Before the season, it was generally accepted that Illinois had all of the pieces for a special year offensively. The only question was whether those pieces would fit to create a winning puzzle.
So far, those pieces have fit perfectly.
The Fighting Illini (6-1) are ranked No. 21 in the latest US LBM Coaches poll and coming off an impressive, 21-7, victory over Michigan. Two of those wins were in overtime and could have easily gone the other way.
Junior quarterback Luke Altmyer is having a great season with his a 66 completion percentage, 15 touchdowns and one interception. But it’s not like Illinois passes and then passes some more. Altmyer is averaging 215 yards per game. In his last two games, against Purdue and Michigan, Altmyer had a season high with 379 yards (Purdue) and a season low with 80 yards (Michigan).
Altmyer has two weapons at wide receiver he focuses on: Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin. Oregon coach Dan Lanning says they’re equally talented on both sides of the field.
“Those guys are really talented players and they do a good job at utilizing their tight end,” he said. “They have a good passing attack and one of the things they show they can do the best is throwing the ball over the top.”
The top tailback is Kaden Feagin, who averages 61 yards a game and has scored three touchdowns.