Bowl eligible
For the third time in the last four seasons, Illinois (6-3, 3-3) is bowl eligible. It’s the first time the Illini have been bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons since 2010-11.
“That’s awesome. I’m excited,” said junior receiver Hudson Clement on being bowl eligible. “(I) love these guys, I love these coaches. I’m really excited for that.”
Last year, they played in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl after a nine-win season. Illinois beat South Carolina (3-6, 1-6) to improve to 10 wins on the year. In 2022, Illinois went 8-4 and traveled to the ReliaQuest Bowl, but lost to Mississippi State (5-4, 1-4).
Off to the races
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After seemingly leaving the run game behind to start this season, senior quarterback Luke Altmyer has exploded on the ground. Over his last two games, Altmyer has 136 rushing yards, including 88 and a rushing touchdown against Rutgers (4-5, 1-5).
The senior is no longer hesitating; he gets right to running. The Scarlet Knights could barely keep up with Altmyer all game. He had four rushes for 14 or more yards and broke off a 36-yard run that eventually led to a touchdown.
“I mean, that’s electric,” Clement said about Altmyer’s running ability. “Not every time are we gonna get open, so sometimes (Altmyer) being able to create space and run the ball is great for our offense.”
Altmyer is just two rushing touchdowns away from a career high. He’s also getting closer to a career high in rushing yards. If the quarterback continues to play this way for the last three games, he shouldn’t have a problem reaching either.
Etched in stone
With two sacks against Rutgers, senior linebacker Gabe Jacas moved to No. 3 all-time at Illinois in career sacks. He now sits at 22.5 sacks, which puts him under Scott Davis, who sits at No. 2 with 23.
“Having one-on-ones was pretty effective,” Jacas said. “(I) just capitalized on it when my name was called.”
Jacas wreaked havoc on the Scarlet Knights’ offensive line. Along with his two sacks, he had 2.5 tackles for loss. The linebacker had two high school teammates in attendance to watch his dominant performance.
With three games left in the season, Jacas needs just one sack to move into second place. The projected NFL draft pick should be able to further cement his name in Illinois history.
Loud start, quiet finish
Junior running back Aidan Laughery started the game hot. After seeing little action for most of this season, Laughery got the call on the first drive. He carried the ball four times for 33 yards and was a big part of the 99-yard touchdown drive.
However, after that drive, the junior didn’t get another carry until late in the second quarter. He got a few more in the third quarter, but after his big first drive, Laughery had just five carries for 8 yards.
Laughery has dealt with a lower-body injury for most of the season. He has been getting back to his old self, though. The running back tied a season-high in carries against Rutgers with nine.
Getting Laughery more and more healthy could be dangerous when paired with fellow junior running back Kaden Feagin and sophomore Ca’Lil Valentine.
Spreading the wealth
After finding sophomore receiver Collin Dixon in the endzone late in the third quarter, Altmyer officially completed passes to seven different receivers. In every game prior, the Illini have completed a pass to at least seven different pass-catchers.
Illinois spreads the wealth on offense. The Illini have gotten up to 10 different receivers involved in the passing game in their nine games this season.
The distribution of the football speaks to the depth of the Illini’s offense. Before the season, the depth at wide receiver was a major question. No one knew who would step up. However, more than halfway through the year, the receiver room has proven to be a strength of this roster.
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