Luke Altmyer trucks referee during Music City Bowl vs. Tennessee
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Luke Altmyer’s college career is winding down on Tuesday as Illinois faces Tennessee in the Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
The Illini held a 17-14 lead with five minutes left in the third quarter and the ball on the Volunteers’ side of the field. Altmyer, who’s been known to take off and run with the football occasionally — although he’ll hardly be confused with Lamar Jackson — initially stepped back and attempted a screen pass. With the Vols defense threatening to take him down, the Illinois quarterback decided to take matters into his own hands and run with it.
Unfortunately for the referee in front of Altmyer, he wasn’t able to get out of the way quickly enough before being bumped to the ground. Here’s video of how it happened on ESPN:
Fortunately for the referee, he got up relatively quickly and looked to be OK after being checked on by Illinois players.
Altmyer eventually capped an eight-play drive with a two-yard touchdown carry as the Illini opened up a 24-14 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the third. The Vols, though, responded with a touchdown drive of their own to make it a 24-21 ballgame going into the fourth quarter.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
