Big Ten Roundup (Sept. 9): Illinois Falls to Kansas 34-23

Coach Bret Bielema and the Illinois Fighting Illini lost to coach Lance Leipold and the Kansas Jayhawks 34-23 on Friday in Lawrence, Kan. A year after having the best point-per-game defense in the country, the Illinois back line had no answer for quarterback Jalon Daniels and the Kansas offense.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Hopefully for Illinois's sake, its exhibition basketball game against Kansas in October goes better than Friday night's matchup did.

There was no stopping the Jayhawks in Lawrence, as coach Lance Leipold's team got out to a 31-7 lead over Bret Bielema and the Illini, and never looked back. Ultimately, Illinois fell 34-23 on the road at Kansas, dropping its record on the season to 1-1. 

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

Kansas 34, Illinois 23

My take on this game is not too far off from what I said about Purdue in its season opening loss to Fresno State — this was more about who Illinois played on Friday than it was about Illinois.

You could have put the 2001 Miami defense out there and KU might have still dropped 30 points (that is a joke, please do not harass me Miami fans, I know Kansas wouldn't beat that team). 

Quarterback Jalon Daniels was stellar in his return, completing 21-of-29 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Leipold-designed offense did what it often does — bludgeon the opponent to death in the ground game. 

Kansas ran for 262 yards on 44 carries, good for 6.0 yards per pop. That'll play.

On the Illinois side of things, it was probably disappointing for fans to watch the Illini defense — which carried the team to its 7-1 start and 8-5 overall record last season — get shredded to pieces in the first half. 

The Jayhawks scored four touchdowns on their first five drives, including a back-breaking possession to end the first half. 

Quarterback Luke Altmyer had finally gotten Illinois on the board with 41 seconds left in the second quarter. He found tight end Tip Reiman on a jump pass into the endzone to cut into Kansas's lead, making the score 21-7. But 41 seconds and four plays was all Daniels and the KU offense needed to go 75 yards down the field and tack on another touchdown before the half. 

Even as Altmyer and the Illini offense finally started cooking in the second half, it was too little, too late. Back-to-back touchdowns and two-point conversions simply made the blowout win look closer than it was for the Kansas. 

However, it was impressive to see the dual-threat ability of Altmyer on display. He ran in both second half touchdowns for Illinois, including this jarringly easy 72-yard scamper. 

Luke Altmyer is responsible for the most casual 72-yard touchdown run in the history of football. https://t.co/G102IZiMdj

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) September 9, 2023

No team wants a double-digit, non-conference loss on its resume. But at the very least, it looks like Illinois might have an exciting signal caller under center in 2023. 

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