Instant Analysis: Illinois Football Upends Michigan State, 38-16

All the pieces came together on Saturday to smooth out the Illini's recent misalignment

Nov 16, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Torrie Cox Jr. (5) flips Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) on this tackle during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

After performing like a well-oiled machine over the first half of the season, Illinois had sputtered and nearly stalled out during a two-game losing streak leading up to Saturday's home matchup with Michigan State,

After a bye-week tinkering, the Illini got back to humming along against the Spartans – and even finally opened the throttle on their run game as Josh McCray bowled for 61 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in a 38-16 win at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

The best way to end a home game. #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/UpcAhZK9Kg

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 16, 2024

The Illini (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) got untracked by directly addressing some of their biggest recent bugaboos, rediscovering the mix of big plays, good timing and solid ball security that had eluded them the past few weeks. The diagnostic checklist:

Quick start: Illinois, which hadn't scored a first-quarter touchdown in more than a month, got two of them against MSU.

Defensive pressure: The takeaway dry spell continued for the Illini on Saturday (zero turnovers created), but they got the next-best thing as linebackers Seth Coleman (two sacks) and Gabe Jacas (1.5 sacks) kept Spartans sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles on the run all day. Injuries at defensive back and linebacker had stretched thin Illinois' coverage and exposed a too-often punchless pass rush, but this week the Illini got a push from their front four and defensive coordinator took more chances on the blitz.

Passing efficiency: The Illini offense is a different animal – a beast, in this case – when quarterback Luke Altmyer is kept clean, but it transforms into a pussycat when protection breaks down. There were a few close calls against Michigan State, but Altmyer ultimately avoided being sacked and delivered rock-solid productivity: 231 passing yards, two touchdowns and – critically – no turnovers.

There was a moment in the fourth quarter, with Illinois up just 24-16 and 11:21 left to play, when the whole thing could have broken down. On second-and-10, Altmyer took his eye off the ball for a beat and fumbled the shotgun snap, fortunate to gather it and fall forward for a yard pickup. He redeemed himself a play later by hitting receiver Pat Bryant across the middle for a 32-yard catch to convert on third down and extend a clock-bleeding drive that ended in a leaping score by McCray that gave the Illini a two-touchdown lead with only 7:33 to play.

Both Illinois' offense and defense are methodical units designed to capitalize on mistakes, growing more dangerous when they're able to play from ahead. The fast start not only seemed to help the Illini move on from a difficult few weeks and prevent any lingering doubts from metastasizing but also gave them the leverage on the field they needed.

On the game's first score, Altmyer found a favorable single-coverage matchup and exploited it, hitting Bryant for a 57-yard touchdown – the longest of both players' careers. After a blown coverage in the Illini secondary allowed the Spartans to answer with their own big-play score, Illinois punched it in again on the ensuing drive, with McCray tip-toeing down the right sideline for the last few steps of an 11-yard touchdown run.

With Coleman, Jacas and crew containing the Spartans' run game (just 87 yards on 28 carries), the pressure shifted to the shoulders of Chiles, who did all he could (256 yards on 23-for-40 passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions) under the circumstances.

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