Drawing interest
The game between Illinois (5-2, 2-2) and No. 1 Ohio State (6-0, 3-0) on Saturday drew some major NFL attention. Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles and assistant general manager Ian Cunningham were both in attendance. The Arizona Cardinals general manager was also there in person.
In total, there were seven NFL teams there to watch the Illini and the Buckeyes face off. While Illinois may have garnered some attention, most of it was likely on Ohio State.
Junior defensive back Matthew Bailey may have drawn some eyes. He had a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. He likely won’t be declaring for the draft anytime soon, but with Illinois’ history with defensive backs, teams will surely keep an eye on him.
McCollum earns start
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Sophomore defensive lineman Angelo McCollum got the nod in Saturday’s game. He started for the first time in his collegiate career. McCollum didn’t jump off the stat sheet, but he’s been impressive this season.
The sophomore has 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. His performance against Purdue boosted him into a starting role. Both his tackles for loss and sacks all came against the Boilermakers.
Despite his quiet game against Ohio State, McCollum could be a big piece of the interior defensive line.
AP woes
For the first time this season, Illinois is unranked. It was dropped from the AP Poll after the loss to Ohio State. The Illini have been on a bit of a roller coaster this season. They started in the top 15, then rose to the top 10 before dropping down into the 20s.
Illinois’ win over USC bumped them back up into the teens, but the Ohio State loss was too much for voters to keep it ranked.
It’s an interesting choice by the voters. Illinois has only lost to the No. 1 and No. 3 teams this season. The Trojans remain ranked, despite losing to the Illini. Notre Dame is in the top 15, but has two losses, and its wins are less impressive than Illinois’.
While the severity of the losses is likely the reason for the drop, it still feels like unfair treatment for the Illini.
He’s back
For the first time since the game against Duke, junior running back Aidan Laughery got some real playing time. After both running backs ahead of him went down, Laughery got an opportunity to run. He carried the ball eight times for 50 yards and a touchdown.
His first carry went for 16 yards and a big first down. The junior also took a pitch from senior receiver Hank Beatty and ran it in for the first touchdown of the game.
Getting Laughery back is a big plus, and the running back has a chance to get fully healthy with the bye week coming up.
Leg-less
It seems to be a theme this season, but it was glaring against the Buckeyes. Senior quarterback Luke Altmyer hasn’t used his legs much this season. He has a couple of big runs and two touchdowns, but it seems as though Altmyer is transitioning into a pass-first quarterback.
That was on display a few times against Ohio State. Altmyer had an open lane to rush, but hesitated at the line and continued progressing through his reads.
It isn’t necessarily a bad thing to develop more in the pass game, especially if the NFL is the goal for the quarterback. However, his legs were a big part of his game last year. Getting away from that doesn’t make much sense.
The senior isn’t going to blow anyone away with his speed, but he is a legitimate dual-threat. It could be worth letting the quarterback run a little more.
@ben_some16
