Illinois Football Week 12 Grades: Report Card vs. Michigan State

After a bounce-back week against the Spartans, how were the results reflected in their final grades?

Nov 16, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini offensive lineman Brandon Henderson (75) and tight end Tanner Arkin (85) celebrate wide receiver Pat Bryant (13) scoring a touchdown against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Despite all the doom and gloom surrounding a recent two-game spinout, Illinois probably had more going for it entering Saturday's matchup with Michigan State than it had going against it.

A bye week, a home game – Senior Day, in fact – and an opponent whose injuries were piling up even after its own bye all may have helped contribute to a 38-16 win for the Illini (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten). But even if you insist on grading on a curve, this team inarguably addressed a lot of areas where it had been underperforming. Here's how we graded them out:

Running game: B+

You can't exactly be upset about a team effort of 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries, especially in a win. But 30 yards of that total came on a late run by Josh McCray against a gassed Spartans D, and the final totals benefited from quarterback Luke Altmyer's escaping a couple of close-call sacks that would have gone for big losses. The run game didn't hurt the Illini on Saturday, but it wasn't the straw the stirred the drink, either. One outlier: Melvin Priestly continues to hold it down at right tackle.

Passing game: A-

Altmyer wasn't perfect against the Spartans – he made some unforced errant passes, including at least one that should have been picked off – but rediscovered some of the magic that he tapped into in the first half of the season. He made good reads and excellent throws on two scoring passes, and converted a solid 6 of 12 third- and fourth-down situations. Receivers Pat Bryant (four receptions, 135 yards, TD) and Zakhari Franklin (seven catches, 44 yards TD) deserve a lot of credit, but Altmyer spread the wealth, finished with 231 passing yards and no turnovers, and sparked a 38-point effort.

Blocking: B

Individual performance on the line is always tricky to assess from the outside, but the collective and overall results tend to be fairly obvious. Illinois is still inconsistent in getting a push up front and in making or maintaining blocks, but Saturday's output (even if against a lesser opponent) represented significant improvement. The Illini don't run for 4.5 yards a clip, hold MSU to zero sacks and go 5-for-5 in the red zone without getting quality contributions here.

Run defense: A-

Illinois' defense benefitted from an early lead Saturday, but against the Spartans (87 rushing yards, no touchdowns), the unit turned its best performance against the run since the Nebraska game and all but bottled up an MSU run game that has, to be fair, struggled all season. Still, the Illini shed blocks and collapsed lanes at the line of scrimmage, wrapped up and frequently put Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles in tough down-and-distance situations. Well done.

Pass defense: B

One major gaffe early in Saturday's game seemed to foretell a long day: Miscommunication between defensive backs Xavier Scott and Kaleb Patterson led to MSU receiver Aziah Johnson streaking wide open down the right sideline for a 52-yard touchdown from Chiles. But that was the worst of it, and by the final gun, the Illini had turned in a season-high six quarterback hurries and season-high-tying eight tackles for loss (including five sacks). Linebacker Gabe Jacas and defensive tackle TeRah Edwards spearheaded the pressure on Chiles that kept him on the run all day.

The defense registers back-to-back sacks!

4:06 Q4 | #Illini 31, Michigan State 16 pic.twitter.com/BNXq5jrGmm

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 16, 2024

Special teams: A-

No notes. Kicker David Olano was perfect on a low-degree-of-difficulty day. Punter Hugh Robertson had just the one punt – for 36 yards (inside MSU's 20). And Hank Beatty was steadily productive on punt returns, gifting the Illinois offense with an extra 74 yards of field position (and a long return of 25). They can only be nicked for a dearth of big plays, but these guys continue to do their jobs with metronomic consistency and unheralded excellence.

Coaching: B+

There were some time management issues that were brought up (and perhaps a touch overblown) in the broadcast, and it can only be speculated whether that secondary flub on the Chiles-to-Johnson passing TD was player- or coaching-related. But offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. got back to using the entirety of the field and throwing off MSU's defense with creative play-calling, and defensive coordinator Aaron Henry mixed in just enough blitzing to have the intended effect without exposing the defense too egregiously.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Football Makes AP Top 25 Return Entering Game vs. Rutgers

Big Ten Football Week 13 Power Rankings: Illinois, Rutgers Rising as Saturday Clash Nears

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