Game 7 Preview: Michigan Wolverines vs. Illinois Fighting Illini

Game 7 Preview: Michigan Wolverines vs. Illinois Fighting Illini

The Michigan Wolverines are coming off a loss to the Washington Huskies 27-17. While Illinois is coming off a close win over Purdue 50-49

Michigan Wolverines 4-2 (2-1 Big Ten) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini 5-1 (2-1 Big Ten)

Date: Saturday, October 19
Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
TV Channel: CBS
Location: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
Line: Michigan -1.0 / O/U: 43.5

2024 Team Stats

Michigan:

2024 Offense (Big Ten Rank) 
Total Yards: 306.3 (16)
Passing Yards: 115.0 (18)
Rushing Yards: 191.3 (7)
2024 Defense (Big Ten Rank) 
Total Yards Allowed: 336.2 (11)
Passing Yards Allowed: 259.8 (16)
Rushing Yards Allowed: 76.3 (1)
2024 Points Scored: 23.5 (15)
2024 Points Allowed: 22.3 (15)
2024 Ranking: 24

Illinois:

2024 Offense (Big Ten Rank) 
Total Yards: 382.0 (9)
Passing Yards: 242.5 (9)
Rushing Yards: 139.5 (12)
2024 Defense (Big Ten Rank) 
Total Yards Allowed: 347.8 (12)
Passing Yards Allowed: 197.3 (10)
Rushing Yards Allowed: 150.5 (15)
2024 Points Scored: 31.0 (5)
2024 Points Allowed: 20.0 (11)
2024 Ranking: 22

Series History/All-Time Records

All-time head-to-head record: Michigan leads 72-23-2
Current streak: Michigan has won six straight
Last Michigan win: 11/19/2022 (19-17)
Last Illinois win: 10/31/2009 (38-13)

2024 Player Stats

Michigan

Passing: Davis Warren – 48-72, 444 yards, 2-6 (TD-INT)
Rushing: Kalel Mullings – 91 ATT, 589 YDS, 6 TD
Receiving: Colston Loveland – 29 REC, 261 YDS, 2 TD
Tackles: Ernest Hausmann – 40 (28-12)
Sacks: Josaiah Stewart – 5.0
Interceptions: Will Johnson – 2

Illinois

Passing: Luke Altmyer – 111-164, 1426 YDS, 14-1 (TD-INT)
Rushing: Kaden Feagin – 67 ATT, 306 YDS, 3 TD
Receiving: Pat Bryant – 27 REC, 452 YDS, 7 TD
Tackles: Matthew Bailey – 37 (17-20)
Sacks: Gabe Lucas –  3.0
Interceptions: Xavier Scott – 3

Michigan Players To Watch:

Offense: Quarterback – Jack Tuttle – Senior

Tuttle gets the nod this week as the quarterback after coming in against Washington, he showed glimpses of the talent he has in the loss to the Huskies as he threw for 98 yards in the loss. Look for him to try to attack an Illinois defense that struggles against the pass.

Defense: Defensive Back – Will Johnson – Junior

Johnson will look to feast against a weak Illinois passing attack, he is coming off a game prior to the bye against Washington in which he had three total tackles. He leads the team in takeaways, although Luke Altmyer doesn’t throw many interceptions only throwing one this season, look for Johnson to jump a route and pick him off.

Bottom Line: Ranked Matchup

Michigan is in jeopardy with a loss being unranked, they struggled against Washington which could be attributed to the travel but also a struggle on offense. The defense was supposed to be a key piece of this team but even that unit has struggled a little bit to this point this season, Michigan is rested and will look to get back on track with only one conference loss a conference championship game appearance is still alive and with a rivalry game against Michigan State and a big one against Oregon coming up they will need to handle business against Illinois to keep those hopes alive.

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