Hank Beatty and Justin Bowick took care of business tonight.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Entering the 2025 season, there were a lot of uncertainties swirling around the Illini’s wide receiver room.
The team had lost its two biggest contributors in Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin, while not having a future-WR1 lined up and ready to take the throne.
However, in tonight’s season opener, two potential suitors for the offense’s go-to weapons emerged in Hank Beatty and Justin Bowick.
A four-year player for the Illini, Beatty has done a bulk of his damage on special teams, thriving as a return specialist.
In tonight’s season opener, however, he torched the Western Illinois secondary as a wide-out as well.
Beatty finished with a game-high 108 receiving yards on five catches, good for the senior’s first career game with over 100 yards receiving.
In the words of Beatty, eclipsing that 100-yard mark was something that he’s been chasing for some time now.
“It felt great, I know I was close in the Citrus Bowl but couldn’t get it done, so I’ve been wanting that one,” Beatty said.
On top of his career day receiving-wise, he remained a game wrecker as a returner, taking a punt back 69 yards for a touchdown. It was the Illini’s first punt-return touchdown since 2013.
Darting up the field and making defenders miss, Beatty looks to be the speedy receiver that will stretch the field and take the top off of the secondary for this Illini offense.
On the other side of the field stands Bowick, someone with a drastically different play style.
Standing at 6’4 and weighing in at 210 pounds, Bowick is a big-bodied receiver who has the body control and hands to cement himself as a consistent red zone threat for the Illini this season.
The junior transfer from Ball State found the end zone on both of his first two receptions as an Illini, making a good first impression on a packed Memorial Stadium crowd. His final stat line for the game was three catches for 23 yards and two touchdowns.
In the eyes of head coach Bret Bielema, Bowick’s performance tonight was big not just in the present, but moving forward as well.
“He’s a big target, plays with a lot of speed, lot of agility, and put himself in a good position there to build confidence with not only Luke and our offense, but also play caller,” Bielema said.
Bowick entered this season coming off a short-lived 2024 campaign with Ball State, as he played in only four games for the Cardinals before deciding to redshirt the season and eventually enter the transfer portal.
Starting quarterback Luke Altmyer, while giving Beatty and Bowick their fair share of targets, was slinging the ball all over the field in the team’s big win over the Leathernecks.
Nine different players hauled in receptions for the Illini, helping propel the offense to its 231 total yards in the air.
While Illinois is only one game into its season and nothing is set in stone, it was a big night for the wide receivers, much to the delight of their quarterback.
“We’re still figuring it out as we’re going, but a lot of encouragement and a lot of excitement moving forward with those guys, and nobody’s happier and more excited for them than I am,” Altmyer said.
Category: General Sports
