Friday night, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln Nebraska, two teams in the BIG 10 conference will meet to determine who is for real. Illinois Nebraska, Nebraska Illinois. Three games into the season, these two teams are mirror images of each other. Looking at talent and stats, no one has a clear advantage. The only real question is at place kicker. Nebraska hasn’t shown they can be consistent and make winning kicks if needed. Illinois, on the other hand, has two kickers who have made kicks of over 50 yards. Nebraska’s only advantage, they play at home.
And even then, unless the crowd comes through, being at home may not mean anything. Head coach Brett Bielema has a 3-2 record against Nebraska while at Wisconsin and Illinois. He also spent time on Bill Snyders staff at Kansas State. He won’t be intimidated by Memorial Stadium or the crowd. And you better believe he’ll have his team ready to play.
Nebraska has looked good in what Matt Rhule called the preseason, with talented young players like Raiola, Nelson, Barney, and Lloyd making big plays. But this is the BIG 10. The teams they face from here on out have top notch facilities, training tables, weight programs, recovery, the best coaches in the country, and most important of all, next level athletes. This is a man’s conference. The young guns will have to ignore next level hoopla and play with unfettered abandon.
Back in the day, Nebraska was known for its brute strength and physicality, pounding the rock and controlling the clock. When they played teams like Miami and Florida, the games were billed as strength versus finesse. But let’s face it, the team we are rooting for now looks a lot more like those finesse teams than the Nebraska teams of our memories.
Yet, with all the changes in college football, television contracts, realignment, NIL, and targeting rules, I think it’s safe to say that in today’s game, Nebraska and Illinois are two of the more physical teams in the BIG 10. Friday night’s game will be won in the trenches. Illinois’ offensive line is better than Northern Iowa’s and Illinois’s defensive front will be the biggest Nebraska has faced this season.
This game will be the classic ‘Mano a Mano’ – a knock-down-drag-out – a fist fight – a real slobber knocker, and one team is going to tap out. It won’t be the Huskers. But this one could be close.
If you don’t think these teams are evenly matched, review the season stats below.
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All stats gathered from espn.com
Points per game: Illini-32.7 – Huskers-34.0
Total Points: Illini-98 – Huskers-102
Points allowed: Illini-26 – Huskers- 20
TD’s: Illini-11 – Huskers-13
Rushing first downs: Illini-23 – Huskers-28
Passing first downs: Illini-34 – Huskers-34
3rd down efficiency: Illini-38.89% – Huskers-50%
4th down efficiency: Illini-50.0% – Huskers-0/3 – 0%
Passing: Illini-56/83 – Huskers-68/92
Passing yards: Illin-676 – Huskers-750
Passing TDs: Illini-6 – Huskers-5
Sack-Yards Lost: Illini-5/32 – Huskers-1/6
Rushing attempts: Illini-105 – Huskers-104
Rushing Yards: Illini-460 – Huskers-514
Yards Per Rush: Illini-4.4 – Huskers-4.9
Yards per Game: Illini-153.3 – Huskers-171.3
Rushing TDs: Illini-4 – Huskers-7
Interceptions: Illini-6/51 – Huskers-4/40
Penalties: Illini-18/146 – Huskers-19/84
Turnover ratio: Illini-+8 – Huskers-+3
Top players to watch
Illini QB Luke Altmyer 6’2” 205lbs: 54/78, 647yds, 69.2%, 6TDs
Husker QB Dylan Raiola 6’3” 240lbs: 59/80,670yds, 73.8, 5TDs
Illin RB Kaden Feagin 6’3” 250lbs: 42-173yds, 4.1, 3TDs. 117 YAC
Husker RB Dante Dowdell 6’2” 225lbs: 31/184yds, 5.9, 3TDs,
Illini WR Pat Bryant 6’3” 200lbs: 15, 235yds, 15.7, 4TDs
Husker WR Isaiah Neyor 6’4” 220lbs: 12, 187yds, 15.6, 2TDs
Illini WR Zakhari Franklin 6’1” 190lbs: 16, 193yds, 12.1
Husker WR Jahmal Banks 6’4” 220lbs: 7, 76yds, 10.9, 1TD
Illini TE Tanner Arkin 6’4” 265lbs: 2, 21yds, 10.5, 1TD
Husker TE Thomas Fidone 6’6” 255lbs: 6, 27yds, 4.5
Illini PK David Olano 5’11” 180lbs: XP 11/11, FG 6/7, made +50
Husker PK Tristan Alvano 6’1” 205lbs: XP 12/12, FG ¾, missed +30
Top tacklers
Illini DB Matthew Bailey 6’2” 215lbs: 17 tot, 9 solo, 8 ast
Husker DB Isaac Gifford 6’1” 205lbs: 17 tot, 6 solo, 11 ast,
Illini DL Dennis Briggs Jr. 6’4” 275lbs: 14 tot, 7 solo, 7 ast, 1 sack
Husker LB John Bullock 6’0” 230lbs: 16 tot, 6 solo, 10 ast, 1 sack
Illini DB Miles Scott 5’11” 210lbs: 13 tot, 6 solo, 7 ast, 2 ints
Husker LB Mikai Gbayor 6’2” 230lbs: 15 tot, 5 solo, 10 ast,
Illini LB Gabe Jacas 6’3” 275lbs: 12 tot, 10 solo, 2 ast, 1 sack
Husker DB DeShon Singleton 6’3” 210lbs: 14 tot, 8 solo, 6 ast,
Illini DB Xavier Scott 5’11” 190lbs, 12 tot, 11 solo, 2 ast, 1 sack, 3 ints
Husker DB Tommi Hill 6’0” 205lbs: 12 tot, 6 solo, 6 ast, 1 int, 1TD
Illini Defense sacks: 5 for 29 yards
Husker Defense Sacks: 9 for 51 yards
