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 Mensa