Illinois Dominates in Season-Opening Shutout Win Over EIU - University of Illinois Athletics (2024)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. –Illinois cruised to victory in its 2024 season opener, taking down EIU, 45-0, at Memorial Stadium on Thursday night.

Head coach Bret Bielema moved to 4-0 in season openers since taking the helm in 2021 as the Illini recorded their first shutout since 2022.

The Illini totaled 486 total yards of offense and six touchdowns, while the Orange and Blue defense amassed four turnovers while allowing just 49 rushing yards.

Luke Altmyer tallied a career-high four passing touchdowns – all of which came in the first half –while totaling 213 yards on an efficient 19-for-24 passing.

Pat Bryant recorded a team-high five catches for 63 yards and two scores, the second multi-touchdown game of his career. Bryant notched touchdown receptions in the first and second quarters.

Kaden Feagin surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career and rushed for a touchdown. He finished his night with 16 carries for a career-best 108 yards, both of which were also team-high marks. Aidan Laughery accumulated 10 rushes for 79 yards, with both stats setting new career-best totals.

Tanner Arkin and Malik Elzy accounted for the Illini's other two receiving scores, while Josh McCray also found the end zone on the ground.

Miles Scott recorded an interception and a forced fumble, Torrie Cox Jr. made an interception, and Dylan Rosiek forced a fumble in the third quarter.

After the Illini's first possession resulted in a punt, the Orange and Blue offense wasnot off the field for long. Miles Scott forced the firstfumble of his career with the Panthers driving into Illinois territory, and Seth Coleman jumped on the loose ball for the second recovery of his career.

The Illini capitalized on the takeaway, using 10 plays and 77 yards to find the end zone for the first time. Feagin's career-high 29-yard carry brought Illinois into EIU territory before Altmyer found Pat Bryant for the 15-yard score with just over four minutes left in the opening quarter.

Following a three-and-out for the Panther offense, the Illinois offense took advantage of good field position after a 30-yard punt return from Mac Resetich. Four plays later, Altmyer tallied his second passing touchdown of the night, this time connecting with Arkin from 5 yards out late in the first quarter.

Miles Scott then tallied his first interception of the season and his third-career pick, bringing the Illini offense back on the field on the first play of the second quarter. Illinois put together a 10-play, 53-yard drive, and the home side added to their lead via a 26-yard David Olano field goal.

The defense continued to dominate, forcing their second three-and-out of the opening half. Illinois could not capitalize on the stop, but Cox's interception brought the Illini offense right back onto the field.

Altmyer needed only two plays and 38 seconds to find Pat Bryant forthe receiver's second touchdown of the night, a 28-yard reception to further add to the Illini's edge, 24-0, with four minutes left before halftime.

Another EIU three-and-out saw the Illini offense retake the field with two-and-a-half minutes to go before the break. An efficient four-play, 67-yard drive resulted in Altmyer's fourth passing touchdown of the half, as he found Elzy for a 34-yard strike to extend the hosts' advantage to 31-0.

Illinois went into the break with that same 31-point advantage, accumulating 275 total yards of offense while forcing three turnovers on defense. Seven different receivers registered a catch through the opening two quarters, while Altmyer went 15-for-19 with 163 yards and four passing touchdowns.

All seven of EIU's first-half possessions resulted in either a three-and-out or a touchdown.

The Panthers were forced to punt on their first possession of the second half, and the Illini offense continued to roll. Illinois pieced together its longest drive of the night – 86 yards on nine plays – before Kaden Feagin scored from 1 yard out to move the Illini advantage to 38-0.

Dylan Rosiek then forced a fumble on EIU's next drive, and the Illini offense tacked on their sixth touchdown of the night on their ensuing possession. Josh McCray punched it in from 6 yards out, moving the hosts' lead up to 45-0 early in the fourth quarter for the team's final points of the night.

Illinois will return to Memorial Stadium on Sept. 7, when the Illini host No. 22 Kansas. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT on FS1.

