Illinois Dominates Western Michigan 38-0 in Week 3
Illinois delivered a dominant defensive performance Saturday, shutting out Western Michigan 38-0 in Week 3. The Illini built momentum throughout the contest, scoring 3 points in the first quarter, 7 in the second, and 14 apiece in the third and fourth quarters.
Luke Altmyer led Illinois' offensive attack, connecting with multiple receivers including a touchdown pass to Hank Beatty and completions to Hudson Clement and Justin Bowick. Ca'Lil Valentine paced the ground game with 63 rushing yards.
Western Michigan's offense struggled mightily, managing just 78 passing yards from Broc Lowry. The Broncos' best receiving effort came from Michael Brescia with 7 catches, though the unit failed to find the end zone.
Illinois' defense controlled the line of scrimmage and generated critical stops, particularly in the second quarter where a backfield play stuffed Western Michigan near the goal line. The defensive dominance prevented the Broncos from mounting any meaningful offensive drives.
The victory marked a convincing conference performance for Illinois, who covered the 27.5-point spread with the game finishing under the 51-point over-under line.
AI-generated recap · Aug 17, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Western Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Illinois | 3 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 38 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Western Michigan | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 13-24 | 17-26 |
| Pass Yards | 91 | 196 |
| Rush Yards | 113 | 162 |
| Total Yards | 204 | 358 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| 3rd Down | 3-14 | 7-12 |
| Penalties | 6-68 | 5-46 |
| Possession | 28:27 | 31:33 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Kaden Feagin run for 2 yds to the ILL 27
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Collin Dixon
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Justin Bowick for 13 yds to the ILL 40 for a 1ST down
(13:58) No Huddle-Shotgun Altmyer,Luke pass incomplete deep left to Bowick,Justin thrown to WMU30 PENALTY WMU Pass Interference (Wofford,Aaron) 15 yards from ILL40 to WMU45, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Kaden Feagin run for 5 yds to the WMU 40
Ca'Lil Valentine run for no gain to the WMU 40
Kaden Feagin run for 9 yds to the WMU 31 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Kaden Feagin for no gain to the WMU 31
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 9 yds to the WMU 22
Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd to the WMU 21 for a 1ST down
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 12 yds to the WMU 9 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hudson Clement
Kaden Feagin run for a loss of 1 yard to the WMU 10
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete
David Olano 28 yd FG GOOD
Brady Jones pass incomplete to Devin Miles
Jalen Buckley run for a loss of 2 yards to the WMU 23
Brady Jones pass complete to Aveion Chenault for 12 yds to the WMU 35 for a 1ST down
Devin Miles run for 4 yds to the WMU 39
Devin Miles run for 4 yds to the WMU 43
Devin Miles run for 1 yd to the WMU 44
Ryan Millmore punt for 39 yds , Hank Beatty returns for 12 yds to the ILL 29
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Collin Dixon for 6 yds to the ILL 35
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 3 yds to the ILL 38
Kaden Feagin run for a loss of 2 yards to the ILL 36
Keelan Crimmins punt for 40 yds, fair catch by Keivin Boone-Nelson II at the WMU 24
Brady Jones pass complete to Devin Miles for a loss of 1 yard to the WMU 23
Brady Jones pass incomplete to Blake Bosma
Brady Jones pass incomplete to Terence Marshall
Ryan Millmore punt for 45 yds
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 9 yds to the ILL 41
Kaden Feagin run for 4 yds to the ILL 36
(01:26) Shotgun Altmyer,Luke sacked for loss of 11 yards to the ILL25 (Franklin,Josh) PENALTY WMU Horse Collar Tackle (Franklin,Josh) 15 yards from ILL36 to WMU49, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Tanner Arkin
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 9 yds to the WMU 40
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 6 yds to the WMU 34 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Collin Dixon
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Malik Elzy for 25 yds to the WMU 9 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 3 yds to the WMU 6
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 6 yds for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Jalen Buckley run for 3 yds to the WMU 28
Jalen Buckley run for 6 yds to the WMU 34
Jalen Buckley run for a loss of 1 yard to the WMU 33
Ryan Millmore punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Hank Beatty at the ILL 24
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Malik Elzy
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 4 yds to the ILL 28
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Malik Elzy
Keelan Crimmins punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Keivin Boone-Nelson II at the WMU 29
Broc Lowry pass incomplete to Terence Marshall
Broc Lowry pass complete to Blake Bosma for 8 yds to the WMU 37
Broc Lowry pass complete to Michael Brescia for 7 yds to the WMU 44 for a 1ST down
Ofa Mataele run for 4 yds to the WMU 48
Ofa Mataele run for 4 yds to the ILL 48
Broc Lowry run for 7 yds to the ILL 41 for a 1ST down
Broc Lowry run for 16 yds to the ILL 25 for a 1ST down
(06:38) No Huddle-Shotgun Lowry,Broc pass complete short left to Cabana,Cole caught at ILL30, for 3 yards to the ILL22 (Scott,Miles), out of bounds PENALTY WMU Holding (Dieudonne,Malique) 10 yards from ILL25 to ILL35. NO PLAY.
Ofa Mataele run for 3 yds to the ILL 32
Broc Lowry pass incomplete to Talique Williams
Broc Lowry run for 4 yds to the ILL 28
Palmer Domschke 46 yd FG MISSED
(05:05) PENALTY ILL False Start (Priestly,Melvin) 5 yards from ILL28 to ILL23. NO PLAY.
