No. 24 Michigan's porous pass defense will be tested by No. 22 Illinois and QB Luke Altmyer
Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant celebrates with the Purdue cannon after the team's 50-49 overtime win over Purdue in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. Credit: AP/Charles Rex Arbogast
No. 24 Michigan (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) at No. 22 Illinois (5-1, 2-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Michigan by 3.
Series record: Michigan leads 72-23-2.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The loser of the game will most likely drop out of the AP Top 25 poll with key games coming up next week. Michigan will play host to Michigan State and Illinois will travel to No. 2 Oregon.
KEY MATCHUP
Illinois passing attack vs. Michigan pass defense. Illini QB Luke Altmyer is 14th in the nation in passing efficiency (167.7) and 13th in passing touchdowns (13). WR Pat Bryant is fourth in the country in receiving TDs (7) and he has 16 TD catches in his Illini career. Altmyer and Bryant will be going up against a Michigan pass defense that ranks 110th in the country and 16th in the Big Ten, allowing 259.8 yards per game. Michigan leads the Big Ten with 13 sacks, including a conference-best five by Josaiah Stewart.
Michigan running back Donovan Edwards (7) reacts with wide receiver Amorion Walker (1) and wide receiver Peyton O'Leary (81) after scoring a touchdown against Washington during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Seattle. Credit: AP/Lindsey Wasson
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Illinois: RB Josh McCray. Coming off two injury-filled seasons, McCray has become the Illini’s featured running back because of an injury to leading rusher Kaden Feagin. McCray ran for 78 yards and two TDs last week vs. Purdue and caught the first TD pass of his career.
Michigan: QB Jack Tuttle. He’s being handed the reins of a Michigan offense that was not productive with QBs Davis Warren and Alex Orji running the show. Tuttle’s last start was in 2022, when he was at Indiana.
FACTS & FIGURES
Michigan has won six straight and eight of its last 10 games against Illinois. The Wolverines are 11-1-1 in their last 13 games in Champaign, including a 42-25 victory in 2019 in their last visit. ... Illinois hosts Michigan 100 years and one day after Red Grange scored four of his six TDs in the first 12 minutes of the Memorial Stadium dedication game against Michigan. Illinois won 39-14, ending the Wolverines’ 20-game winning streak. The Illini will mark the occasion by donning hand-painted helmets to match the look of the leather helmets of Grange’s era and throwback uniforms. ... The Illini are 5-1 with two Top 25 wins (Kansas, Nebraska) for the first time since 1990 and have equaled their win total from last season. ... Michigan’s Donovan Edwards is 51 yards away from surpassing the school record of 810 career receiving yards by a running back set by Anthony Thomas.
