5 observations from the massive Illinois football win over Kansas

2. Luke Altmyer just has to let the ball fly sometimes

I want to start this slide off by saying, I believe Luke Altmyer has improved from last season. This isn’t the same quarterback.

Altmyer looks more poised and in control in the pocket. He can stay in the pocket, step up, and make a strike to a wide receiver. He is also more accurate than last season, as he can make passes at all levels.

Not everything is fixed from last season, though. Altmyer still makes some mistakes. The biggest mistake he makes is overthinking things.

You can see Altmyer processing things on the football field. He clearly doesn’t want to make a mistake, and I appreciate that as an Illinois fan. But he has to start letting the ball fly.

There were multiple times when Altmyer was hesitant about throwing a pass downfield for one reason or another. This ended up leading to him getting into some trouble in the backfield.

The thing is, with the horses we have at wide receiver, Altmyer can just fling the ball downfield and be okay most of the time.

I think Illinois’ wide receivers have proved they can catch the ball and be a massive asset to Altmyer in the passing game. Zakhari Franklin had an incredible one-hand catch early on in the game that was arguably one of the best catches I have seen in program history.

Pat Bryant is another option for Altmyer out wide. The 6-foot-3 monster has proven he is a great pass catcher. He had 70 yards receiving against Kansas, but Bryant only had three catches. Throw the ball to him more often.

Let’s use the talent we have at wide receiver. Illinois has the ability to push the ball down the field, and when we do that, our offense looks great. Altmyer just needs to let the ball fly.