HIGHLIGHTS

PRESS CONFERENCE

POSTGAME NOTES

Team Notes

• Bret Bielema improved to 19-19 in his Illinois career with tonight's win. He is the first Illinois head coach to start .500 or better through his first 38 games since Lou Tepper started 19-18-1 in 1995.
  • Bielema is now 4-0 in season openers at Illinois, with all wins coming at Memorial Stadium.
• Illinois improves to 19-0 all-time against FCS opponents (formerly I-AA).
  • Illinois also improves to 3-0 all-time vs. Eastern Illinois, with all three wins coming at Memorial Stadium.
• Twenty-four players made their Illinois debuts tonight, and eight players made their first-career starts in the Orange and Blue.
• The Illini defense forced four turnovers in the game, the most since forcing six on Nov. 26, 2022, at Northwestern.
  • Scored 24 points off of those turnovers.
• Illinois earned its first shutout since a 31-0 win over Chattanooga on Sept. 22, 2022.
  • Largest margin of victory in a shutout since Oct. 27, 1973, vs. Iowa (50-0).
• The 45-point margin of victory is largest since a 49-point win over Murray State (52-3) on Sept. 3, 2016.
• Eleven different Illini caught a pass in the contest.

Player Notes

• QB Luke Altmyer went 19-for-24 through the air for 213 yards and four touchdowns.
  • Has thrown for three touchdowns in consecutive games for the first time in his career…also threw for three scores on Nov. 11, 2023, at Minnesota.
    • Has thrown at least two touchdowns in four-straight games…first Illini quarterback to do so since Tommy DeVito from Aug. 27 – Sept. 22, 2022.
    • First Illinois quarterback with consecutive three-touchdown games since Brandon Peters did so from Aug. 31 – Sept. 7, 2019.
• RB Kaden Feagin rushed 16 times for a career-high 108 yards and a touchdown.
  • First-career 100-yard game.
  • Recorded a career-long 29-yard rush in the first quarter.
• RB Aidan Laughery rushed 10 times for a career-high 79 yards.
  • Had a career-long 29-yard rush in the third quarter.
• WR Pat Bryant caught a team-high five passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
  • Had the second multi-TD game of his career…also had two touchdown receptions in the 2023 season opener vs. Toledo.
  • Has at least one reception in 13-straight games.
  • Recorded his 10th-career touchdown reception in the first quarter and his 11th-career touchdown catch in the second quarter.
• WR Malik Elzy caught two passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.
  • Recorded his second-career touchdown catch in the second quarter, a career-long 34-yard reception.
• TE Tanner Arkin recorded his second-career touchdown reception in the second quarter.
  • Has two catches in his Illini career…have both been touchdown receptions.
• DB Miles Scott recorded his third-career interception in the second quarter.
  • Second-straight game with a pick and his second-straight season opener in whichhe has recorded an interception.
  • Forced a fumble on Eastern Illinois'first drive of the game.
    • First Illini since Xavier Scott on Sept. 8, 2023, at Kansas to force a fumble and intercept a pass in the same game.
• DB Torrie Cox Jr. recorded the first interception in his Illinois career and the fifth overall of his collegiate career.

QUOTES

Head coach Bret Bielema

Opening statement:
"Two things, I was excited to get in since we had a bunch of new players. Every time you assemble a new team you don't really know how they're going to react until the bullets are flying around. The fun thing for me as a head coach, today I saw a lot of things that I had seen at practice form our staff and coaches, the interactions that they have. One of our first team goals this week was to be able to communicate 100% communication pre and post that started on practice, through our preparation, through walk through yesterday and today. Then out there on the field today I thought there was a lot of really good communication."

"The guys played extremely hard and then to see the new faces in action. We had four new offensive starters and four new defensive starters who never started before, they went out and played well. On top of 24 new guys that had never played a snap in college football for the University of Illinois. So, to have that many different faces go out there and play as well as they did, I was happy with that."

"At the start of the second half I had a feeling that we were going to control that game. At the end of the third and fourth quarters I started to send some of the new faces in. I thought those guys came in and played extremely hard, they didn't let go of the rope and wanted to go out there and set an edge. One of our team goals this year is to have a tough, smart and dependable edge to us, and I think those guys did it. I'm really excited about that."

"To Chris and his crew, that's a really good football team. I was very nervous, I started watching those guys last January and that team and that team won eight games last year. I know it's FCS, but they are a very good football team that had a lot of juniors, seniors and grad students coming back. That's a really good football team and those guys will make a lot of noise in their division."

"We got out of it pretty healthy. I thought Luke Altmyer threw the ball extremely well throwing the ball deep, connected on some things. Our defense played very aggressive as they have been. I thought they attacked the football; the four turnovers are all pretty self-created. I thought the reading break out of Miles Scott early on the first one was great. I saw Torrie Cox read that screen, break on the ball, and make that play. Dylan Rosiek with that last punch out he just plays with that attitude that he brings all the time. I'm super excited, we'll come in tomorrow to watch film, rest, and then jump into our preparation for Kansas."

