Rutgers football game week opponent profile: No. 24 Illinois
The Rutgers football team is back on the Banks this weekend to celebrate Senior Day for its final home game against Illinois. The Scarlet Knights (6-4, 3-4) are bowl-eligible for the second straight season after defeating Maryland 31-17 in College Park, Maryland.
The Fighting Illini (7-3, 4-3) are having a solid season despite losses in 2 of their last 3 games. With marquee wins against Nebraska and reigning national champion, Michigan, early in the season, No. 24 Illinois finds itself back in the AP Top 25.
The Daily Targum sat down with Tess Eken, the assistant sports editor for the Daily Illini and Laura Mendes, the football beat reporter for the Daily Illini, to preview Saturday's matchup.
Coming into this season, the Fighting Illini did not have high expectations for the team. After finishing last season two games less than .500 and losing talent to both the NFL draft and the transfer portal, fans had a lot of questions entering the 2024 campaign.
"I think people were really curious to see how this year would go," Eken said. "I did not expect us (Illinois) to be seven and three and going to a bowl at this point. I really am not used to seeing Illinois football be overly successful."
A lot of that success can be attributed to quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has shown strides of improvement in his second season with Illinois. This season, Altmyer has shown his ability to read defenses, reducing his 10 interceptions thrown last season to just three this season. Along with improved ball security, Altmyer has also thrown for a career-high in yards and touchdowns as a member of the Fighting Illini.
"(Altmyer) has been reading the field much better," Eken said. "He's noticing his field position a lot better, too. So rather than taking a sack, he'll throw the ball away … (and) his intelligence overall is something that has improved tremendously on the field."
Of course, a quarterback is only as good as his receivers are. For Illinois, Pat Bryant is as good as it gets. Bryant has been a starter for four years, is a team captain this season and ranks fourth in all-time career touchdowns with 17 for Illinois.
Defensively, the Fighting Illini's greatest strength lies in their secondary, accounting for 20 of the team's 28 sacks. Gabe Jacas leads the group with an impressive eight sacks and three forced fumbles this year. Jacas and company present a tough test for a banged-up Rutgers offensive line, in both the pass and run game.
As for Eken's prediction for Saturday's contest, "I'm going to say 28-21 Illinois," she said.
Mendes's prediction was similar, but with a little twist, "Mine is more specific. I think it's going to be 24-21 in overtime," she said. "I think it's going to be a really close matchup."
After a winless October, the Knights look to continue their clean sweep of November with a third straight victory before finishing the regular season on the road against Michigan State. Saturday's matchup is set to kick off at noon and will be broadcast on Peacock and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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