Observations on the first half with Illinois, 7-13

Illinois had two red zones for 10 points; Michigan gained one red zone for 7 points. The Illini scored 10 points off two Wolverines turnovers.

Offense was flat! Offense gained 142 net yards with 8 first downs, and 97 on the ground; they were 2 of 6 in 3rd and 4th down conversions. Jack Tuttle was 6 of 10 for 45 yards, and fumbled the ball for a turnover. Kalel Mullings ran 11 times for 55 yards and a TD. Donovan Edwards ran 4 times for 24 yards, but turned the ball over on a fumble. Semaj Morgan caught 3 passes for 14 yards. Colston Loveland caught 2 passes for 26 yards. Dylan Rosiek led the Illini with 8 tackles.

Defense wasn't very good, but did make some stops. Illinois gained 184 yards with 116 on the ground. Luke Altmyer hit 8 of 13 for 68 yards and a TD; he ran 7 times for 47 yards. Aidan Laughery ran 5 times for 45 yards. Josh McCray ran 9 times for 25 yards. Pat Bryant caught 3 passes for 20 yards. Zakhari Franklin caught 2 passes for 26 yards. Hank Beatty caught an 11 yarder. Tanner Arkin caught a 2 yarder for a TD. Illinois gained a time of possession advantage of 2 minutes that led to 8 more offensive plays. Jaishawn Barham had 5 tackles to lead the Wolverines.

Special Teams were bad. Tommy Doman punted twice for a paltry 31 yard average. Illinois punted once, and hit two of three field goal attempts.

Second Half will continue to be a low-scoring defensive struggle. We've got to get some offense; otherwise, we are in for a 6-6 season. Go Blue!