Three Key Stats From Illinois Football's Win Against Duke

Plus-5

In a matchup that looked even on paper, the turnover margin (plus-five in the Illini's favor) proved decisive. It started with a muffed punt fair catch in the first quarter, and Duke never stopped handing Illinois opportunities from there.Gabe Jacas – quiet for most of the afternoon – flipped the game's momentum with a second-quarter strip sack of Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah. Safety Matthew Bailey added his trademark “Peanut punch” to jar the ball loose on Duke''s opening second-half drive. And in the fourth quarter, sophomore defensive back Tanner Heckel stole the show with a leaping interception and a strip sack that slammed the door on the Blue Devils. Good teams win the turnover battle; Illinois dominated it, and that’s why the scoreboard turned lopsided.

31–6

Duke went into halftime in control and dictating the action. The Blue Devils trailed just 14–13 and, quite frankly, looked like the better team in the trenches – and just about everywhere else.But whatever Illinois head coach Bret Bielema told his team at the break worked. The Illini hit the field in the second half and delivered touchdown drives on their first two possessions, then never looked back. The run game, bottled up in the first half, finally broke free, capped by a slick Ca’Lil Valentine touchdown late in the fourth. That kind of second-half surge is what makes Illinois look like more than a solid Big Ten squad – it makes the Illini look like a real contender.

4

The one glaring blemish for Illinois? Pass protection. With the entire offensive line returning in 2025, the expectation was that Altmyer would enjoy a relatively clean pocket this season. Instead, Duke’s defensive front lived in Illinois’ backfield early, disrupting both run and pass plays, hitting Altmyer repeatedly and sacking him four times.

That makes seven sacks allowed by the Illini in just two games – including three last week against Western Illinois – which is far too many for a veteran line against an FCS opponent. To their credit, the unit regrouped and asserted themselves after halftime, but serious concerns remain. If Illinois is to push for a Big Ten title and/or a College Football Playoff berth, its second-half protection success in Durham must become the standard, not the exception.