start. Washington rolled right down the field on their first drive and put the ball in the end zone. The response by Illinois, a field goal after a drive was stopped.
Needing the defense to come through, Aaron Henry’s side of the ball once again failed. Demond Williams was shredding the Illini secondary, and there was no stop in sight.
Thankfully, Luke Altmyer had an answer. He is in the zone right now, completing tough passes with touch and accuracy. This might be the best I have seen Altmyer play, as he has had nearly a flawless first half of action, going 12-of-17 for 101 yards and two touchdowns. He also has 30 yards rushing.
Altmyer carried Illinois in that first half. Without him, this game could have easily gotten out of hand. There were so many little plays when things could have gone wrong, but Altmyer remained calm and was able to guide the Illini to a first down and more.
The only potential blemish was an interception that ended up being called back due to pass interference. Beyond that, it was a beautiful first half by Altmyer.
Tanner Arkin gives @IlliniFootball the lead in Seattle 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Hm3HPuOGMR
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 25, 2025
On top of Altmyer’s great first half, you have to give credit to offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. He called a great first 30 minutes of action. This includes the touchdown late in the first half when every Washington player was expecting the run, but Altmyer pulled the ball out and hit Tanner Arkin in the back of the end zone.
Even with the Illinois offense looking on point, the lack of defense stained the first half. We had opportunities to change momentum completely, but players aren’t performing well defensively, and this resulted in the Illini being down 21-17 at the half.