Friday night, seven o’clock, on FOX; the 400th consecutive sellout: No. 22 Nebraska versus No. 24 Illinois. For the first time since 2014, when the Huskers took on Minnesota, there will be a Top-25 matchup in Memorial Stadium. Coach Rhule thinks Illinois is very similar to their style.
“We will find out this Friday night, this is a real physical team. If you look at their stats, they’re about like us in every category, so we’re playing a mirror image of ourselves,” Rhule said on Monday.
The statistics below were gathered from ncaa.com
Illinois Offense
The Fighting Illini’s offense is led by junior quarterback Luke Altmyer and is off to a solid start to the 2024 season. Through three games, he has thrown for 647 yards, six touchdowns and is currently 41st in the country with a 68.1 QBR.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema has similarities to Rhule’s blue-collar style of football. Illinois hasn’t had a running back take off like Bielema’s backs normally do, but they have a big starting running back like Northern Iowa’s Tye Edwards. Illinois running back Kaden Feagin is a unit: six-foot-three, 250 pounds. The sophomore is averaging 4.1 yards per carry, three touchdowns but only 173 total yards through three games.
Senior wide receiver Pat Bryant is going to be a vertical threat for the Blackshirts to contain. Bryant has an NFL body for a wideout, six-foot-three, 200 pounds. Through three games, he has 15 receptions for 235 yards and four touchdowns.
Other than Bryant, the Illini have only one more concerning threat in the passing game. Senior Zakhari Franklin has 16 catches for 191 yards. He isn’t as big as Bryant, being only six-foot-one, 190 pounds but these two receivers will need to be reckoned with. Of Altmyer’s 54 completions, 57 percent come from these two.
Illinois Defense
Looking at the defense the Illini bring in, they’re giving up 4.19 yards per rush. The 123 yards per game given up should benefit NU. They will be rotating a lot at the linebacker position. When they played Kansas, their star running back, Devin Neal averaged seven yards per carry.
Their passing defense is allowing 152 yards per game, which is 31st in the country. One thing to note: the three teams they have played, FCS Eastern Illinois, Kansas and Central Michigan are teams not known for airing it out. The Fighting Illini plays a lot of dudes on defense, similar to Husker defensive coordinator Tony White. They used to run strictly man coverage. Now, they disguise some zone. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola will be tested, but if any freshman is built to read a defense that is good at deceiving opponents, Raiola is that guy.
Nebraska Offense
Big Red should be able to rely on their rushing attack for success against the Fighting Illini. The major concern for the Huskers offense pertains to right guard Micah Mazzccua not starting for the second consecutive week.
“He won’t play this week, he’s on the team, he’s practicing with us, just working through some stuff with us right now. He’s doing everything we have asked him to do, but yeah, he won’t be available,” coach Rhule said on Monday, regarding Mazzccua.
On Wednesday, Rhule clarified that Mazzccua would be dressed and ready. A little bit of a different angle than what he said on Monday. Is Rhule considering putting Mazzccua out there if needed?
“Mazzccua will be dressed and ready, he just won’t start. He’ll be out there. Lutovsky will play; Micah will be available, I probably said that in the wrong way,” Rhule said on Wednesday.
Even though Mazzccua probably will not be in the mix, Rhule is confident in junior guard Henry Lutovsky and the depth at the offensive guard position.
“If you go back to the Colorado game, we put Henry in during the fourth quarter, and Henry played in the fourth quarter against Colorado. Henry is a guy we marked as a starter, coming into the year. Micah and Justin did a great job for the first game and a half but Henry is healthy now and ready to go,” Rhule said.
Junior quarterback Heinrich Haarberg is a player that Illinois will have to keep an eye out for. Whether it was just throwing the Fighting Illini off or not, the Huskers showing him at other positions raises key questions. The eye candy Haarberg brings, being on the field at the same time as Raiola, should allow other offensive weapons to take advantage of the defense on edge.
Who will be Nebraska’s leading receiver when the clock hits zero? It’s a good question to ask and realistically there could be good arguments for any of the top receivers. Getting the transfers on offense going will be big. Wide receiver Jahmal Banks is due to have his breakout game for the Cornhuskers. Freshmen Carter Nelson and Jacory Barney Jr. better be ready to take the next step, these two freshmen are going to be counted on.
Blackshirts
Coach Rhule assured that defensive lineman Jimari Butler will be back in action this Friday, after sitting out of the Northern Iowa game due to “soreness.”
Northern Iowa may have successfully driven the football down the field but the Blackshirts defense held firm. They’re currently tied for 14th in the nation in red zone defense, stopping the opponent from scoring a touchdown or field goal 40 percent of the time, which is extremely high. With Illinois struggling to defend the run, the No. 16 ranked Blackshirts in rush defense should anticipate a heavy dose of a passing attack from veteran quarterback Altmyer.
Defensive coordinator Tony White should be dialing up plays to get after Illinois’ quarterback Altmeyer. If the Blackshirts can stop the Illinois receivers, Bryant and Franklin, it’s going to be a long night for the Fighting Illini. Cornerbacks Tommi Hill and Marques Buford Jr. will have another challenge in defending the two proven receivers.
My Prediction
I foresee Nebraska coming out with energy similar to when they played Colorado. The ranked versus ranked opponent and the 400th consecutive sellout, only add to the motivation needed and quite frankly, coach Rhule is all about the media attention. This game is crucial for Big Red potentially reaching their ceiling for this season, a loss could deteriorate the potential given.
My biggest concern is field goal kicking. If Nebraska is in a nailbiter, will sophomore kicker Tristan Alvano be able to come through, if given the opportunity? The kid kicked a 55-yarder this past season; he needs to relax and let loose a bit, the talent is there.
I think the Cornhuskers come out with the bread and butter of blue-collar football: a heavy dose of running back Dante Dowdell, Raiola in command, trenches being won on both sides of the ball and havoc in the backfield from the Blackshirts. Raiola is going to be facing the best defense yet. It will be interesting to see if Haarberg is in the mix for special packages. My score prediction has NU winning 23-7. The 400th consecutive sellout will be electric, especially since Nebraska has a pulse in getting back to prominence.