On the defense being ready to get on the field after last year:
"I think one of our talks and conversations was learning from the past to build for the future. Even though we had 45 guys jump into camp with us this year that have never been with us. That defense in particular has been hearing a lot of things since last fall to get where they are. I give Aaron Henry and that staff a lot of credit. They got three new guys on defense who have really been a great asset. I thought Clint Sintim, Archie McDaniel and Corey Parker really had a good fall camp of preparing our guys. Obviously, we have to get the offsides taken care of. I thought our coaches coached well, players played well, they attacked and to see them respond the way they did I thought was good."

On Gabe Jacas and the OLB room:
"Gabe's a third-year player, he's played a lot of good football. I think if you look at our roster of 120, I think Gabe is one of our top 10 best players. As coaches, we must maximize our players' strengths and minimize their weaknesses. He's very versatile and very intelligent. I think that room in general, Seth Coleman, at times does some good stuff. I thought those guys were bringing some pressure off the edge, Alec Bryant too. I was really excited to see Joe Barna and JoJo Hayden get in there. Daniel Brown had a little bit of a soft tissue issue, so he couldn't go today, but I think that rooms got some dynamic explosion."

On Luke Altmyer:
"For me, I saw things that I have seen all spring, summer and fall camp. I had a meeting with the quarterbacks the other day and all three of them had different areas they reported on. Luke's confidence has grown. I would say for us volume reflects confidence and you can hear Luke a lot more than you've ever heard him. I think that's a great thing because he's confident, throwing with confidence, playing with confidence and the people around him have confidence. It's game one, so not going to announce him as the front runner for the Heisman, but I definitely like what I saw."

Luke Altmyer

On his wide receiving core:
"I have so much confidence in the receivers making their mark in what they've shown in the offseason. They can do something different when they get the ball in their hands. I'm excited to keep growing those connections and making more plays."

On his confidence:
"My confidence is growing, and I've become aware of all the talents and gifts God has given me. I ultimately just want to thank him with my leadership and hard work. I'm looking forward to playing with the same perspective this year."

On looking forward to Kansas next week:
"It's always good to have a rematch, whether it's a win or a loss. It's fun seeing familiar faces, but we got a bad taste in our mouths from last year, so we're looking forward to next Saturday to put some things on display."

Pat Bryant

On the receivers being more physical:
"That's our whole mindset. We tell them every time you put it in our area we are going to make a play. In terms of going out there and being big and physical wide receivers, we even have smaller guys going out there and getting a little bit of contact. We have a great group, with a lot of speed, size, hands, whatever you want we got it."

On coming out last in player introductions:
"It was crazy. Once I saw I was coming out last, I was hyping up the crowd a little bit. I was thinking of a celebration, but I just wanted to hype the crowd up. It was a pretty cool experience, being the only college team that does that. I feel like we will set that trend so that we can interact with the fans."

On Luke Altmyer:
"You can definitely see a huge difference in last year in terms of his confidence and putting the ball up in the air to give us a shot to catch the ball. I'm very proud of Luke in this game. He did what he did in practice, and you can definitely see the growth."

Miles Scott

On his interception:
"We were in cover-2 right here. Going into the half, the quarterback never looked anywhere else. He was just looking dead down the middle, so I went over and showed my presence early. He kept staring over there, so I just picked the ball off. That was it."

On building off a shutout:
"We'll get back to it tomorrow, put this game to bed, and make corrections as we need to. We'll take it one game at a time. We're not worried about future opponents. We're worried about Kansas now. It's just one game at a time."

On looking ahead to a rematch with Kansas next week:
"We always look forward to the challenge. Especially with a rematch, you never forget what happened last year. We definitely remember that feeling, and we look forward to getting this week started."

Torrie Cox Jr.

On his interception:
"When I was playing, I was looking at the screen expecting to make a big hit, but the quarterback ended up throwing the ball outside and you got to catch the ones they throw you, so I did."

On his first start at Illinois:
"It means a lot to me. I've been working hard to be a starter. I had to gain the trust of my coaches, and it means a lot to me that they put me out there as a starter."

On Miles Scott:
"We honestly all knew that he was going to come out and play well. He was doing it all camp, making plays, so it wasn't a surprise to anybody."