Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer was named the co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.
Altmyer led then-#24 Illinois to a 31-24 (OT) win at #22 Nebraska by throwing for four touchdowns on 21-of-27 passing and amassing 236 total yards of offense. Altmyer tied the game with a touchdown pass to 335-pound offensive lineman Brandon Henderson on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter, then threw the game-winner to Pat Bryant in overtime.
Altmyer is the first Illinois quarterback to throw for four touchdowns on the road against a top-25 team since 1999 (Kurt Kittner at Michigan). The only quarterback in the nation to throw 10+ touchdowns and zero interceptions this season, Altmyer has guided Illinois to two ranked wins and the program's second 4-0 start since 1951.
Illinois is up to #19 in the AP Top 25. The Fighting Illini travel to #9 Penn State on Saturday for a 6:30 p.m. CT matchup on NBC.
