DURHAM, N.C. — Luke Altmyer threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns and No. 11 Illinois capitalized on a series of Duke mistakes to beat the Blue Devils 45-19 on Saturday for a road win against a power-conference opponent.
Kaden Feagin, Hank Beatty and Ca’Lil Valentine ran for scores, while Beatty also had a huge receiving day with eight catches for 128 yards for the Fighting Illini (2-0). Illinois led by just one at halftime but asserted itself from there and outscored Duke 31-6 in what turned into a dominating finish.
The key was Illinois’ opportunism in pouncing on every Duke mistake when the game was close — and boy, there were plenty.
Duke (1-1) committed five turnovers, notably a muffed punt deep in its end to set up a short field on Illinois’ first touchdown and Darian Mensah losing a red-zone fumble in the first half.
The miscues also included a penalty for having two players in the game wearing a No. 8 jersey as Illinois punted on a three-and-out to open the second half. That led to a first down on a drive the Illini would ultimately take to the end zone, with Altmyer’s 4-yard scoring throw to Justin Bowick for a 21-13 lead that proved to be merely the start of Illinois’ surge.
Mensah threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns for Duke. Both went to Andrel Anthony, including a spectacular grab in the back of the end zone with Anthony getting his right toe down barely inbounds 8 seconds before halftime to make it 14-13.
The takeaway
Illinois: This is a quality win that could boost their AP Top 25 standing, coming against a nine-win team from last year. After being outgained 240-132 while allowing four sacks before halftime, Illinois rolled to 287 yards while allowing no sacks after the break.
Duke: The Blue Devils officially have a problem through two games: a minus-6 turnover margin with no takeaways.
Up next
- Illinois: The Illini host Western Michigan on Saturday.
- Duke: The Blue Devils visit Tulane on Saturday in a reunion for Mensah with his former program.