Heading into Friday night's Big Ten showdown between ranked teams, most headlines involved No. 22 Nebraska and its superstar-in-the-making, quarterback Dylan Raiola, but by the time the final whistle blew, it was the other undefeated team and its quarterback emerging victorious.
No. 24 Illinois pulled off a 31-24 upset win over Nebraska in overtime, spoiling the party as Lincoln celebrated the 400th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. It's Illinois' first time beating two Top 25 opponents in a season since 2007.
As incredible as Raiola played (297 passing yards, 3 touchdowns), Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer matched him blow for blow, completing 21 of his 27 attempts for 215 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winner to Pat Bryant in overtime.
Perhaps it's a win and performance that will earn Altmyer and the Illini a bit more attention.
Altmyer transferred to Illinois from Ole Miss ahead of the 2023 season as the Mississippi native looked for a clearer path to playing time outside Jaxson Dart's shadow. His first season at Illinois, like the team itself, had its ups and downs. Things got strange when Altmyer was injured late in a win over Minnesota and saw his backup, John Paddock, lead the Illini on a game-winning drive. Paddock did not give the job back. He threw for 507 yards and 4 touchdowns in a win over Indiana the next week and held onto the gig over the season's final two games.
Still, even if confidence in Altmyer faltered outside Champaign, the Illini staff never faltered in their belief that Altmyer would be their starter in 2024, and he's rewarded that faith this season. Following Friday night's win, Altmyer has thrown for 862 yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. His only turnover came in the fourth quarter when he was sacked from behind and lost the football, but a missed field goal by the Cornhuskers gave him and the Illini another life.
Now Altmyer has led the Illini to two wins over ranked opponents this season (Kansas and Nebraska), and the program is 4-0 for the first time since the 2011 season and has announced itself as a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten.
And Altmyer has not done it alone. While he's been the catalyst of an offense alongside star receivers Bryant and Zakhari Franklin, the Illinois defense has returned to the same form it showed in 2022 when Illinois shocked everybody with a 7-1 start to the season. That unit didn't play nearly as well last season in defensive coordinator Aaron Henry's first season calling the plays, but the swagger has returned, as have the turnovers.
There weren't high expectations for Illinois entering the season. A preseason win total of 5.5 suggested the team would be fighting and scratching for a bowl berth, but this is a complete team that's now 4-0 and has bigger goals in its sights.
They won't have to wait long for another chance to spoil somebody else's party, as they'll hit the road to take on Penn State next week.
MORE: Illini love silencing doubters, 247Sports' Jeremy Werner writes