A uniform success: No. 22 Illinois beats No. 24 Michigan for first time since 2009
CHAMPAIGN — Luke Altmyer threw for a touchdown and ran for another, leading No. 22 Illinois to a 21-7 victory over No. 24 Michigan on Saturday.
The Illini wore 1924 throwback uniforms to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Red Grange's six-touchdown performance against Michigan on the day Memorial Stadium was dedicated.
Tanner Arkin caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Altmyer in the second quarter and raced 36 yards on a fake punt in the third to set up Altmyer's 1-yard TD run.
Illinois (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) beat Michigan for the first time since 2009. The Illini had lost six straight to the Wolverines (4-3, 2-2).
Defending national champion Michigan scored its fewest points since 2014 and has lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2020.
Gabe Jacas had 13 tackles, including 6 solo and 2.5 of the Illini's 5 sacks of Jack Tuttle, and forced a fumble.
Altmyer was just 9-of-18 passing for 80 yards. He also ran for 48 yards on 10 carries.
“This is what I came here for,” said fourth-year Illinois coach Bret Bielema. “I've heard so many times about things we haven't done here. Leave the past in the past. Let's move forward.
“For this first time, I felt like we had a home-field advantage today. I want today to be the standard. We had a crowd that affected the game.”
A capacity crowd of 60,670 turned out for the stadium rededication and celebration of Grange and the Illini's 39-14 win over the previously unbeaten Wolverines in 1924. Grange, the Wheaton native who was greatest player of his time and known as the “Galloping Ghost,” scored 4 touchdowns in the first 12 minutes of that game. In a nod to him and his teammates, the Illini of 2024 wore uniforms reflecting the style of that era complete with helmets that had the appearance of leather helmets.
Tuttle, Michigan's third starting quarterback this season, was 20 of 32 for 208 yards. Kalel Mullings rushed for 87 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown and Colston Loveland had 7 catches for 83 yards.
Not including the pandemic season, Michigan is out to its worst start since 2014 after having made the College Football Playoff three straight years.
“Playoffs? That's out of the picture for us,” Loveland said. “Now we just have to start wrecking people's seasons. But this is unacceptable. We're letting a lot of people down.”
The Illini opened the second half with Arkins' long run on the fake punt. He grabbed the snap headed to punter Hugh Robertson and ran to the Michigan 16.
Altmyer's touchdown four plays later, and Donovan Leary's 2-point pass to Zakhari Franklin made it 21-7. Leary, the Illini backup quarterback, was in for conversion play because Altmyer's helmet fell off during his TD run.
“We were waiting for the right opportunity and the right moment,” Bielema said about the fake punt. “We repped it for two weeks. Henry Boyer and T.J. McMillen (St. Francis) had big blocks to spring Tanner.”
The Illini led 13-7 at half and could have been further ahead. They drove deep into Michigan territory five times but scored just one touchdown on the pass from Altmyer to Arkin and Naperville North graduate David Olano's two field goals.
Michigan crossed into Illinois territory for the first time late in the first half and scored on Mullings' 1-yard dive on fourth down with 1:40 left in the second quarter.
Bielema announced that Kaden Feagin, Illinois' leading rusher, had surgery on his injured hip Friday and is out for the season.
Next week Illinois visits No. 2 Oregon.