Illinois Looking To Correct One Glaring Issue On Offense Against Nebraska

Shandel Richardson | Sep 17, 2024

Sep 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

There was one big takeaway from Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney's meeting with the media this week.

With the Big Ten opener at Nebraska just days away, Lunney had some concerns about how the offense performed last week against Central Michigan. The Illini won 30-9 but the offense was too "sloppy" for Lunney.

"There were some really good moments but we were just way too sloppy, shot ourselves in the foot a lot," Lunney said. "To be honest with you, some uncharacteristic mistakes ... The most disappointing thing about the game was we played sloppy at times." 

There were plenty positives.

The Illini had 379 total yards. Quarterback Luke Altmyer completed his third straight game without a turnover. Pat Bryant had 102 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

While Lunney pointed out some "pre-snap" mistakes, he also took some of the blame for the struggles. The small mistakes were some that could put a damper on this strong start to the season. The No. 24 Illini are 3-0 for the first time since 2011.

"We just didn't execute," Lunney said. "There was obviously, just like every game I coach or called, there's going to be a handful of plays that they have a better call than I do. That's the cat and mouse game. That doesn't make it OK. That doesn't make it acceptable ... It's my job to make sure that doesn't happen very often, especially in critical moments."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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