Previewing Michigan vs. Illinois With A Fighting Illini Insider

By Clayton Sayfie

TheWolverine.com caught up with Illinois writer Scott Richey of The News-Gazette for insight on the Fighting Illini ahead of Saturday’s game against Michigan Wolverines football. Richey broke down Illinois and gave a final score prediction. We begin with the projected starting lineup for Michigan’s opponent:

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Illinois projected starters on offense

• #9 – Junior QB Luke Altmyer (6-2, 205) — The Ole Miss transfer is in his second season with Illinois. He’s completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 1,426 yards and 14 touchdowns with 1 interception, adding 49 rushes for 90 yards and a score. Last season, Altmyer connected on 65 percent of his passes but threw only 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and lost 3 fumbles.

• #9 – Junior RB Josh McCray (6-1, 235) — He got the bulk of the carries last week against Purdue and has rushed 41 times for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. Sophomore Kaden Feagin started four of the first five games and leads the team with 306 rushing yards but he hyperextended his left leg in practice before the last game against Purdue and will be out “for a little bit,” per head coach Bret Bielema.

• #13 – Senior WR Pat Bryant (6-3, 200) — The team captain leads the Illini with 452 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns on 27 catches. He had 7 scores in 12 games a season ago. He averages only 4.4 yards after the catch per reception but has made a team-high 4 contested catches on 5 attempts.

• #4 – Senior WR Zakhari Franklin (6-1, 190) — The UTSA (2019-22) and Mississippi (2023) transfer entered the season as the NCAA’s active leader in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. He’s pacing the team with 28 grabs this year, going for 346 yards and a touchdown. Thirteen of his 28 receptions have come on passes of 10-plus air yards. Of Illinois’ 41 third-down pass attempts, he’s been targeted 16 times, with 9 receptions for 7 first downs.

• #17 – Redshirt freshman WR Collin Dixon (6-1, 210) — The slot receiver has hauled in 7 catches for 137 yards. Five of his 7 receptions have resulted in first downs.

• #85 – Junior TE Tanner Arkin (6-4, 265) — The Colorado State transfer is in his second season in Champaign, after catching only 1 pass, a touchdown, last year. He’s brought down 10 receptions for 83 yards and 2 scores so far this fall. His 81.5 PFF run-blocking rating is the best on the team and ranks fifth among tight ends nationally (minimum 50 snaps).

• #74 – Senior LT J.C. Davis (6-5, 320) — Started 24 games at New Mexico, before transferring to Illinois ahead of the 2024 campaign. The 2023 first-team All-Mountain West honoree has a 64.1 overall PFF grade with 10 pressures, including 1 sack, given up this year.

• #73 – Junior LG Josh Gesky (6-5, 325) — In his second year as a starter. Opened eight outings and earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten nod in 2023. He’s given up a team-worst 13 pressures and 2 sacks this season, grading out at 60.4 overall on PFF.

• #64 – Junior C Josh Kreutz (6-2, 290) — The team captain started all 12 games at center last season, when he was named honorable mention All-Big Ten. So far this fall, he’s registered a 60.2 overall PFF rating with 4 pressures given up.

• #75 – Sophomore RG Brandon Henderson (6-5, 335) — Was featured as a jumbo tight end / extra offensive lineman earlier this season, even catching a touchdown pass against Nebraska, before making his first career start in last week’s game against Purdue. He gave up 3 pressures and a sack in his starting debut.

• #58 – Junior RT Melvin Priestly (6-4, 315) — The Grambling State transfer started 15 games at his previous stop in the FCS. He has a 61.6 overall PFF rating with 10 pressures yielded this season.

Illinois projected starters on defense

• #23 – Senior DT Terah Edwards (6-2, 305) — Generated 13 tackles, 1 stop for loss, a half-sack and 4 quarterback hurries with 11 pressures this season.

• #6 – Senior DL Dennis Briggs Jr. (6-4, 275) — The Florida State transfer posted 14 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2 quarterback hurries a season ago. He’s registered 22 stops, 3 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and 13 pressures in 2024.

• #9 – Senior OLB Seth Coleman (6-5, 250) — The 2023 honorable mention All-Big Ten selection is a team captain and has recorded 28 tackles, including 4 for loss and 1.5 sacks, along with 2 pass breakups and 14 pressures. He had 50 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks for the 2023 campaign.

• #17 – Junior OLB Gabe Jacas (6-3, 275) — Three of his 11 career sacks have come this season, adding 29 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and a team-high 16 quarterback pressures. His 75.5 PFF pass-rush grade ranks 12th among Big Ten edge rushers with 50-plus snaps.

• #28 – Junior LB Dylan Rosiek (6-1, 235) — Named All-Big Ten honorable mention last season, when he led the conference with 4 forced fumbles and was 14th in the league with 82 tackles. He’s second on the team with 35 tackles, adding 3 for loss and 1.5 sacks, with 2 forced fumbles, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.

• #34 – Senior LB Ryan Meed (6-1, 230) — Has contributed 15 tackles in six games with three starts this season. His 46.6 overall PFF rating is the worst on the Illinois defense.

• #14 – Junior NB Xavier Scott (5-11, 190) — Lines up at both nickel and outside cornerback. He’s started 18 career games and has brought in 5 interceptions, including a career-high 3 this season. His 75.8 PFF coverage grade this season ranks 11th among Big Ten cornerbacks with at least 75 coverage snaps. He’s allowed 21 catches for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns on 31 targets. Scott has added 21 tackles, including 2 for loss, and 2 pass breakups with 1 forced fumble.

