No. 22 Illinois eyes 1st ranked-vs-ranked
win at home since 1991 against No. 24 Michigan
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[October 18, 2024]
By STEVE STEIN
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Michigan and Illinois will try to get back on
track Saturday in the first ranked-vs-ranked game at Memorial
Stadium since 2000.
No. 24 Michigan (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) had a school-record 27-game Big
Ten winning streak snapped Oct. 5 at Washington when it lost 27-17.
The Wolverines also had won 11 straight road games.
No. 22 Illinois (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) led a one-win Purdue team 27-3 in
the third quarter last week, fell behind in the final minute of
regulation, and rallied for a 50-49 overtime victory.
The Illini are 11-11-1 in ranked-vs-ranked games at home, but
haven’t won one since beating Ohio State in 1991. They’ve lost six
straight ranked-vs-ranked games against Michigan at home and on the
road.
Illini coach Bret Bielema wants his team’s fans to bring a raucous
atmosphere.
“This place should be rocking and going crazy with two ranked teams
going at it,” he said. “When we go to Michigan, we have to prepare
for the crowd noise there. I really want someone to prepare for the
crowd noise here. That’s when we’ve arrived.”
QB play will be key to success
Illinois’ Luke Altmyer, who has emerged as one of the Big Ten’s top
QBs in his second year as a starter, threw for a career-high 379
yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 60 yards and a TD vs.
Purdue.
He’s thrown 14 TD passes this season — one more than last year — and
has more passing yards in Illinois’ last three games (779) than
Michigan has all season (690).
“At the end of the day, it’s about every guy doing his job,” he
said.
Receiver Pat Bryant praised Altmyer’s leadership of the Illinois
offense during a tense second half against Purdue.
“I had a sad face because we weren’t playing good football, but I
never saw Luke’s expression change,” Bryant said. “He kept telling
us to keep our composure. He had faith in us.”
The Wolverines have turned to their third starting quarterback this
season, seventh-year player Jack Tuttle. He was at Utah as a
freshman in 2018, didn’t play there, and was used sparingly in four
years at Indiana before joining the Wolverines in 2023.
“Our guys call him Uncle Jack,” coach Sherrone Moore said. “We’re
excited to watch this offense grow with him at the helm.”
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Michigan running back Donovan Edwards (7) runs for a touchdown
against Washington during the first half of an NCAA college football
game Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
There’s nowhere to go but up for the Michigan
offense. The Wolverines are averaging 8.52 yards per pass
completion, which ranks 133rd and last in the nation. They’re also
130th in passing offense, 119th in total offense fand 102nd in
scoring (23.5 points per game.)
Tuttle replaced Alex Orji vs. Washington and was 10 of 18 for 98
yards and a TD. He also had a fumble and interception.
Michigan's dominance over Big Ten
Michigan is 44-5 in its last 49 games including 31-2 against Big Ten
schools since the start of the 2021 season. The Wolverines were 15-0
last season en route to the national championship.
Another sellout at Memorial Stadium
The game Saturday will be played in front of sellout crowd of
60,670. It’s the second sellout of the season for Illinois. The
first was Sept. 7 against then-No. 19 Kansas. This is only the
second time since 2009 that Illinois has sold out two games in a
season.
The green zone
The Illini don’t let scoring opportunities slip away when they reach
the red zone. They’re tied for ninth in the nation with a 96%
success rate (24 for 25 with 17 TDs).
Michigan's run defense
Michigan has the best run defense in the Big Ten. The Wolverines
allow just 76 rushing yards per game. Illinois offensive line coach
Bart Miller calls Michigan’s defensive front “one of the best, if
not the best in the country.” But Michigan allows 259 passing yards
per game, third-worst in the conference.
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