Illinois star runs over official in key play, leads team to Music City Bowl win

Illinois Fighting Illini backmost Luke Altmyer had an unthinkable nighttime against the Tennessee Volunteers successful a Music City Bowl win, but a play successful the 3rd 4th caught the eyes of assemblage shot fans.

The Fighting Illini were up 3 points successful the 3rd 4th and had the shot connected archetypal down from the Volunteers’ 41-yard line. Altmyer took the drawback and dropped backmost to pass. He faked a walk to his close and took the shot up the mediate of the field.

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Illinois backmost Luke Altmyer (9) runs the shot during the archetypal fractional of the Music City Bowl NCAA assemblage shot crippled against Tennessee, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, successful Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Altmyer scampered distant from Tennessee defenders and ran close into an official. The backmost bounced disconnected the authoritative and gained a archetypal down earlier helium ran retired of bounds. It took a infinitesimal for the authoritative to get backmost up. He would people a touchdown aboriginal successful the drive.

Tennessee did enactment connected a mean comeback. DeSean Bishop scored a 12-yard rushing touchdown aboriginal successful the framework and the squad took the pb connected a Joakim Dodson 94-yard footwear instrumentality touchdown.

Altmyer came backmost and enactment connected a 13-play, 65-yard thrust to acceptable up a David Olano go-ahead tract extremity for the 30-28 win.

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Illinois backmost Luke Altmyer (9) looks to propulsion a walk during the archetypal fractional of the Music City Bowl NCAA assemblage shot crippled against Tennessee, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, successful Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Altmyer was 20-of-33 with 196 passing yards and a touchdown pass. He had 54 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown arsenic well.

Illinois posted the archetypal back-to-back nine-win seasons successful programme history.

"We don’t person to work astir different years anymore," caput manager Bret Bielema said aft the game. "I deliberation radical usually either work astir past oregon constitute history, and this group’s penning past and I deliberation we’ll proceed to bash that."

Illinois caput manager Bret Bielema yells astatine an authoritative during the 2nd fractional of the Music City Bowl NCAA assemblage shot crippled against Tennessee, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, successful Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

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The squad is present 2-1 successful vessel games nether Bielema.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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