MADISON, Wis. — When it was announced in the spring of 2025 that four of the five offensive line starters from the 10-win Citrus Bowl champions Illinois team would be returning, many did not bat an eye.
It is usually a good thing when fans do not talk about their offensive line — it means they are doing their job. But when they stop doing their job, people start talking.
Welcome to week 11 of the 2025 college football season and people aren’t just talking, they are screaming.
Quarterback Luke Altmyer has already been sacked 25 times this season. Five came in the 27-10 upset loss against the Wisconsin Badgers Saturday night. To put things in perspective, in two more games in 2024, Altmyer was sacked only seven more times, but on 72 more dropbacks in the pocket.
“Offensively, we just never really got on rhythm,” said Illini head coach Bret Bielema. “[Giving up] that many pressures, that many hits on our quarterback, won’t let us get in any rhythm.”
Altymer has used his legs and improvising ability in the past four games to help generate the Illini offense, but he spent most of his Camp Randall visit on his back.
“They lined up and took it straight to us,” Altmyer said. “Bottom line, it was not a complicated thing to see.”
The Illini QB did not have much help from his offensive compadres.
Not only was the pass protection been poor, the run game was stifled. The trio of backs, Kaden Feagin, Aidan Laughery and Ca’Lil Valentine paired with Altmyer only rushed for a measily 50 yards against the Badgers, averaging a whopping 1.7 yards per carry.
“We definitley didn’t run the ball effectively,” Bielema said. “For me, the frustrating part, we tried to get the ball inside, on the perimeter, nothing happened, kind of just the sublimation of really bad football.”
And to put a cherry on top of bad night for the Illini offensive line, right tackle Melvin Priestly was tossed from the game after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
As Wisconsin fans waved Priestly goodbye, Bielema pulled his senior lineman to the side.
“I appreciate Melvin, there is probably nobody that has grown as much as him over the last two years,” Bielema said. “But when it gets hot, that is the composure you have to keep, that is what I was trying to express to him. Thankfully that is not an ejection that will cost him in the next game, but he really has to learn from that moment.”
Bielema and Altmyer both closed with thoughts that can leave many fans wondering what the future of the Illini program looks like.
“I’m not making any types of excuses or thoughts, we just gotta play better football,” Bielema said. “In my opinion, I gotta do a better job building a roster around them that gives us successful players and successful plays, that gives us wins overall.”
Altmyer’s outlook was a bit more bleek.
“We just are not playing in sync consistently enough to be a big time team in this league, that is the bottom line.”
