Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer outdueled Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola in a thrilling overtime victory in Lincoln last week, and he’s being honored as the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Week.
Altmyer, in his second season as Illinois’ starting quarterback, threw for 215 yards and four touchdowns against the Cornhuskers, including the go-ahead touchdown pass to Pat Bryant in the first overtime as Illinois captured a 31-24 victory over Nebraska.
Altmyer is the second Illinois player to earn honors from the conference this season, with Xavier Scott earning Defensive Player of the Week honors after the Illini’s Week 2 upset win over Kansas.
That win vaulted Illinois to 4-0 on the season, marking only the second time since 1951 that the Illini have started a season with four consecutive victories.
In four games this season, Altmyer has completed 71.4% of his passes, throwing 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions so far for the Illini. His offensive line has also stepped up, with seven sacks through four games after allowing him to be sacked 34 times in nine games last season.
The road ahead won’t get any easier for Illinois, as they’ll take on Penn State on Saturday night in Happy Valley. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on NBC.
Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson earned co-offensive player of the week honors after rushing for three touchdowns against Minnesota, while Michigan’s Josaiah Stewart won Defensive Player of the Week honors after a strong performance against USC in the Big House.
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