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How Luke Altmyer plans to rebound for Illinois Football

Where Luke Altmyer can improve entering the second bye week for Illinois Football, coming off a 25-17 loss to Minnesota.

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2 weeks ago

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Illinois Football
Nov 2, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) runs with the ball against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Luke Altmyer has been key to Illinois Football exceeding preseason expectations in 2024.

Through nine games, Altmyer has posted an impressive 1,893 yards, going 157/250 (62.8%) with 16 touchdowns vs just 3 interceptions. His performances have earned him a QBR of 65.9 thus far, ranking him 7th among Big Ten quarterbacks.

Additionally, Luke completed an impressive 69% of his passes in the first five games of the season.

However, recent weeks have revealed areas of struggle for the Illini quarterback. His completion rate has dropped to 54% over the past four matchups (since the Purdue matchup). Additionally, he has had ball security issues with 6 total fumbles over his last 6 games.

OC Barry Lunney Jr. is now tasked with finding a way to scheme the Illini’s offensive leader back into a rhythm during the bye week. With a crucial and winnable three-game stretch ahead, Lunney’s adjustments could be key to reigniting the Illini offense and finishing the season strong.

“Get Better.”

Certainly, Illinois’ losses to Oregon and Minnesota can’t be solely attributed to Altmyer’s recent regression. However, with the prospect of nine regular-season wins for the first time since 2007, the Illini’s postseason hopes rest largely on Altmyer’s shoulders and his ability to rebound under pressure.

Seemingly, the Illinois football gunslinger remains cool, calm, and collected, despite recent struggles.

In his post-game press conference on Saturday, the Starkville Mississippi Native was asked where he can improve the most going into the bye week. Luke’s response, “Get better…. Get healthy too. Across the board as a team. I know a lot of guys are dealing with some nicks and bruises,” states Altmyer. “However, get better. We’ve got 3 games to go win 9 games, and we sure can do that. I think everybody knows that in that locker room knows it, and I sure know it too. This last time coming into Memorial against Michigan State, we’re gonna give it our best, and make sure we are executing at a high level to just go win.”

 

Video Credit: Illini Guys

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Kirkland is an expert source for Illinois athletics news. He is the lead Football analyst at Armchair Illini and has been featured in top media publications like Bleacher Report, Yard Barker, Autograph, Newsbreak, CBS Sports and more.

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