Illinois Football: Seniors lead Illini to Victory on Senior Day

On Senior Day for the Illini, the Illinois football team sent their seniors out the right way. It was their last time playing at Memorial Stadium, and it was a memorable one. Illinois beat the Spartans 38-16 and are now guaranteed to finish with a winning record for just the second time in 13 seasons. Let’s dive into how they did it, and our three main takeaways from the win.

Illinois Football will miss Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin

We have seen this Illinois offense take another step this season. A huge part of that is the veteran wide receivers, Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin. Both had good days in their last games at Memorial Stadium. Zakhari Franklin finished with seven catches for 44 yards and an awesome touchdown on a fade ball. As for Pat Bryant, he had a big day. He finished with four catches for 135 yards and a long touchdown that opened up the scoring.

Week 12 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴 🤩

▶️ @IlliniFootball WR Pat Bryant
▶️ @oregonfootball DE Matayo Uiagalelei
▶️ @OhioStateFB WR Carnell Tate
▶️ @uscfb QB Jayden Maiava
▶️ @PennStateFball TE Tyler Warren#B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/SMWcgIltvQ

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 17, 2024

Illinois had good depth at the wide receiver position this season. Names like Collin Dixon, Hank Beatty, and Malik Elzy have all made plays when they have been called upon. But next season, they are going to come into bigger roles. Hopefully, they can fill the shoes that Bryant and Franklin have left. Let me tell you, those are big shoes.

Illinois Football is lucky to have Luke Altmyer

Because of untimely turnovers, Luke Altmyer can be frustrating to watch. But, Altmyer has taken a massive step forward this season. Altmyer finished the day 19-32 for 231 yards and two passing touchdowns. That moved his season stats to just 19 touchdowns and three interceptions, with 2,124 yards through just 10 games. He has thrown more touchdown passes than Tommy DeVito did in his lone season. Altmyer also just trails deVito in yards by 526 with two regular season games left.

If you remember, last season, Altmyer threw 10 interceptions in just nine games played. I believe if Altmyer can work on his ball security when he becomes a runner, he could be considered a draft prospect after next season.

Illinois Football has a chance to win nine games

It is hard to believe Illinois has a chance to win nine regular season games. That would be the most wins for the football program since the 2007 season which ended in a Rose Bowl loss to the USC Trojans. That Illinois team was so much fun to watch led by Juice Williams and Rashard Mendenhall. This Illini team is a lot of fun to watch as well, even though it’s frustrating at times. It will not end in a Rose Bowl, but if Illinois wins out, they will be in a good bowl game. Buckle up Illini fans, finishing 9-3 in this Big Ten Conference can do a lot for a program.

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