Luke Altmeyer threw for 174 yards with a touchdown and an interception as Illinois (10-3) closed out the fifth 10-win season in program history and its first since 2001.
Star receiver Pat Bryant won’t be available for the Citrus Bowl New Year’s Eve, as he is playing it safe having declared for the NFL draft. However, Bryant has already left his mark on the Illini program.
Illinois had to rally and win their final three to put themselves on the verge of a 10-win season.
Illinois assistant coach Dana Dimel, who was an All-American offensive tackle for Kansas State and later became the head coach at Wyoming, Houston and UTEP, died Tuesday. He was 62. Dimel’s wife, Julie, and children Winston and Josey announced his death in a statement. No cause was given. “Today is a difficult day for college
No. 22 Illinois topped Northwestern 38-28 on Saturday to reach nine victories for the first time since its 2007 Rose Bowl season.
Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run, 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds left, sending No. 24 Illinois to a wild 38-31 victory over Rutgers.
Pat McCray had nine carries for 61 yards, Luke Altmyer completed 19 of 32 passes for 231 yards and Pat Bryant caught four passes for a career-high 135 yards and a TD in his final home game as the Illini (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) ended a two-game losing streak.
The Fighting Illini (6-2, 3-2) hadn’t faced the top-ranked team in the nation since 2007, when they beat Ohio State 28-21 on the road.
Illinois is now 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten after beating Michigan for the first time since 2009.
The Illini hadn’t beaten the Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium since 2010.
Illinois started fast but couldn’t make the adjustments necessary to escape Penn State’s speed on defense as the game wore on.
The last time Indiana and Illinois finished the same season with winning records was in 2007 — Indiana was 7-6, Illinois was 9-4. Illinois has big wins over Kansas and Nebraska.
The Illini are 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten and have beaten two ranked opponents in the same season for the first time since 2007.
Luke Altmyer threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns, both to Pat Bryant, to lead Illinois to a 30-9 win over Central Michigan on Saturday.
Texas A&M transfer Ethan Moczulski kicked a school-record 59-yard field goal as time expired in the first half gave the Illini a 13-6 lead at halftime.