Luke Altmyer Sends Powerful Message on Partner in Crime Whose Last-Minute Move Saved Illinois

The Fighting Illini, led by their 5th-year quarterback, Luke Altmyer, went into the Wallace Wade Stadium against Duke being heavy favorites, courtesy of their 2024 10-win season. But Duke, led by Manny Diaz’s defensive fortress, had 4 sacks on Atlmyer in just the first half, and the score was 14-13 for Illinois. Clearly something needed to change, and that’s when Bret Bielema asked his senior wide receiver, “I called him and I said, ‘Hey, I’m going to put you in at QB, are you good with that? ‘” said Bielema in the post-game presser. The receiver’s response? It showed the type of team Bielema is building after his 2024 success.

“Coach, I did that in high school really good,” replied Hank Beatty. By the time the creative play came that Bielema was planning, Luke Altmyer already had scored a touchdown with 9:34 left on the third-quarter play clock, taking the score 21-13. The team now just needed one more touchdown to steer clear of Duke and potentially seal that game later. And the anticipated play came with 7:02 minutes remaining on the third-quarter clock. That play changed the rhythm of the game, as after leading 28-13, the rest of the game became just a formality. Now, at a recent press conference, Altmyer called that play his “favorite” and described what all happened in the background.

“A lot went into that. I was really excited when that call came in,” said Altmyer about the play with a ripe smile. Altmyer described how it was “fun” to move around and “do cool things to confuse the defense,” as he described Duke’s defense as “freaking out.” But the best part for Altmyer was his chemistry with Hank Beatty. “I enjoy playing for Hank,” said the QB and went on to describe how things went in the background.

“I just had to run in a run a little loop, you know, and flash my hands thinking it was going to be like a reverse pass or something. But when that call came in, I got really excited for sure, just for everybody involved. It was a fun play. That was one of my favorites of the day,” concluded Luke Altmyer. Notably, the play involved Hank Beatty lining up as a QB in the shotgun, while Altmyer lined up in the running back position, acting as a decoy. The rest of it came with the duo’s brilliance.

Hank took the snap after a fake pitch to Altmyer, as Beatty effortlessly ran 25 yards for a touchdown after faking a handoff to Altmyer. The play was a testament to offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr.’s creative play calling when Manny Diaz’s defense was throwing aggressive blitzes. As for Hank Beatty, his experience as a QB in high school as a senior came in handy as he ran riot on Duke’s defense, putting in a historical performance as Duke ended the game with a 45-19 scoreline.

Beatty’s performance is a huge positive sign for Luke Altmyer for the upcoming challenge

Luke Altmyer, in total, passed for a whopping 296 yards, completing 22 of his 31 passes for 3 touchdowns. And Hanke Beatty, notching up 128 receiving and 25 rushing yards in the game, put in an impressive show. This incredible performance comes after Beatty broke a historical record against Western Illinois in Week 1, receiving for 108 yards and a touchdown, along with 133 punt return yards. For context, Beatty in the third quarter returned a 69-yard incredible punt return touchdown, being Illinois’ first punt return TD since 2013. But that’s not all.

“Hank started to have success in the punt-return game last year, and that’s given him confidence as a receiver. I was talking with (Western Illinois coach) Joe Davis before the game, and he said they don’t want to punt it to Hank. But, obviously, they did,” said Bielema after the Western Illinois game. With that punt return performance against Western Illinois, Beatty also broke the previous punt return yards record of Red Grange’s (125 yards) set in 1923, after notching up 133 punt return yards. Surely now, the future looks bright this season for Luke Altmyer and Bielema.

Illinois so far has gone 2-0 in the season and is set to face Western Michigan in Week 3, followed by Indiana, USC, Purdue, and Ohio State. The schedule then going forward becomes tricky for them, and these kinds of creative plays deployed by Illinois sure can come in handy. Of course, Duke wasn’t as strong a team as USC or Ohio State, but considering the dominant performance, it seems the Fighting Illini are ready to take any team head-on.