CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Luke Altmyer threw for a touchdown and ran for another, leading No. 22 Illinois to a 21-7 victory over No. 24 Michigan on Saturday afternoon.
Tanner Arkin caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Altmyer in the second quarter and raced 36 yards on a fake punt in the third to set up Altmyer’s 1-yard TD run.
Illinois (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) beat Michigan for the first time since 2009 and had lost six straight to the Wolverines (4-3, 2-2). Michigan the defending national champion, has lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2020.
The Illini wore 1924 throwback uniforms to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Red Grange’s six-touchdown performance against Michigan on the day Memorial Stadium was dedicated.
A sellout crowd of 60,670 turned out for the stadium rededication and celebration of Grange and the Illini’s 39-14 win over the previously unbeaten Wolverines in 1924. Grange, the greatest player of his time and known as the “Galloping Ghost,†scored four touchdowns in the first 12 minutes of that game. In a nod to him and his teammates, the Illini of 2024 wore uniforms reflecting the style of that era complete with helmets that had the appearance of leather helmets.
People are also reading…
“This is what I came here for,†said fourth-year Illinois coach Bret Bielema. “I’ve heard so many times about things we haven’t done here. Leave the past in the past. Let’s move forward.
“For this first time, I felt like we had a home-field advantage today. I want today to be the standard. We had a crowd that affected the game.â€
Jabe Jacas had 13 tackles, including six solo and 2.5 of the Illini’s six sacks of Jack Tuttle.
Altmyer was just 9 of 18 passing passing for 80 yards. He also ran for 48 yards on 10 carries.
Tuttle, Michigan’s third starting quarterback this season, was 20 of 32 passing for 208 yards. Kalel Mullings rushed for 87 yards on 19 carries.
The Illini opened the second half with Arkins’ long run on the fake punt. He grabbed the snap headed to punter Hugh Robertson and ran to the Michigan 16. Altmyer’s touchdown four plays later, and Donovan Leary’s 2-point conversion pass to Zakhari Franklin made it 21-7.
Leary, the Illini backup quarterback, was in for conversion play because Altmyer’s helmet fell off during his TD run and was required by rule to miss the next play.
The Illini led 13-7 at half and could have been farther ahead. They drove deep into Michigan territory five times but scored just one touchdown on a 2-yard pass from Altmyer to Arkin and David Alano’s two field goals.
Michigan crossed into Illinois territory for the first time late in the first half and scored on Mullings’ 1-yard dive on fourth down with 1:40 left in the second quarter.
Not including the pandemic season, Michigan is off to its worst start since 2014 after having made the College Football Playoff three straight years.
“Playoffs? That’s out of the picture for us,†said Colston Loveland, who had seven catches for 83 yards for the Wolverines. “Now we just have to start wrecking people’s seasons. But this is unacceptable. We’re letting a lot of people down.â€
The takeaway
Illinois: The Illini appear to have recovered from their second-half meltdown last week against Purdue, when they blew a 27-3 third-quarter lead, fell behind in the final minute of regulation but won 50-49.
Michigan: The Wolverines’ offense continues to struggle. Tuttle missed several open receivers early and threw an interception with 7:58 left in the game.
Poll implications
Illinois is set for a promotion after beating its third ranked opponent. Michigan should drop out of the Top 25.