CHAMPAIGN – Luke Altmyer spent the time after Saturday’s upset win over No. 19 Kansas searching for his family and friends among the boisterous players at Memorial Stadium.

A sizable group traveled from Mississippi. Altmyer’s first thought after Illinois clinched its 23-17 victory was to find someone from that group. Maybe one of his brothers. Or his parents. Or one of his many close friends in attendance.

Instead, they found him.

Altmyer hugged his younger brother Whit after the game before his older brother Steele and friends lifted him into the air. The Illinois quarterback may not have thought he’d be crowd surfing at Zuppke Field on Saturday night, but the win over the Jayhawks apparently called for such a celebration.

“They took me right away,” Altmyer said. “It was just a special moment. Something I’ll remember more than the plays that were made there. It was just really cool.”

The fact that Illinois had such a moment in Week 2 was significant in the overall picture of the season.

“That was a moment that everyone will remember forever and something we can build off of,” Altmyer said. “It’s definitely cool that that happened early and not later in the season to build our confidence going forward. It’s crazy how life works, how God works. I remember there were times last year when they were booing us off the field. Honestly, it’s just cool for my team to be able to experience that moment.”

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Illinois’ first seven drives in Saturday’s game ended with a David Olano field goal, a fumble, a punt, another Olano field goal and then three straight punts. With five minutes left in the third quarter, the Illini trailed Kansas 17-13 after a Jalon Daniels touchdown pass to Lawrence Arnold, and Altmyer said the Illini had their “backs against the wall.”

The result? Two consecutive attacks that ultimately led to the upset victory. First, an eight-play, 80-yard attack that capped off a 1-yard touchdown run by Kaden Feagin. Then, a 15-play, 42-yard attack that took up a lot of time in the fourth quarter and ended with a third field goal by Olano.

“We just stuck with it,” Altmyer said. The coaches put us in good positions and it was up to us to make plays. We knew our backs were against the wall — we were behind — and if we wanted to do what we wanted to do, the only thing we could do was make something happen. … The guys executed. That’s the key. Execute, move the chains and score.”

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The only thing that surprised Altmyer about that final drive was the fact that Illinois started with freshman running back Ca’Lil Valentine as its closer.

The move stemmed from a discussion between the Illini coaches at halftime. There were plays where Feagin and Aidan Laughery had trouble moving the ball in the first half. A little more speed, Illinois coach Bret Bielema said, could have been useful.

Enter Valentine. The freshman running back only managed eight rushes for 25 yards in the second half, but he helped Illinois move the ball and the clock in the fourth quarter.

“I have to give (running backs coach Thad Ward) a lot of credit for having the confidence to put him there,” Bielema said. “Ca’Lil has just been very impressive since he came on campus. He has a good, natural feel and understanding of it.”

Although Altmyer was surprised that Valentine was called up so late in the game, he had no doubt that the 6-foot-3, 195-pound freshman would perform.

“He’s just tricky, man,” Altmyer said. “He’s hard to tackle and hard to bring down. He’s not the biggest guy. You run a lot with Kaden and then get little Ca’Lil, but he’s fast and reliable. I talked to him before the game because we had him in the game plan. I said, ‘Tonight is your moment, and I know you’re going to do great things. You’re built for this. You’re built for this.’ I’m just proud of that guy.”

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Altmyer finished Saturday’s game completing 16 of 25 passes for 192 yards. Almost all of those went to either Zakhari Franklin or Pat Bryant. The latter caught three passes for 70 yards, while Franklin set a new record with nine catches for 99 yards – at least in his short time at Illinois.

“He’s just reliable,” Altmyer said of his top target. “He’s so balanced. I think that’s the cool thing about him. He never gets rattled. … There were some good cornerbacks out there that he went up against and he never flinched. I have so much confidence in him to be able to do what he does. I’ve seen that all camp, and he’s done that for the last four years. Luckily, he’s on my team. He’s won a lot of one-on-one battles.”

Franklin’s familiarity with the Illinois offense has obviously made the transition easier for him after joining the team this summer following a season in Mississippi. It’s the three games he played at Texas San Antonio, including two under current Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., that have made the difference in his time in Champaign.

“Barry told me something when we were recruiting,” Bielema said. “He said, ‘Coach, he’s going to need us as much as we need him.’ We knew we wanted another perimeter receiver and thought he would fill that role. I think he’s just going to get better. He understands how we do things here.”

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Bielema has a few sayings that have resonated throughout the Illinois football program. “Tough, smart and dependable” tops the list. “Do your job” isn’t far behind.

Then there’s “CTOTTY.” Or “Catch the one they throw at you.”

Xavier Scott and Miles Scott have obviously taken the latter to heart. Xavier Scott had two interceptions, including a pick six, against Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels. Miles Scott had Illinois’ third interception, giving him two in two games.

“You get some balls knocked off and thrown in the air, but when they throw one to you, you have to catch it,” Bielema said. “Our guys were pretty good. … There was no hesitation. A lot of times with defensemen in those moments, if you hesitate even a little bit, you can’t make the play. They have a lot of confidence and trust, but they also do a lot schematically.”

Xavier Scott and Miles Scott are not only teammates, they’re roommates, too. And after Saturday’s game, in which the former forced a fumble, Illinois’ “Mayhem King” belt will stay with them.

Miles Scott won it in Week 1. Xavier Scott was ready to take it after his stellar performance against the Jayhawks.

“We do that in practice,” Xavier Scott said. “Our coaches are on us all week to take the ball away and catch everything we see.”

“Sometimes quarterbacks make decisions they shouldn’t make, but the worst thing is to make him pay for those decisions,” Miles Scott added. “Just take full advantage of it. Catch the ball when it’s thrown to you. Force fumbles. It’s about having a heightened awareness of it. I definitely don’t think it’s something that just happens. You have to do it with intention – especially in everyday practice.”