Revenge win for Illini made possible by full-team effort

(WCIA) — The Illinois offense struggled to muster much of anything against No. 19 Kansas until it mattered most.

Trailing by four in the fourth quarter, Luke Altmyer and the Illini mounted an eight-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard Kaden Feagin touchdown run to secure the lead in what turned out to be the Illini’s first ranked home win since 2019.

“We just stuck with it,” said junior quarterback Luke Altmyer. “Coaches were putting us in good positions and it was up to us to make plays and we knew our backs were against the wall, we were down and, we wanted to go do what we wanted to do and the only thing to do was to go make something happen.”

The receiver who made the most noise was Ole Miss transfer, Zakhari Franklin, leading the way with nine catches for 99 yards, already thinking about his next game at Memorial Stadium.

“It was nice out there,” said Franklin. “It was electric, and I look forward to playing in some more sellout crowds here. I can’t even tell you how excited I am.”

The Illinois defense also shined in the upset win, forcing four turnovers. Xavier Scott led the charge with two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six, and the game-sealing forced fumble.

“Coaches putting us in the right positions to make plays,” said Scott. “Everybody doing their job, just all 11 guys doing what they’re supposed to do, and that’s the end result of everyone doing what they’re supposed to do. We can come out with victories, interceptions, takeaways.”

The win marks a complete turnaround for an Illini team that fell behind 21-0 when these two met in Lawrence last year. The Orange and Blue look to start this season 3-0 as Central Michigan comes to Champaign on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 11 a.m.

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