CHAMPAIGN — Bret Bielema‘s tenure has brought higher hopes and bigger goals, but Saturday’s emphatic 35-13 win over Rutgers clinched something the Illini haven’t accomplished in 14 years: back-to-back seasons of bowl eligibility.

Luke Altmyer accounted for a career-high five touchdowns, passing for 235 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown, to help the Illini (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) end a two-game losing streak with a rout of the Scarlet Knights (4-5, 1-5 Big Ten) at sold-out Gies Memorial Stadium.

In the Illini’s most complete Big Ten game of the season, Hudson Clement had five receptions for a season-high 86 yards and a touchdown, while Hank Beatty, Kaden Feagin and Collin Dixon each had receiving touchdowns as well.

Meanwhile, the beleaguered Illini defense also bounced back in a big way by holding Rutgers to 3.5 yards per play through three quarters and holding Rutgers to 58 rushing yards on 26 carries for the game. The Illini had a season-high nine pass breakups, and Gabe Jacas tied a season-high 2.0 sacks.

Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis completed 25 of 44 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown, though much of that production came in the fourth quarter with the game already decided. KJ Duff led Rutgers with nine receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown, while Ian Strong added six receptions for 85 yards.

In a low-possession first half, Rutgers had 10+ play drives on each of its first three drives, but the Illini forced a punt and held the Scarlet Knights to two field goals. The Illini scored touchdowns on three of its four first-half drives. Altmyer marched the Illini 99 yards on 12 plays on their first drive, ending with a seven-yard touchdown to Kaden Feagin in the flat to take a 7-0 lead. After Rutgers scored field goals on the next two drives, Altmyer was intercepted on a screen pass on the Illini’s next drive.

But Altmyer and the Illini responded with back-to-back touchdown drives, sparked by four 16+ yard runs by Altmyer. The Illini quarterback ran in a three-yard touchdown on a handoff from Feagin in the wildcat to give Illinois a 14-6 lead with 5:45 left in the second quarter. After a quick Illini defensive stop following a Gabe Jacas sack, Altmyer led the Illini on another scoring drive, finding an open Hank Beatty in the flat for a one-yard touchdown to give Illinois a 21-6 lead at halftime.

The Illini kept the pedal to the metal to start the second half with Altymer leading a nine-play, 75-yard drive to start the third quarter, capped by a 20-yard diving touchdown catch by Clement. After a quick Rutgers’ 3-and-out forced by the Illini defense, the Illini converted on two fourth downs — both on which Rutgers jumped offsides — with a 23-yard pass to Hudson Clement and then a seven-yard touchdown pass to Collin Dixon to take a commanding 35-6 lead.

Rutgers scored its first touchdown on Kaliakmanis’ three-yard slant to Duff with 5:47 remaining to make it 35-13. Rutgers drove the length of the field in the final minutes, but the Illini stopped the Scarlet Knights at the goal line on the final player of the game.

What it means: Saturday was a reminder that the Illini have played a really tough schedule so far this season (No. 3 nationally heading into the game), but it eases up considerably in November, giving the Illini a chance for a strong finish similar to last season. The Illini have beaten the teams they should so far this season — they’re 5-0 as a favorite and 1-3 as an underdog — and they will be favored in their final three games. The Illini are two wins away from winning 8+ games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1990 and three wins away from winning 9+ games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. By breaking the two-game skid, the Illini now have a chance to show they can sustain success under Bielema, even if they fall short of their goal of a College Football Playoff appearance.

Star of the game: Shout out to the Illini defense, but can’t go anyone but Luke Altmyer here. The Illini quarterback tore up the rough Rutgers defense with both his arm and his legs (which were a big weapon in the first half), and he should have a torrid finish to the season against a weak schedule. Altmyer is putting a bow on one of the most impactful Illini quarterback runs of the 21st century and has the chance to put up monster numbers on the way to another good bowl bid.

Stats of the game

Illinois averaged 6.4 yards per play, while Rutgers averaged 4.3 yards per play.Illinois out-rushed Rutgers 210 yards  5.5 ypc) to 59 yards (2.2 ypc)Illinois had nine pass breakups by eight players, doubling its previous season-high (four).Illinois was 7-for-12 on third downs and 3-for-3 on fourth downs.Altmyer’s 88 rushing yards on seven carries were the second-most of his career.

Don’t overlook: Sure, Rutgers didn’t execute, but that’s a heck of a bounce back for the Illini defense. The Scarlet Knights came into Saturday’s game averaging 31.4 points and 426.0 yards per game, and Illinois held them to 13 points and 312 total yards — with 146 of those yards coming in the fourth quarter with the game already decided and many Illini backups in the game. Illini defensive coordinator Aaron Henry ran more five-man front and man-to-man coverage, which kept Kaliakmanis uncomfortable. Though Kaliakmanis certainly was inaccurate on his own accord, Illinois was far more aggressive with its pressure and far more competitive in coverage. After totaling just 5.0 sacks and 10 pass breakups in its first five Big Ten games, the Illini had 2.0 sacks and nine pass breakups against Rutgers.

What’s next: The Illini head into their second off week in the last four weeks to once again heal up and refocus for a very favorable three-game stretch to end the regular season. Bret Bielema and his staff are expected to get back on the recruiting trail to try and add some final pieces to the Class of 2026, focusing on some flip candidates and JUCO targets. Meanwhile, the starters likely will get more rest next week while the second- and third-stringers get more reps to hasten their development. The Illini then prepare to host Maryland (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten), which hosts No. 2 Indiana on Saturday and plays at Rutgers next weekend, before traveling to Wisconsin (2-6, 0-5 Big Ten) on Nov. 22 and hosting Northwestern (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) on Nov. 29.