Luke Altmyer sacked by Jarvarius Sims for a loss of 8 yards to the ILL 15
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 3 yds to the ILL 18
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Kaden Feagin for 13 yds to the ILL 31
Keelan Crimmins punt for 50 yds , Keivin Boone-Nelson II returns for no gain to the WMU 19
Devin Miles run for 3 yds to the WMU 22
Broc Lowry pass complete to Baylin Brooks for 10 yds to the WMU 32 for a 1ST down
Broc Lowry pass incomplete to Baylin Brooks
Broc Lowry pass complete to Baylin Brooks for 15 yds to the WMU 47 for a 1ST down
Broc Lowry pass complete to Aveion Chenault for 9 yds to the ILL 44
(01:24) No Huddle-Shotgun Lowry,Broc pass incomplete deep left to Chenault,Aveion thrown to ILL20 PENALTY ILL Pass Interference (Cox Jr.,Torrie) 15 yards from ILL44 to ILL29, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Michael Brescia sacked by Pat Farrell for a loss of 5 yards to the ILL 34
Broc Lowry pass complete to Malique Dieudonne for 13 yds to the ILL 21
(00:50) No Huddle-Shotgun Lowry,Broc pass incomplete short right to Marshall,Terence thrown to ILL08 PENALTY ILL Pass Interference (Patterson,Kaleb) 11 yard from ILL21 to ILL10, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Ofa Mataele run for 3 yds to the ILL 7
Broc Lowry run for 6 yds to the ILL 1
Devin Miles run for no gain to the ILL 1
Michael Brescia run for no gain to the ILL 1
End of 2nd Quarter
Jalen Buckley run for no gain to the WMU 25
Broc Lowry pass complete to Baylin Brooks for a loss of 1 yard to the WMU 24
Broc Lowry sacked by Leon Lowery Jr. for a loss of 2 yards to the WMU 22
Ryan Millmore punt for 31 yds, fair catch by Hank Beatty at the ILL 47
Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd to the ILL 48
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 24 yds to the WMU 28 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Collin Dixon for 15 yds to the WMU 13 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 10 yds to the WMU 3 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 3 yds for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Broc Lowry pass complete to Blake Bosma for 10 yds to the WMU 35 for a 1ST down
Jalen Buckley run for 7 yds to the WMU 42
Broc Lowry run for 9 yds to the ILL 49 for a 1ST down
Broc Lowry run for no gain to the ILL 49
Broc Lowry pass complete to Christian Leary for 5 yds to the ILL 44
Broc Lowry pass incomplete to Christian Leary
Ryan Millmore punt for 44 yds for a touchback
Luke Altmyer run for 1 yd to the ILL 21
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 22 yds to the ILL 43 for a 1ST down
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 9 yds to the WMU 48
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 10 yds to the WMU 38 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 9 yds to the WMU 29
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 5 yds to the WMU 24 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer sacked for a loss of 1 yard to the WMU 25
Kaden Feagin run for 8 yds to the WMU 17
Kaden Feagin run for 4 yds to the WMU 13 for a 1ST down
(02:57) No Huddle-Shotgun Altmyer,Luke pass incomplete short left to Elzy,Malik thrown to WMU00 PENALTY WMU Pass Interference (Sims,Jarvarius) 11 yard from WMU13 to WMU02, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Luke Altmyer run for 2 yds for a TD Western Michigan Penalty, Defensive Holding (Talique Williams) declined (David Olano KICK)
PENALTY WMU Offside (Al-Garawi,Mustafi) 2 yards from WMU03 to WMU01. NO PLAY.
Brady Jones pass incomplete to Aveion Chenault
Brady Jones pass complete to Ofa Mataele for 2 yds to the WMU 15
Brady Jones sacked for a loss of 5 yards to the WMU 10
Ryan Millmore punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Hank Beatty at the ILL 47
Ryan Millmore punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Hank Beatty at the ILL 47
Kaden Feagin run for 2 yds to the ILL 49
Luke Altmyer run for 6 yds to the WMU 45
Kaden Feagin run for 4 yds to the WMU 41 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Ashton Hollins for 35 yds to the WMU 6 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Ashton Hollins for 6 yds for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Ofa Mataele run for 4 yds to the WMU 29
Ofa Mataele run for 3 yds to the WMU 32
Brady Jones pass incomplete to Malique Dieudonne
Ryan Millmore punt for 47 yds , Hank Beatty returns for 7 yds to the ILL 28
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Cole Rusk for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 27
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 6 yds to the ILL 33
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Ashton Hollins
Keelan Crimmins punt for 53 yds, fair catch by Keivin Boone-Nelson II at the WMU 14
Cole Cabana run for a loss of 1 yard to the WMU 13
Broc Lowry pass complete to Cole Cabana for 2 yds to the WMU 15
Broc Lowry pass incomplete to Aveion Chenault
Ryan Millmore punt for 27 yds
Kaden Feagin run for 7 yds to the WMU 35
Illinois Penalty, Offensive Holding (-10 Yards) to the WMU 42
Kaden Feagin run for 26 yds to the WMU 16 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 8 yds to the WMU 8
(06:58) Feagin,Kaden rush middle for 8 yards gain to the WMU00 TOUCHDOWN nullified by penalty, clock 06:55 PENALTY ILL Illegal Formation 5 yards from WMU08 to WMU13. NO PLAY.
Kaden Feagin run for 3 yds to the WMU 10
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 8 yds to the WMU 2 for a 1ST down
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 2 yds for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Lucas Osada kickoff for 65 yds , Devin Miles return for 20 yds to the WMU 20
Ofa Mataele run for 21 yds to the WMU 41 for a 1ST down
Ofa Mataele run for 4 yds to the WMU 45
Tre' Hartwell run for 10 yds to the ILL 45 for a 1ST down
Tre' Hartwell run for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 46
Tre' Hartwell run for 1 yd to the ILL 45
Cole Cabana run for 3 yds to the ILL 42
Broc Lowry pass incomplete to Tre' Hartwell
E. Hampton takes a knee
E. Hampton takes a knee