• #22 – Sophomore CB Kaleb Patterson (6-1, 190) — Notched 14 tackles, including 2 for loss, 2 pass breakups and a fumble recovery while starting all six outings. He’s given up 13 receptions for 134 yards and no touchdowns on 24 targets in coverage.

• #5 – Junior CB Torrie Cox Jr. (5-9, 170) — The Ohio transfer is in his first season at Illinois, where he’s compiled 11 tackles, 2 interceptions and a pass breakup. He has 7 career picks. This season, he’s allowed 12 catches for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 targets.

• #7 – Sophomore S Matthew Bailey (6-2, 215) — Leads the team with 37 tackles, also contributing 2 pass breakups. He’s tied atop the team with 7 missed tackles, however, and has given up 17 catches for 241 yards on 26 targets.

• #10 – Junior S Miles Scott (5-11, 210) — The converted wide receiver has tallied 21 tackles, 4 pass breakups, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble. He has 4 career picks. His 80.2 PFF coverage grade ranks third in the Big Ten among safeties with 75-plus coverage snaps. He’s given up 5 catches for 35 yards on 9 targets.

Illinois specialists

• #24 – Sophomore K David Olano (5-11, 180) — Served as Illinois’ kickoff specialist last season before seizing the placekicker job in 2024. He’s 10-of-12 on field goals, including 4-of-6 from 40-plus yards with a 50-yard long. He’s a perfect 21-of-21 on extra points.

• #19 – Junior P Hugh Robertson (6-2, 225) — The 31-year-old is the third-oldest player in college football and oldest in the Power Four. The Melbourne, Australia, native was named honorable mention All-Big Ten last season. He’s averaging 42.9 yards per punt on 18 attempts this season, with a 52-yard long and 11 pins inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. His 3.72-second average hangtime ranks 19th of 23 punters in the Big Ten, mostly because he uses rugby-style punts. He set his career long with a 64-yard punt at Michigan in 2022, before breaking that last season (66 yards).

• #7 – Sophomore KR Kenari Wilcher (6-0, 185) — Averaged 23.5 yards per kick return last season, and that number is down to 17.6 on 5 attempts this year. His long is 24 yards.

• #80 – Junior PR Hank Beatty (5-11, 185) — Has returned 8 punts, with a 37-yard long and a 16.6-yard average that ranks first in the Big Ten. He’s tied for first in the Big Ten with Minnesota’s Koi Perich and Indiana’s Myles Price with 3 punt returns of 20-plus yards.

Luke Altmyer setting new standard for Illinois quarterbacks

Altmyer committed 13 turnovers in 2023, his first year with the program after transferring in from Ole Miss, but he improved as the season went on despite losing his job. Now, he’s become even better.

“It’s not much of a stretch to say Altmyer is halfway through one of the best seasons for an Illinois quarterback in roughly two decades,” Richey said. “Motivated by effectively getting benched at the end of last season, Altmyer’s level of play is emanating from a much more confident, comfortable place. He talked that talk in the spring and summer and has backed it up with his play this fall by being both more productive in the passing game and exceedingly more efficient.”

Illinois airing it out

Illinois is averaging only 3.9 yards per carry and 139.5 rushing yards per game, but the passing attack has been what’s carried the offense. The Illini have passed for 200-plus yards in four games.

“The obvious strength is the passing game, with offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. recognizing exactly what he has to work with in Altmyer and wide receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin.

“That the run game has not been as good or productive as expected — in part because the interior of the offensive line has struggled with consistent execution — the Illini are throwing more than ever. It’s worked because the talent is there in the quarterback and the top two receivers.”

Illinois lacking defensive depth

Illinois is allowing only 20 points (tied 32nd nationally) and 346.5 total yards (59th) per game. The starting defense has been solid, but the depth is lacking.

“It all comes down to depth,” Richey said. “There’s real talent at the top of the depth chart for the Illinois defense that’s now backed up with more experience than a year ago.

“The Illini have playmakers in the secondary like Xavier Scott and Miles Scott, with Dylan Rosiek at linebacker and up front with Seth Coleman, Gabe Jacas, TeRah Edwards and Dennis Briggs Jr. Behind those guys are legitimate question marks that has led to drop-offs in level of play.”

Illinois has limited opponents from creating big plays, giving up 12.3 per game of 10-plus yards, down from 14.5 last season. For comparison’s sake, Illinois has allowed 74 overall plays of 10-plus yards, while Michigan has yielded 71 passing plays of 10-plus yards.

While opponents have scored on 19 of 20 red-zone trips against the Illinois defense, the Illini have forced 7 field goals in the red area, further showing their ability to bend but not break.

Illinois dodges a bullet

Illinois is 5-1 with marquee wins against Kansas and Nebraska, off to a fantastic start by the program’s standards. But disaster almost struck last week, when the Illini allowed Purdue to come back from 27-3 down to force overtime at 43-43. Bielema’s club held on with a 50-49 win after Purdue failed to convert a two-point conversion attempt.

“It’s two-fold,” Richey said of the vibe of the program coming off the close call. “The Illini are both happy to get the win — especially against [head coach and former Illinois defensive coordinator] Ryan Walters and Purdue — and happy to be 5-1 at this point of the season. It’s rare territory for this program.

“But they’re also clearly aware of how close they came to a truly disastrous outcome. There’s a regular focus from this coaching staff, used as a teaching tool, on what could have been. What could have been in the Purdue game was an epic collapse and the worst loss of the Bret Bielema era.”

Richey’s final score prediction

“No Red Grange-esque performance here for the Illini, as they celebrate 100 years of football at Memorial Stadium, but they do just enough to keep the Wolverines’ run game in check to win their first ranked home matchup in more than two decades,” Richey said.

Prediction: Illinois 21, Michigan 17