What to watch for: Illinois

Coming out of the bye week, things are looking relatively bleak for the No. 24 Michigan football team. With two losses in just six games, the Wolverines face an uphill battle to find success both in the Big Ten and nationally in the second half of the season.

That uphill battle begins with a road trip to No. 22 Illinois, for what will likely be another dogfight for Michigan. The Fighting Illini struggled last week against 1-5 Purdue, but they’re still a ranked conference opponent playing in their home stadium. Beating Illinois on the road would be a first step for the Wolverines toward showing that they can compete with future opponents like No. 16 Indiana, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 2 Oregon.

But rather than look ahead, Michigan is focused on “going 1-0 this week,” same as always. Here are a few key storylines to watch for that will help determine who comes out on top on Saturday: 

Did the bye week help Michigan recover?

Over the Wolverines’ extremely successful three-season stretch from 2021 to 2023, they excelled coming out of the bye week. Michigan won each game after the week off by an average margin of 25.3 points, proving it was well-rested and taking advantage. 

This season, the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Wolverines. They had just flown back overnight from the West Coast after a demoralizing loss to Washington, so the extra rest was especially helpful according to Michigan coach Sherrone Moore. 

“Going there, there wasn’t any effect,” Moore said Monday. “But obviously, coming back, we got back at like 5:30 in the morning so that bye week was much needed.”

In addition to jet lag afterwards, the Wolverines were also contending with a laundry list of injuries during the game against the Huskies. Their pregame injury report featured 12 players out and another three listed as questionable, with the secondary particularly thin. A week of rest and recovery should help at least a few of those players get healthy, giving Michigan a bit more depth. 

Also, given that graduate quarterback Jack Tuttle had barely participated in live practice prior to entering the game against Washington, an extra week should help his preparation for his first start of the season. So this Saturday, watch how the Wolverines took advantage of the bye week, and if there’s a noticeable difference in how rested they look. 

Third time’s the charm?

Senior quarterback Davis Warren lasted just three games before being benched. Junior quarterback Alex Orji only made it through 2.5 games. 

But with Tuttle set to start for the first time this season, Michigan is hoping that he can break the trend. If everything goes according to plan, he might even finish out the season as the starter. 

While Tuttle didn’t have the starting job through the first six games of the season, he didn’t exactly lose it, either. Tuttle was still recovering from an injury to his throwing arm during that time. As mentioned earlier, he barely practiced prior to taking over for Orji in Seattle, and just returned to practice this week. 

Against Washington, Tuttle briefly gave the Wolverines hope, leading three consecutive scoring drives to bring them back from a 14-0 deficit. However, he later turned the ball over twice in Michigan’s own territory, leaving the Wolverines reeling and the Huskies able to take control of the game. 

Despite the late turnovers, Michigan is confident that a now-healthy Tuttle is its best answer at quarterback moving forward. 

“(Tuttle) played for three days of practice, really, (and) went in the game and competed at a high level,” Moore said. “The turnovers are what they are, and we have to eliminate them, but we wanted to make sure that he knew we were confident in him and what he could do.”

With Tuttle under center, the Wolverines’ offense has the potential to be more multi-dimensional. Don’t expect Michigan to deviate from its run-first identity, but Tuttle’s throwing ability should help the Wolverines put out a more balanced product. This Saturday, watch if the third time truly is the charm, and Tuttle can fully establish himself as Michigan’ best option at quarterback. 

How will the Wolverines fare against Luke Altmyer?

When asked what he expects to see from Illinois Saturday, Moore doled out a few typical praises for an upcoming opponent: well-coached, physical, tough and so on. But he also dedicated a large portion of his answer to Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer, and the steps he’s taken in the past year. 

“Luke Altmyer, the quarterback, he’s gotten so much better,” Moore said. “He’s just progressed from last year to this year, you can see him being in the system for another year.”

In his first season as Illinois’ starter last season, Altmyer was nothing special. He threw for 1,883 yards and 13 touchdowns, but also threw 10 interceptions. This season, though, he’s drastically reigned in his turnover troubles while increasing his production. Altmyer has already thrown for 14 touchdowns and 1,426 yards, and only one interception. 

Combine Altmyers’ improvements with the Wolverines’ struggles in the secondary, and Michigan might have trouble containing the Illini offense. The Wolverines currently have the 110th-best passing defense in the country, allowing nearly 260 yards per game through the air. That’s the third-most yards per game of any team in the Big Ten, only ahead of Northwestern and UCLA.

The one saving grace for Michigan might be that Illinois has struggled to protect Altmyer this season. He’s absorbed 19 sacks through six games, the worst mark of any quarterback in the Big Ten. 

If the Wolverines’ stellar defensive line can create enough pressure, they might be able to help their secondary out by keeping Altmyer uncomfortable in the pocket. That was the key to Michigan containing Southern California quarterback Miller Moss, and it could be the key again Saturday. Watch if the Wolverines’ D-line pressure is too much for Altmyer to handle, or if he has enough time to pick apart Michigan’s secondary. 

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Illinois might not be the biggest game left on the schedule, but it’ll be a key indicator of where the Wolverines sit following their bye week. How they’ve taken advantage of that bye week, along with what both teams get out of their quarterbacks, will help illuminate what the rest of the season will look like for Michigan. So watch for those three storylines, and put yourself in position to know whether or not the Wolverines can come out with a win Saturday and turn things around.

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