The Illini, dressed in old-school uniforms and hand-painted helmets, ran out from the tunnel, ready for a challenge. The Wolverines stormed onto the field with a mass of booing from the Illini student section, prepared to return to action. 

Both teams had something to prove today, but the Illini wanted to win more, and they showed it. In an impressive fashion, the Illini held the Wolverines to just one score this game by giving it their all. 

Scoring first, defending second

Illinois got on the board first just three minutes into the game. The team came out with a different urgency that hadn’t been seen before. Junior quarterback Luke Altmyer gathered his squad quickly and efficiently for each drive, attempting to throw off Michigan’s defense early. 

Sophomore running back Aidan Laughery escaped some tackles to rush for 29 yards and put Illinois in a good field goal position. With an early lead, Illinois needed to come out strong against one of the best offenses in the country. Fortunately, they did just that.

Michigan only had two offensive possessions in the first quarter. Despite being much smaller in size, the Illini held their own for the most part. 

See the run, stop the run

Illinois and Michigan are two very different teams when it comes to the run game. On average, Michigan runs for 191.3 yards per game, and Illinois picks up about 50 yards less than that. Today, however, Illinois adapted rather well to Michigan’s attempts. 

The Illini knew very well the Wolverines would utilize their runners often in this matchup. Because of that, the Illini’s defensive line and edge rushers anticipated the play calls early and beat out the Wolverines.

“Our first key to victory was play fast and physical,” head coach Bret Bielema noted after the game. “I knew this was a good football team that was going to do some things. Super respectful for Michigan and the players they have over there, but I love the way our guys compete and just find a way to win.”

Converting turnovers into points 

In the second quarter, the Illini defense recovered two fumbles to put the team back in offensive control. The Illini’s edge rushers came out hungry and knew what was at stake in this game. At the start of the second quarter, junior outside linebacker Gabe Jacas punched the football out of senior Michigan quarterback Jack Tuttle’s hands. From there, the Illini pushed closer to the end zone and landed on a field goal.

Later, sophomore defensive back Matthew Bailey forced another fumble to regain possession once more. This time around, Michigan’s errors aided Illinois in scoring a touchdown. After a defensive pass interference, Altmyer caught junior tight end Tanner Arkin in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game.

Luke Altmyer, the ball carrier

In the past few weeks, Altmyer’s confidence has skyrocketed on the field, and it’s shown in more than one way. In the first half, Altmyer rushed for 47 yards in seven attempts. Recently, when he sees there’s room to run, he’ll run, and today it worked in his favor. 

“Strain, execution and play calling,” were some things that stood out to Altmyer about the run game. “Coach Lunney put us in good positions to make it happen with different schemes that we haven’t shown all year.”

The Illini attempted to run up the middle but quickly learned this was not the team to try that against. Michigan’s defensive line read Illinois’ play calls well, and spotted runners like Laughery and junior Josh McCray before they could get past the line of scrimmage. 

Big risk brings bigger reward

The Illini performed with a different, sneakier play style against the Wolverines today. Early in the third quarter, the Illini faked a punt to get a first down into Wolverine territory. From there, Illinois strategically inched closer to the end zone with a variety of handoffs, and Altmyer snuck across the white line to score the next touchdown. 

Instead of going the safe route with an extra point, the team decided on a two-point conversion to get ahead by two full touchdowns. Sophomore backup quarterback Donovan Leary, who stepped in for the play after Altmyer’s helmet was knocked off during the touchdown, spotted senior wide receiver Zakhari Franklin in the right corner of the endzone who miraculously got a foot in for the conversion.

This gave the Illini a 14-point lead with ten minutes left in the third quarter. Any additional scoring that could provide a safety net for the Illini, they would take. 

Atmosphere, energy, encouragement 

In front of 60,000 people, the Illini put on a show, not only for the community but for themselves. Whether it was after a massive interception or a small tackle, the Illini expressed joy and admiration for their counterparts.

“That was one thing we wanted to emphasize was, ‘be happy,’” said senior defensive lineman TeRah Edwards, who made huge impacts today with two sacks and a forced fumble. “Good energy is contagious. If a guy sees one guy pumping stuff up, hyped like that, it just domino effects to the team. It’s just about being happy for one another. We’re going out there to have fun. These are the days to show that we have fun.”

The team’s unity and confidence in one another have been one of the most crucial elements of Illinois’ success this season. The momentum they gained after each score and the pride they took in their team made a huge difference in the game. The crowd showed out, but the team showed out for each other, too.

With only a handful of minutes remaining, Illinois’ defense remained tough and resilient. The clock ran out and Memorial Stadium celebrated just as they did 100 years ago.

@tess_eken

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